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Comments
And I'm hoping you can "custom order" a Frontier with just the options you'd like.
I'm looking at a 4x2 silver King cab SE with the power package, Auto tranny, alloy wheels, spray in bed liner, bed track system, over the bed-rail protection and fog lamps.
Will that basically be an LE? I don't want leather, or the step up rail.
I bet the first units to the dealers will be optioned out 4x4 crew cabs. So, the wait for my configuration will be beyond next week or even January.
Would be really nice to be able to "build my own Frontier." I can dream...
Cant wait!
What if there is something you can't live with, like a lot engine noise coming through the fire wall? Or something with the interior, or whatever?
Even at 3% under invoice, a bad vehicle is not a good deal.
I think its great you will be the first one on the block - but having serial # 112 may have its distinctions...
I for one want to do some real comparisons before signing anything over, expecially my hard earned $.
Just to answer some of your questions...
1) I will definitely be test driving the Frontier this week when they hit lots before putting money down. In addition I will be testing the 05 Tacoma and 04 Titan 'again' back to back as those are the 3 trucks Im deciding between. If I do like the Frontier enough, I will test it again a few times before eventually testing out the one I want to purchase. I won't blindly throw money down on a truck I've never driven.
2) If there is something I can't live with, then obviously I won't buy the truck. I will look at my other options, weigh the good and the bad, and see which one offers more good than bad regarding my wants and needs.
3) I agree, even for free, a bad vehicle isn't worth the time (which is money) and headache of maintaining it or fixing it. Value only goes as far as what you get out of it. That's true with anything in life.
4) I'm not looking to be #1 on the block, I'm looking for a truck that has everything I want in a pickup. So far, on paper the 05 Frontier fits all my wants and needs, the Tacoma doesn't. The Titan fits it all too but is bigger than my needs and wants at this point in time. If the Frontier test drives anything like the Titan minus the size I'll be a buyer. I understand that there will always be issues with 1st year models, or redesigns, however all the trucks I'm interested in are either 1st year, or for the Titan, a 2nd year but also a brand new model entirely as of 04. Basically I'm at a point I need a truck ASAP and I need to jump in and hope that Nissan and Toyota will treat me well with few major problems.
4) If you only knew how much real comparison, research and test drives I've done to this point on all 3 models, your head would spin. Just ask my girlfriend, she is about to slap me sideways from me talking about my truck research the past 3 months!
Hope this answers some of your questions
Your post is sort of scary because it hits my situation perfectly. Have driven an 04 Titan several times and love it except for parking it and having it take up most of the garage. I have looked at the Tacomas and like them, but just something that I can't put my finger on that holds me back on those. The Frontier sounds like a good option but I would really like to see and drive one. There is a great 04 Titan that I can get a great deal on but not the size is an issue. Anyway, just know there is another out there with about the same issues/situation as you. Good luck.
Starting in January this board will be jumping.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I agree that is going to be true for most dealers and people. However, I have spoken to several dealers in the Southern California area that said they are scheduled to get their first trucks this Thursday Dec. 23rd. So that might be an early gift for a few
Getting closer!!!
So. Cal, may be one of the first regions to get the initial wave of Frontiers. The fun AND the agony is in the anticipation.
Hawk your service on the "captains of industry" limo or Hummer boards there Pablo.
I heard from my dealer in New Jersey that he wont be getting the 2005 Frontier till the end of Jan. I have put out 7emails too diff. dealers and I'm just waiting for that one phone call,I can't wait too test drive one,I bought a 1993 for my self for axmas I hope too buy the 2005 for my birthday,But I hope one us of test drive one soon. I can't wait to hear the imput from our peeps on the web page .
I will be sure to give a review once Ive definitely given one a test drive and I hope you will too. The more, the better.
centralcal,
I don't have full invoice pricing but I do have one quote since I'm getting a VPP price which is 3% under invoice. On a 05 4x4 Crew Cab FULLY loaded top of the line Frontier with Rockford Fosgate , Leather, Traction, ALBS, Bed Extender, XM Satellite, Sunroof, microfilter, side airbags and floor mats the MSRP with $560 Destination is officially $32,430.00
I was given the invoice price of $29,687.00 for that vehicle above which is about an 8.5% discount from MSRP, which is about the difference on all Nissan MSRP and Invoice prices.
My price with VPP for that vehicle should be close to 3% under that.
Hope this helps everyone calcualte apprx. invoice for other 05 Frontys.
talked to the internet sale mgr and was told i could get it for few hundreds over invoice; this is a big plus over the tacoma. will have to go back and look at some other se w/ more options (side airbag - which tacoma doesn't have yet - power package, sunroof, limited slip).
neither the tacoma or the frontier is a perfect truck for me at this point but most bangs for my bucks would be the frontier right now.
Tell us sigsauer, what did the Frontier look like size wise? How much bigger then the 04 Frontier, how much smaller then the Titan?
Was the ride bouncy, or fairly smooth?
Was the steering precise or vague?
Too bad you didn't test drive an automatic, I'm looking forward to impressions for that tranny.
Thanks for posting your report and answering my questions!
the ride was fairly smooth on paved roads. regardless any truck i buy, i plan to remove the stock suspension and tires for the lift later so i didn't pay too much attention to the smoothness of it.
the steering was normal, i guess you could call it precise. the steering feedback and effort to move it was just right with 1 hand operation (the other hand was on the stick)
1 weird feeling i have is that the inside cabin somehow felt 'smaller' than the 05 d/c tacoma even though the specs showed the similar numbers b/t those 2 trucks.
the se c/c 2wd, m/t weights 4226 lbs, the 2wd taco d/c s/b m/t weights 3810 lbs, so it came out to be about 15.95 lb per hp for the frontier and 15.55 lb/hp for the taco. but it sure feels (slightly) stronger pull on the fronter - must be the different gearing. hopefully the gas mileage will not vary too much from 17/21 as advertised.
the frontier is now shipped w/ side & curtain airbags when the taco is not (at least in my region). i think i've made up my mind to get the frontier over the taco now even though the backseat, the storage areas and the door panel material of the tacoma is way much better than the fronter. guess i won't be sitting or storing too much junk back there.
You can build your own online and see what the options are (according to Nissan - who should know)
Good luck and enjoy
Happy Holidays
Gary
I just spoke to a dealer here in San Jose and they got two King Cabs in last night. They are still in the prep area, but I'm going over this afternoon to at least kick the tires.
Can't wait to finally see an 05 in person!
My impressions:
Really the right size for my needs on the outside. In fact, I love the exterior look! The unit was black (a color I'd never chose). I'd believe a silver paint job would make the truck even more appealing.
Opening the hood, that V6 just fills the engine bay beautifully. I looks like an engine with a truck attached to it, LOL.
The bed had the spray in bed liner, over the rail caps and aluminum track system. Its gorgeous and looks highly functional. I have an aftermarket spray in liner in my Ranger, and its the only liner I'd use.
Interior: Kind of disappointed here. A touch on the cheap side. And the great looking Radio system I've seen on the pre-release photos is the Satellite unit, with 6 disk magazine. The stock Radio/CD player is quite a downgrade in looks. The sound was great though! Seats, though covered in plastic, were very comfortable.
The arm rest - - Nissan, its an ARM REST, not a bin to put junk into. Its too far back, away from the dash to rest your right elbow on, which I do as I drive. Is this a deal killer? Well, I'd have to do a test drive and see. But I see it as a major drawback for me. And it had a side-step up tube dealy. Its just a pant cuff destroyer when dirty, and the step up into the cab is not THAT high that its necessary. Pull it!
The rear area in the King Cab: Quite small, seems smaller then my Ranger area. Well, I haul stuff back there and the occasional rider will just have to tough it out.
I went by the Toyota dealer to look at the Tacoma, and Tundra. Tacoma: Seems to be trying too hard to be everything; too many bulges, too many glitzy plastic parts. I does not appeal to me. The Tundra is a really nice truck, and has many of the features I am looking for. Its just big. I consider it my competition against the Frontier.
I test drove two Tundras about six months ago, an 04, V6 and then the V8. V8 had way more guts, and the V6 was droney at speed. Have to test drive the new Tundra V6 to see if it compares well to the Frontier.
More comparing to do!
Keep up the posts guys.
On the negative side, the truck had a motorized sunroof installed and the "hump", or space reserved for the sunroof to retract, took out even more headroom for an already low roof. I'm only 5'9" and I found my head hitting that hump while entering/exiting the cab.
The rear seatbacks have a more upright angle as compared to the 05 tacos'; however, the rear toe room is relatively bigger so I could slide part of my feet under the front seat. On the taco, I couldn't slide my feet under the front seat at all but the taco seems to have more leg room despite the numbers indicate otherwise.
I would also like to get safety features but VDC is available for 4x4, not 4x2. Side and curtain airbags on the CC could only be added along with the dreadful sunroof.
My only disappointment, just from reading the specs, is how heavy these things are - quite a bit more than the equivalent Tacoma. 400 lbs more for the KC, 2WD V6; 200 lbs for the KC 2WD I4, with less power than the Toy. One might say you get "more for your money" with the Frontier, and that's true. But, you've got to bring that "more" (extra weight) up to speed every time you start, and slow it down every time you stop. Especially on hills. Kinda tough on the engine, trans, and brakes (over time). I'm kind of a minimalist when it comes to machines - no camera in the cell phone, that kind of thing, so I wonder why the discrepancy, especially when these two truck are so similar in size.
Anyone sense that extra weight while driving/cross-shopping the Toyota? Anyone drive a 4-cyl. 5-speed XE KC yet?
The Taco is definitely a little bigger, but the Frontier is not too small (not a compact truck anymore).
The center arm rest is too far back. I put the seat all the way back and only my elbow rests on it? I think it will not work for many people. The seat material is cheap, much better in Taco, but I am looking for leather which the Taco doesn't even offer. The seats were very comfortable. I think the back seat is more comforable than in the Taco. I like the sloped seat in Taco, but my head hits the back window so I can't sit all the way back, much better head room in the frontier.
The console is more finished looking in the Taco, but it looks nice on the Frontier and I didn't think the door plastic looked too cheap.
Can't wait to test drive it, I am leaning toward the Frontier right now. Want to drive the Titan again before i choose. Decided against the Tundra because of length and turning radius.
Exterior: Beautiful truck! Nice lines, tough and macho, yet not overdone like the Tacoma (Although the Tacoma isnt ugly). Everyone says it looks like a Titan, but I don;t see it that much... I still like the Titan a close 2nd.
Interior: I sat in a non-leather truck, and since I want the leather sunroof packages, it's hard to make a final judgement. Cloth vs Cloth in Tacoma is nicer, more seat support, but I want leather and power seats. Frontier at least offered manual heigh adjustment on their base seats... Tacoma, didnt have it. The Dash in the Tacoma seemed "fancier" but like a pain to put an aftermarket Nav system into. Frontier will be a snap and I liked that. I'm still looking for allt he amenities the Titan has in its interior, and the Leather packaged Frontier will be the closest.
Overall Drive: I was very impressed witht he drive. It blows my 2001 Frontier out of the water in terms of power, quietness/road/wind noise and smoothness. I'd say minus the extra power the ride was on par with the Titan, maybe even less bumpy? Vs the Tacoma, I could definitely tell the difference in power and engine rev. The Tacoma did seem to have a slightly better "car like" ride, but the Frontier was close.
Bottom Line: I think Im gonna stick with my choice to go Frontier when my fully loaded 4x4 comes in this week. Im gonna drive the Titan and Tacoma last time. If I don't go Fronty it may be a Titan... but I love the smaller size of the Fronty for driving in the city.. Los Angeles.
Merry Xmas to all!
It costs about $60 to fill up the Titan's fuel tank. I definately will go for Frontier for sure.
i think the apples-to-apples comparison would be tacoma/frontier or tundra/titan. i understand the concept of the comparison...i just dont see the logic.
The Frontier 4x2 SE King cab, automatic, right now has no rebate and its MSRP is around $21K with all the options I want.
So, about a $1300 dollar separation, in the Frontier's favor.
I have to do my test driving to determine which vehicle meets my criteria for a BUY! I'll continue to post as I get closer to that day.
first, looks like you can only get 4 cylinder in XE model. you can't take an XE and load it up with the nice options like the mp3 stereo.
you can only get red in the nismo or SE, not LE or XE.
i want a red 4 cylinder with the nice bed liner, utilitrack system, and mp3 stereo. why on earth won't they let you start with the base model and then add whatever options you want to it and choose any color available?
I'd like to see them offer a true "build your own Frontier", where you can order the model you want, with ALL the options you want (within reason). Other vehicle makes offer this, I hope Nissan does to.
btw, i think nissan frontier has a smaller mark up (or profit margin) than toyota tacoma. the msrp on my vehicle, se c/c + all extra pkgs is 23,560 and the invoice (showed to me on the computer by an internet sales manager) is only 22,120 which is about 6%. tacoma's mark up is about 8% to 9%.
another discrepancy i noted is the mileage estimate on the sticker of an le c/c v6 at this one dealership says 16/20 but the official manual says its 17/21 for both manual and auto tranny. there are other discrepancies in the brochure such as under crew cab packages se only has 1 optional pkg which is power pkg, but this is not. nissan should fire whoever wrote the stuffs on the brochure or release another revision of the brochure.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosconsumer/0412/29/G01-44377.htm
all you will do is tease yourself by knowing.
why? what does a dealer's profit have to do with the price you are comfortable with? sounds like you want to know so you can make sure they dont make money...this seems more like spite than good shopping.
i dont disagree with knowing the baseline for your initial offer, but i wouldnt fool myself into thinking that its a realistic transaction figure.
at this point in time, with the truck so new, i would either expect to pay at or close to MSRP, due to low volume and selection initially, or wait for the market to adjust like everyone else if you think thats an unreasonable price.
im not trying to be a jerk or anything, i just think needing invoice on a brand new product is useless to the buyer at launch time. it can only make you upset when they say:
"sir, i appreciate your offer, but the best we can do is MSRP-$50."