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  1. #11
    BIG PaPa ray1970's Avatar
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    My 08 Chevy has been very reliable but only gets 13 to 15 mpg. My 2010 Dodge gets between 18 and 20 mpg.

  2. #12
    The "Godfather" of COAR Great-Kazoo's Avatar
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    The only thing you will get buying a small truck is easier parking. We looked at small trucks, even the sport futility vehicles. When a smaller unit gets the same MPG as our full size trucks, there was no reason to buy a smaller unit.
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  3. #13
    Still Hammerhead Fentonite's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tmleadr03 View Post
    Taco with SR5 and TRD package.
    I have an '05 Tacoma, SR5 with TRD package. Great truck, I love the 6-speed. I wish it got better than 17-18mpg. I agree with moving up to a full-size if it will work for you, as they typically get better mileage (go figure). I'm sticking with the Taco though, because it'll get to places a big truck won't (like my mining claim), and it basically suits my needs.

    Another thing to consider, if you plan to do much aftermarket improvement to it, I think you'll find more options with a Taco, and more off-road shops with greater familiarity.

  4. #14
    Grumpy Mountain Man crashdown's Avatar
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    Frontier and Xterra are very similar. My vote would be the Xterra so you have real 4 door seating and the security of having everything enclosed, and get a trailer for when you need a pickup bed.
    The Xterra is great on and off road, and I found more pleasant to drive than the Frontier.

  5. #15
    Paper Hunter sic_semper_tyrannis's Avatar
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    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.

  6. #16
    Sig Fantastic Ronin13's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo View Post
    The only thing you will get buying a small truck is easier parking. We looked at small trucks, even the sport futility vehicles. When a smaller unit gets the same MPG as our full size trucks, there was no reason to buy a smaller unit.
    This is one of the primary reasons, I really have no use for a full size (otherwise I'd be going with a Ram), and moving into the city soon, parking is kind of a pain at my GF's with my family's '05 Ram 1500 I use from time to time. Plus from reading comparisons between the Tacoma and the Frontier (since they discontinued the Dakota), the Frontier's V6 has a little more balls than the Tacoma. To top it off, I really like the look of the Nissan, personally.

    And Ray, dammit, my friends are all much larger than a 12 year old... Guess I won't be DD very often...
    ETA:
    Quote Originally Posted by sic_semper_tyrannis View Post
    ...
    Thank you! That's exactly what I was looking for, a no BS "I own one" response. That just helped, and I agree, the Tacoma is waay too expensive for the year/model... I comparatively looked at the '08-newer Tacoma, and sorry, if I can buy an '05 Tacoma for the same price as an '11 Ram 1500 with bells and whistles, that says the Tacoma is too much. Plus I've heard the same things you have with the Tacoma vs Frontier. My GF has a '13 Rogue, she loves it with the exception for the no-power 4-cyl engine, other than that, she swears that Nissan has their shit together when it comes to quality vehicles. I have exclusively been looking at the Pro-4x model, and like what I've read and heard about them. Parking still being a hassle, is just maneuvering or is it size as well? My main gripe is that our Ram is just too wide for several places, mostly parking garages, and my GF's apartment complex, I'm not really worried about length and turning radius as much as I am about overall width.

    Thanks for the responses everyone. I'm just not sure I want to get into a V8 again, maintenance on some of them can get costly from what I've experienced.
    Last edited by Ronin13; 05-29-2014 at 11:43.
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  7. #17
    a cool, fancy title hollohas's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tmleadr03 View Post
    Taco with SR5 and TRD package.
    This.

  8. #18
    Gong Shooter
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    If buying used get the Nissan. (Get a better deal as it depreciated more)

    If buying new buy the Toyota (crazy high resale value)

  9. #19
    Machine Gunner ZERO THEORY's Avatar
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    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.

  10. #20
    a cool, fancy title hollohas's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sic_semper_tyrannis View Post
    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.
    Last edited by hollohas; 05-29-2014 at 12:18.

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