You Never Know What You Got
- January 30th, 2010
- Posted in Rants
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Back in 04 when I bought the 05, I was really ready to jump ship on The 98. Back then I wasn’t really a gearhead, and fixing up the 98 was the last thing on my mind. That is until a few weeks later when I realized how much I really missed driving the 98. I guess when you put 200,000 miles on a truck, you don’t just get used to it… it becomes part of you. So that winter I parked the 05 under the pretense of keeping it nice, and I hopped back in the 98. And that’s when the bug of modifying really hit me. I could literally do what I want to it, and not worry about having to have it running soon because I had the 05. It’s that luxury that allows someone to really get into things, and take it farther than I ever had before.
That’s where I drew some heat with some people. In their mind the Gen4 platform was so hideous that they even despised people who bought them. I never really got the logic, but in their minds I was a traitor, someone who wasn’t really a true enthusiast. Even though I bought another Dakota, and they had jeeps, mustangs, and whatnot as their daily driver… I was the bad guy. It’s only fitting that 5 years later their Dakotas are parted out, their businesses gone bankrupt, and they’re not on the boards anymore (and still living at home with mommy in one case).
The moral of the story… hell if I know! But I will say this: I’m not ashamed of buying the 05, but I’ll probably never buy a new Dodge truck again after buying the 05. If I had to do it over again, I probably would bought an 04 to drive while working on the 98. But in any case, even though I got another truck… the 98 is still my #1! 
I went from a ‘98 to an ‘02 because I wrecked the ‘98. I completely understand how the truck can become “part of you”. The layout of the cab in the ‘02 makes a hell of a lot more sense than the ‘98, but in just the past few days I tried to turn on my interior lights by pulling that plug to the left of the steering wheel and tried to lock my door by pressing down on the lock. I’ve been driving it for 3 months and still expect it to be the ‘98 my brain has adapted to.
I’m like this with video games. If I play one game then switch to another where certain basic commands buttons are swapped (like a jump/attack) I have a difficult time adapting.
As for the ‘05, those reactions you’ve received are like the things that would dance around in my head but would never be spoken because I’m at least aware of how ridiculous it sounds. I thought I was nuts for disliking the Gen 4 body style so much, but what you said is technically true: having 2 different Dakota styles should prove you’re a big fan. I think I can see where those people are coming from, to me it seems like the Gen 4 is to blame for the death of the Gen 3. The Gen 4 is like the stepmother that is unfairly blamed by a child for the divorce of their parents.
Trucks are big things, and if I had the money I wouldn’t buy 2 Gen 3s unless I wanted another for spare parts. If I already had a Gen 3 buying another would be redundant. I’d want to get something different because having 2 Gen 3s would be spending twice the money for the experience you already have. Even with me and my ‘02 I’m trying to keep it different because I’ve already had my Red ‘98 so since it had to get wrecked I might as well get something different and have some different experiences.