Anyone a previous frontier owner?

If the shifter doesnt vibrate all over the place it will be a step up from the 16 taco stick shift lol. Do you have a taco and frontier?

 

The shifter shakes a bit over rough roads like every other 4wd manual vehicle I've owned. I sold my 2nd gen Tacoma and bought the Frontier because I needed a new truck and didn't like the '16 Tacoma or GMs (no 4wd manual).

 

Yeah thats normal for the shifter to shake on rough roads. I was on the highway in the 3rd gen taco completely flat going 65mph and the shifter was all over the place shaking which i guess is just normal for taco sticks to do. It would be annoying to me since i usually rest my hand on the stick when i drive.

 

I traded my '12 Fronty (4x2 DCLB) for my '16 Taco (4x4 DCLB) and posted in another thread some of my likes in differences between the two. If Nissan came out with a new model Frontier, I'd probably be driving one today. Since they didn't, I couldn't go from my '12 to a '16 Fronty because it was the same truck except I'd have a warranty and some added features.

The current Frontier is dated when considering the interior, but I still like the styling of the Fronty. I sat in several 2nd gen Tacos and the interior didn't sit well with me when compared to my Fronty; however I felt the 2nd gen Taco was a little roomier. My '12 Fronty gave me no issues throughout the 66k miles of ownership over the spread of 3 years. The utilitrack system is excellent and more user friendly if you need to come up with a means of mounting something to the rails. The bed is metal and comes lined by Line-X as an option (which I couldn't turn down). The rear bumper is flat and can be used as a step with the tailgate down. I favor a solid rear window and that the tailgate can be locked. The new Fronty's come with a sliding rear window, which I really don't care for and will probably never use; not even on my Taco. The bed extender is used on the utilitrack system so you can adjust it easily where it would suit best. The engine and transmission are great and I had no complaints; other than having less power than my previous 2 Chevy SS trucks. The Fronty handles really well on the road and nimble for a pickup, but it (DCLB) does have a terrible turn radius for u-turns.

Enter my '16 Taco. It has some new added features and the styling (interior/exterior) is more up-to-date when compared to a current Fronty and the 2nd gen Taco. At first, I was feeling a bit of buyer's remorse because of the transmission characteristics and ALL the little quirks/issues with the truck. My first Toyota/Tacoma so it was a little upsetting when Toyota has a reputation of reliability. Before my Taco, my outlook for Toyota was they always had some kind of recall or issue with a number of vehicles because it was publicized. Due to that and the issues I was experiencing, I felt there was too much brand loyalty along with drinking of the Toyota kool-aid. Aside from all the quirks, I love my '16 Taco because of the features and the styling. It has a better turning radius than my Fronty did; but it is bigger and feels so as well. Overall, it feels to be a better build than my Fronty even though the rattle on my passenger seat says otherwise. I drank the kool-aid this time around, but lightyears from being a fanboy. The composite bed might hold up, but it can chip and too much of that could be worse than scratches/dents in a metal bed. I want to keep this Taco for a long time, but I'm not too confident it will last like the old Toyota pickups did; plus I haven't been able to keep a vehicle for too long.

As for the current Navara, I like the styling even thought it looks like an SUV or crossover with a bed. There's no solid info that the current Navara is going to be the new Frontier, so we'll just have to wait and see.

 

Thanks for that info! Good to hear a side by side from someone who owned both. I can totally understand not wanting to go from a 12 to 16 fronty since its the same truck. For me I dont even have a truck right now so it will be great just to have a bed finally.

 

Oh I see. I've had Toyotas in the past that did the same, The Frontier shifter definitely does not continously vibrate or shake.

More to consider with the Nissan 6MT:

Reverse is very tall
The OEM clutch will not take repeated abuse
The dual mass flywheel can't be resurfaced
Shift quality is just "OK" in my opinion.

None of the above would make me sell it, and I am very obsessive compulsive with my vehicles.

 

Lots of issues comparing to Nissan? How strange. Still somehow every reliability study puts Toyota on top of Nissan. Also the Frontier's market share is almost nothing and 2-d gen. is by far the segment's leader. I guess market is wrong. But whatever. Enjoy your Frontier.

As for OP question - how long are you planning to keep the truck? If it is past the warranty period and you are not independently wealthy, then stay with Toyota. Just a thought.

 

Nissan has fixed their issues with the Frontier over the years improving its reliability. The 3rd gen Tacoma's
reliability is in question already with its serious first year issues. Today I would take a Frontier over a 3rd gen Tacoma.

 

I know this is a Toyota forum, and you are going to have the hardcore fan boys, but if you are willing to look objectively at both trucks....I think the there are pros and cons of each.

At the end of the day you need to evaluate those for yourself and figure which one you like better.....or provides you a better value.

My Dad has a 3 yr old Frontier and it's been a good truck for him.

I've driven it a bunch and really like it....that said, I'm also happy with decision to buy my 16' Tacoma....despite some of the minor issues.

My Dad and I are often comparing notes on what we like and don't like about our respective trucks.

We have come to the consensus, there is no "perfect" truck...

 

My dad had a Nissan Frontier around 13 years ago, bought it new. Had it for a few years then gave it to my brother who drove it for another few years. Neither one of them ever had a problem with it. My brother traded it in on a smaller commuter car when he went off to school but the truck itself was a good, reliable vehicle.

I think back on that truck and compare it to the Frontiers I see now, it's funny how little Nissan changes the looks of the Frontier. It's stayed pretty much the same for years. Kinda wish Toyota had done the same, lol.

 

Right, the "serious issues"! And I went to What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today? there are tone of people who never had those "serious issues".

I like anecdotal evidence as much as everybody else, but vehicle reliability is a statistical animal. And while problems with both vehicles are real, still probability of buying a POS Toyota is lower then probability of buying a POS Nissan.

As for the job done, both trucks will do. All I am saying - spending large(er) amount of your hard earned money you might want to do the due diligence and improve your chances.

 

My Frontier is six model years old and well past the warranty period yet has zero problems. No rust, no vibrations... nothing. I went in with no expectations and have been pleasantly surprised by the reliability, driveability and performance.

When I traded in the Tacoma it wasnt far off needing a new frame, enough said. It was an early one (06) with the weak motor mounts and rust issues. On top of that it had every single tsb and recall, on top of those there was problems that were never recognized or remedied and left me SOL.

I'm a long time Toyota fan and owner, I'd have a current 4runner if it was in the budget but I'm saving for a house and enjoying my cheap Nissan!

 

Go to the Nissan Frontier forum and look for issues for 2010 and newer models. I was shocked to find not many through pages and pages of forum. You'll be surprised.

 

Really happy for you! I am. But. Buying a vehicle is sort of playing a lottery. Some people win. But some do not. You will be wise playing with better winning chances. Statistics is there for a reason. I though it is obvious.

BTW - in our area Nissan is actually more expensive then Tacoma! Or at least on par.

 

Statistics, remember? Your impression is important. To you. How many Frontier owners are out there comparing to Tacoma, and how many of them are ready to go to internet and bitch about it?

There are reliability studies. Many of them. They say Toyota better then Nissan for quality. It is a cold fact. Not sure how you can argue those studies using number of pages on some forum.

 

Studies for reliability? Where are these studies? Do they account for frame replacements in 2nd gens?

 

Well, than. I wish you good luck in exposing the trickery and deceit of all those JDPower and likes. You are going to become a celebrity and I am going to cherish our conversation here.

But for now - goodbye.

 

The truth hurts, I know. I used to be a fan boy too once. Toyota is not it once was. One does not need publications to see how reliable a Tacoma is when you can just peek into the 2nd and 3rd gen forums.

 

I live in BC too. Mid-2015 the difference between a king cab Pro4x and access cab TRD OR was $6,000-$8000. Not sure what the difference is now but I know the Nissan is the same price and the Toyota is more expensive than before with the 3rd gen now out.

 

last year I was comparing SR5 DCLB Tacoma to Nissan and new Colorado. List price to list price both those truck were more expensive than Tacoma! OR was about 36K, Pro4x around 38 K and Colorado 37-ish. Do I miss something? Mind you I ended up with SR5.