Nissan Truck

cncman

sorry, I don't have exact pricing yet, I would imagine they would atart around $17-18k, but just a guess, I 'll post more when I can confirm that.

tc14374

Just hit 3300 miles on my 99 SE King cab Frontier and the truck has been great. The engine (V6) is as smooth as any I have ever driven. I get alot of compliments on the truck from other folks. Only one more minor problem the rubber moulding around the drivers door has a slight squeak to it that is so slight you probably wouldn't hear it if it were located elsewhere, the only thing is that it is 2 inches from your ear. Anybody with similar problems please let me know if and how you fixed it.

jabberwocky

Here's my report I now have 530 miles on my new King cab 4x4 Frontier. No problems at all. This is the best vehicle that I have ever owned (I have owned about 15 vehicles.) It has been getting between 17 and 18 mpg. It drives easier than my wife's Subaru. I have had two full sized adults in the back for a short trip, they didn't complain.

I found a website for Nissan aftermarket products
www.4x4parts.com I have not ordered anything from them, so don't know how their service will be.

raglan

I've just hit 7500 miles on my automatic frontier. Still runs great, hear no squeaks, but the Nissan radio has gone a little crazy. I've had to press it a couple of times before it turns on or off. But as far as the engine goes, it's running smoothly.

My friend owns 3 manual frontier and he uses it for a delivery business. He has hit 60,000 miles (with routine maintenance) on all of them and he reports no problems.

jabberwocky

I now have 2000 miles on my Frontier 4x4 king cab. It runs great, I am getting between 17 and 20 mpg.

I have taken offroad several times. It handles great, the low range is great, and no suspension bottoming. I don't know what they were doing on the Edmunds road test, but it had to be crazy to bottom the suspension.

scape2

cncman are you still in here?
During our debate between the Ranger and Nissan quality/reliablity was brought up. Well, better check www.carpoint.msn.com for Ranger/Nissan reliablity numbers, Fords are VERY different from 10 years ago. Check them, across the board reliablity is up way up.

cncman

hey Vince still here, I do agree that the ranger seems to be more reliable than the domestic competition, but still can't compare to the nissan and toyota. PS any offroading stories for us, anything interesting?

jabberwocky

I still read about some Ford relability issues in the Ford Ranger group. And it's too bad that the F350 SD came in last place in the Four Wheeler pickup truck of the year.

Lohengrin

I read the Four Wheeler pickup of the year award and it's hardly a fair test. They were compairing apples and oranges. The focus of the test was off raod driving, so it's hardly suprising that the F350 finished last. Now, if the focus was towing fifth wheeler, the F350 would have done much better and the Nissan would have finished last. I think I remarked before that the magazine had a lot of good stuff to say about the Frontier. It's a good truck, but could probably use a little more power. Cncman, are there any plans to beef up the Frontier's V6 to better compete with Ford, GM, and Toyota?

scape2

cncman, yes I was out about a week ago with a friend looking for a good place to camp/fish in the mountains. Low and behold I came upon a guy with a Tacoma, about a 97 with its hood up. Truck just died would not start. Of course this made me feel like a million bucks in my Ranger. My buddy and I got a big kick out of it, beings everyone thinks the Ranger is so unreliable. Gave the guy a ride to the nearest phone. His comment "Thats Toyota reliablity for ya". I just gave you the website of www.carpoint.msn.com to compare and so you can see the Ranger is very reliable along with other domestic brands.
I do like the new 4door Nissan coming out, can anyone say market nich??

cncman

good story Vince, I bet you were grinning ear to ear! Lohengrin, I imagine Nissan will come out with a higher HP engine around 2001 model when the pathfinder gets a new one, if this is what you are asking, so far as competing, I think the V-6 is a great engine that is very competitive, it has a great all around ability, superior usage of low end torque 170hp standard instead of paying more, and a v-6 frontier costs less than a four cylinder
tacoma. Not to mention it is smooth, refined and tough.

lwf

There used to be another cncman who contributed to this topic who didn't seem to have any use for V6 compacts. I think he once said something to the effect that when Nissan came out with V6 compact pickups they would "rot on the lot". I wonder what ever happened to that guy.

Lohengrin

With all fairness to cncman, he was responding to my question about the V6. I'm sure they're still rotting on his lot. And that's sort of what I'm getting at. I'm sure the Nissan V6 is a wonderfully smooth running and refined engine. And that may cut the mustard in Japan. But in America, the only thing that matters is MORE POWER. Nissan's V6 is outpowered by every other pickup, and it's pulling a truck that's a little bigger and heavier to boot. (I know you've debated the Nissan V6 vs. the Ranger 4.0L, but as soon as Ford puts the Explorer's optional V6 in the Ranger, as I've heard they plan to do, it will CLEARLY outclass the Nissan V6.) I'm just wondering if Nissan is going to repond to this at all. If the V6 Frontier had an engine more powerful that the GM 4.3L, they wouldn't rot on the lots. So is Nissan to "tweak" the existing engine for 5 more hp and 2 more ft.lbs. of torque, or are they going to put a seriously more powerful engine in the Frontier?

kjtg

I don't know if it is all about who has the biggest V6. I have a 90 nissan V6 and thought I wanted a ranger. but they just don't drive as nice as the nissan..

jabberwocky

Sorry I haven't replied, I have been out driving my Nissan instead of at home repairing a Ford.

I live at 6,000ft. elevation and routinely four wheel at places over 10,000ft. elevation. The Ranger 4.0 does not perform as well up here as the Nissan 3.3. My friends Rangers and Explorers lose a substantial amount of power as you go up in altitude, the Nissan doesn't.

I have owned three Ford trucks. A nice 1954 F100 flairside shortbed, an excellent 1964 F100 normal bed and an ok 1981 normal bed. When I looked at new trucks, I looked at the Ford Ranger and the F 150. The Ranger is a piece of junk that should have the Mazda name on it. It does not deserve to wear the Ford name. The F150 was nice, almost as nice as the Nissan I bought.

The Nissan really does drive better than the other trucks, both on and off road. In fact, I think I will go for a drive while you Ranger owners spend the rest of your night trying to repair your "trucks."

scape2

jabberwocky, I know you can scroll back and see the debate between cncman and myself between the Frontier and the Ranger, educate yourself. It was a virtual tie and comes down to personal preference. Also, you will see how I use my 4.0 5spd Ranger. I live in the NW and frequent the mountains and deserts regularly, I have never had loss of power at the high altitudes you speak of. Another point, please visit www.carpoint.msn.com and the Popular mechanics homepage, and CR, and even the review here at Edmunds on the Ranger. I'm sure you will find the Ranger is every bit as reliable as your Frontier/Hardbody Nissans.

cncman

Well, I had a nice surprise waiting for me when I got to work today, we got three crew cabs and three desert runners! My opinions; Looks fantastic! bigger step rails, they all have bedliners, nice fender flares. Inside, honestly I was a little surprised, I was expecting almost as much room as a car in the back, I don't know why though. It was a little difficult getting in and out of the back, I'm 5'11" 210, (I'm working on that!), but when I thought about it, I think it is probably easier than the smaller four door trucks like the Ford. When I was sitting down I felt I had a good amount of room, and there was room for one more in the back confortably. Three adults would be a little bit of a squeeze, but not too bad.

Pricing;crew cab
Loaded out 4x2 SE with automatic, power package, sunroof CD player etc. MSRP $22,367! Not too bad.
XE 4x2 5spd, with manual windows and locks, but a three disc changer MSRP $19,082 same truck with an auto and A couple other minor extras, $20,132!

Pricing; desert runner.
Loaded out auto, sunroof power everything, nicer interior cd player, LSD etc. MSRP $21,657.

We already have two crew cabs potentially sold talking to a few salesmen, and maybe one desert runner, Well go see them!

1greg

CNCMAN-
I sat in the back of the Nissan crew cab at the Denver auto show, wel I attempted to sit back there, I am 6'2" 230lbs and my legs wouldn't fit behind the drivers seat where they had it set at. Now it was fixed in place so that you couldn't move it, but it was much to small for anyone my size. I felt like it had the same amount of room as the Chevy and Ford x cabs and more than the Tundra. I don't really fit in any of these vehicles.

Greg Hoppes

lwf

"the most powerful standard four cylinder out there, which would be the frontier"

Whoops! I guess I was wrong. It must be the same guy after all, because now it sounds like the same misinformation he used to preach. In reality, it's the Tacoma 4x4 that has the most powerful standard four-cylinder engine in a compact pickup.

It seemed awfully quiet lately, so I thought I'd try to get things moving again.

scape2

I guess it would be Toyota with its 2.7 150hp. What are the torque differences, anyone know off hand?

cncman

LWF;
before you spout misinformation, you ought to read! I said since I "don't go 4x4ing" I went with the most powerful four cylinder out there, the standard 4x2 toyota comes with the 2.41 142hp engine. Or do you think it is irrelevent to compare the models that most people buy? And please tell us the other misinformation I preached before, if I have said something wrong I admit it, but so far everything I have said is 100% true!

Some more about the crewcab;
I drove one after I posted last, very smooth and quiet! felt very much like the pathfinder. Those that complained about the dash before will be happy to learn that Nissan changed this a little bit too, it is now two-tone instead of monotone grey, looks pretty good, stereo system looks good and you can get a 6 speaker system on the loaded out ones now! I thought the bed looked kind of funny, cube shaped and disproportionate to the rest of the truck, but after I thought about it, there really wasn't anything that I carried in my king cab that I couldn't fit there somehow, especially with the bed extender and the tailgate down. BTW we don't have the extenders yet, seems like the government still needs to clear it for some reason or another. Fit and finish was extremely good, no gaps or squeaks and rattles from the extra doors or anywhere else, even going over the lousy roads they are working on around here. Also you can get 16" wheels on some of them too, they are "X" shaped and look good, the desert runner has a new smoke grey color that looks remarkably good on the truck. Step rails are fatter and have a kind of dull mettalic finish on them, they look good, but it seems like they stick out a little farther, may be a problem for those like me who don't use them to get in and out. Oh well, time for me to go dream up some more misinformation!

Lohengrin

Cncman,

No, most people don't race in 4x4 pickups. But they do like lots of torque for offroading and hauling/pulling stuff. And a little acceleration on the road is nice too. That's where the V6 comes in. Yes, currently it is a nice midlevel V6 that competes well with the Ford 3.0L. But as soon as Ford drops the 205hp V6 from the Explorer into the Ranger, Frontier will be WAY outgunned in the V6 department. I was just wondering if Nissan thought about that and plans to offer an optional, more powerful V6, like every other truck maker. I guess the answer is no.

In response to the 4 banger argument, I believe Toyota does, in fact, have a more powerful I4 in their 4x4 trucks. But, as you've mentioned before, the Toyota 4 banger costs more than a V6 Frontier. As far as value, I think Nissan comes out way on top.

BTW, why do you want an Xterra if you don't go offroading? Isn't the truck more useful, especially if you're the only one driving in it?

Lohengrin

Hey, cncman, I just thought of another good question that I've sort of been wondering. A lot of people over on the Dakota topic are terribly upset that Dodge plans to can the normal Extended Cab Dakotas when the Dakota Crew Cab comes out. Is that going to happen with the Frontier? Will there still be King Cab Frontiers?

cncman

Lohengrin;
actually before, I mentioned that for the 2001 model pathfinder there will be a hp boost I am sure that engine will find its way into the frontier. Yes the truck is more usefull, the xterra is a purely emotion decision, occasionally I have need for more passenger space, I probabaly won't get the xterra at least not for awhile.
I am sure there will still be king cab frontiers,
I think people can choose if they want the extra cargo space or the extra passenger space. I don't know why dodge would make that move unless they cannot produce enough platforms for both.

skg

I just returned from the local Nissan dealer (got kicked off of the lot for drooling on all of the new trucks). They had a black 4x2 SE 5 spd Crewcab with sunroof and CD (21,400), a BRIGHT red 4x2 SE auto Crewcab without sunroof and CD (21400), and a white XE auto Desert Runner (V6) for 18,300. I understand that the 5 Spd is ~850 less than the auto, and the SE is ~840 more than the XE.
The Xterra is supposed to be here "early" next month or "late" this month, along with the regular line of 4x2 pickups with the V6. I now need to check the prices on these and wait for the "I've got to be the first on the block" folks to get over the fever so I can get a discount from the sticker price.
Those crewcabs look GOOD. I sat in the backseat; it was tight, but I "could" survive if I didn't have to go far. I really like the looks of that Desert Runner, though. It is nice.

hindsite

Read an article in USA Today about the Nissan crew cab that was not flattering at all.But, from my perspective the crew cab seems like a nice looking vehicle of choice for those that need that extra room. Does anyone know if Ford is planning to come out with similar type of vehicle on the Ranger platform?

Lohengrin

Cncman,

Thanks for the answer. BTW, I visited the Nissan web page today and looked at the Crewcab display. I must say it is a very nice looking truck. Do the roof rack and bed extender come standard with the SE model? It looks like with that stuff, you shouldn't lose too much hauling ability even with the shorter bed. Also saw the page on the new Maxima. A 220 hp V6? 212 ft-lbs of torque? Wow! Now they need to work that magic on the Frontier's engine, IMHO.

cncman

Lohengrin;
it looks like those items will be accessories, I have a loaded out SE and it did not have the extender or roof rack. My parts manager said that he was going to order them, but couldn't until next month, I think the DOT has to approve them or something. Yes it looks like I am going to have a busy June!
SKG;
I really think it will be hard if not impossible to get a discount until the next production run, Nissan does not have enough platforms to make alot of all of them, they are already sacrificing the regular cab 4x2 chasis, so if you want one of these, go out there now!

rayp8893

Anybody out looking for trucks gets enough of this "dealerspeak" as it is. People come to these web sites to get real first hand comments from real truck owners.

Has anyone out there actually bought a Frontier, or are you all too busy reading these endless lists of stats.

freeflyer

Can anyone elaborate on what the "bed extender" is...
also I have a Frontier brochure that describes a "class 2 trailer hitch" as a dealer accessory -- what is the difference between a class II hitch and a class III hitch?

Thanks

Lohengrin

The bed extender is a nifty bar that fits over the tailgate when it is down, effectively extending the size of the bed. There's a picture of it on the crewcab page on www.nissan-usa.com. I am not a towing expert, but as I understand it, a Class III hitch is rated to handle more weight thana Class II hitch.

cncman

class II is for 3500lbs, the max with four cylinder. III is for 5000lbs.

I know this is off topic, but I know Vince comes here. I know you won't like to hear it, but we had a guy try to trade his 99 contour SVT in today on a crewcab. I admit I was curious about all the fuss, so I played used car appraiser in the hopes I could put it through the works. No luck, the guy would not let me go with out him. He proceeded to tell me all about the engineering behind it, most of it went right over my head, so I did not feel comfortable flooring it and whipping around corners. (probabaly why he wanted to go) I liked the new looks more than the old, it had everything, leather sunroof, cd player power seats and only 9,000 miles. Overall, it did not seem too bad, (they also swiped Nissan's white faced gauges) so now I can say I drove one Vince. Oh and bad news, he told me how he had paid about $21,000 for it, I was kind of guessing $15,000 in my head.
It was a five speed, since it is kind of a specialty car, we called the ford dealer to give us a bid, I don't think it would sell on our lot.
The Ford dealer said he wouldn't give us more than
$10,500! We will call to get other bids on monday,
but I could not believe the ford dealer did not even want it. Needless to say, the guy freaked at the bid, but he will let us work on it sommore, but I don't see getting more than $12,500. So I guess if someone wants to buy an SVT, don't buy the stick unless you really want the car for awhile.

Oh, we sold two of the three crew cabs today, the left over one was a stick XE, have an order for the next yellow one in. We also sold one desert runner, and two left over 98 regular cabs. Not a bad truck day!

rickmvo

Nissan just introduced the crew cab Frontier, but I can't seem to get pricing on it. The dealers I have checked do not have it in stock, nor any pricing details. Even Edmunds does not list it yet. Does anyone know the sticker and invoice price?

bonnie_rick

check out our new Spin Around Town: 1999 Nissan Frontier 4X4 XE V6 King Cab, Fit for a King, by Ingrid Loeffler Palmer yet?

Bonnie Rick
Town Hall Community Manager, edmunds.com

cncman

rick;
I have a couple of crewcabs, if you look back a couple of posts, you can see the MSRP I have listed and what I have, these are all 4x2 CC's, if you want 4x4, I am guessing adding about $1500 for it.

signu459

Can anyone post or site a reliable reveiw of the 4X4 Frontiers' reliabilty ratings???? I am interested in a 4x4 and am alittle scared of the Ranger 4x4's reliabiltiy. The Toyota 4x4 seems to be way over priced. So now I am looking at the Nissan but I can't seem to find any reveiws that site a reliability rating. Please help!!! Email me at tjande@inland.com or post here.

cncman

signu;
you can look at JD power &associates which gave the frontier highest in initial quality award, You can also check out intellichoice.com, where the frontier won several awards, also I believe consumers digest did a feature also.

scape2

cncman, I visit here once in a while. Yes, the Contour has terrible resale value. I paid about 16K for my wifes loaded with all options but the sun roof. I now blue books at about 12K. Oh well, I plan on having it for at least 5-7 years anyway and it is fun as hell to drive.
I am sure you read the review on the Frontier at Edmunds. What is up with the 22K+ price tag for a V6 Frontier???? The price advantage we debated is gone now bud. The Ranger V6 4.0 can be had for 2K less!

cncman

Vince;
go back and look at the equipment they had on there, every possible option! Power windows/Locks,
cruise, tilt, cd player keyless entry with alarm,
off road package, LSD, sport package and so on, the regular XE V-6 5spd that is comparable to the
$20,000+ ranger has an MSRP of $19,759 including destination, So comparing apples to apples, Nissan
still has the price advantage. I knew the contour did not hold it's value, but I was still surprised that the dealer did not even want it, I think you have the right idea, if someone liked the car and either planned on keeping it until it was paid off or went with a lease or smartbuy and turned it back in, they would probabaly do OK.

scape2

Thats funny I got my Ranger loaded for under 20K? The only option I don't have on mine is keyless entry, alarm and sunroof. I guess it just depends on how well you dicker. I also had cash, that may have also made a difference. Yes, mine is PAID FOR!!, no payments here. I do however know of a lady at my church who paid 23K!! for a Ranger like mine but with the 5spd auto. I wasn't about to tell her what I paid.
The Contour my wife and I have I would guess be worth about 6 - 8K by the time we trade in about 5-7 years. That would be a 8-10K depreciation loss. But, as I have said her car is loaded with leather and too many goodies to list and what a ride!.

freeflyer

I've been comparing Frontiers to Rangers too. When pricing them out with the dealer costs on the options I want, the Frontier comes in about $1200 lower. I sent out quote requests for a fairly well-loaded Ranger, but the Ford dealers seem really unmotivated to deal. Why? Because they are making a killing with their 0.9% PLUS $1000 rebate, two-year leases. As long as you don't mind being locked into making car payments forever, it is an easy way to get in for people who think they can't afford to buy. I did a ballpark estimate using Edmund's sample leasing formula, and the cost of leasing my hypothetical Ranger and then buying it at the end of the lease is about $2K more, or about the same as buying at MSRP. Granted, Ford has a much more detailed, proprietary formula for calculating their leases and I don't know the exact difference, but I think this is pretty close. The 0.9% X 48 months applies to purchases as well -- that amounts to $2000 bucks or better in interest savings on the loan.
I would buy a Frontier V6 SE in a minute if Nissan would come out with low financing. Rebates count as taxable income, so Uncle Sam helps himself to 15 or maybe 33 per cent of whatever you get depending on your tax bracket.

Lohengrin

I think on the Edmund's reviews they always show the MSRP price. The price on their long-term Ranger is pretty high too. And of course, they always review the one that's loaded to the gills with stuff.

rebecca

It's my understanding that the upcoming Nissan XTerra is based on the Frontier chassis, etc. As with the Frontier, they are going to offer it with an inline 4 or a 6 cyl. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether the 4 is substantially underpowered for 2WD city driving? The main competitors with XTerra are the Honda CRX, the Subaru Forestor, and the Toyota RAV--all three are offered only in 4 cyl models. I'm looking at seriously at the CRX and the Forestor, but I like what I've seen so far about the XTerra. . .help!
I don't need a lot of towing power--kayaks are pretty much my speed--but I don't want to be cussing up hills either. Opinions?

cncman

rebecca;
I have a four cylinder 4x2 frontier now, it's perfect for me, but if I got the Xterra, I would definitely go with the 6 because of the extra weight and the fact that I would probabaly have more people in it then.

freeflyer;
on 98 models, Nissan is offering 5.9% for 60 months, I have had folks that bought a car that did not qualify for this rate but got about 6.5%anyway, not much different. So far as the rebate being taxable income, I am not sure about that, Nissan does not send out a 1099 and I have never heard of anyone claiming it on their taxes,
but then again, I have never thought about it to check the law.

jabberwocky

I easily qualified for the 5.9% interest, but I have a very good credit rating.

I now have 2500 miles on my new Frontier, it's the best truck I have ever owned.

I also found that the Ford dealers were not willing to deal. I talked to three of them, all of them were at least $2000.00 more than the Nissan dealer. Don't waste your money on the Ford, go with the Nissan.

cncman

sorry, I should have stressed that the car they bought did not qualify, not the customer!

bowmanjh1

I'm looking a purchasing a 1999 4x2 XE king cab with the value truck package. I live in Phoenix and in recent months the Nissan dealerships have been offering this particular model for $9998 (after all the rebates and the college grad rebate, which I qualify for). Just this past week the price jumped $2000 because the rebate and incentive period expired. Does anyone when the next rebate period will take affect? I am looking at purchasing within the next month.

The Frontier has always been my first choice. I looked at the Ranger but my Dad told me to avoid the Fords (Fix Or Repair Daily).

Thanks

cncman

bowman;
I find it hard to believe that they were really selling a king cab for that price, I could see a regular cab going for around there. Anyway, the college grad program and rebates are a national thing for the most part, only difference is if the region uses Nissan's money as a rebate or dealer incentive, but regardless the money is still there. Also $2,000 rebates are only on 98's, $1,000 on 99's, I think there must be some miscommunication somewhere.

bowmanjh1

Thanks for the response cncman.

Its no mistake however. There are about 10 nissan dealers in the Greater Phoenix area and up until a few weeks ago they were all advertising at or around 10k for the king cab. The price did not include freight, tax title etc. but they were all advertising the king cab with the value truck package. Maybe the dealers out here are all suffering from sunstroke. It was 100 degrees yesterday.

cncman

bowman, could be, but if they could do it last month, they can do it this month, the rebates are still there. If you can get it for that price or close, JUMP! that's $2500 less than what I paid when Nissan had $2500 rebates last year!