Nissan Frontier

ok, so i may or may not have sideswiped a boat trailer tongue in my parking lot.....either way, its currently in the shop getting some love, 2800 bones worth for the door, cab corner, and a small dent on the bedside...but thats neither here nor there. what im getting at is the rental i recieved is an 08 frontier crew cab. sounds dandy considering i have a reg cab 4x4, but to be perfectly honest, i am quite surprised how the nissan tests so well in certain magazines. 10 minutes in this truck, and i already missed my bare bones taco!!! mind you, the pooptier has power windows and an automatic, but these things dont impress me. the truck handles like its 40ft tall with worn out shocks!! i constantly feel like im about to tip over when i turn. in addition, the ground clearance is laughable, especially for a 4x4, which im not going to even attempt with fears that i would have to call a superior Taco to pull me out!! i guess i would just like to spread the word to the choir that our trucks our very capable and wonderful trucks, and i feel bad for anyone that currently drives one. to be quite honest, the only nissan i would drive are cars, and in saying that, you could still make a Taco whip up on them....just sad!! anyways, hopefully i get my truck back this week, and i will again be a happy truck owner!! def worth the price we have all paid for durability and fit and finish. as a former ranger owner, not sure why i didnt just start with the Taco??? maybe i had a screw or two loose back in the day?? peace

 

my dad had a 89 nissan hardbody v6...when they first came over from datsun......he put 450k plus miles on that thing, never had a problem......a/c compressor went out right before he sold it is all.....it was like a damn tank. these newer nissans.....not so much. now as far as cars goes.......either a 240sx or a nissan gt-r........i'd be happy with as a daily driver!!

 

sorry about your tacoma. Just makes you realize how good the tacoma is, doesnt it?

 

x2! And I too,a owned an 03 ranger edge. When I got my tacoma, I wondered for a long time how I survived in the POS. My tacoma is superior in everyway to the ranger.

 

the 240sx is AWESOME to drive. its so fun with that v6 its got.

 

yep....quick and light!! and the gearbox was a breeze too.

 

nissan hardbody= yes!! nissan 370z= yes, and yes the gt-r. just not super impressed with the frontier. my mom had an 03 crew cab, she loved it, but lets be honest, my mom dont know $hit!!! haha, just kidding. oh well, at least i can cruise this POS knowing that its not permanent, and that puts a big smile on daddys face!! thanks for the input, just had to share

 

I liked the Frontier I test drove before I bought the Taco. I just liked the Taco better. Truth is if I hadn't bought the Taco, I would have bought a Nissan before anything else.

 

i owned 2 nissans 240sx's, both were 4 bangers though and just last year I owned an 07 Frontier. Don't know what really compelled me to lease it, but I did. Worst turning radius ive ever seen, and yes, the clearance was embarassing for a truck. I ended up totaling it according to Geico so they paid it off.

 

Just don't get an Altima, I had a shitload of problems with my '05. Great engine, the V6, but it's surrounded by a turd. Nissan DEFINITELY doesn't make them like they used to.

I agree with the OP, I traded in the Altima to buy the Tacoma but the first thing I did was check out the Frontier just in case I decided to stay in the Nissan family. I hated it and the same day went to the Toyota dealer and bought my truck.

 

ALL 240SX's are 4-bangers. That's what the "240" stands for (2.4 liters). Just like all 300ZX's are 3.0-liter V6's... and 350Z's are 3.5-liters, 370Z's are 3.7-liters, etc.

I've had nothing but good luck with all of the Datsuns/Nissans I've owned - which include a '78 Datsun King Cab truck, an '89 240SX, '91 Hardbody, and '99 Altima. I just gave the Altima (150K miles and still going strong) to my 16-yr-old daughter and bought my '09 Taco. Mine's just a 4x2 reg. cab, so ground clearance and off-road ability aren't issues for me. I considered the Frontier, but liked the Taco better (and got a great deal).

 

^See that's exactly my point, the older Nissan's held up better. The newer ones do not appear to, at least in my experience.

 

Yeah, my better half has a 05 altima and wants rid of it. She went from a solara to the altima... now she wants another solara, or a 4 runner .

I used to own nissans, all 3 of them had terrible transmissions. im toyota from now to the end of time

 

^Funny you should mention transmissions as that was the problem with my Altima. I traded it in with 28K on it after bringing it in 3 times for leaks and slippage. That was in addition to at least 3 other visits to the service dept. for other problems. The Tacoma hasn't seen the dealership other than to pick up a part or two.

 

Nissan's quality has been a little spotty since 1999 - when they were in big financial trouble and were basically bought out by Renault and their CEO, Carlos Ghosn, was appointed head of Nissan as well. He has been hailed for turning the company around and getting it back on sound financial ground, but some of the cost-saving measures he implemented have had a negative impact on quality. I read an interview with him a while back and he made the comment that some Nissan components were "over-engineered" and "why make a door handle that lasts 20 years?". That article is the main reason I haven't bought another Nissan. If he wants them to be more like Renault, I definitely don't want one.

More HERE if you're interested.

 

^Yes, I agree. I've read quite a bit about Mr Ghosn and his ill-advised direction for Nissan/Renault on the Nissan forums.

The car that saved Nissan = Altima.

 

Just two weeks past I traded my previous 2006 Nissan 4x4 for the 2009 Taco I am now driving. To be honest they both have their highs and lows and in a few ways I do miss my Frontier.

My Nissan was a 6 speed as is the new Tacoma I just bought. Both have plenty of power however honestly the Nissan seemed to have a little more midrange pull and the manual shifted very smooth. I do like my new Tacoma however the shifter feels "clunky" to me and starting in traffic seems more of a chore.

When I shut the doors on my old Frontier the sound was more solid and the whole truck seemed to be more "tight". My first complaint on my new Tacoma was the weak sound of that tailgate shutting just as the doors also feel fragile. I know Tacomas are proven tough as I have a 99 thats been through hell however there are some things that Nissan did right with the Frontier.

When I bought the Nissan in 06 I did drive a new Tacoma and chose the Frontier. It was picky little things that made me buy the Nissan however none the less it was important things to me. The first thing I noticed back in 2006 was price to value in that the Tacomas were on average about 2500 dollars above Nissan yet still had those damn rear drums....no cargo light, and a few other picky things.

I traded my last Nissan for a Tacoma for a few reasons and one was holding the value. I was losing my butt with each payment on that Nissan and even paid a little extra each month.....when I traded top trade in book value was 11k and I owed 13k so I took a 2000 dollar loss.

The second reason I went back to Toyota was service after the sale and the comfort of having a vehicle that never had any small problems. My old Frontier had a sensor go bad that was connected to the fuel pump at 39k miles. Research showed many Nissan owners (75%) had this problem for years yet Nissan refused to warranty the part and as of yet has not recalled the defective crap. Yes it was minor however I repaired it myself as Nissan quoted me 500 dollars to do it.

So I got angry and shortly after my 60k warranty I traded back to Toyota and I really do like my new truck. It has a much better interior than the Frontier and the re-sale value is second to none......yet it still has those horrible rear drum brakes. I am happy to see the standard options improve however the price tag has slowly risen as well. I like the new colors as well however honestly I always thought the Nissan had a pretty nice look to its exterior design.

All in all now owning the new Taco I can say that I like the Toyota a little better. I will also say that if it were not for a few small issues I would also say my old Fronteir was a very good truck for the price paid. Now if Toyota would add 4 wheel disc and something as simple as a cargo light there would be no question as to what choice I would make in the future.

 

The new Nissans do nothing for me. When I see one going down the road I just dont even think after that