Should I Trade My 22 Frontier For A Taco?

Get your warranty work taken care of and keep driving the Nissan. No sense to throw money out the window because you speculate you may have more problems. The money is spent. Drive the truck you got until you can't stand it.

 

Welcome to the forum ^^^This is the best idea.^^^
It is difficult to really get to know a vehicle during a test drive.

2023 will probably be the very last of the manual transmissions if that is important to you.

 

The Frontier's powertrain blows the Taco's out of the water. I test drove both and the thing that drove me to get the taco was Nissan wanting to charge 4k over MSRP

 

Ya, well you lose. I just love them. Red 2wd KC slammed on the pavement

 

Keep it and enjoy it. I wouldn't hold my breath for a 2024 redesign on the Taco. I'm betting on 25.

 

There really isn't a "bad" Tacoma model, just models with more features than others.
Study the Tacoma section of the Toyota website for a 1/2 hour, the information is all there and pretty well presented.

For the most part these trucks are all the same underneath.
The most common model: V6 automatic 4x4 double cab with 5 foot box, the power train is the same from the SR to the Pro.

Spending more money gets nicer tires and wheels, different suspension calibration, off road performance features like crawl control, nicer infotainment systems and leather interiors.

 

I wouldn't make any rash decisions. True, you bought the first year of a total (Frontier) redesign but you'd be doing that with a 2024 Taco. Get a 2023 Taco if you have to, but you've already spent a load on the Nissan. I would give it at least another couple years and then decide. I think the new Frontiers are great looking, WAY better than the old design, and are far more technologically advanced than the 3rd gen Tacos in many respects.

Wait it out.

 

Go drive the tacoma, it will feel like it was programmed by an intern orangutan (coming from someone who drives and enjoys it)

Everything else is kinda "meh", even the carplay is probably a PEBKAC error, but THIS is where I went "OH BOY". My friend has an Xterra (older, and to be fair he has done a LOT of stuff to it). He blew a Bilstein strut in the front last summer, and has been having ABS issues with the sensor ever since. If you can have Nissan own this one and give you the root cause and fix it, then I'd say keep the truck. Otherwise I'd consider trading it in.

Don't expect luxury and creature comforts you probably have on the frontier, by the way.

 

Maybe until the warranty is about to run out?

 

By the way, great and thought provoking responses from everyone so far!

 

I’m glad I switched from a Frontier to Tacoma. My 16 Frontier seemed more powerful than my Tacoma does, but there were a lot of quality (fit and finish) issues that bugged me. Plus it was a 2nd and I really needed 4C d.

 

Your problems on the Frontier seem to be minor and fixable under warranty. I just traded in a Nissan Murano I had for 6 years. It was never in a shop or back to the dealer for anything. I did all the oil changes and that's all it ever needed. So I'm 100% on Nissan quality. I went with the Taco as I had one before and wanted to get back into a truck. I also made the mistake of going to a dealer one day and my truck was in the middle of the showroom. They had just put it there and it was screaming " buy me" right to my face. If you're thinking of a Taco you may just have to do it.

 

I actually narrowed my choices down to the Frontier and the Tacoma when I was truck shopping. I ended up going with the Tacoma because of the higher resale value, the engine is rated to last much longer than the one in the Nissan, and there is a much bigger aftermarket support for the Tacoma.

 

You could do that if you wanted to, obviously. That may depend on how dependable/reliable it is in the next couple years and if it spends a lot of down time in the shop, parts availability, etc.

Keep in mind that the Tacoma is number one at retaining (resale) value and, unfortunately, the Frontier is about last. So be prepared to take a hit when you do end up getting rid of it.

 

I impulse bought this thing off the lot in 2000:



It was flawless until the timing belt gave out in 2008. Well, not counting the power steering pump, a couple of AC leaks, annual wheel bearings, the transmission replacement, the lock hubs, and the occasional O2 sensor, it was flawless.

I actually loved that truck.



I like the idea of renting a Taco to see if the grass is greener. Otherwise, stick it out and pay the car note down for another couple of years.

 

My Tacoma Fan-boy side says, definitely trade that POS for a Tacoma!

My real world side says, keep the Nissan. It hasn't been too bad yet and you will lose money on the trade. There is almost never a good enough financial reason to trade a newer vehicle in. I think Nissans are still better built than the world gives them credit for. Your problems are minor and to be expected in the 1st year of a redesign.

My gambler side says, sell the Nissan now, hold the money, and drive the daily until the market cools down then buy a Taco. It you really want to gamble wait until the 4th Gen Taco is out and buy the first year of that.

 

We need pics!

 

Keep the Frontier and your money.

 

The new frontier is completely different then that last gen.

 

I recently bought my 2022 Tacoma and seriously considered the Frontier as well. To me, the Frontier felt like a rocket ship compared to the Tacoma. But I went with a Tacoma because it is likely going to be a more reliable vehicle, I think the exterior looks much better/has a much better stance, and this was a big one - the interior fit & finish of the Tacoma is night and day vs. the Frontier. The Frontier just looked and felt cheapo on the inside and the higher trim levels were not even that much nicer than the base model.

But damn, driving that Frontier felt like I was riding on a race horse and I still have a bit of FOMO from that.