The idea of a convertible pickup truck is still one of the best concepts I’ve seen that has never been sufficiently replicated. Not only that, the Dodge Dakota convertible just looked good, like it captured summertime USA on four wheels with a pickup truck bed. You were almost obligated to drive around with a couple of surfboards even if you didn’t surf; honestly, no one would care, the truck is simply that cool! The seller of this low-mileage 1989 Dakota convertible listed here on eBay notes he has only owned it for a short time and is selling it to pursue a real estate opportunity.

Now, I suppose the Dakota convertible is the proverbial example of an answer to a question that no one asked; after all, most people buy a truck to work and haul, not cruise down to the beach and catch some rays. Still, of all the domestic manufacturers, Chrysler Corporation has been the brand I’ve always felt is most compelled to say, “Why not?” The motivation behind the Dakota convertible is a reminder of how simple things used to be, with product planners simply noting that there were plenty of custom chop-top trucks running around California, and building their own version of a product people seemed to love would be a good way to generate showroom foot traffic.

Put simply, Dodge really just wanted to get bodies into the showroom to look at the other Dakotas it had for sale. Still, that doesn’t mean the convertible version wasn’t well-executed, with plenty of standard equipment and the factory Sport package as a baseline. That meant the truck had the preferred short  wheelbase, a 125 horsepower V6, Bosch driving lamps, a padded roll bar, and a standard 5-speed manual gearbox. We rarely see these with three pedals, but that would be the way to go if you wanted the ultimate drop-top truck experience. The paint shows some typical flaws for Chrysler products of this era.

The cosmetics shouldn’t deter you from believing that this is a genuine low-mileage truck, however, as the engine bay and interior are both fairly pristine. What’s most surprising (and attractive) about this truck is that road test editors at the time were pleased by how solid the chassis and structure remained even with the top lopped off. Most convertibles of any variety feel like a wet noodle once the hardtop is removed, but the Dakota apparently didn’t suffer the same fate. Overall, this looks like an honest example of a rare truck, and the seller has listed it with an opening bid of $9,700 and a Buy-It-Now of $14,900.