With the automotive market boasting that electric vehicles (EVs) are the future, those of us who love our V8s are snatching them up at a record pace. For some diehard Dodge (err Ram Truck) fans, a midsized truck has been on the wishlist since the Dakota ended production in 2011. And because the Dakota checks boxes on both lists, it has become highly desirable in recent years.
In the early 2000s, before Dodge re-introduced its modern-day muscle car duo (Charger and Challenger), the closest thing you could get to the performance level of a Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, or Pontiac Trans-Am, was the midsized Dodge Dakota.
The Dakota was far larger than its competition at the time (Chevrolet S-10 and Ford Ranger), which allowed Dodge to throw its mighty LA-series 5.9-liter (360 cubic-inch) MAGNUM V8 under the hood. The MAGNUM was old, but a solid platform for those looking to add bolt-on performance at not a lot of cost. Delivering a modest 250 horsepower and 345 lb-ft (468 N⋅m) of torque from the factory, it was common to see these Dakota feature supercharging to get them north of 340 horsepower.
Today, it is getting harder and harder to find an unmolested Dakota 5.9 R/T in ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ condition. So, when this handsome 2000 Dodge Dakota 5.9 R/T Club Cab with only 53k on the odometer go up for auction on BringATrailer.com, it didn’t take long to see a bidding war take off.
Despite the truck having a moderate collision in 2015, the truck ended up fetching a total of $30,000 USD when the auction ended. That’s more than the base price for the 5.9 R/T Club Cab was brand new.
Nevertheless, the 5.9 R/T is becoming a desirable collectible as time goes on. Unfortunately, with the HEMI on its way out, we will probably never get a factory HEMI-powered midsized Dakota replacement.
2000 Dodge Dakota 5.9 R/T Image Gallery:
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