general rule I have found toyotas and hondas break down less. toyotas break down less than hondas. New subies are breaking down more, but old ones are okay. good gas mileage is a smaller car. but you want all wheel drive.
based on your parameters I would go in this order: Toyota Rav4, Honda CRV, Subaru Forester. Better gas mileage of course is the stick rather than automatic.
You pay more at a dealer lot. Look in craigslist.com in your area for those vehicles.
Downside. smaller vehicle. But how often did you use your dakota to its fullest capacity?