Nissan Frontier 2005+

centralcal · December 2004

If you feel comfortable paying $50 under MSRP, you are a car salesman dream. There is an old saying "a fool and his money are soon parted" maybe you have never heard of it. I have had two dealers prepared to give me $1000 under MSRP without much hassle at all. I have no problem with car dealers making a living, I just don't feel like being raked over the coals. I wonder what line of work you are in (sales perhaps)?

charlie_b · December 2004

you're doing better than i am. my dealer wants msrp plus his $1400 "selant/protectant package". i buy an '05 frontier in a heartbeat if i could get it for $1000 under msrp.

nova · December 2004

Does any one know the percentage of hold back on a nissan. You used to be able to look it up on this sight but I can not find it. I am trying to figure out how new- nissan can sell one for $ 500.00 under invoice

jjpeter · December 2004

You'll pay that much for gas in 4-5 months. Over the lenght of time you are the owner, thats not much. If your current ride can hang in there another 5 months, there WILL be deals offered. I find it hard to believe dealers are going to have any problem selling every Frontier they get in between now and March.

Earlier today, a link was posted to the article below. Basically out of 4 catagories, the Frontier won 3 three of them over the Tacoma. Now, granted, its the Detroit News, not Motor Trend, but word is already out that the Frontier is going to be THE hottest truck on the market over the next year. That engine is the best V6 in any truck on the planet.

If you have to buy now, rest assured paying a few dollars extra today will just give you more smile time then those of us who wait.

http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosconsumer/0412/29/G01-44377.htm

dbauer · December 2004

good points, jjpeter. thats what im trying to tell them. i also didnt say that i would pay MSRP for anything...but i also know that i will have to wait at least 6 months to get the deal i want.

centralcal...you were offered $1000 under MSRP? when did you order it?

if you didnt order it, then i can smell the smoke that was blown my way. a deal like that on a hot new product before it even comes out??? if you dont take that deal, then send me the dealer info. so i can buy 3 or 4 of them.

centralcal · December 2004

I am actually getting a better deal through new-nissan.com. The dealer was in San Luis Obispo (in central Cali). I have the email contact if you would like.

jjpeter · December 2004

No hits on Google on that address. Do you have the full url you can give us?

dbauer · December 2004

amazing how you just cant get something for nothing...

centralcal · December 2004

Here is my local offer: MSRP is $32,670. I'll sell it for $31,790 plus fees.

I deleted his name and number from the email, but if you are interested I will send it.

I think that with the $3000 I save, I can get a great trip to Seattle and a one day drive home. Not too bad, I guess you can give this extra $3000 to the dealer. Also, the pleasure of not having to haggle over the cost, priceless.

wvfrontier · December 2004

i've been reading all these posting about dealers not going under 1000 on the msrp and i have to say that it stupid. its all about the dealer and the salesman. On a new 05 toyota w/offroad package sticker price $29427 at one dealership they only offered a few hundred off but i turned right around and called another and over the phone and he dropped the price to $27700 without me really even trying. No more then 5 months ago i bought an 05 subaru legacy limited. the dealer didn't have but 2 05 on the lot they had to dealer trade and go to north carolina to get it. sticker $26500 i paid $24500. I think you guys who can't get over $1000 off need to work on your negotiation skills. I dont care how indemand a vehicle is its all about how bad that saleman wants your business and how firm your are about what you want and what your willing to pay. And it never hurts to tell them you will take your busniess elsewhere. Dealers will always try to get the most out of you they can but realistically as long as they make 3-4% its still a good deal for them. In my dealings i take the invoice of the vehicle and add 3% and that is the price i shoot for knowing that i will end up when its all said and done around 4-4.5% which is what im really shooting for.

rupnok · December 2004

I agree completely. I have a feeling that many of these posts are coming from car salesman or dealers who are trying to encourage the uninformed to pay way more than they should in hopes that these profits might eventually trickle down to themselves. If I am buying a new vehicle that has an invoice of $26,000 (MSRP of $29,000 including delivery and documentation), what do you think the dealer should make off of this sell (not even including any holdbacks that the dealer also gets)? 4% is $1,040. I think this is a very generous profit, yet fair for me as well and is what I settled for on a new tacoma. I got this deal with practically no hassle - like mvfrontier said, you must be firm. This way, both buyer and seller wins and you don't get ripped off. Just my 2 cents. I work hard for my money, and don't think a salesman should get hundreds or even thousands of my dollars just because they are better at bargaining than myself.

charlie_b · December 2004

in my case, it's not the salesman refusing to give a good deal, it's the manager. i make an offer, the salesman goes and talks to the manager for 20 minutes, and then says no we can't do that. i don't see why it takes them 20 minutes to figure out they don't want to sell it at that price. i think they're in there bs'ing about football instead of the price i'm trying to get. then i say, "allright i've got to go" and then the manager wants to come talk to me for another 20 minutes giving me a standardized sales pitch on how great the vehicle is and how great his service after the sale is, etc, etc, etc. it's basically torture going to a dealership.

atlgaxt · December 2004

But it did not take much time before dealers were offering Titans for thousands below MSRP. If you can't control yourself, go ahead and buy a new Frontier. We need some guinni pigs to work out the early bugs. By late in the year, you can bet deals will be available. I know the Frontier is awesome, but smaller trucks have limited appeal in the market and the market is glutted with new product now. Why I have no idea - I think most personal users really don't need big trucks, but I guess it is just a macho thing.

centralcal · December 2004

I agree with your thought's completely. I do think there are dealers on the forum trying to make it seem like a great idea to pay the MSRP. People wonder why internet buying can be cheaper, simple, it takes the seller virtually no time. You give him/her your order, they give you back an offer. Even at invoice they have a hold back that they are making (usually 2-3% of MSRP or invoice). Sitting in the dealership for two hours trying to save a few hundred dollars is such a waste of time. What other business in the world is the goal to keep the customer in your office as long as possible to hope he gives up and just buys the product. No one else but car salesman can waste hours of their day just "sweating" the consumer and "talking to the manager". Every day a car sits on a lot, they lose money. If you know what a reasonable profit for them is, they are usually willing to work with you.

rupnok · December 2004

If they start to give you the run-around, leave them your phone number and go. There are bound to be plenty of other dealers in your area. I've made deals as far as 3.5 hours away because they agreed to the price I wanted. It was worth it to me to spend 6 hours calling EVERY dealer in my state (i.e. >35 dealerships) and driving that far to get a fair deal. Partly to save money, and partly because of the principle of the matter. I don't like feeling like I got "screwed over" by a dealership. They are still making 4%. I would suggest calling them or using the internet before you go, and be sure you get confirmation from the dealer (not just the salesperson). Tell the dealer EXACTLY what you want for the price you want and let that be it. Make sure they are not going to charge you any extras when you go to sign the deal. Do not leave anything to chance. Don't mess around with their sales pitches. Again, this is just how I do it. If I had a ton of money, I probably wouldn't hassle with all of this.

dbauer · December 2004

i agree with part of what you said, and disagree with another part.

agree: do your research before buying anything.

disagree: holdback is not a fixed number...go to "questions for a dealer" and ask terry, driftracer, or anyone else exactly how holdback works compared to floorplan interest, and your eyes will be opened.

secondly, dealers dont WANT you sitting there for hours...if they can get the deal done and get you out, they will...its people that dont know better who are willing to SIT THERE for hours...dealers just go at their own pace as long as you are still sticking around. why rush it when you dont have to?

last, out of the millions af new vehicles sold every year, if you thing someone is deluded enough to try to sell cars or increase profits on a site like this, then its you who are being deluded.

rupnok · December 2004

You can make all the deluded accusations you want about me being deluded. It doesn't change the fact that some on this site are trying to delude others into thinking that MSRP (or close to it) is a good deal. People that believe this are delusional. Furthermore, don't be deluded to think that a car salesman doesn't want you to sit there for hours. They only make a few sales a month, so when they think they can delude a fish into biting, you better believe they will sit there all day! Happy deluding! Sincerely,

Deluded

centralcal · December 2004

Would you mind telling me what you do for a living?

dwfla · December 2004

How about carsdirect.com...anyone every use them or are familiar with how they work?

badness · December 2004

Hey your so right I on dealer prices,I'm going too chex our all the dealers in my area of a 25mi. radious and then make my bids too the dealers and use each one as a tool too get the best price.thoe I'm not buying one till june or july but as a good friend says,plan your work ,work you plan ,....... and you can't go wrong!!

centralcal · December 2004

I have used autobytel in the past and had a very good experience. It only takes a little time to send out several emails to these search engines. It may save you a couple of grand and a lot of headache.

popinjay · December 2004

I went through this same fandango with the Armada last year. When it first hit the streets, you would have thought that you were insinuating that the salesman's mom was wearing combat footware by offering 'only' $1500 over invoice. Well guess what? They're a lot cheaper than that now.

It's pretty obvious to me. If you have to have the frontier right now, you're gonna pay more for it than you will if you wait a short time. I think this is pretty obvious, but maybe not.

dbauer · December 2004

obviously not that obvious. many are planning on asking for discounts on the first models they see...this is very likely just a very quick way to hear the word "no".

jjpeter · December 2004

At all the bantering about who can get the best price on this truck right now. Haven't seen one post by anyone who has actually BOUGHT one. I guess to buy this truck, would be admitting they paid MSRP, which is tantamount to proclaiming oneself a total fool, LOL.

I'll admit, I'm not ready to make the jump into the dealership and start negotiating over price, because the dealers have a distinct advantage right now, and will try and maximize profits NOW, while the demand is high and the supply is scarce. I don't blame them. Car sales is a cut throat business, not only between makes, but between sales guys on the same floor.

Some see this give and take as a matching of the wills, and take the bargaining jousting as a fun part of the game. I'd rather avoid confrontation and let someone more hard nosed do that work for me. And for a small fee, there are plenty of services willing to go to war on my behalf.

I made the drive down to Long Beach today, from the rains of the SF bay area to be with family for New Years. Coming down the 710 toward the 405, I saw at least 5 car carriers with a mix of Nissans (yeah - Frontiers) coming out of the port of Long Beach.

They are coming into the dealers in force now buyers, lets see someone pop up as the first 05 owner.

charlie_b · December 2004

i'm really close to becoming the first "fool" here. i've filled out the paperwork, but haven't signed it yet. $25,300 out the door which includes 5% sales tax and some goofy fees. dealer will not come off msrp. it's sad when you know that you're getting a good truck, but not a good deal. going by the toyota dealer tomorrow to see if i can get a comparable tacoma for cheaper, but i doubt it.

jjpeter · December 2004

How does the old saying go? Long after the thrill of getting the best price, one has to live with the quality of the product one has spent your money on. Something like that...

centralcal · December 2004

Mine is on order, I will let you know if the deal was as billed. But who ever makes the first purchase, keep us up to date with any problems. I still have been reading the Taco forum, they are having a few problems, hopefully Nissan has done a better job.

hkings · December 2004

Well guys! The time has come for me to be a Nissan Guineau pig. I'm picking up the following bright and early tomorrow (Friday morning):

05 Frontier Crew Cab LE Auto 4x4 (Loaded)

Smoke Gray / Steel Leather

ALBS

Sunroof Pkg

Leather Pkg

Traction Pkg

Side Air Bag Pkg

Rockford Fosgate Pkg

Floormats

(Buying sliding Bed Extender and chrome bumpers later.)

Fortunately, I was able to get in on the Nissan VPP program for Friends and Family which sells me the Nissan of my choice for 2.87% under INVOICE (not just MSRP), however there is a 2.5% dealer charge on the under invoice figure. Long story short I'm getting the above truck which has a:

Total MSRP of $31,690

With Invoice of $29,010

My Grand Total $28,953

I figure getting about $2737 off MSRP, ($60 under invoice) for a new 05 this early in the game is a great deal. Especially since dealers dont HAVE to honor the Nissan VPP; it is up to each individual dealer if they choose to honor it.

As a side note, I could have gotten my choice of 05 Frontiers through a dealer in Seattle that will sell all Nissans for $500 under invoice. However after shipping and travel costs to me, it ended up being a bit more than VPP.

In any event, it is NOT impossible to get a deal on the 05s. When I was first interested in the 05 Tacomas I called about 20 dealers and had some of them fighting for my business quoting up to $2000 off before even hitting lots. If everyone did their homework, called plenty of dealers, and just let dealers know that you are willing to buy, but will go elsewhere if need be, then deals are there to be had. Since the 05 Frontier is late to the game, one also has to take into account there is already built in competition.

Anyways, Good Luck and Happy New Year!

nova · December 2004

Give us your reveiw after a couple of days of driving. I am interested in gas milage and rpm's at highway speeds 65 /75 mph's .

THANKS FROM FLORIDA

ecotrklvr · December 2004

Charlie -

Man, I feel the same way. I drove a KC V-6 on Wednesday, and really love the handling, and quiet ride. I'm now leaning to the Tacoma Access Cab 2.7L 5-speed with SR5, just to get the stuff I want. I've had 3 Nissans before, but they sure aren't impressing me with their option lineup.

Nissan has changed their Options availability a couple of times in he last month, so maybe they'll add more stuff to the XE. They don't even have the Auto Trans available for the XE yet (website says "Late Availability). So, let's hope...

cowpokekal · December 2004

hkings, it's interesting that you mentioned that dealers aren't required to honor the VPP. I also qualify for VPP (directly, so I should get 4.3% below invoice). However, a local dealer told me that since the '05 Frontier is so new, it wasn't available for a VPP price. I was skeptical, so I was going to call the VPP HQ, but they are closed until next Monday. Heck, why would any dealer honor the VPP if they know they could sell a vehicle for more? (Especially around here where loaded LE crew cabs last only a day on the lot.)

dbauer · December 2004

for a specified amount of time, nissan does not require any dealers to honor VPP. it is a dealer-to-dealer decision. some will and some wont.

gfremont · December 2004

You mentioned that there is a dealer in Seattle the will sell all Nissans for $500 under invoice. Can you tell me what the dealer's name is?

Have a great New Years.

dannyk · December 2004

I qualify for VPP as well. Would any incentives that the dealer or factory be offering be in addition to the 4.3% below invoice price?

cowpokekal · December 2004

dbauer, exactly how long is the period in which dealers aren't required to honor VPP? after that period, would it be illegal for a dealer to not honor it?

hkings · December 2004

UPDATE: Well I got my new 05 this morning, and all I can say is WOW! As I stated above I got the LE with Leather 4x4, and every bell and whistle imagineable. I LOVE THIS TRUCK. The power and ride bring a huge smile to my face =D ... The deal I got helps too

Mods I have planned are: I will be adding the Kenwood DDX7015 Monitor and 4100 NAV package with Satellite Radio on Monday along with Chroming the facoty wheels and swapping out the general grabber tires for a little bit bigger Revo AT Dueler Tires. I will also be swapping out the colored coded bumpers for chrome ones next week as well. In any event I LOVE the truck... kicks the pants off the Tacoma in everyway, shape and form. It is also BEAUTIFUL and Tough looking all at once!

The dealer did indeed honor the VPP, and I had a few other dealers in the SoCal area say they would too as well... some wouldn't though. It is all based on dealer discretion since all they have to do is plug the VPP claim number into the system to give the price. I think I was lucky in the sense that they wanted to move as many vehicles as they could by the end of the year (today) so they were willing to move it! I'm happy as I got a really sweet truck for a great price. I know I am a guinea pig for Nissan, but I trust the VQ engine (one of the best for 10 years now) and my 01 Frontier was great for me as well.

I'm very excited... Love this truck! Good Luck to everyone and Happy New Year!

centralcal · January 2005

I guess you can't mention specific dealers. But there is a web site that begins with new- and then ends with nissans.com and they do $500 under invoice, you just have to get it from seattle to where you live. I ordered mine from them ($750 under invoice if you order it). They are very helpful. A couple of other people have mentioned them on this and other nissan boards.

dbauer · January 2005

some models expire and some dont. the 350Z is still on the "if you want to" list, along with, beleive it or not, titans and armadas.

the '05 altima was never on it, and the maxima and murano were only on the list for a couple months.

after the VPP hold is released, the dealer can still deny it, but they can potentially lose allocation from nissan...but the penalties are not all that severe.

jjpeter · January 2005

hkings, congrats on your purchase and for being the first on the board to drive a Frontier home.

It sounds like you ordered exactly what you wanted and had it built. Is this true?

If so, what process did you go through to do this? We know you got the VPP deal, but for those of us who don't qualify, are we able to sit down with someone and "build" the Frontier of our dreams at a dealer?

hkings · January 2005

JJPeter,

Thanks, I am so pleased with the vehicle it's not even funny

Actually, I didn't order the truck at all. The second official configurations and option packages were released I figured out what I definitely wanted for sure, and if other things came with it, it was fine. Because I wanted a fully loaded 4x4, I think it helped a little.

Anyway, once I figured out what I wanted, I contacted several dealers' fleet / internet managers (Important!) and found the one or 2 that would be most honest with me and do a full inventory search on what would be available in my region (So. Cal.) in the next few months. It just so happened there were 2 exact ones available that came in this past wekk. Of course the other obstacle I had to deal with was finding a dealer to do the VPP as well. I think I had timing on my side for the VPP as it was the last day of the year, and a slow rain day, so the dealer took the VPP claim, although not without hesitating at first.

If you can't track down the exact Fronty you want, you can infact have one prebuilt with what you want... within the guidelines of Nissan's build configurator. As someone mentioned above

a place that starts with New- and ends with Nissans and a .com will can custom order one for you $750 UNDER invoice! Great deal if delivery charges dont cost too much for you.

Hope this helps!

joker · January 2005

I picked up my 2005 LE on New Years Day.

Love the truck.

One thing missing though...

Brochures and internet specs list auto headlights as a feature.

Mine has the sensor on the dash but no auto position on the lever.

Do you have auto lights?

hkings · January 2005

Joker,

Yes, my light lever has 3 positions: Auto, Fog Lights, and Headlights. I have the sensor too, and it works fine. In fact it was dark and raining this morning, I put it on Auto and lights went on automatically

Strange that you don't have the word Auto on your lever. Did you get a loaded LE? The only thing I can think of, it might be part of a package that you didn't get. (like Side Air Bags, or ALBS) Not sure, would have to look into it further.

badness · January 2005

glad too hear you got you new 2005,witch truck did you get the crew cab or king cab, how is the ride and what kind of price did you get?

Kirstie_H · January 2005

Folks, since this truck is finally available, this discussion will be moving to the pickups board in a day or two. If you're subscribed to this discussion or if you've got it bookmarked, nothing will change. You can also find it easily by using the search tools at the left. Thanks!

joker · January 2005

Mine is the LE 4X4 with Leather, Sunroof and Rockford Fostgate packages.

I am going to talk to the dealer about the Auto headlights but just wanted to see if others did or didn't have them.

Oddly enough my windshield wiper control lever has a control for a rear wiper which is not available on the truck. Maybe they borrowed some Pathfinder levers when they built mine.

Ill let you know what the dealer says about all this.

Thanks.

rsholland · January 2005

I just picked up the new Frontier brochure yesterday. And in it, on the spread that describes the 4WD capability, they mention that the 4WD is "full-time." That has to be a typo, as I'm 99% certain that the 4WD is "part-time."

Bob

jjpeter · January 2005

I emailed Edmunds inquiring why they don't have the 05 pricing yet on the Frontier. Got a reply back that it will be available by the 14th. Hopefully by then they will have all the info available for us buyers so we know the facts before going shopping.

badness · January 2005

I would bet money on it because alot of the dealer are getting stuck with the 2004,thats what I think,but Nissan should just drop the price and just sell them for the invoice already,they can still make a few bucks, so they can just pump out their old stock.The dealer in NJ by my house only has one Le crew cab and thats its and a ton of o4,who wants a an o4 when the 2005 is a hot looking truck!!but I'm looking for a king cab.

taylor35 · January 2005

I have looked at 05's on 4 dealer lots and everyone has had them parked in the back area of the dealership. They are not pushing them at all and a few of the sales guys out front don't even know they have them. I told them they are listed on their internet inventory and they had to go figure it out. Of course we walk by a dozen 04's on the way to see the 05's.

Anybody got any more info on prices/discounts? I have had 2 dealers say they want full MSRP and then call me back and offer $750 off that. Had another say he thought he could sell a not fully loaded LE for $1500 off, but I had already told him it wasn't the one I was looking for so I think he was just fishing.

valance2 · January 2005

Does anyone know if they will bring back the crew-cab long-bed. I'm trying to decide between a taco doublecab LB and the frontier. I like the longer bed to get stuff into it. If Nissan is planning a LB in the future, I might hold off until '06. Anyone in the know?

Nissan Frontier 2005+

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