Anyone own a Frontier?

Wow, that's funny right there...!

 

I keep getting shit in the mail from a Nissan dealership wanting me to trade my Tacoma in so I can buy a Frontier from them.

Here's what I want to tell them:

 

We had an 06 pathfinder which has the same power train as the frontier. In 8 years, it 1. Had a radiator blow out, 2. Had the transmission fail from a second radiator blow out, and 3. Had the timing chain guide fall apart inside the front engine cover.

Lucky, nissan paid for it all, but I'll never own another nissan. Ever.

 

Any money you save buying the Frontier will be lost selling the Frontier.

 

My best friend has a frontier and I hate driving it. It rides really rough for a bone stock truck, and has the turning radius of a semi. His is a '14 with 20k miles and I wouldn't trade my 06 taco with 185k for it. He likes it alright but is always going back and forth on selling it. I finally talked him into keeping it and lifting it but theres hardly any aftermarket support for it compared to our trucks. In the end, drive both and get what makes you happy. A tacoma forum probably isn't the best place to ask opinions on a tacoma vs. a frontier anyways. haha

 

^
You had me at aftermarket support!

 

I got a first gen Frontier v6 four door long bed 4x4 it has never let me down and I work it in a landscaping company. They are tough as nails in my book. I just was not a fan of their looks personally but they are tough. I have neutral dropped mine at 35k rpms. went into park going 10 mph and took it off roading through water up to the hood that truck is tough but the newer ones never heard anything bad or good about them but the first gens ill swear by those. My one buddy had a first gen with 275000 miles with no break downs only maintenance

 

Look at the clearance on these things? Seriously what garbage, they don't even compare to a Tacoma. My kids Radio Flyer Red Wagon is higher off the ground.

 

My dad owns a shop here in town. I have owned Nissans before and the mechanics always hated when I brought them in as they are hard to work on and parts are expensive. I would stick with the Tacoma if I were you but like others have said - get what YOU want.

 

My friend has an 08 Nissan frontier and he likes it. To me the engine is louder than the Tacoma. The turning radius is the same as a semi. Ground clearance does suck and so does the aftermarket support. I also don't understand why the back windows are two pieces. With that being said it's still a good choice. I would drive both and see which one you like better because the Tacoma obviously has their problems.

 

Report on the Today Show that Nissan will not help or recall severely rusted vehicles. At least Toyota has helped some with rusting issues.

Nissan won’t recall severely rusted Altimas

 

To me there is no question, go for the Frontier.
As much as we love Tacomas on here, you are getting loaded Frontier for less money then a base Tacoma. I had a 2.7l Tacoma, as much as I tried to convince myself otherwise, the 2.7l was a dog, and I have had 2 4Runners with the 2.4l 22R.
Frontiers I think are quite comparable to Tacomas in reliability, yes they are not perfect, but the Tacomas have some pretty big and long standing issues as well.

Shawn.

 

Your point?

 

My best friend owns an '06 Frontier LE 4x4 crew cab. It's a perfectly fine truck and he likes it. It's been reliable (125k on it), but there are a few facts: it sits way lower than my Tacoma (which is basically stock height), the turning radius is HORRIBLE, and the interior, while offering some amenities the Tacoma doesn't (sunroof, heated seats, leather), is a lot of hard plastic and shows wear. That being said, I like the 4.0 VQ that Nissan has better than the Toyota 4.0 (my dad's Xterra has it too).

But in the end, they're pretty comparable to a Tacoma. He's put no more money in his than I have in mine, and it still runs great. He does not take great care of it either.

 

I hated the Frontier's 3.36 gears--that and the extra weight made it feel like a pig on hills on the highway. The turning circle was also laughably bad--the crew cab 5 ft bed Frontier I drive for a week turned wider than my DCLB Tacoma.

I also hated the lack of seat comfort (but the position was better) and the fact that the instrument cluster didn't light at all unless the headlights were on.

I did like the bed light and thought the stock ride was better then my TRD's stock ride.

 

The ground clearance looks like a DCLB Tacoma with the tundra racing lowering kit.

 

Just curious, OP if you are considering other brands have you thought about the new chevy/GM ? Seems like they'd be as good a choice as a frontier.

 

I have a 2012 frontier in my work fleet, SV model with 5 spd auto and v6. It's got tons of upper end power but midrange torque is low. Super comfortable seats, but horribly layed out interior that is ugly and cheap feeling. Drives like a car, tiny steering wheel with no play whatsoever. Not a fan of suicide doors, but Tacoma has those too so.

Edit: clearance is crap even on 4x4 model. My Tacoma sits like 3 inches higher.

 

i had a 2005 Frontier and they are known for having O2 Sensor/Catalytic issue. One year, I changed all my O2 sensors, changed the catalytic and still had that stupid code . Only way i fixed that annoying check engine light was by putting an O2 extender . My friend has a frontier and has the same problem every now and then. Finally got tired of it and traded it in. Love my 2013 Taco!

 

If I was interested in an automatic, I'd probably go with a Chevy Colorado, but the OP said he wanted a manual, and they don't make a 4x4/Manual Colorado.