Well, it had to happen. I've resisted buying any accessories at all for the Dakota- unless you count a little plug-in-the-cig-lighter/12V acc socket FM transmitter for MP3s that takes line-in, SD card, or USB drives. Included remote control, for ~$6 shipped. (Works great, btw!)
But Craigslist late at night is a dangerous place.
Yet sometimes I still look around for bedliner deals, camper shell, etc.
Factoid- unless something has changed, a camper shell for a Dakota won't fit anything else, & one for anything else won't fit a Dakota. Greatly reduces chances of finding one, as you mght imagine.
But late last night I discovered one ~50 miles for $50! Fiberglass, cab-high, color gray, some paint peeling. Came off a 97 model, exact same body metal as my 02. Has all glass, one screen torn. Owner first said it had a boot in front, & so I replied No Thanks- long ago I went through that with a used camper shell for the 94 Dakota, big PITA. BUT- what he meant was that it has a sliding center glass front window- still useless with my truck's solid rear window, but harmless. Just saw a coupla tiny cell-phone pix- looks pretty decent. Gray shell on Gold truck- could be a lot worse. My trim is Graphite Metallic.
And he has the clamps for it- nothing else to buy.
From experence, I know very well the =/- of a camper shell- but at times one can be amazingly useful. Lotsa big stuff to move in the rain? No problem!
My truck has a 22-gal tank, reg currently $2.55-2.65/gal in this area. So- a decent shell for less $$ than a full tank of gas.
OK, go on, talk me out of it- but it ain't gonna be easy.
Gotta call now, if it's still there may make a little road trip tomorrow!
But Craigslist late at night is a dangerous place.
Factoid- unless something has changed, a camper shell for a Dakota won't fit anything else, & one for anything else won't fit a Dakota. Greatly reduces chances of finding one, as you mght imagine.
But late last night I discovered one ~50 miles for $50! Fiberglass, cab-high, color gray, some paint peeling. Came off a 97 model, exact same body metal as my 02. Has all glass, one screen torn. Owner first said it had a boot in front, & so I replied No Thanks- long ago I went through that with a used camper shell for the 94 Dakota, big PITA. BUT- what he meant was that it has a sliding center glass front window- still useless with my truck's solid rear window, but harmless. Just saw a coupla tiny cell-phone pix- looks pretty decent. Gray shell on Gold truck- could be a lot worse. My trim is Graphite Metallic.
And he has the clamps for it- nothing else to buy.
From experence, I know very well the =/- of a camper shell- but at times one can be amazingly useful. Lotsa big stuff to move in the rain? No problem!
My truck has a 22-gal tank, reg currently $2.55-2.65/gal in this area. So- a decent shell for less $$ than a full tank of gas.
OK, go on, talk me out of it- but it ain't gonna be easy.
Helped offset the purchase price of the truck; I just used it for lumber and trash. The previous owner of my truck just drilled 5/16" holes through the bed "gunwale" and ran bolts through.
