The Dodge Dakota R/T is one of the unsung heroes of the muscle truck era. We get excited when a low-mileage Chevy SS or a Ford F-150 Lightning shows up for sale, but we forget that Dodge produced a nifty little number called the R/T. While the modern-era of muscular Mopars has been associated with the likes of high-horsepower Challengers and Chargers, the 90s saw plenty of street machines emblazoned with the iconic R/T lettering and, frankly, not much else. The 1999 Dodge Dakota R/T listed here on Mashburn Motors website is one of those vehicles, and this one has just over 20,000 miles from new.

These days, even if you’re building a performance vehicle, you still have to stick in some infotainment junk, leather seats, a bunch of electronic nannies and camera systems, just to pass the sniff test with most consumers. The late 90s and early 2000s were really the swan song of being able to build vehicles without much regard for creature comforts, as this Dakota had power windows and A/C – and not much else. You got sharp (and exclusive) alloy wheels, a locking differential, some added cooling capacity, and a honker of an engine. That was it, and that was all anyone really wanted.

Now, I owned once of these trucks for a short stint in my first experiment with owning a muscle vehicle of any sort. It was an interesting experience, as it showed me how a truck could be held together with bubble gum and baling wire and still do loads of miles without complaint (I drove it up and down the state of Alabama in an amateur version of the Cannonball Run), along with just how cheaply some domestic products are made. The truck felt pretty crummy inside and out, but it went like stink and handled decently, too. It needed a lot of love, and if it had been one of my finicky European projects in this sort of condition, it flat-out wouldn’t have run. This Dakota, thankfully, is in solid condition inside and out, and the interior looks brand new, thanks to the low mileage.

The 5.9L Magnum V8 was a real stump-pulled, pushing out a healthy 250 horsepower and even more impressive 345 lb.-ft. of torque. It sounded burly as all get-out, too, which was my favorite part of the ownership experience. I sold mine at a loss after trying to hard to make what was a very rough truck perfect, but I like to think it’s still out there, ripping burnouts. The selling dealer has an ideal specimen on its hands with the desirable single-cab, short-bed setup, and even though the potential buyers pool is small, there’s enough people out there who like these that I’m sure it will find a home soon.