Honest discussion of common issues of both Tacoma & Frontier

If you end up waiting on GM to release their new trucks you might want to also wait on the new Tacoma that's most likely coming then too. As a former GM owner of several trucks and a car I can honestly say I'm 99.9% sure ill never return to that brand. Quality is shotty at best and GM will leave you hanging unlike Toyota did with the frame rust problems. Keep that in mind.

 

Umm yeah the cab is not roomier in Frontier then Tacoma, the back seat of the thing is almost straight up and is narrower then the Tacoma.

 

Thank you very much for this info! this is exactly the kind of info that I was hoping to get.

For me the Frontier aesthetically is more pleasing than the Tacoma. Then again aesthetics are entirely subjective. With that said, I was basically dead set on a Frontier until I discovered the MAJOR HUGE AND HORRIBLE issue with the Radiator fluid in the transmission. I mean it seems like it is extremely common and Nissan is doing everything they can to avoid being made responsible for the repairs. This includes settling out of court from a class action lawsuit regarding this very issue.

 

Depends on the market. I don't believe it is available in California on the 2014.

Doesn't matter anyways, the 5spd auto is a much better and more solid trans than the 6spd manual.

 

The frontier looks like crap from the front and so it has a boxed frame Toyota builds a solid frame. I have only had the wind noise issue but I fixed it ,myself and it only happens going above 65 on really windy days. But let me say this for the frontier it has a better looking interior and sound system from the factory.

 

To the person who commented on the V6 manual transmission. You are right, Nissan does not offer one but Toyota does. Well that settles it then. Despite being a bit worried about the frame on the Toyota I am strongly leaning to it just based on the transmission. The problem now is that with Tacomas there is a lot less negotiation room at the dealership than there would be with a Frontier. I would probably be able to talk a $30,000 MSRP Frontier down to $27,000 out the door price while due to the scarcity of Tacomas in my area I would likely have to pay the full $32,000 MSRP and try to fight for that to be my out the door price.

 

You'll make more than that difference back when it comes time to sell or trade.

Another member just posted of Toyota giving them 14k in trade on a '97 with a rusted out frame.

 

Purchased my Xterra in 07, back when my son and I were traveling and shooting a lot of trap. With just the 2 of us in it and guns and 400-500 rounds of 12 ga. shells it would bottom out all the time. thenewX.org has a lot of complaints about the same thing. I contacted Nissan CS which for Mn. is in Idaho. The guy there said he had never heard any complaints and there was nothing he could do. I asked to speak to his manager who turned out to be in Mi. That guy told me he never had ever heard of any complaints either and said he regularly put 4 adults in his and regularly went off road to go fishing with no problems. And the closed the case.

I ended up putting a helper spring in the rear leafs. Also have a Timbren bump stop set around here that I never put in. The add a leaf made me nervous because Nissan has been known for denying any warranty claims even if you do something simple like an add a leaf.

At the same time I got the X a friend purchased a TRD Tacoma. With a couple hundred pounds of tools in the bed he would bottom out too. He put in a complaint to Toyota and it took a few months but they ended up replacing the rear suspension with a stiffer one. He said the Toyota shop called the stock suspension soccer mom springs, they were made for comfort. Which many manufactures apparently do now.

Good luck I would certainly talk to the dealer about it, there is at least one person I know that was able to get resolution. I purchased the TX because of the suspension. My test drive was a dirt road near the dealership full of washboards. And knew in a few minutes that I was buying the truck. Have owned 4 wheel drives for just shy of 40 years now. I don't want to mod suspensions on new vehicles any more but just want everything to work. But when it doesn't I want good support.

 

This thread sums up a lot of opinions on the topic as well:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/256274-2013-toyota-tacoma-vs-nissan-frontier.html

 

Apparently what you 'know' you think everyone else should. We don't.

I have no issue with a truck bed that weighs less, does not rust, dent, or need a spray-on bedliner to make it useful or to keep it in good shape for a long time.

If you feel that a truck 'needs' an all metal bed, fine. Not everyone agrees.

 

Big +1 on that.
The composite bed has proven itself to be durable enough for a mid-sized truck. A lot of people were nervous about it at first, but none of those concerns came to pass.
It doesn't dent, it doesn't rust, it doesn't transfer paint to the contents.

A 180 from how I felt in 2005, I think it was a great idea.

 

Lol...I got $500 more for my 2011 than I paid new out the door after financing, mods and all...and all I did was essentially change rims and tires..and put 14k on it.

They turned around and sold it at the same dealership for MORE than a new one...no shit...

 

No surprise.
My '08 was $13.5k before tax and license, with 53k on it.
Regular cab base model 5 lug... I think they went for around 15k new in '08.

 

That's some spectacular resale value.

 

To the OP.

Welcome to the site. I hope you find the information you are looking for. I personally have no information on the Frontier since I have never even ridden in one. I do have some information on the Tacoma.

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Pros (For Me):

The Look. Yes I still like how the truck looks and yes it is due for a update. But so is the Nissan.

The Ride I couldn't tell you how the Nissan rides but I have taken my Tacoma to South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado (twice) and Florida and it has been comfortable.

Resale Value Speaks for itself

Dependability Again speaks for itself but I owned a 2003 Nissan Altima with no issues to speak of either so that might be a draw I don't know.

Aftermarket Accessories If you can think it they probably have it for this truck


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Cons (For me)

Price The price for admission in this club is a little bit steeper but as someone else pointed out, you get what you pay for.

Fuel Mileage I regularly get 22-23 MPG out of mine but I drive like a grandpaw most of the time. Some newer full sized trucks get more than that. That said... I don't know what kind of mileage the Nissan gets

Rear Seat Leg Room I'm 6' tall and my 8 year old daughter has a hard time sitting behind me when I drive. I don't have the seat all the way back either.


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Honestly that is about all the cons that I can come up with. I have a A/C blower motor "chirp" every once in a while but I'm just too lazy to fix it (easy fix btw). I've got 34K miles on mine now with no issues and it (so far) hasn't left me stranded on the side of the road. Can't ask much more than that.

Whichever route you choose I hope you find what you are looking for.

Cheers!

 

All I can say is I test drove the Nissan and the Toyota when shopping. I ended up with the Tacoma and didn't have one single problem with paying more for it.

 

Ive owned both, The Tacoma rides better, has more room front and back, tows better, and looks better IMHO. The Nissan sat to low, back seat had no room, felt like it was a struggle to tow my boat. Both great trucks. I like the Tacoma better. Drive both and you will notice the difference.

 

+2

 

I never test-drove the Nissan that was sitting next to my taco when I bought it. both were used, both were 6sp v-6. I didn't test drive it because I knew it would make me indecisive.

I BELIEVE the fronty is a great value, but we all KNOW the Tacoma is. I stuck with what I know as I came from a 92 pickup that treated me well

 

I have owned both. Owned '06 Frontier and now have the Tacoma. Yes, the Frontier makes more hp but the gearing sucks at least on auto trans. I bought my Frontier new off the lot. When I traded in last year with 5X,XXX miles on it, I got a little over $10,000 for it. Vehicle depreciated around $14,000 from October, 2006 to April, 2012. Hell my Tacoma is worth more now than what I paid for it.

Don't forget about the fuel sending unit issue with the Frontiers. Had mine replaced once and had been acting up again before I traded it.