I am thinking about buying a 1999 Dodge Dakota club cab 4x4 with 40k miles but I do not know if that is too little that it is not ran enough and the seals and gaskets might have gone bad.
After 20+ years, most cars have a seal or gasket that's leaking at least a little. The big question is whether the truck was used short trips, once-in-a-while, or sat for 10 years. It's not good for engines (and especially fuel systems) to sit unused for a long time.
ANY vehicle needs a thorough inspection, if only to check for crash or flood damage - which can happen to 1 year old cars.
Oh, yeah, check if it has 15 year old tires - they wouldn't be safe even if they look OK.
I've owned a 99 Dakota since 2002, its now a woods truck as the body rusted out long ago. The thing still runs like a champ with absolutely NO fluid leaks surprisingly. Its sat for months on end, just starts right up every time with no issues. Its very surprising that the seals/hoses etc are still fine. They must have made them better back then.
Have a mechanic check it out. Mileage seems a little low, but it could have been an old person's vehicle.
I noticed the other day that you still see a lot of Dodge Durangos around from the late 90s. The Durangos from that period are built on the same platform and share at least some of their drivetrain with the Dodge Dakota. They have the notorious Dodge rusted bodywork, but they're still running and driving.
