War of the Compacts: Frontier, Ranger, Tacoma, S10, Dakota, B-Series, & Hombre

steve234

Check out the Dakota Owners Club for questions about the Dakota. Also look at the other vehicles that you might like on their respective forums. Just remember that all forums attract a percentage of disgruntled owners or claim-to-be-owners. Every vehicle has its pros and cons. If you have any further questions about the Dakota, you just have to ask and we will help.

scotti81

Sorry if this repeats but. Yeah another woman. Girl go for a truck. From one woman to another having a truck certainly grabs the attention of the fellas LOL. I am 19 years old and have a 97 Chevy ZR2, and I absolutly love my truck. I have taken it mudding and off roading plenty of times. It keeps up just fine with the Fords and Toyotas. I've had no major problems with my truck. I've put over 6000 miles on it in less then three months. Trucks are more expensive then cars but, trust me I think you will find it rewarding. I've ridden in a ZR2, Ranger, and TRD. Honestly there isn't really much of a difference when it comes down to it. They all rode about the same on the highway and off roading. Each one has pluses and minuses, and everyone is going to tell you their truck is better then the next. Just go buy what you like. Test drive them all. I tried out a Ranger and my ZR2. When it came down to it I liked the looks of the ZR2 better then the Ranger. Good luck, and have fun. Let me know what you go with!! Scotti

spoog

Come on, this is a gag right?

That thing looks like something cooked up in the mid seventies.

Even the paragrah describing it is very, very cheesy:


"You're constantly on the go, geared up for life, pushing it to the limit and have your own sense of style. Now there's a vehicle that adapts to you and makes it all happen. It's the Pontiac Aztek. "



Someone said "onyl pontiac". Yeah, they make some horrid looking vehicles. Too bad Toyota borrowed a grill from them and decided to slap it on the the 2001 Tacoma.

eharri3

I can only say my '95 Rwd 4 cyl. 5 speed ranger has performed well these last two years. I should be turning 60,000 miles in a few days. The 4-banger has been flawless, not a single hiccup so far. Can't say the same for the electrical system. A temp gauge went bad and i got that annnoying interior light problem, but the engine has turned over every time i put the key in without a moment's hesitation so far and i just had a 60,000 mile service in which they told me everything checked out fine. Other things I love: The clutch on this truck is one of the slowest to wear on any vehicle I've had experience with.

As for customer service and satisfaction issues, well, i bought my truck used way out of warantee and the temperature gauge died at 45,000 miles. I waited until 60 to get it replaced. The dealership had every right to charge me the full 370 dollars to replace it and tell me 'out of warantee, 'out of luck' but with some cajoling Fomoco authorized it as an extended warantee repair in which I was responsible only for the 50 dollar deductible when they didn't have to do anything at all. So so far I am more than satisfied with how they've stood behind their product. Keep in mind I bought my truck used at 38,000 miles, long after they are legally obligated to stand behind it, and though I'm not even a new car owner I'm pretty happy.

As for reliability comparisons, well, you can't generalize. My friend hs poured thousands into his 97 Tacoma for suspension and engine problems while I hardly ever have to drop serious bucks on my truck at all, and when I do it's for routine maintenance. Every manufacturer puts out lemons and every manufacturer puts out vehicles that go 100,000 miles or more without a single problem. Pick what you like, take good care of it, and hope for the best. Trucks are trucks, we're all here because we love them. So let's try and keep it good natured.

cthompson21

The dome light problem is caused by a sticking switch inside of the door latch mechanism. Spray some WD40 in it, and it should get rid of (or reduce) your problem.

thesandman

When you alter a stock engine with something like a super charger/turbo you should back it up with improvements to the drive train.Now if you only used it sparingly you could probably get by with out modifications to the drive train.But if you can't keep your foot out of it,then drive train modifications are in order,or make sure you have towing as part of you insurance policy.
Toyota and Nissian are going to be the best over all off road vehicles in this forum.Their size and weight will put them at the top.But not in the sand.Horsepower and tires will rule in that environment.I've taken my 83 Toyota to Sand Mountain in Nevada and its faired well in its day with its 100 HP.Horsepower is the name of the game in the sand and when you take a STOCK truck and make a comparison well Dakota(this forum)will be at the top.
I drive a couple of Fords for myself(96 4x4F-350crew and a 66 4x4F-100 stepside daily driver).I bought a Dakota Crew 4x4 for the wife and my 4 year old daughter.There is no way in hell I'm going to compromise my familys well being in a small vehicle like a Nissian or Toyota.We use the Dakota like a car.It has four doors,parks in small places,runs like a Nevada jack rabbit and will take a hit better than the vehicles coming from Japan.When it breaks,I'll fix it like I do on all my cars,like the 89 Camry that the Dakota replaced.The Camry is the main reason I'll never own another Japanese car.Hold on to your wallet when you go to the parts department and I've been to Toyotas plenty of times.I still own two Toyota trucks but one lives in El Salvador C.A. and the other is going to live there too.I go there in the winter to surf,I like my own wheels and if someone steals it I'm not out much.I sure like driving my wifes Dakota.I own and drive very fast sand cars.I know something about things that are fun and the Dakota with the 4.7 V8 is one fun STOCK truck.Get your hands on one and you will know what I mean.

spoog

"Other things I love: The clutch on this
truck is one of the slowest to wear on any vehicle
I've had experience with. "

Geeze, what other vehicle have you driven? I had a 22re Toyota pickup and the original clutch last 115,000 miles.


"As for reliability comparisons, well, you can't
generalize. My friend hs poured thousands into his
97 Tacoma for suspension and engine problems while
I hardly ever have to drop serious bucks on my
truck at all, and when I do it's for routine
maintenance. Every manufacturer puts out lemons and
every manufacturer puts out vehicles that go
100,000 miles or more without a single problem.
Pick what you like, take good care of it, and hope
for the best. Trucks are trucks, we're all here
because we love them. So let's try and keep it good
natured."




Your saying all trucks are of equal quality? Preposterous.

I suggest you come back when you get a firmer grasp on reality.

gooba

In the sand,with a stock truck, tires,suspension, and driving ability rule in that environment.The only time hp is a factor is if you are wanting to hill climb and that is limited by the stiffness of your suspension.Alot of stock trucks will wheel hop in the sandso you can have all of the hp you want,but you cannot get the traction.

xena1a

Just saw my first 2001 Frontier. I don't want to knock Nissan, but man, what were they thinking?!?! I'll give them credit for marketing a style that is a bit over the top. But my first impression was not favorable. This might be one of those love it or hate it designs...

scape2

I just saw a Yellow 2001 Frontier 4x4! YIKES!! This is a definite love or hate design. The rivets have to go! What was Nissan thinking?? Rivets? Is this supposed to make the truck look tough? The frontend looks terrible once again.. Whats with the single bar as a grill?? My Ranger had large open gaps in its grill and I had to use an aftermarket part from LUND to close the gaps so no debris would enter my radiator while offroad. Hope Lund will make one for the 2001 Frontier because its going to need it... Strike 2 Nissan!....

eharri3

"Geeze, what other vehicle have you driven? I had
a 22re Toyota pickup and the original clutch last
115,000 miles."

The clutch on my parents' 97 Corolla was slipping horribly at 60,000 miles and had to be replaced. I've driven my truck with the same lead foot my father used in his car and my clutch still pulls like new. So in answer to your question, that Corolla is the other vehicle I've driven. This is my first truck.

"Your saying all trucks are of equal quality?
Preposterous."

OF course that's not what I'm saying. In my opinion people who take other's coments out of context are the ones who need to get in touch with reality. I'm saying you can't generalize because of a few personal experience and you can't say all examples of one type of truck are perfect and all examples of another are p.o.s. Do certain makes have certain recurring problems? Sure. But they all have them and they do not occur in every truck.
I did not come here to rumble but if you don't play nice I'll end up saying something to make them censor me.

spoog

"I'm saying you can't generalize because
of a few personal experience and you can't say all
examples of one type of truck are perfect and all
examples of another are p.o.s. "



Im not generalizing because of "personal" experience. Im generalizing because I have decades of hard data to back up my claims.

I suggest you go back and read the NHSTA TSB, safety recall, and defect numbers for the past 11 years I posted in this forum,along with the JD powers 5 year LONG TERM reliability study, not to mention Consumer Reports and every other vehicle magazine ever made.

Toyota makes more reliable trucks, with less defects, than any other truck maker, PERIOD.
Your chances of getting a "lemon" are much, much slimmer.

eharri3

Yes Toyota makes the best trucks and the big three suck. Is that what you want to hear me say? I haven't got the energy or the patience to argue with another import lover. I've found it to be quite pointless actually. None of you understand that when you manufacture fewer vehicles you will have fewer complaints. And Toyota lovers seem to forget that Consumer Reports is usually quite harsh on the Tacoma. I'm happy with my Ranger, you're happy with your whatever-it-is, so shut up and go away. I didn't post on this thread hoping to start a fight but evidently you did. You won't get one from me.

scape2

Spoog has been here for quite sometime now and he doesn't even own a Tacoma TRD with a Supercharger. We all keep asking for pics but after a year still none... He also jumps around to the Tundra site defending the Tundra, even with all the problems of suspensions, electrical, transmission and such the Tundra owners are complaining about.. The other Tacoma owners love him because he continues to use old data. Data that has been picked apart at that..

mahimahi

spoog,
What's your problem man? You've got a real complex! Post 494 was down right ignorant! What's wrong with a guy expressing his opinion? Or even his experiences. I agree maybe 60K isn't alot for many trucks as far as clutches go. But he's expressing that he proud of his choice and that he's had good luck with his Ranger. Good for him, do you actually wish the worst for somebody that doesn't own a Tacoma? I hope your more human than that. Are you the one man army for Toyota's Tacoma? If so you'll lose because there's enough data out there to bury any of these trucks...that's right including your precious little Tacoma. So lighten up, not every comment is attacking the Tacoma...if you don't lighten up everybody will think you have Napolean's disease. Have a Good Day. Oh and be fair if your going to post current data on how bad a model is, please counter it with something CURRENT(like THIS year not two year old data)on the Tacoma. Stop dwelling on the 1998 stuff find something new. It's old really old

spoog

Mahahai-

I suggest you pay attention. I posted data for the last ELEVEN Years, inlcuding the year 2000.

allknowing

I don't want to be an eccentric or anything but since you brought up Consumer Reports, notice that No (ZERO) Toyotas are on the "Used Cars to Avoid" list and the Tacoma rates pretty much the highest in all the reliability ratings in spite of the Magazine being "harsh" as you say. I don't think sales numbers has anything to do with that and you don't see that with many other auto companies. All that being said, The Ranger is a great truck also.

steve234

Your posting for eleven years is firm evidence that parents should be supervisig their kids on the net. You have a serious problem dude and really should get professional help. You have the right to be happy with your choice of rides, but you are obsessed. If you cannot accept the fact that others have enjoyed something other than Toyotas, you are totally out of it.

meredith

For purposes of efficiency....

this topic has been "frozen." Please continue these discussions in Topic 2229 War of the Compacts: Frontier, Ranger, Tacoma, S10, Dakota, B-Series, & Hombre. Thanks.

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