Anyone own a Frontier?

Chevy isn't making a manual? Wow, I know auto is more popular but I'm surprised there's no option at all for a manual 4x4.

 

I drove the top of the line 4x4 frontier and thought it was a POS. Tacoma is a better choice in my opinion.

 

Haven't read any of the thread, but my friend bought one last year (think its a 2006) and has so many transmission problems... He's had it worked on for the past four months and had to use a rental car.

 

Well after my 2 year stint of owning an 06 frontier crewcab LE. I sold it today and took my check running away from it. I really liked the looks of it but probably wont buy another one ever. Should be picking up my Tacoma tomm.

 

Nice man, congrats.

My buddy had to trade his frontier in before it stopped moving and he said he wouldn't buy another and if he doesn't go full size it will be a Tacoma. He really likes my truck.

 

I've only got one anecdote - which is only as useful as any anecdote can be - but running into a Frontier owner out in Death Valley who was a Toyota owner before he said he regretted the decision to go with the Frontier. Had a number of problems (including the AT problem already mentioned which shouldn't be an issue for the OP who wants an MT). Seemed to think he had far more rattles in the Frontier after a few years of dirt roads. These anecdotes are difficult to parse because often folks aren't making apples to apples comparisons - comparing say one generation Nissan to a different generation Toyota.

I just bought a Tacoma and considered the Frontier and the GM as well. For me I needed good off road performance, good third party after market support and confidence that as a low mileage vehicle it would still be in reliable condition after twenty years. The Tacoma seemed to come out on top in those criteria. I'm very much a "do it once right" kind of person and so saving a few thousand dollars on a $30K truck was not my highest priority - getting the right truck for me was.

The current Tacoma is of course not perfect, but for me the biggest known issues weren't a problem. Hopefully frame rust is now fixed in 2015, and if it isn't my vehicle is in the desert southwest and so not a big factor. Driveline vibes are the other common hassle, but as I'm lifting a bit I expect to deal with the potential for that with any vehicle. While frustrating it seems well within my ability and my wallet to fine tune the driveline if vibes show up. Both engines appear to be rock solid.

To me the GMs are too new, might prove to be a great competitor to Tacoma but as of now I considered them an unknown. The Frontier didn't have anything that made it better than the Tacoma for my uses and seemed less reliable to me. I didn't want to wait for a 2016 Tacoma primarily because I needed a truck now and not in the fall, and while I expect it to be a reliable and great vehicle I preferred standing on the shoulders of 10 years of TW knowledge and after market support with the 2nd gen rather than having to figure it all out myself as an early 3rd gen buyer.

Good luck with your decision!

 

My friends brother has a 2005 Frontier with 215k miles and still going, nothing major has failed and it gets used pretty hard on camping trips.

 

Thanks for the helpful replys. I'm going to test drive a used King cab 6spd Pro-4x and see how I like it. I will be honest I am not a fan of the other trim levels or the crew cab. Just looking for something different than a Tacoma for the next 5 years or so, Frontier is the only other truck that offers the features I want.

 

I considered a Frontier before buying a Tacoma. I'm a Nissan guy having owned a dozen 240sx's. My last truck was a Titan. the reason I went with a Tacoma were;

1. Supply. There aren't many around
2. Parts. Nissan is stingy about keeping them in supply and they are pricey.
3. Aftermarket. Not as much to choose from.
4. Resale. Frontiers don't hold value so buy GAP insurance if you finance with low downpayments.

 

To those of us who don't do much offroading it doesn't make much of a difference but here's an interesting view for ya'll

 

I had a 2005 Frontier Nismo 4X. Personally I liked the sound of Nismo better than the newer Pro 4X but to each is own. I bought it because I had 22K limit and in 2007 the 2nd gen Tacoma's were still too much. I really enjoyed the truck. Similar to what I saw above the Cat had to be replaced but it was under warranty. The Fuel gauge went out at about 80K as well and the guy at the dealer said they see that alot in Frontiers. I made the mistake of getting the first model year which seems more prone to those problems anyways. It felt a lot faster and sportier than my 13 Tacoma. I know the engine was mounted lower and that resulted in a better feel but it didn't have the same ground clearance. Turning radius was absolute shit and the 4.0 gas millage made the Taco look like a Prius. The frontier felt much more solid and sort of made the Tacoma feel like a tin can. I sold the Frontier at 98K miles mostly because it was gonna need a ton of service and I dented the side of it after sliding on black ice but the power train still felt great and it had a lot of life left. I had the 05 so hopefully some small improvements have been made but overall the Tacoma feels alot more reserved and refined. Frontier is a solid choice especially for the 7-8K price difference.

 

I had a 2009 Frontier a few years ago. It was a good truck. I owned it in Alaska and abused the hell out of it and the only problem it gave me was a power steering line blew up. But what can you expect when the temperature is -60? I had to get rid of it due to some financial problems traded it in at 78000 miles so not a whole lot but a lot of them were hard miles. The only thing I didn't like about it was the lack of ground clearance. And the fit and finish of the tacoma seems better. I honestly think a tacoma will out last a frontier even though the frontier is a decent truck.

 

I had an '05 Nismo 2wd for almost 10 years. Most of my issues with it started after 100K miles. Lots of the same stuff others have posted. I needed to switch to a 4 door truck and considered another Nissan. I plan to have this truck for another 10+ years though and think the Tacoma is a better investment.

I posted some of my impressions here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/taco-versus-frontier.346544/

 

^ I have a friend that has a frontier, it's been a good truck, but the nissans have a crappy radiator and are pretty well known to have the pink milkshake. If you get one I would definitely bypass the radiator cooler/heat exchanger.
Edit: I finished reading the thread, if you want a manual then the pink milkshake isn't an issue. Another thing I'll add is that the frontier drives and feels way different than the Tacoma (it sits more like a car, the dash is higher and the seat is lower imo) and I hate the brakes on my friends frontier, talk about a squishy soft pedal... All in all though I think they are good trucks and it should last a long time depending on how it's treated and maintained.

 

I looked at both, bought the Taco and never looked back.

 

The Frontier faithful will just blow sunshine up his butt like the Tacoma faithful will. Fanbois are the same everywhere. I would suggest talking to an experienced independent mechanic.

 

Friend had a Frontier and to be honest I liked a lot of its features better then my Taco. Then somewhere over 100K miles it needed a clutch and something else. No big deal really, then the engine blew. Big deal.

 

This might be of interest, sorry if it's already been posted:
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2015/05/more-nissan-frontier-owners-sell-after-one-year.html

 

A friend of mine has one, he loves it. He had a titan, then went down to a frontier since he wanted a smaller truck. He is more than pleased with it. Parked next to my Tacoma they look about like the exact same truck.

 

I owned a 2010 V6 crew cab Frontier before I bought my Tacoma. The Frontier definitely sat a little lower and felt a little more planted while driving. Both trucks are great, it all comes down to what exactly you want.