Anyone a previous frontier owner?

Thank you. I'm a firefighter in Florida. Tacoma's hold up well in accidents too.

 

Well the biggest thing was that the stick wasnt vibrating all over the place like the taco. It almost felt like i was driving a car, it was smooth. When i test drove the taco stick you felt like you were driving a stick shift delivery truck. The nissan felt more sporty with the stick and you could rev the piss out of it and it still felt great shift. The shifter going into gear wasnt extremely smooth like I would like but it wasnt bad.

 

How about Xterra? It's pretty much the same thing minus the bed of course. I bought a 2007 brand new. It was such a piece of shit. Nissan of North America extend the power train and drive train warranty to 100k. I sold it at 98k. It had 3 things going for it, extremely comfortable, felt way more powerful than a tacoma, incredibly capable off road bone stock. I had planned on doing suspension upgrades but never did because I didn't trust Nissan.

 

You called it a piece of shit and then only talked good about it?

 

The list of shit that went wrong is to long for iPhone keyboard.

 

Here is the easy list of problems my X had. @2k the fly wheel came apart. Destroyed clutch in process. @7k first rear end. It had 1 more and several attempts to fix work ever stupid problem the Dana rear end had. @10k first heater fan quit working. This happened 3 more times over its life with me. @15k second rear end and driver side window motor. Should I keep going? Ok somewhere in that 10-15k mark I took it in for the phantom trans problem. 6mt did not like cold weather. Every time it got below 40 degrees it wouldn't shift in to 2nd. Over the 8 years I owned it they tried every kind of gear oil. Nothing ever worked. Timing chains started whining like a supercharger. Fixed. ECM died @ 38k. Bla bla blah. Bored now. It was a piece. Even stuff built on a Monday but raging alcoholics can have their good qualities.

 

So I have now test driven a TRD sport 6spd and 3 different pro4x 6spds(i shop around). As far a fun to drive factor the frontier wins all the way, driving the tacoma feels like driving a full size truck, the stick shift shifts like a box truck. The 3.5 feels week on acceleration. The frontier on the other hand drives more like a car, it shifts smoothly and the 4.0 can deliver some great acceleration. The tacoma wins with looks hands down and you would think also ground clearance is much better but the trd is only half an inch higher than the pro4x. I just cant get over the value ratio, a stick shift pro4x can be had around 30k while an equally equipped trd would cost 5-6k more. As far as reliability goes you cant really say much about the 3rd gen being reliable yet meanwhile the frontier has barely changed in 10 years so while looking dated it has all the kinks worked out and i must say i was impressed wit the Rockford fosgate system in it, not the head unit, the head unit is terrible but the speakers themselves sound pretty dam good for a factory system. The height adjustable seat on the stick is manual so its kinda meh but atleast its there. Not having drum brakes is also a plus obviously. I love how the taco looks from the front with the big nose but practically its not necessary to be that big and actually creates more of a blind spot in front of you compared to the frontier. Having a metal bed factory lined compared to the plastic is a plus for me since i plan to put a cap on it and keep my dogs in the back, they wont slide around on the lined metal bed like they will on plastic. One thing i found interesting is how on the taco you need to add the tow package to get an engine oil cooler, power steering cooler and 130-amp alternator while the frontier comes with all that even without the tow package, the tow package simply adds a hitch, wiring and bed extender. All of which you can simpley add on your own for less. The taco has the fronty beat with milage but id rather have a more powerful engine than better milage. Rear leg room is probably better on the taco but i dont sit in the back so thats not really a concern. I like that the frontier uses spin off oil filters compared to the old school canister on the taco which makes oil changes more of a pain compared to just spinning off the filter. Although the fronty has kind of a crappy location to get the filter but the taco isnt much better. I still have yet to make a purchase but have been haggling with some dealers and i just cant see spending more for the tacoma over the frontier, sure the tacoma will be worth more later but it also cost more upfront so its kind of a wash and i plan to keep which ever truck i get til atleast 100k which is about 10 years for me at which point i wont really care much as long as the truck has been reliable. Sorry for the totally useless post, just venting lol

 

Yeah but it was a 1999 frontier lol. Obviously my 3rd gen Taco is worlds better. Heard the current gen Fromtier is a very solid truck but a bit outdated as far as the interior goes.

 

Thats exactly the case, its solid but a bit outdated and for some reason im attracted to that since atleast theres not many unknowns like there are with a new model year vehicle, although my last purchase was actually a new model year vehicle. If i was purchasing 3 years from now when the kinks are worked out with the new taco then id say taco all the way since by that time the frontier will be in the new model phase. The biggest attraction with the pro4x is the price to value ratio, you get more for less money ie. the rear locker, 4 wheel disc, height adjustable seat, rockford fosgate sound system, heated seats, clutch start cancel all without having to add a technology package or get the TRD OR. The only thing that keeps me wanting a taco is how much more bad ass it looks but im at the stage in life where i buy more for practicality than looks.

 

I have been shopping for a mid size truck. Currently there are dealers in AZ that have Pro 4x non luxury package for 30 to 32K and Pro 4k with luxury package (leather, etc) for 34K. Avondale Nissan, Pinnacle Nissan are two dealers that have smoking deals on Pro 4k.

I agree that Nissan doesn't keep as high of resale value as the Tacoma. For those like me who keep trucks 10 years, its is not much of an issue.

Got to ask. With the issues that people are having with the 3G Tacoma, do you really expect the 3G to maintain value like the 2G? imo, unless Toyota fixes some issue, I would not give any more for a Taco than a Frontier.

 

That's something I can't argue with, the current Frontier definitely has good value. Keep in mind though, if you're patient enough, you can find a TRD OffRoad for 33k. It may not have the tech package but it's overrated anyways, I rarely open the sunroof and have never used the dual zone climate control. I only use the lane change assist tbh. I would definitely recommend you get the 6 speed manual to void the transmission issues.

 

Definitely would only get a 6sp, the fronty also had auto trans issues with cross contamination but i only buy stick shifts anyway. thats the only reason im shopping mid size trucks since no one else makes a stick besides dodge in the 2500 which is out of my price range. I dont care for anything in the tech package except the heated seats. My current car was the first time i had them and now ill never get one without them. Same goes for back up cameras, you think stuff like that is silly until you have one, then tou never want to be without it. I like having sun roofs but they can definitely be more trouble then their worth sometimes, i actually test drove a frontier with one and it got stuck open lol. Not to mention since i want a stick things like a sun roof, leather seats, power seats ect are not an option anyway so it makes that decision easy.

 

I think the trd tacos come standard with a back up camera. And same here, i went with the taco mainly because of its reputation but also that it came with an m/t.

 

I traded a 2014 Frontier 4X2 for my 2016 Tacoma TRD 4x4. The Frontier was a good truck. I never had any issues out of it. The Toyota is a much nicer truck and it feels like it is built better. If I had to choose I'd go with the Toyota all day.

 

Please explain "less of a truck"... frontier pro4x has a bigger engine, a metal bed, rear locker, smoother tranny, clearly less issues than 3rd gen judging by all the posts in this forum vs the posts in the frontier forum. Im on this site because i was originally looking at getting a tacoma because it had a great reputation before the 3rd gen came out and the nissan is ugly compared to the taco. I only started leaning towards the frontier after test driving one and seeing all the 3rd gen issues. Too say its less of a truck with no explanation of why is sort of silly, does buying a TSS tacoma make yours more of a truck? Im completely unbiased seeing as i have owned neither and still havent purchased either. I just do a lot of research before making a vehicle purchase.

So far heres a list of 3rd gen issues experienced by more than just one person.
Rear diff whine, failure, and low levels
Auto trans bad shift points, sometimes remedied by driving more miles.
U-joints not being greased
U-bolts at wrong spec
Blind spot monitoring failure
Vibration at certain speeds
Hood vibration
Whistle (kazoo) noise at certain speeds
Leaking doors, possibly related to the above issue

Theres probably some others but those are the most common. Toyota responds buy giving them 100k+ warranties but id much prefer buying something thats not going to potentially have problems.

 

I had a 2005 that had right around 80000 on it when I traded in on a 2012. At the time the rear end was leaking, trans was slipping and number 6 was leaking oil. Ex wife wanted another frontier so we traded up. Fast forward to a month ago, she took the truck and I was left in the market needing a new truck for myself. Looking at the short powertrain life of my 2005 frontier I decided on getting a 2016 TRD 4x4. I have almost 1400 miles on the taco and I'll say this... I'd gladly set this truck on fire and take that 2005 frontier back compared to the issues I'm having and the shitty service from toyota to fix any of it. I have the all the complaints others have experienced with transmission woes and vibrations,etc.

More then likely I will trade in on something else as soon as I get back on my feet.

 

For you to say that is pretty bad considering 2005 was a new model year for the frontier and when they did have issues. You obviously did end up with some issues but not till you had a decent amount of milage on the truck. The issues the tacos are having are with trucks with minimal milage.

 

I know man and in defense of the first MY Frontier I ran it through the ringer . Had it through my AF career and longest road trip was from Las Vegas to Anchorage. I wasn't easy on it but it never let me down. I now hate the 10 miles I have to drive to work every day...to Nissan's Powertrain plant here in Decherd TN.

And I did test drive the taco and gave it hell and it was fine. But one road trip to Lexington KY and all the issues are rearing their ugly head. Took it in and got the runaround from the dealer, even got the patronizing, "oh this must be your first tacoma they are a different kind of truck and this is all normal"

 

You work for Nissan? Lol thats pretty ironic. That does suck though, its sort of the reason ive taken 3 different test drives with the nissan, most importantly taking one without a sales guy/girl so you can really fool around with it, not saying beat on it but you can really get a feel for how it maneuvers and sounds, pull over and play around with things in the cab all while not listening to the sales person give there pitch on the 10 year old technology thats on the frontier like you should be impressed lol. I had a sales woman say to me thay i didnt look very excited about the truck, i told her, its just a truck lol. Im not buying a Lamborghini or anything thats actually exciting, im trying to buy a reliable pick up truck to be a daily driver as well as something that can get me to good camping spots.

 

Ive been on vehicle forums for most of the vehicles I've owned and never ever have i seen as many complaints as you do in this 3rd gen forum. I am also a member on the nissan forum and you can see the difference. Im happy that you have a tacoma with no issues, id love to have one myself with no issues but im also not much of a gambler so if i have less chance of having issues with one vehicle over another thats what id go with, its not just forums either. Carcompaints.com has more complaints against the 2016 tacoma than the 2015 and 2016 frontier combined. People typically only take the time out to complain about something when their pretty dissatisfied.

http://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Tacoma/2016/
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Frontier/2016/
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Frontier/2015/

I'm also still genuinely interested in why the frontier is less of a truck.