I'm thinking of buying a Frontier...

[SouthPaw]

Why rule out full size trucks? My '08 Silverado 1500 gets 17mpg city and 20mpg highway consistently. Has plenty of room as well. My '05 Silverado was very reliable and solid.

Nothing against Tacomas as I would love one but they are just so expensive. Loved the one I had in high school. My dad bought one new back in 2006 and loved it. He decided in 2008 to trade it in on a new 2008 Silverado and kept that till last month when I purchased it from him. After searching high and low for a used Tacoma he decided to buy a new 2014 Tacoma. When 2010 Tacomas are going for $25K+ and a new one is $30K it was kind of a no brainer.

[Sharpienads]

Quit lying to yourself and just get the VW Beetle you've always dreamed about

[Big E3]

I have an 03 Frontier extended cab supercharged, it's been good. Could have better MPG, solid truck, good power. Traded a Tacoma for it not much difference both reliable. Don't have any info on newer ones.

[sic_semper_tyrannis]

I have a 2011 Frontier Pro-4X that is fully loaded. It is a dated design at this point, and the only new options you will find in a brand-new 2014 are a navigation/backup camera system. Aside from that, it has been the exact same truck for the last ~7 years (not a bad thing, they are good trucks). The first couple years of the gen2 Frontier had some hiccups, but they all seem to have been worked out by 2008-2009 or so. Personally I think it is a good thing that the design is coming up on a decade old, because Nissan has had ample time to work out all the kinks. Every time they come out with a new model, there seem to be problems that require a couple model years to identify and resolve. Clearly no longer an issue with the Frontier.

Anyway, I am a big fan of my Frontier. I have had zero concerns/issues/malfunctions so far, and it has been an excellent truck. Understand though that it is hardly a "compact" pickup. No real compact pickups are even made anymore, since the demise of the Ranger, Colorado/Canyon, Dakota, and 1st gen Tacomas & Frontiers. The Frontier's only size competition is the Tacoma, and they would both be considered "mid-size" pickups, and they are both significantly larger than their 1st gen predecessors. My Pro-4X has an outstanding suspension, and also a fantastic engine. Nissan's VQ series engines have a fantastic reputation, and for a V6 it has plenty of horsepower and torque. It also has excellent crash test scores, if you care about that kind of thing (I do). The Frontiers are made in the USA (Tennessee to be exact), while the Tacomas are made in Mexico. I will admit I originally went looking for a Tacoma and actually settled on the Frontier after weeks of indecision. Tacomas clearly are durable, because they are all over the place and have a good reputation, but I was underwhelmed when I test drove them. The seats sucked, the suspension was noticeably rougher than the Frontier, and I was really turned off by some of the cheap interior & exterior parts. As an example of how OCD I am, I absolutely DESPISE the exterior door handles on the Tacomas, because they have a mold line that runs right along the bottom of the handle and scratches your fingers when you pull it. Yes, I am just weird like that, but those handles really bugged me. Also, the Tacomas are f'n EXPENSIVE, and I found very little room for haggling at multiple dealerships. The Tacos sell so well that dealerships don't really have to negotiate down to get rid of them, so expect to pay full price if you want one. My Frontier on the other hand I got for a pretty smoking deal, and it seems like dealers have more wiggle room for pricing.

To focus more on the Frontier and stop answering Tacoma questions that you never asked, I really love the factory spray-on bedliner and cargo tie-down system, which come in handy if you actually use the truck for "truck things". The interior is very plain, and full of hard plastic, but I consider that a good thing because its easy to clean. The last thing I want in my truck is woodgrain paneling and leather accents. The factory stereo is extremely good so long as you opt for the upgraded system, and I am an audio snob that usually installs my own systems. I left the factory Rockford Fosgate system untouched, because it sounds good enough to not bother with the hassle and expense of replacing it. The seats are comfy, the ground clearance is great, there is tons of storage space and cubbies inside, and the sound deadening is actually pretty decent. With that said, it drives and handles like a fullsize truck, so parking and tight spaces can be aggravating. The turning radius is huge, and braking can be tedious when you're coming to a quick stop. As for gas mileage, it is not good. I'm averaging 16-17mpg with a lot of highway driving. As someone above mentioned, you can actually get better mileage in some fullsize V8 trucks, which is aggravating to think about. Overall though, I do genuinely like the truck, and I don't regret getting it. So yes I would recommend getting one if you want one. Like I said earlier, prices are much more affordable than the Tacoma, and for an arguably better vehicle (my opinion).

As for storage space for guns, that was actually something I took into consideration when shopping. I hate leaving weapons in plain sight in the cab, even though my windows are tinted very dark. The Frontier actually has enough space behind the rear seatback to hold a shotgun or rifle (ARs included) in a soft case while keeping the seatback latched in the up positions. This will only work with a soft case, as any hard case would be too large. Also won't work if you have a bunch of tactical shit hanging off the sides of the gun. But I have easily fit a fullsize 870 and an AR back there in soft cases without a problem. It keeps them completely out-of-view, and no one suspects anything to be back there because the seatback appears flat against the rear wall.

If you have any specific questions about the Frontier just ask, I can probably help.

[hollohas]

The Frontiers are made in the USA (Tennessee to be exact), while the Tacomas are made in Mexico....The Tacos sell so well that dealerships don't really have to negotiate down to get rid of them, so expect to pay full price if you want one.

The first part is not entirely true. Well over 2/3 of Tacomas are made in Texas.

The second part is very true. They don't offer any deals on Tacomas because they sell anyway (They sell almost 3 times as many Tacomas annually in the USA than Frontiers) But Tacomas also hold their value incredibly well. See one of the posts above regarding trying to buy a 4 year old Tacoma. The MSRP of similarly equipped "off-road" models of the Frontier and Tacoma are close in price with the Tacoma costing $1-2k more but with a few more convenience options in the Tacoma. The Tacoma has a LOT more aftermarket support. The Frontier has a about 10% more ponies from the factory.

Test drive them both.

[sic_semper_tyrannis]

The first part is not entirely true. Well over 2/3 of Tacomas are made in Texas.

Are there actually two different assembly plants? Or do you just mean that 2/3 of the components in the Taco are Texas-sourced? I researched it years ago when I was shopping for the truck, but I've forgotten the specifics long ago. I do know that every single Taco I've looked at on the dealer lots showed a final assembly location of Mexico on the window sticker (Tijuana if I remember correctly).

And I agree completely on the aftermarket support. The Tacoma is like the Wrangler of pickups. I haven't done any offroad mods to my Frontier, and don't intend to, so it wasn't a factor for me.

[hollohas]

Are there actually two different assembly plants? Or do you just mean that 2/3 of the components in the Taco are Texas-sourced? I researched it years ago when I was shopping for the truck, but I've forgotten the specifics long ago. I do know that every single Taco I've looked at on the dealer lots showed a final assembly location of Mexico on the window sticker (Tijuana if I remember correctly)

Yes, two different plants with most of the production moved to Texas in 2010 I believe. The plant in Tijuana only has the capacity to manufacture 50k Tacomas per year. They also manufacture most of the Tacoma beds in TJ for later assembly on the truck in TX. The plant in Texas can make 250k trucks per year split between Tundras and Tacomas. They are planning to increase that soon as the demand is higher than that.

Not sure which trim/model Tacoma they make in the TJ facility. I remember hearing it was the double cab but I could be wrong.

Toyota used to make some Tacomas at a joint plant in CA they shared with GM. But GM pulled out in 2009 due to their financial problems and Toyota pulled the Tacoma production from there as well. That's when they transferred majority production to TX.

Oh, also interesting is that prior to 2010 Tacomas were made in CA at a plant Toyota shared with GM. GM pulled out in 2009 due to their financial problems and Toyota followed. It was Toyota's only UAW facility in the USA. That's when they transferred Tacoma manufacturing to TX/TJ.

[baglock1]

I haven't done any offroad mods to my Frontier, and don't intend to, so it wasn't a factor for me.

Too bad. The Titan swap front end with coilovers is tits.

[ray1970]

My 08 Chevy has been very reliable but only gets 13 to 15 mpg. My 2010 Dodge gets between 18 and 20 mpg.

[ZERO THEORY]

I would just like to take this time to note that a 1st gen Dodge Ram with the 6bT will clear 20 MPG in the city without breaking a sweat. $4K vs $14K.

If you'd like a late model truck, a full size turbo diesel is really pretty hard to beat. Considering that it gets better mileage, has more interior space, a larger bed, higher payload, higher tow rating, solid axle (unless you're a GM fruit), etc. and you can get a mid 2000s model for ~$15K, why stick with a compact? Maintenance is higher of course, but that's really the only knock I can think of.