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HomePick of the DayRare for a reason, 1990 Dodge Dakota convertible pickup truck

Rare for a reason, 1990 Dodge Dakota convertible pickup truck

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Those with long memories might recall the short existence of the Dodge Dakota convertible, produced from 1989-91 to answer a question that nobody asked.  Turns out, there were few people who desired a midsize pickup truck with a convertible top.

The Pick of the Day, a 1990 Dodge Dakota SE, was one of fewer than 1,000 convertibles sold that model year.  Just a handful were sold in 1991. Still, for today’s collector car enthusiasts, the Dakota ragtop is a rare and interesting vehicle that should have an attention-grabbing presence wherever it goes.

Dodge

The truck is powered by a 3.9-liter V6 with 4-speed automatic transmission, and is apparently an unrestored survivor that spent most of its time in the dry Southwest. The odometer shows fewer than 62,000 miles.

“The truck was sold new out of Las Vegas Dodge INC and spent its life there until 2002 when it was acquired and brought back to Michigan for a private collector,” according to the Kentwood, Michigan, dealer advertising the truck on ClassicCars.com. “The truck remains in excellent condition and presents well.”

As a (very) limited-production vehicle, the Dakota convertible was sold with premium equipment, and this one has a nicely furnished interior.  The body and paint seem to be good shape, although some nicks and small areas of corrosion are shown in the gallery of photos with the ad.

Dodge
With the top up

The Dodge  also had a few upgrades, the ad says.

“Highlights include air conditioning, cloth and vinyl high-back bucket seats with center console, power front disc brakes, stainless-steel exhaust, tinted glass, storage tray behind the seats, 4-speed automatic transmission, tonneau cover, AM/FM/Cassette player, owner’s manual and 15-inch chrome Cragar wheels,” the seller notes.  “The truck also has its original window sticker, with sticker price of $16,400 when sold new.”

While somewhat pricey back then, the Dodge Dakota SE convertible pickup is fairly cheap today, this one in what seems like very good original condition priced at just $13,900.

Dodge

The truck might not be very beautiful or very practical (a loaded truck bed behind a flimsy cloth roof would raise some safety concerns), the Dakota is certainly a unique expression of truckiness, and it would be fun to have.  Most likely the only one to show up at the local cruise-in.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

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Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen
Bob Golfen is a longtime automotive writer and editor, focusing on new vehicles, collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. He is the former automotive writer and editor for The Arizona Republic and SPEED.com, the website for the SPEED motorsports channel. He has written free-lance articles for a number of publications, including Autoweek, The New York Times and Barrett-Jackson auction catalogs. A collector car enthusiast with a wide range of knowledge about the old cars that we all love and desire, Bob enjoys tinkering with archaic machinery. His current obsession is a 1962 Porsche 356 Super coupe.

9 COMMENTS

  1. Definitely an answer to a question that nobody was asking. And if this is anything like the 1995 Dakota Sport I had later on in the late 90’s; build quality will be typical of many Chrysler products of that era and leave much to be desired. When the guy at the parts counter knows you and your vehicle on a first-name basis, that’s not a good sign!

  2. The first time I saw one of these dodge dakota SE convertibles I thought it was really cool.My shop teacher bought it for his daughter. He brought it to school to show us how cool it looked.

  3. This makes me miss my 96′ long bed, dako that i totaled. Great little-big truck my dad passed down to me, overheated it and coasted it home on 3 seperate occasions and never had a mechanical issue. @ 230,000 miles i had to change a good amount of parts but it was all a learning experience so i had fun. I recall attempting to convert back to the glass headlight grille design but the center piece would stick out like the grille on a 80′ ford ltd. This was before i knew i had to adjust the headlights so i drove at night and could see anything up in the trees but nothing ahead of me.

    • Junk, you must be blind and have no appreaction for the rare trucks and. It shows your intelligence that you don’t know shit about anything but a GM POS.🤣

  4. I purchased a 1990 with the 4 wheel drive package. I needed to have it inspected and it failed. apparently yhte frame has a serious problem with rust and needs to be replaced. I’ve checked at a bosy shop and they tell me they can’t locate a replacement. Does anyone know if where I may find one, perhaps after market?

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