The Dodge Dakota R/T pickup is one of the unsung heroes of the performance pickup segment. Sure, we hear all about the Ford F150 Lightning and the Chevrolet SS, and even the Dodge Ram RT/10 on occasion (candidly, that’s a truck we should talk about more than we do.) The Dakota, for some reason, lingers in the background despite having the performance chops to put it at the forefront of any conversation about a factory-built high performance sport truck. This example is a 1998 model listed here on craigslist in a desirable paint code known as “Intense Blue.”

The seller is asking $9,499 for the pickup, which has 116,000 miles on the clock. This color brings me back, as there was a time when I was on the hunt for one of these beasts and “won” a truck on eBay. It was the same color as this one, which made it a touch rarer than the red and black examples you typically saw for sale. The seller didn’t have any bids and I logged the lowest bid I could enter with a few minutes left; there was no reserve. Instead of honoring the bid, the seller claimed the truck had sold locally before the auction ended. It was a bitter pill at the time, but considering how my experience went with a ’98 R/T in red that I paid far less for, I was ultimately glad I didn’t win the truck.

My ’98 was a stump-puller of a rig; there’s no doubt these R/Ts have gobs of torque and will roast the rear tires with ease. There’s 345 lb.-ft. of torque at your disposal, with a locking rear end and conventional (but slightly beefier) four-speed automatic transmission. The gearbox was always a bit of a concern for me as they can be a weak point, but mine had a factory cooler installed as part of the tow package. To its credit, the transmission shifted fine through my 12 months of ownership. Horsepower is respectable at 250 b.h.p., and the truck sounds downright nasty with an aftermarket exhaust. If the seller swapped out the headlights for a set of standard factory assemblies, this R/T would present even better.

The interiors were nothing to write home about, as quality control in late 90s domestic pickups wasn’t the priority that it is now. When we talk about how expensive pickups have gotten, one area of justifiable cost escalation is in the cockpit. The interior of my R/T was downright awful, with massive panel gaps and low-rent materials everywhere. While a pickup now costs $50,000, the interior in some instances rivals that of a modern luxury sedan. This R/T seems like a fairly priced muscle truck with reasonable miles and a desirable color, along with no modifications besides the cheesy headlights and what looks like an aftermarket exhaust (not a bad thing.) Do you think these trucks will appreciate in the future? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the tip.