New here. Lost my way, but found myself again.

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foxrunfarms02

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2025
Posts
2
Reaction score
10
Location
Wi
Ram Year
1994
Engine
5.2
Hello,

My name is Tony. I'm new to the forum, but not to being a Dodge owner. I live on a small hobby farm in WI and use my truck often for lumber yard or feed supply runs, pulling equipment home from auctions, a rolling toolbox, or a go - for. My parents always bought Dodge vehicles from the local dealer in town and I continued that.

In high school I had an 02 Dodge Dakota.
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Nothing was wrong with the truck and some days miss it but I traded it for an 09 ram 1500.
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I loved that truck, the look, the roomy cab, the 5.7 hemi. Unfortunately every month it was going back to the dealer for one thing or another. Twice it got stuck in 5th gear. After bad dealer support, and getting sick of the warranty run arounds I traded it in on a brand new 2012 Silverado.
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I was not a fan of the 5.3 vortec. The crew cab was nice for the family and getting groceries, but the box was super small. It reminded me a truck someone would go golfing with. Pile the buddies in and just enough room for the golf bags in the back. I had 0 issues with the truck. I had 230k miles on it, and it was my daily driver.

Unfortunately about 4 years ago while at work unloading a piece of equipment on the side of the street with a vest on, signs out, cones surrounding the truck and trailer. A high school kid drove through the cones, ran me over and dragged me( ironically it was a Dodge dakota). I spent 2 weeks in a truma center, 4 months in bed, and 2 years off of work with 3 different surgies. Through out that time the truck sat and really started to rot away, especially the frame. With my lasting limitations and restrictions from the accident my old employor let me go and I found a job much further away. I needed a more fuel efficient vehicle and found an awd crossover as a daily driver. I kept the truck to do truck stuff but it was having problems so I sold it privately and was just going to get a farm beater.

Last fall where I work we take our fleet trucks to a local mechanic who does things cheaper than the dealer. He had a purple lifted 2nd gen sitting in the driveway. It was 1994 and screamed 90's with the color, lund add-ons, and tear drop rims. He must of noticed me checking it out and asked if I knew anyone interested in something like that.
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Apparently the original owner bought it new and lifted it up. He was a major bar hoper and got some dwi's. He blew the rear end out in it, and there it sat. He needed money for tickets and didn't have the time or money to fix it. The mechanic bought it and rebuilt the transmission and used it as a week-end/play truck. I test drove it. It was hard getting in and out with my limitations and didn't like the way it handled with the lift and tires. For a couple of weeks I looked around for something used on marketplace. People were nuts asking 4k for something with a bad engine, or transmission, 300k miles, and bodies rusted out so I decided on the dodge.
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It only has 109k miles on it, and so far just need the licenses plate lights looked at and it only blows on the floor. It's a little too nice to be a beater and plan on giving her the tlc she deserves. I'm happy with it, the wife is happy with the long bed, she calls it the Joe Dirt truck......plum crazy purple, and has the foot print gas pedal. My son is the cool kid when I take him to and from school with it on my Fridays off. So far I'm happy with it, and it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling from a more simpler time.
 

Marshall

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2013
Posts
2,269
Reaction score
3,168
Location
Sk, Canada
Ram Year
2014 sport
Engine
5.7 hemi
Hello from Sk, Canada, welcome aboard .
I had a 94 club cab, just a 2 wd black, it's a great truck, gave it to the SIL when I bought a new 2005 quad cab . Had a Dakota club cab as well, but the dog didn't like the back jump seats, and the wife was not going to sit in back, so went full size.
Hard to beat those 318, 360 motors. I had a v6 in the small one, it never got any better mileage then the full sized ones, unless you put your foot down, and hard not to do with Hemi's .
I wish I had taken more / some pictures of trucks and cars over the years.
 

turkeybird56

Military Vet 1976-1996 Retired US Army
Air Force Army Law Enforcement
Joined
Aug 2, 2018
Posts
25,806
Reaction score
56,560
Location
Central Texas
Ram Year
2019 Bighorn, 4 X 4, 3.21 rear, Bright Flame Red Pearl Coat, Mopar tonneau cover,Westin Bed rug
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Welcome.
 
OP
OP
foxrunfarms02

foxrunfarms02

Junior Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2025
Posts
2
Reaction score
10
Location
Wi
Ram Year
1994
Engine
5.2
Thank you everyone for the kind welcomes. Hopefully with in time I can share more of the truck. My son and dad want to do some car shows together this summer with "Barney". I'm not sure how it'd fit in with true classics but can argue time with my son and dad.20250531_211249~2.jpgoriginal_0d0ebae4-ca72-4104-b6ee-8b64c30ee4be_20250504_193910.jpg20250523_152834~2.jpg
 
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