Seriously debating a Frontier....

When it is time to replace my 2002 Tacoma, I will look at all the competition. I've had Toyota, Datsun, Ford, Chevy and Dodge trucks. All have been reliable but I baby my vehicles.

 

if i remember correctly from my shopping last year, there is no regular cab and no 4cyl 4x4 in the frontier, right?

 

had a brand new 2004 frontier.

was by far the biggest POS ive ever owned. ac died at 3k miles, engine noises since driving it off the lot, every last fucking window leaked, et cetera, et cetera.

never again

 

i have an 08 trd sport dble cab and have driven quite a few of the frontiers and the biggest difference i noticed was how cheap the interior felt in the frontier. everything from the dash layout to the shitty seats sucked. I know the motor in my tacoma is noisy but it was nothing compared to the frontier.

That being said ill probably ditch the tacoma in a few years for an f350 reason being i want a diesel.

 



 

LOL, got rid of that dude that said..."!$%@ @#@"

Anyway, no longbox on the fonties, like the moon roof though, seats and interior are cheap looking. Like the instant MPG feature and other things that on board computer did back on the 08s+ in the Fonties, not sure what's new. Low to the ground, do they have a locker? more like the ridgeline if you ask me. Good value for the buck, lots of guys going to Nissan and Honda given the Toyota rep thing lately. good luck with your purchase you'll be back, I had a Titan (that I kept blowing out rear axle seals on) before my 08 taco..my 3rd taco I must add.

Oh, one more thing...gota love the resale of the Taco. But that boxed frame keeps me interested. Now it might be made in mexico by Dodge? WTF?

 

You asked for it, here's my honest answer...
It handled better, the engine was smoother (VQ40DE>1GR-FE), and more powerful (not torquier, just more pull on top). The trans shifted like butta.The brakes had better feel, the steering wheel had better control layout, the cruise on the wheel, and toggle style buttons. But the one I got was not screwed together right. It spent 46 days at the stealership in the first 9 months I owned it. Lemon buyback. Which is extremely rare in Canada. The only reason I don't own one now is because Nissan was extremely difficult, when I went the buyback route. They were more than willing to attempt endless repair though.
My Taco is a nice rig, but the Nissan did a lot of things, a lot slicker (?), than the Yota. The Yota has a nicer interior, the torquey engine meshes well with the Auto 5. Many of the other advantages that people cite, don't really apply to a lessee. (me)

 

I was wondering about this the other day, IF the tacoma didn't exist for whatever reason, what truck would you guys buy then? Would it be a nissan or ford?

 

Before changing brands i would look into what kind of service both companies offer. Toyota has recalled tons of the old 3.0L(?) motors due to headgaskets. also with the frame rust warrenty. i see that as a company that stands by their product.

These most recent recalls are a joke. recalling due to people having an issue with the floor mats. who would have thought than when you stack 2 floor mats on top of each other they cause the gas pedal get stuck. ITs kind of common sense. also the most recent gas pedal recall was only ever documented in the states so that is most likely some bs fed to us by the domestic automakers.

stick with your toyota and you wont go wrong.

 

So you like toyotas now?

 

Yes, and yes

 

frontiers have the most uncomfy seats I have ever sat on in a vehicle.

 

Look at it this way fellas, when he gets his Fronty, he can go on the Fronty forums and post about how this truck doesn't live up to his expectations. Maybe there he won't get as much flack because he'll be in the same boat as the other Fronty drivers.

 

i dont get the 4month bump....

 

here's a piece of advice coming from someone who has owned a frontier and traded it for a taco-

you will NEVER get the MPG stated out of the frontier, unless u run 65 and burn premium.

read the owners manual and you will notice it requires 93 octane for maximum performance, including MPG. I sold nissans for 4 years- my last frontier was a SE crew cab 4x2 long bed, and was babied from 14 miles to 21,231 miles. oil changes every 3750 done behind me in the service department, everything.

the thing rides like a log truck, and for me didn't have enuf bolstering or cushioning on the seats....the back seat is smaller than the taco (got a 6 year old) you have to go up to a higher package truck to get some of the little things that taco comes standard, and even then nissan doesn't offer it as equipment (i.e. the backup cam in the SR5, as well as the sliding back glass)

Also, since Nissan did the 1/3rd off deal back in the summer of '08, the resale value of all their trucks (xterra, p-finder, armada, titan, frontier, quest) has dropped, and has not come back up, even close to being on par with the taco....

 

BTW- the VQ40DE engine in the nissan was designed to run on premium- look in the filler doors on an 05+ xterra and p-finder, and you will see the premium sticker in the door. Nissan omitted it on the frontier since toyota didn't have the sticker in their door and they will burn 87 octane and get some decent gas mileage...

my frontier NEVER got over 21 MPG....

 

I just bought a Tacoma Today, and I can tell you this, about two weeks ago I drove both and from the short drive (three blocks North, then Highway South one exit and and then pulled in the side lot, Toyota and Nissan dealers are across the street so same test for both) I like the Tacoma more but the Frontier was a solid truck.

With that said, money talks, I got 0% for 60 months with Toyota with 10k down and around 4.5k off the MSRP as configured. Nissan wouldn't give me 0% for 60 months (I have very good credit at around 790) they wanted 2.9% and wouldn't budge on really anything but the dealer fee and delivery (Which I refuse to pay for anyway). So customer service at Toyota is better IMO, I understand it has to be in their situation but I was very happy and in the end didn't have to settle for anything but exactly what I wanted and liked.

I do however wish you luck in any decision.

 

Happens. Many people don't notice the initial date something was posted and reply to it not knowing it was posted months ago. Someone else (ME) sees the topic when it's bumped and responds to it not noticing the start date. Then it takes on a new life. Even if the op is living in Frontier heaven/hell by now, it's good info for anyone who's interested.

 

yeah i was thinking obviously the d00d is not part of here and either rockin on the Nissan forums or never actually did anything and could be in some alley in Vegas after losing his life savings..

Everyone trying to defend something that isnt a issue and is four months old is worthless, we could be helping someone in technical forums, or thinking of a new DIY mod... or giving someone help not to paint their fenders green