Anyone own a Frontier?

I'm I shopping to replace my high kilometer 06 Tacoma Access 4.0L automatic. I want:

New
4wd
Extended cab
Manual

There's only 2 choices, Frontier or another Tacoma. I found the Tacoma I would want locally for $32,000, A 2.7L SR5 4x4. Nissan is selling the King cab Pro-4x manual for $27,900-$29,900.

I have no bias to either truck, having owned my 06 for a long time now there's definitely things I've grown to dislike. Since a '15 Tacoma is nearly the same truck I wouldn't expect it to be much different. As for the '16, I'm not convinced on the new drive train until it's been proven and it's still largely similar to my 06.

 

My best friend drives a Frontier and he lives it and when I was purchasing my Tacoma it was a serious contender. His Frontier has needed a lot more work than my Tacoma has but overall his has been a reliable vehicle. I do like the creature comforts of his truck but in my mind they are very different trucks. I think in the end it comes down to driving both and seeing what you would like to live with for a few years.

 

Join a Frontier forum. They'll tell you everything you want to hear.

 

Bought a new 2015 Tacoma 2.7 prerunner sr5 automatic and am very pleased. I test drove same in the frontier and my wife and I both thought it felt and looked cheap as in quality. frontier had 2.5 that was really underpowered. Yes the 2.7 is no powerhouse but it works great for us and I have towed with good results. You good buy a gm Colorado or canyon and take it back to dealer every week for recall ! Tacoma is proven, I like having a truck that's been built the same since 2005.

 

Nissan will give you tons of options to try to steal a buyer from Toyota. Lipstick on a pig if you ask me. You would be lucky to get 100k miles from a Nissan.

 

Toyota's had a really bad frame recall though... just sayin. I love my taco and wouldn't even think of driving any other truck each day but that frame BS was ridiculous. I mean, how the hell do they not account for salt in the winter....

 

I agree. If I had known about Fluid Film when I bought my Tacoma , it would be perfect!!

 

I considered it when I bought the Tacoma.

 

I own an 06 crew-cab frontier LE, it should be sold tomm. As I will be picking up an 08 Tacoma that I am replacing it with. The frontier has been a great truck but it ended up having a problem that I'm not willing to tackle. They seem to be notorious for the coolant and tranny fluid mixing causing transmission failure (atleast in the older ones 05+, this new body style). Nissan quoted me 5-7K to fix the issue. I can't justify that kind of money on a truck with 125K miles. Hopefully on a newer frontier this issue is fixed but I would be concerned.

 

OMG

That pic reminds me of a bad Sunday morning years ago. She would have scared the socks off of me but I wasn't wasn't wearing any !!!

 

I'm buying a manual so coolant/atf cross contamination isn't a worry. Toyota uses the exact same design, I bypassed mine to an external cooler years ago.

The frame in my 06 isn't rotting out but there's a lot of surface rust. It's not an issue to me considering my truck has endured 10 winters, 250,000km, lives near the ocean, never garaged and I use it offroad quite often to top it all off. The frame would easily last another 10 years. No reason why I wouldn't buy another.

I'm open to more options. The only ones that stand out on the Nissan are heated mirrors, side window defrost vents and stock 265/75R16 ATs. Being 9.5 years newer the Frontiers I looked at today obviously have more options like bluetooth, USB/aux, dual zone climate control.. same stuff as the Tacoma.

I'll have to test drive one and see how I like it. I hear they ride firm and have a bad turning circle. I'm more interested in interior rattles, off road ride quality and if it can run 120km/h comfortably on the highway which my Tacoma never did great.

 

2015 Frontier is pretty much the same as the 2005 Frontier. They are decent trucks, but the Tacoma is a better choice in my opinion. I had a 2002 SC Frontier and it was solid. No reason to expect the 2nd gen Frontiers are any different. Having had both, I prefer the Tacoma. Toyota seems to be just a notch above the Nissans. My wife had a Scion xB and now has a Nissan Cube. She misses the Scion (Toyota). In the end, get what you want. You'll be making payments, paying the repair bill, and driving it. You may as well enjoy it.

 

My buddy just traded his in with no reverse and it was clunking through gears... Luckily they didn't test drive it it had 110k on it

 

I had a 2006 Frontier, 4.0 V6, Crew Cab.. Loved it. Mine never gave me a lick of trouble and I sold it with 140k miles. Bottom end was a little stronger in the Frontier I feel like. Solid truck. It inspired me to build a Tacoma and get in a 6 speed. I would have kept it if the aftermarket support was as prominent as the Tacoma.

 

ummm so is the 2005-20015 Tacoma

 

if you want non-biased info, go to a general automotive forum.

 

If you had the 4.0 before, you will be sadly disappointed in the 2.7 SR5 4wd if you get an automatic 4 speed. In the manual, it will be bearable but hilly terrains and high speed driving will be a chore compared to the 4.0 with little or no gain in economy. I highly recomend waiting till the 2016 Taco comes out. The price seems really waaaay too high for me in the USA. Forgive me but, Under no circumstances would I buy the 2.7 SR5 4wd, especially for that price, even in BC. I would wait and pay the high price for a 2016 and get a much better truck.

Do not worry about the drive train. Much of the mechanics have been used before in other lines, just like the 4.0 when it first came in the Taco was used for two years in the 4 Runner. Toyota trucks have not been problematic in ANY of their first new model year. Very little is untested on this truck. This is Toyota.....not freak'n GM. ;-) Imo, The 2016 will NOT be similar in room, ride, handling, comfort and quiet to your 2006.

Though many have had good luck with the Frontier, Nissan reliability has been all over the map according to CR which I trust more then many here for such information. I would not buy the Frontier over a Tacoma.

 

I got over 300k out of one of mine (and trust me, I beat the living shit out of it) Go for it.

 

My wife's Honda Odyssey has more ground clearance than the Nissan Frontier. Nissan comes nowhere close to a Tacoma

 

Anecdotal evidence just not going to work. Any vehicle reliability is a statistical thing and all we do when buying - taking chances with our hard earned money.

Probability of buying a reliable Tacoma is much higher than probability of buying a reliable Frontier. That is a fact.

If you want to take bigger risk then just buy Nissan. While it is beyond me why anyone would want to take bigger risk with such an amount of money - it is your money and you do what you want.