Help! 2019-21 Tacoma TRD OR? 2022-23 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X? 2021-22 Colorado ZR2?

Haha!

 

Of those 3 choices, I'd go Frontier , OP.

I'd bet I could get a new Pro4x minus whatever premium is for less than the used one though. Heck, you might be able to get a new Pro4x WITH premium for less depending on the dealer.

Avoid modded Tacoma like the plague though. Bison is meh IMO.

 

After being out of my 2018 Taco for about a year I decided I wanted another truck. Was going with another Taco but after the test drive I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The test drive was in a '23 so it had a few more features than my '18 but overall still felt relatively cramped and basic and not worth the price they were asking on a pre-owned truck.



I looked around a bit and ended up in a '23 GMC Canyon AT4X. I know, it is a model year and generation later than you are looking at. It was significantly more comfortable than my '18 and the test drive '23 Taco. Mine was a late '23 so a lot of the new model year issues had been fixed before I drove it off the lot. I would take that over a '23 (or older) Taco any day. I ended up moving up to a full size Sierra AT4X because I wanted to tow more so can't speak to long term issues but in the almost 10k mile I put on the Canyon I didn't have any significant problems. So far the Sierra has also been reliable also. I would expect since the Colorado you are looking at is a '21-'22 they would have most of the generational issues resolved but you aren't going to have the features that are in the new generations. Overall, the GMC was a much nicer truck that the Taco.

I will say the resale value in the GMC was not there. That is the only real negative that I have on the GMC.

I can't speak to the Nissan other than they look nice. But it is a Nissan...

TLDR: The Taco isn't the be all end all mid-size truck. There are other viable options out there. Don't let a bunch of dudes on the internet make your decision for you.

 

Wouldn’t touch a GM/Chevy product, avoid any heavily modded truck if you could find a Tacoma more stock would look at those. Or as others have said try to pick up a new Nissan at those prices if you’re not a big off-roader it’s a decent truck.

 

I would honestly never buy a modified truck unless Its from someone that I trust a 100%.

Out of the 3 choices, I would pick Frontier.

 

Frontier... I'll never buy a chevy (unless a 70 Chevelle 454 ls6 w/ a 4spd).. I've been burnt to many times by them. The taco is to modified.

My buddy at work is currently looking at new 2024 pro4x's... where I live a msrp 43k pro4x is going for 37k... plane tickets r cheap!

Edit... and that's advertised price... not what u could actually deal for. They're hurting. Deals can b had.

 

Yeah, Frontier is newish with low miles. Get the Nissan.

 

Get a load of this guy.. lol

 

Thanks again to for the great insights, everyone. Alright, you’ve all begged me off the heavily modded Taco (this has been universal advice across all forums… I think I knew it too down deep… but it just seemed so enticing to get a truck with all the mods already there. Obviously makes more sense to buy stock and mod it out myself).

I can definitely find stock tacos out there, and they’ll all be more expensive than the newer Nissan with lower mileage and a 9-speed transmission that’s better matched to its more powerful engine (slightly). I hear the complaints about Nissan reliability… but for every one of those complaints I read, I read two more that say the Frontiers have generally been solid, sturdy, reliable trucks (boxed frame, let’s not forget), perhaps despite the lower quality of other models.

The Frontier in stock form will lag a bit in off-road performance, sure. But I can improve it with some modification (just lifting it a bit and running 33’s would probably go a long way towards improving off road capabilities).

The more I think about the ZR2, the less I’m into it, whether it’s the Bison I test drove or the straight ZR2 (I test drove one of those too). The quality of the materials in the cabin is just crap, and I hear they start to rattle and buzz pretty quickly.

SGJarrod, Lt. Dangle: what part of the country are you guys in? Maybe because I’m in SoCal, but I haven’t seen new 2024’s still available anywhere near me (or far from me: I’m willing to fly to find the truck if needed!), and the 2025’s I see (non-Premium) are definitely going for way north of 43K. Can you point me to those deals you guys are talking about?

Finally, can anyone tell me why the Nissan sales are supposedly tanking? I haven’t read anything about this…

 

St. Louis, MO... they can't sell these to save their lives. Around here everyone wants a 1/2 ton. The 4 trucks my buddy is looking at have been on the lots for over 6 mos

Fly over states aren't worthless

 

just one point: you bash the Toyota but it has a better resale value than the other 2

 

my 2 cents....
rented a nissan frontier for a month. 2wd, did not excite me inside or out but did the job

only like the looks of the gmc canyon of the gm choices, never been inside one and never drove one but my second choice

ford ranger......boring and ford has the most recalls of anyone but i drove f150 for 13 years

jeep glad....rugged looking and a good 4x4 but not as a long trip or daily driver, and bad reliability after warranty

tacoma .....not too much tech, heavy, simple, and the vehicles i see the most that are all over the world that are still in use are land rovers and tacomas (and some jeeps but i hate to wave)

 

I’ve owned three Toyota truck (2 Tacomas) and think highly of them.

The only reason I would vote against the Tacoma in your list is the mods. My concerns on the mods would be:

1) Did the previous owner do anything that cannot be reversed (such as welded on sliders or cab mount chop for the lift). If yes, then I’d keep looking.

2) Was the truck a mall crawler or actually used off road? I’d be looking at the sliders and bash plates for scrapes and dents suggesting hard use. The on board air compressor suggests it was actually used off road and not just a mall crawler.

I might also look under the hood for an oil catch can. These are sometimes added by folks who off-road due to the engine’s potential to ingest oil if run at extreme angles. Having one installed might suggest the truck was built to run hard.

 

I have owned all three other brands Ford, GM and Dodge and nothing but problems with them and resale value is the shits. I have owned 3 Tacomas and loved them all and got good trade in money on them. I know nothing about the Nissan trucks other than I did own a Datsun 240 Z back in the 70's and it was a great car.

 

My 2022 Tacoma TRD off-road was totaled due to someone blowing through a stop sign, this was during the "vehicle shortage". It was going to take me about a year or so to get a replacement due to having to order one. So I purchased a 2022 Nissan Frontier Pro 4-X because my local Nissan dealer had one on the lot, and can say that my experience with it was less than stellar. The Nissan had several issues that neither the dealer or Nissan would take care of. The first issue was the paint was peeling of a brand new truck 5 days after purchase, the dash warped and the little cubby on the top of the dash was sinking into the dash, with very noticeable gaps all the way around. The paint was coming off both front panels, and the door handles, I got Nissan corporate involved and it took about another 22 days to get them to even acknowledge there was/might be an issue. Nissan had the GM of the dealership and an inspector from Nissan meet me at the dealer ship. Both Nissan and the dealer was claiming it was because I took it through an automatic car wash and that what was the cause of the paint coming off on the truck. As we were giving the truck a look over behind the service department, I pointed out that they have an automatic car wash on the premises that they run the vehicles through after service. I was told that the issues that I were complaining about were just "Nissan's level of quality", I asked them to buy the vehicle back and I was just eat the loss of whatever it depreciated. This was during the recall on the transmission that were announced like 2 days after I purchased the truck and Nissan put a stop sale on the Frontiers, so the GM told me they would not buy it back because they would not be able to sell it due to the stop sale. I wrote Nissan and the Frontier off and didn't want to deal with trying to go through the process of doing my states lemon law. I drove the truck over to the Toyota dealership and they purchased it and I placed an order for a new Tacoma Trail Edition and just decided to drive my Jeep until it could be delivered. I owned the Frontier for less than 29 days in total. I realize that this probably sounds like first world problems to some, but all the issues with a fairly expensive truck that Nissan would not take care of, just didn't meet my expectations with quality or their customer service. I might still have the pictures of the very large areas of the paint coming off the truck. So TLDR, I wouldn't recommend the Nissan based on my experience and would go with your other two options, but I am partial to the Tacoma (I have owned 4).

 

GM is Garbage Motors. Period. End of discussion.
Nissan is circling the toilet bowl, unfortunately, due to their own fault of not listening to the customers.
Toyota is proven, even with its faults.

 

Man, how did this world function before mass instant public opinion?

 

Me.

06 Taco OR from 06 to 21.

21 Taco OR 6 speed totaled this year. Never liked it all that much compared to the 06, the shifter made it manageable.

Not feeling the 24 Tacos, used 3rd gens too expensive comparing to new Nissans.

24 P4X. Culture shock, but so far so good in NA V6 land.

 

I’d get a pre purchase inspection on any vehicle

 

I bought a 2020 TRD OR new and I'm happy with after a few very minor upgrades. My only complaint is the trans will at times up shift too soon and then have to down shift. They do have the "extra power" button...I think that's what they call it. From my understanding it was designed for towing, but you can use it anytime you want. Some use it all the time. It moves the shift points, and solves the trans hunting issue. Your MPG's will be a little worse if you use it all the time. Also, I'd look for a US built Tacoma. I still think the quality was a little better.

As some others have said, a heavily modded tacoma would scare me. Just make sure you know what you're getting.

I really like the looks of the ZR2 Bisson! The interior feels very cheap to me though, and they seem to have more than their share of electrical issues. They're what kept me away. And the DI only 4 turbo on the new ones. I do think it's a sharp looking truck though.

Can't help you with the Nissan.