Black 2008 Dodge Dakota 4.7l V8 4 door with 70xxx miles on it owned by my fiancee's grandfather who cant decide if he wants to sell it or not. Truck never had mud flaps on it so it has a few rust spots behind wheel wells and on the rocker panels from rocks hitting and chipping the paint. Living on a gravel road doesn't help either. I would get the rust spots fixed on the truck and probably give it a tune up if i bought it.
My dilemma is I'm looking at buying a truck in the near future and have been looking at 1-2 year old Ram 1500's (with 5.7 8 speeds only) or F150 supercrew with the 5.0. I would have to finance the newer Ram 1500 or F150, but could buy the Dakota outright for the right price. My question is which truck would any of you consider buying for the right price? The slight fixer upper/project or the newer truck? I think any of the newer trucks look nice so if i went shopping for a new(er) truck it would be based on price, has to have 4 doors, and the mpgs the truck gets (I know its a truck but still a big factor). I am not brand loyal.
The 4.7l V8 okay on gas mileage? Or am i better off with a newer, more modern engine in the newer offerings from Ram and Ford?
Thoughts?