The Dodge Dakota Sport Convertible is a model that should make you yearn for yesteryear. This is not because the Dakota convertible was any sort of monumental achievement, but rather because it represents a time in our history when the fun factor seriously outmuscled the obsession we now have with placating bean counters. The Dakota was a good truck and a convertible top didn’t make it marginally better, but that wasn’t the point. Heck, they didn’t even know how many of these they would sell when it left the drawing board and entered showrooms, but for some reason, we just weren’t worried about it. Find this running project truck here on eBay with bids to under $5,000 and no reserve.

The reviews at the time cited numerous shortcomings with this truck, with the most notable among them the wind noise and the wheezy V6 engine. However, those concerns melted away when driving the Dakota convertible was it was meant to be used, which is to say slowly and in an environment more Main Street than interstate. The top went down easily and the truck didn’t exhibit any more scuttle shake than it otherwise would have with a fixed roof; the rest of the pickup was bread-and-butter Dakota, and that was a good thing. The seller’s truck looks clean inside, with a largely blemish-free cockpit and crack-free dash.

Now, the seller does disclose that the Dakota has a head gasket leak he’s not going to fix due to the pickup not being used regularly enough to justify the repair. A headgasket leak can take a few different forms, with one being a condition you can live with for some time, and another requiring more urgency in terms of repair. The external headgasket leak is like any other oil leak that will simply get worse over time but isn’t causing catastrophic damage at the moment; an internal leak is more problematic and invites the possibility of coolant entering the mix and leading to possible overheating issues. I don’t blame the seller for passing on the repair to the next guy if it’s under control, but given the overall condition of the Dakota, it seems worthy of the investment.

That being said, there are some odd details that make you wonder what else this truck might need. Take a look at the exhaust system: clearly, a mount or two are missing, or it has an aftermarket system not originally designed for a six-cylinder Dakota (I can’t imagine it sounds all that good, either.) The factory wheels have been swapped out for some aftermarket rollers, but are included with the sale; otherwise, the Dakota convertible appears to be in stock condition with decent paint and no obvious rust. The bid price is in a good spot for a buyer looking for a rare truck and a seller listing a vehicle with known issues; will this oddball drop-top clear $5,000 with a leaking headgasket?