PennSilverTaco's non-Toyota Japanese (and Korean) vehicle Rant/Rave MegaThread!

The 1996 Nissan Pathfinder had a factory CD player (the first vehicle my parents ever owned with a futuristic device), and I begged my dad practically from the day he bought the 1990 Mazda B2600i to install a CD player; This was more six years before I got my first iPod (hell, iPods didn't even exist yet), and I had transitioned almost entirely to CDs from cassettes. My dad knew we were moving again in less than two years and didn't want to sink anymore money into the Mazda than was absolutely necessary. Sometime in 1999, he had to replace the rear leaf springs on both sides because one failed (or possibly rusted out); Apparently rear springs/suspension are like brakes in that everything must be replaced at once...? Anyway, I remember my dad being less than happy about having to replace the leaf springs in that truck...

In January 2000, my dad finally answered my prayers and had a cheap CD player installed; The Navy Exchange at NAS Norfolk had a car audio department that did installs, and that's where he had it done. It was literally the cheapest CD player you could get, and it had this obnoxious habit of started songs from the beginning if you shut the ignition all the way off while listening to a CD, but it got the job done!

 

I am partial to the 1986-1993 trucks, but the Ranger-based trucks were good too; My cousin's fiancé has an '04 (can't remember if it's a B3000 or B4000, but it's a 5-speed). The 3.0L was definitely the better engine in my opinion!

 

That, unfortunately, is not one of the pictures I took myself; Snagged it off the ol' interweb!

 

In Crocodile Dundee's voice "That's not a mower... This is a mower."

 

I love Paul Hogan!

 

I had a 1994 Ranger with the 3.0. It didn’t have a lot of power, but it was very reliable.

 

LOL better as in dependable and unkillable for sure... but otherwise it had the power of a 4 cylinder with the fuel economy of a V8... kinda got the worst of both worlds in exchange for ICIS level reliability.

 

In 1994, my uncle special ordered a brand new 1994 Ranger XLT regular cab short bed 2WD, in a cool aqua green color; He specifically ordered his truck with the 3.0L V6 because he'd heard bad things about the 4.0L, and also ordered it with a 5-speed manual and 3.42 "positraction" rear. He also ordered that truck with every option imaginable; A/C, cruise, tilt, power windows, power locks, cassette player! He even paid cash! He replaced it with, guess what...? A brand new 2002 Tacoma S-Runner, also paid for in cash!

 

I bought my SR 2019 because I was looking for the same dependable truck and other than the Tacoma didn't find that reliability anywhere else. Haha wish I could pay 31k cash but... Payments lol

 

My uncle is a man I aspire to be like financially! A big reason I continue to drive my old 2010 RC is because I don't want payments! My parents bought it for me right before I got my license, I've had it over ten years, and I love it!

 

LOL, just the way the Ridgeline, Colroado, and Ranger were going to push the Tacoma...

 

I think the Colorado/Canyon, and Ranger, are too rounded off; The Ridgeline is whole separate issue, but is also too rounded...

 

Colorado and Ranger have that goofy overseas tall and skinny look with those high bedsides, Ridgeline is just all fucked up.

 

I will own one some day soon

 

The Ridgeline looks like a Pilot with a bed...

My dad had a 2013 Honda Pilot (2nd Generation) that he bought new; The 2nd Gen Pilots were angular and boxy (and thus good-looking in my opinion), but the new Pilots look like just about every other soulless blob of a crossover on the market today!

 

@shakerhood

I actually thought that the 1st Gen Ridgelines looked good compared to the new ones!

 

New ones are horrible

 

I know a guy who owns one and he loves it, but he's an older man and doesn't go off-roading...

 

I was reading an article about Nissan yesterday, they are in bad shape. They are laying off people, closing factories, eliminating trim levels and options, delaying new products, cutting travel expenses, making it harder to obtain warranty claims. I would honestly not be surprised if they dont go belly up or have to get swallowed up in another company again.

 

I really miss my '96 Pathfinder; That thing was damn reliable and genuinely well put together! How is Toyota doing?