what Dakota year am i looking for.

hello everyone i have a few questions that i was hoping you could answer. Recently I've been looking at getting a new vehicle and I've decided that i would rather have a truck instead of a car. I've been looking at a lot of different options but i really like the second and third generation Dakotas and have found some online that are in good condition for a reasonable price, my only issue is that i had a 4x4 1992 Dakota a while back that i bought with 150,000 and in a month the transmission went out. so what i'm wondering is what year is going to be the most reliable and what i should absolutely stay away from, i also want to get a 4x4 because i live in Iowa and the winters can be hard and i need something to get me to work when it snows, mpg is also a concern but i know that with a truck and especially a 4x4 i cant be to picky but i would like to get more than 14 combined since that's what i'm getting right now. this is my first time posting to this forum(or any forum) so please be kind and i am grateful for any information i can get on this subject.