Is the Shelby Dakota Worth It?
- August 25th, 2009
- Posted in Four Wheels . Gearhead . My Vehicles
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[Note: I think I'm going to expand the scope of this blog just a touch and start including more automotive topics, certainly more regarding my automobiles, in addition to bike related stuff. I don't really have any other place to post that kind of stuff anymore. But it will always be primarily about my motorcycle, my travels, and the motorcycle world in general. --Friar]
Tim (my A/C repair guy) called about the Dakota cooling fan. He called Shelby (they were d!cks). He searched the internet (bupkis). He finally pulled the radiator and tore the motor apart and got a serial number and tracked it down. The GOOD news is that it’s still available. The bad news, well, you’re not going to fcuking believe this.
It’s BMW.
And it costs $350 to replace. PLUS labor.
So I was talking to a co-worker about this and I started to say the usual and trite, “it’s cheaper than making new car payments.” Then I stopped in mid-sentence and thought, it CAN’T BE CHEAPER by now. So I started totaling up everything but gas and car washes (yes, I’ve put that thing through the car wash a few times).
Truck $1,800
Transmission $1,600
Alternator and wiring repair $350
Second alternator (labor only) $75
Battery $60
Tires $420
Wheels $210
Snow Tires $340
Tune-up and new exhaust system $730
First AC repair $245
Fan motor repair $500
Grand total: $6,330
Months owned: 13 (right around there)
So, if I simulated monthly payments: $486.92
The only good thing (besides the fact that I still really like the truck–which is good because if I didn’t this post would be my suicide note) is that it’s all paid for and I didn’t pay a cent of interest. But I’m going to have to drive this thing for at least 5 years (spending money only on gas, oil, and filters) to recoup any monetary benefit.
Assuming there are no other major expenses for 5 years, amortizing this amount over 60 months, it drops to $105.50/month. This may be possible since I’m juggling two sets of tires and my annual mileage is pretty low.
So if I paint it (about $400-500 in supplies I’m guessing/hoping–if I can prep it myself and beg Gene to squirt it) it will be worth maybe $5-6000. With any luck Shelby will die soon and the value will jump.
Ultimately, I like it and can afford it so it’s worth it. It does turn heads (a few) and people do ask me about it (a few, nowhere near as many as ask about the Triumph). Just please don’t say ‘I told you so’ or something equally condescending.
Gallery (arrival day, July ’08)
I see your attachment to this truck (with it being a limited production Shelby). If it was just regular Dakota, I would recommend nuking it from orbit (it’s the only way to be sure).
the problem with most of the Shelby offering from Dodge was simply that they were junk. The Dakota platform has always had ongoing drive-train issues, and as you have seen, had outsources its parts to so many foreign companies that it is impossible to keep track of them all.
I hope it works out for you in the long haul. Its sounds like all the major things that could go wrong probably already have.
Good luck, and I hope you get many trouble free miles out of it.
At least this money pit runs. My old Porsche 914 was nothing but trouble. I had a couple VW projects that went nowhere. At least I haven’t spent a dime yet on my ’65 Mustang Fastback, but that day is coming (and it will definitely be worth something).