Just that many people read things on boards like these and take them as gospel. In my job I spend a great deal of time and effort to correctly re-educate consumers to the proper methods of operation and care of equipment. "My neighbor said you were wrong..." is heard almost everyday. My reply is, "does he own one like yours or is he just jealous and trying to piss you off?" So don't take offense, just trying to keep the facts factual so the uneducated consumer gets it right the first time. Thats one reason people read these boards, to learn before purchasing, whether it is a car or a lawn mower.
a bit of over-sensitivity is detected. the target buyer of the titan was set by nissan, not me, so if you have personal issues with that, write to nissan. nissan is a business, and out to make a profit, not be a "made-to-order" company. they saw the most profit in the 70% of the truck market that drive on the road, and tow things sometimes...that need more than 2 seats, and prefer comfort over ruggedness.
why cant a company just find out what a customer REALLY wants? they do. unfortunately, in this circumstance, most people wanted something a little different than you do. take it up with them, not me.
system failures? electronic traction control has been around for almost 2 decades. its brought rear wheel drive vehicles back from the dead in the early to mid 80's. now, its not only just as safe, but in most cases, more practical to own a rear wheel drive vehicle WITH traction control. its just as likely to fail as anything else...power windows, cruise control, ABS, etc...
by the way, you WERENT supposed to know about it, as this truck wont be out till december...be patient.
With 30+ years of auto repair under, over and around my belt I have heard so many different versions of "the neighbor who is a mechanic, car builder, or just a car something........."
OK, OK, maybe my response was a tidbit over-reactive. Titan, so far, appears to be a "glamour" truck: a "street rod", if you will, that perpetrates a hot dog image like a big, bulky Hummer H2 tonka toy. Don't get me wrong: I like the truck's introduction to the press and the public - it's just its INTENT that irks me. You are in the know as far as what Nissan intends for this truck's usage - I can't argue. But what a waste to have all that truck and all that power to perform light duty tasks (especially at such a premium price). In other words, this truck's main competition is the Tundra - which is another exaggerated "work truck". I know, the engines are bulletproof reliable. I can certainly attest to that fact. But the transmissions cannot take the beating that a Chevy or Ford trannie is subjected. I have seen too many times 350s and 351s in 3/4-ton bodies pulling 40,000 pound loads. So maybe Nissan IS targeting niche' clientele, i.e., the well-heeled, well-dressed gentleman who would purchase a Titan. A Saturday Night Fever kind of guy. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that for the potential buyers who recognize its intended purpose. It's great to be able to make choices.
Crosley4, I wholeheartedly agree with your statement. There is a direct relationship between higher education and value shopping. More educated people are usually more informed due to the availability of more information and forum groups who willingly share good and bad experiences on all types of subject matter. Also, surveys are extremely beneficial in two or more similar product comparisons. Bottom line: the informative shopper usually makes the right decision the FIRST time.
Gvoigt, I understand what you are trying to accomplish with assisting your customers in the proper operation and care of your products, but terms like, "re-educate consumers" or "uneducated consumer" are poor choices of descriptives when trying to retain your customers' relationship. Misinformed maybe? I don't believe that you meant to say that they are uneducated...as in illiterate?. Can't figure their way out of a rainstorm? I'm just suggesting that there are better choices of diction that build positive relationships without implying "a lack of" .
Thanks for the heads up on the possible traction control offering. Kinda supports why nissanusa.com has not answered my inquiry from their website pertaining to rear wheel traction (limited slip). I can see Nissan execs saying to each other, "Shhhhhh! Don't let the public know yet of our intentions to add more features to the standard equipment even further." Well I say, "Shhhhhh! Don't raise the MSRP any further!"
At least nissanusa.com did respond to me about possibly offering an incentive for current Nissan owners. I guess we'll wait and see. If I find out anything concrete, I'll let you all know.
My customers come to me because they know that they get straight answers and value my opinion due to my honesty and sometimes bluntness. Thats why the come back and refer others to me. My customers are not uneducated as in being dumb or illiterate, they sometimes let the moment suck them in and buy on impulse, we all do that from time to time. But since we service what we sell, those customer who purchased products elsewhere who have issues with the product are directed to us for support. It it then that I find that this customer will become my customer for future purchases because I take the time to properly explain features and operation and strongly suggest they read the owners manuals and operating instructions, and don't listen to their neighbor who only wished he/she had bought one, and is yearning to borrow it so they can feel good.LOL Not everyone likes me, so be it, but I'm still there if they need me.
Hey does any one know if Nissan is going to have the Titan on display at this years Ducks Unlimited's Great American Outdoors Festival in Oshkosh, August 15-17? Many manufacturers display their latest and greatest. They have an 'Off-Road' course for the public to test drive their products. Ford, GM, Dodge, etc and many of the ATV models are on display and driveable. I'd like to know so I can plan on attending.
there is a ride and drive at the kentucky motor speedway on the 15th and 16th of august...there will be a 2004 f150, titan, tundra, ram, and chevy 1500. there will be an off-road course, and a performance course. unfortunately, its only for salespeople...ill keep you all posted when i get back.
initially is going after the 'recreational' customer, not the 'commercial' customer, hence no regular cab, or 8' bed. That's the profile of most 1/2 ton buyers. In time we will see more models, including 8' foot beds, and 3/4 ton models which will be more geared to those who use their trucks for work purposes.
this issue features both the new F-150 and Titan in one article. It's not a road test per say, but they did 'drive' the vehicles. The Titan beats the F-150 in the 'spec sheet' war, in any case.
according to the nissan rep, there is no plans to go into the heavy duty truck market, or go to a "base" work truck setup. the latter would be possible, but not likely to ever happen...the former would, IMO never, ever happen. too much money would be needed to develop a new chassis, and a big diesel (not many heavy duty trucks are sold with a gas engine these days).
within 10 years, if not sooner, Nissan will be making 3/4 ton and 1 ton Titans. I'm sure the Nissan rep was referring to short-term plans. He probably is not privy to their long-term plans.
doubtful...90% of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are sold to fleet buyers...ford and chevy and GMC have the market soooo cornered there, and nissan is going away from fleet selling...i think the ONLY way they would is if toyota did first, which they've said repeatedly that they arent.
I see lots of 3/4 & 1 ton personal use trucks out where I live.
The truck market is expanding in all different directions. I don't know where you're getting your facts, but I've read just the opposite. Both Nissan and Toyota have larger pickups on the drawing boards. If and when they release them has yet to be announced. To say they won't compete in the 3/4 ton or 1-ton market is foolish at this point.
we have a ford franchise here too, and my figures come directly from sales records over the last 12 years. we are in the top 30 in the country as far as volume, so these are very accurate #'s.
light duty pickups are 70% of the pickup market, leaving 30%. of that 30 %, 10% are heavy duty personal deals. which means only 3% of the total pickup market is personal use heavy duty. now, there's also no way to tell how many individual deals were to small business owners for their company. that reduces the percentage even more.
knowing that nissan doesnt even want to use fleet selling, they would spend more developing the truck than they would make selling them.
like Toyota, are focused on the 1/2 ton market right now. There have been a number of 'rumors' about larger versions (3/4 tons) of these trucks. So down the road, who knows? As for fleet sales, you're probably right -- for now, but that could change; especially if they get serious about HD pickups. I'm saying give them 10 years, and 10 years is a long way off. A lot can change between now and then.
BTW, besides Fords, what other brands do you sell?
Nissan already has the ability to design heavy duty vehicles, ever see the medium duty vehicles they make for sale and use in the pacific rim countries? They make some nice well designed vehicles. If they could incorporate the safety features required in our market, they could put some serious hurts on Ford and GM.
we just got the 1st 2004 F150. im gonna tell you all something...if the titan is that much better than the new ford like people are saying, then nissan is seriously in the truck business now, because that F150 is sweeeeeeet!!
Just started looking at this thread and wanted to toss in my 2 cents: I think from a financial standpoint targeting the recreational purchaser by only offering short bed, double cab, etc is very smart. In that market the looks of a truck has a big impact on the decision to purchase.
In the commercial market the long time reputation, availability of parts, etc is the more important factor. Busting into chevy and ford commercial sales will cost a lot of money and take a darn long time.
10 years still wont happen, because the costs involved just dont warrant spending for only 25% of the truck market, when they wouldnt even break 2% of the 25.
We recently had a 04 Nissan Titan(prototype)Crew Cab here at our dealership, as I am sure many others have had. WOW what a truck, even the guys from FORD as well as DODGE stopped by to look at it. This truck is something else. The back seat is huge, I would say bigger than my buddies Deramax Dully. As a person that has been around Full size trucks his whole life, (not sold) I would have to say that this vehicle will take the truck world by storm. To all those that are or might be considering putting a Titan in there garage I salute you.
I would assume that the 5.6L will also be using the timing chain. The only engine left that Nissan uses the belt on is the 3.3L ie.frontier and xterra. Of cores this is just speculation, we have not got all of the info yet our selves.
F-150 Stopped by a Ford dealer today, and they had several new F-150s on the lot, and one in the showroom. While the vehicles can't be sold for a couple of weeks, I was able to sit in an XLT Super Cab and check it out.
It's certainly much better (& bigger) than the current model. Points to note:
• Switches and controls are about equal to current models, which is to say, okay, but not great. My guess is the Titan will be better in this regard.
• It has a power window in the short rear suicide door, an industry first, I believe.
• Supercab models with an 8' bed comes standard with an 8200 GVW! IIRC, the 4x4 Supercab 8' bed versions have a payload of 2200 pounds. The salesman I was talking to says Ford is worried that this model may steal sales from the F-250 Super Duty Supercab, as its GVW is only 400 pounds higher. I think he's right.
Colorado I was reading that the new mid-size Colorado has a tailgate that can be lowered around 55 degrees, as well as flat. This 55 degree position is roughly the same height as the top of the wheelwells, so that when 2-tier loading, the tailgate becomes an additional support point for 4x8 paneling that would extend well beyond the end of the bed. This is a great idea, and I hope other smaller (and full-size) pickups adopt this feature too.
you can get a 2004 F150 anytime you want...i dont know what dealer told you that you couldnt, but they obviously are having a hard time feeding their families! lol
In Chandler AZ, near the 101 freeway and Chandler Blvd.
they had black tape over ALL of the emblems, but I still knew it was a Titan. It faced me in traffic across an intersection. That goofy looking Nissan front grill treatment was obvious to me.
A white, xtra cab unit. No camera and no way to turn around in traffic to follow the truck.
I can see it now, believers all over America will search the highways and roads to find the newest alien vehicle. Hopefully they all don't flock to Roswell.
Just a bit of humor to pass the time.
I checked the local dealer this past weekend to see if any more info was available, no such luck.
I saw a Titan on HWY-36 near Denver during rush-hour yesterday. It had paper plates, so I guess somebody snagged one of the first Titans. It was a silver one. It looked even better in person than in pictures. The stance from the back was impressive and even looked larger than a Silverado 1500 next to it! Both the Silverado and Titan were extended(king) cab.
Read the review by the staff of Trailer Life magazine, nothing but positive comments. Waiting for the release of the Titan is like waiting for Christmas, well they are both coming at about the same time...
I'm a petite woman and am not too thrilled that I'll be the main driver for our rec trailer while my husband backpacks and we meet up every week. I currently pulled our 20' rec trailer with our Nissan Pathfinder (still under the 5000 limit) and got 8 miles to the gallon. Even traveling in Alabama I felt I had to really work to climb the hills often keeping in the 5000 rpm range.
My husband and sons say it's easier to get parts and repairs on a Ford truck and I could get one used for half the price of a new Titan. But, I just don't feel I need a F250. I tried the F150 and it was OK. We may get a better price deal when we buy after December.
But I'd rather have the Titan, even though I've only seen photos, specs and never driven one. But, I love my Pathfinder. So, suggestions? Buy the Titan new or get a used Ford F150 for the first year and see how it goes? I don't think I have to even consider the Ford 250 for our 20' trailer.
Again I must emphasize that I am petite, way under 5 foot, so I'm not thrilled about driving a BIG truck.
Comments
why cant a company just find out what a customer REALLY wants? they do. unfortunately, in this circumstance, most people wanted something a little different than you do. take it up with them, not me.
system failures? electronic traction control has been around for almost 2 decades. its brought rear wheel drive vehicles back from the dead in the early to mid 80's. now, its not only just as safe, but in most cases, more practical to own a rear wheel drive vehicle WITH traction control. its just as likely to fail as anything else...power windows, cruise control, ABS, etc...
by the way, you WERENT supposed to know about it, as this truck wont be out till december...be patient.
Crosley4, I wholeheartedly agree with your statement. There is a direct relationship between higher education and value shopping. More educated people are usually more informed due to the availability of more information and forum groups who willingly share good and bad experiences on all types of subject matter. Also, surveys are extremely beneficial in two or more similar product comparisons. Bottom line: the informative shopper usually makes the right decision the FIRST time.
Gvoigt, I understand what you are trying to accomplish with assisting your customers in the proper operation and care of your products, but terms like, "re-educate consumers" or "uneducated consumer" are poor choices of descriptives when trying to retain your customers' relationship. Misinformed maybe? I don't believe that you meant to say that they are uneducated...as in illiterate?. Can't figure their way out of a rainstorm? I'm just suggesting that there are better choices of diction that build positive relationships without implying "a lack of" .
At least nissanusa.com did respond to me about possibly offering an incentive for current Nissan owners. I guess we'll wait and see. If I find out anything concrete, I'll let you all know.
Is that accurate?
Bob
Bob
Bob
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=6276
The truck market is expanding in all different directions. I don't know where you're getting your facts, but I've read just the opposite. Both Nissan and Toyota have larger pickups on the drawing boards. If and when they release them has yet to be announced. To say they won't compete in the 3/4 ton or 1-ton market is foolish at this point.
Bob
light duty pickups are 70% of the pickup market, leaving 30%. of that 30 %, 10% are heavy duty personal deals. which means only 3% of the total pickup market is personal use heavy duty. now, there's also no way to tell how many individual deals were to small business owners for their company. that reduces the percentage even more.
knowing that nissan doesnt even want to use fleet selling, they would spend more developing the truck than they would make selling them.
BTW, besides Fords, what other brands do you sell?
Bob
In the commercial market the long time reputation, availability of parts, etc is the more important factor. Busting into chevy and ford commercial sales will cost a lot of money and take a darn long time.
Bob
Bob
dougsmith@gomarzolf.com
Bob
dougsmith@gomarzolf.com
Stopped by a Ford dealer today, and they had several new F-150s on the lot, and one in the showroom. While the vehicles can't be sold for a couple of weeks, I was able to sit in an XLT Super Cab and check it out.
It's certainly much better (& bigger) than the current model. Points to note:
• Switches and controls are about equal to current models, which is to say, okay, but not great. My guess is the Titan will be better in this regard.
• It has a power window in the short rear suicide door, an industry first, I believe.
• Supercab models with an 8' bed comes standard with an 8200 GVW! IIRC, the 4x4 Supercab 8' bed versions have a payload of 2200 pounds. The salesman I was talking to says Ford is worried that this model may steal sales from the F-250 Super Duty Supercab, as its GVW is only 400 pounds higher. I think he's right.
Colorado
I was reading that the new mid-size Colorado has a tailgate that can be lowered around 55 degrees, as well as flat. This 55 degree position is roughly the same height as the top of the wheelwells, so that when 2-tier loading, the tailgate becomes an additional support point for 4x8 paneling that would extend well beyond the end of the bed. This is a great idea, and I hope other smaller (and full-size) pickups adopt this feature too.
Bob
the buyer explained to us that he had another deal at a different dealer the day before. Some how the new F-150 was sold out from under him.
It seems to be difficult to get much independent information on the new Titan. Or I am not looking in the correct places
they had black tape over ALL of the emblems, but I still knew it was a Titan. It faced me in traffic across an intersection. That goofy looking Nissan front grill treatment was obvious to me.
A white, xtra cab unit. No camera and no way to turn around in traffic to follow the truck.
Just a bit of humor to pass the time.
I checked the local dealer this past weekend to see if any more info was available, no such luck.
the driver was yapping on a cell phone.
there was no tape over the badges on the truck since there were NO badges on the truck......... LOL
2FastDre.
http://waw.wardsauto.com/ar/auto_fightin_titan/index.htm
Bob
My husband and sons say it's easier to get parts and repairs on a Ford truck and I could get one used for half the price of a new Titan. But, I just don't feel I need a F250. I tried the F150 and it was OK. We may get a better price deal when we buy after December.
But I'd rather have the Titan, even though I've only seen photos, specs and never driven one. But, I love my Pathfinder. So, suggestions? Buy the Titan new or get a used Ford F150 for the first year and see how it goes? I don't think I have to even consider the Ford 250 for our 20' trailer.
Again I must emphasize that I am petite, way under 5 foot, so I'm not thrilled about driving a BIG truck.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_- id=7071
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_- id=7071