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Comments
I held the plastic fender flare on the new Frontier and shook it a bit. It slides around without much effort. Might that be a source of rattles after a while?
Explain what is 'whimpy' about it. What is so much 'tougher' about the Taco front end? Because you worked on many Nissans, does that mean you never worked on Toyotas? I would find it hard to believe that unless you are a Nissan tech and only specialized in Nissans that you haven't worked on Toyotas. If Nissan's weak point is their front-end, what is Toyota's(I hope you are a realist and don't say the truck is perfect) every chain has a weak link, what is Toyota in YOUR opinion? I know of people(I'm not saying everybody I know that has a Toyota, but some...I know alot of people that have Toyotas and Nissans right now that haven't done anything to them except normal maintenance) that have had problems with their Toyotas some include the drivetrain front end components(all of the problems that I know about are a result of customer neglect)I myself have had problems with wheel bearings and yoke bearings on a Toyota(granted it wasn't a Taco)but, I don't blame Toyota or think that Toyota is inferior to anything because of I had some problems with it. Same thing with the '94 S-10 I had. I had four pitman arms on that truck in two years(Chevy said themselves that it was a bad design)but I don't hold anything against Chevy, there's other reasons why I wouldn't buy another S-10.
Here are some opinions on the extended cab models of all three:
Tacoma Pro's:
Best weight to power ratio
Best reliability (along with Nissan)
Best gas mileage (more important recently)
Tacoma Con's:
High price
Hardest to utilize interior space (behind seat)
Option packages include things I don't want
Frontier Pro's:
Best prices
Better interior space access (just an opinion)
Best option combinations in packages (opinion)
Frontier Con's:
Worse weight to power ratio
Worst gas mileage
Plastic fender flares serve no purpose
Ranger Pro's:
SOHC 4L V6 gives good weight to power ratio
Good gas mileage
4-door extended cab provides great access
Nice ride and handling (another opinion)
Ranger Con's:
No manual tranny with SOHC 4L V6 (maybe later)
I'd like to read your observations and arguments.
I think I pretty much agree with your overall assessment. The problem I face is I still have a little one in a car seat. Right now I put her in the front seat (95's have driver side airbag only)and my wife and son ride in the jump seats. See I can't put her in the back because you can't mount a car seat sideways, but with the Toyota, instead of jump seats which pull out of the sidewall they have little benches which face forward and have provisions for mounting car seats on them. The thing is of all my driving 90% is by myself, 5% is hauling something and the other 5% is with the four of us in the truck. I guess thats why I'm wrestling with the Extended vs. CrewCab decision, because the seating vs. hauling only comes into play 5-10% of the time. On the Toyota's, I agree on the engine power, and these days 1-2 mpg starts to mean something. As far as the pricing, I'm not thrilled about the upcharge, but I found after 5 yrs, comparably equiped the Toyota gets about $1600 more in resale (KBB.com), now extended out to 10 yrs or more that probably diminishes. Anyway, I'd still like to hear from someone who has a CrewCab to see if they still think the trade-off of bed space is worth it? Talk to you later. 4Lubes
These are all things I asked myself before going with the Frontier.
I wanted to point out to you(in reference to the trade-in/used values) while it may be true that the Taco fetches $1600 more in "used" value but, I promise you that you that there is more than $1600 difference when you initially buy the vehicles. To put it in simpler terms, if there is say a $3500 difference between the trucks new(assuming they are closely equipped)and ONLY a $1600 difference in five years...the Taco has depreciated more. So if one cost more initially it wouldn't be fair to expect the vehicles to be worth the same. Plus, you may already know this, but good luck trying to get the prices you see here at Edmunds or Kelley's...they are just guides and retail at that. Good luck in your search, I know it's a hard decision. I have a CC and love it. I too worried about the bed size, but hasn't been a problem at all...I use my truck for hunting and towing a 4000lb boat. If the truck was going to be used for nothing except as a grocery getter and running back and forth to work I might be disappointed in the lack of 'speed'. Because I can vouch to this truck having all the power anybody with a 1/2 ton would ever need. As I stated earlier I hunt, so my dog's kennel fits back there with all of my hunting equip with no problem. So the bed compromise isn't a problem for me. I will say that my fishing rods do have to lay diagonal
Not only is the Frontier's overall dimensions larger, it sports bigger wheels and a larger and taller bed as well.
Not that being the smaller one is necessarily a bad thing. I really missed the 29mpg I used to get on the Tacoma. I'm also disappointed that Nissan thinks the Tundra is 7/8th sized and so will be building their full-size truck larger. If I do decide to buy a 1/2-ton later on, it is looking like the Tundra is about the only "full-size" I can park in my garge.
My apologies for late response -- been on an emergency out of town the last month and out of touch.
I do need a 4X4, without a doubt, so your truck won't do.
Thanks also to others who responded to my ?s about what years were the best for used Toy/Niss p/u.
I finally can start looking again.
I know I need to do timing belt replacement and while in there do the drive belts, crank seal, and check water pump.
What else would you recommend be done on these Toys? I need to drive it a long ways so will do the radiator flush, oil change, differential change also.
Any other tips?
Thanks. It had the head gasket replaced at 88,000.
are way more comfortable and have better back support.Oh and for the 4cyl.....i would NEVER buy a truck with a 4cyl(just my opinion)
easiest thing to do, take the kids with you on the test drive and put the seats back there, see which works for you better, I don't think you can go wrong with either, just depends on which one works for you. Good luck
I hate to think about getting sideswiped with 3 car seats across the back. Personally, I would compromise whatever work utility you might loose without a pickup bed, instead of compromising the safety of the children. A minivan can still haul a butt load of stuff.
My $0.02.
I am helping my brother buy a new car - he wants a pickup to lug around his musical gear and possibly take him up and down the east coast.
We probably have a little over 10k to spend on this purchase. Because his current ford station wagon has been dying, and we've never had good luck with american cars, we want a foreign vehicle.
So what to do?
I see that both nissan and toyota have a small pick up, but first I was really impressed that both of their 4-cyl engines are really powerful (upwards of 150 HP!!) I drive a car with a 120HP engine and it definitely has some kick to it. But all the MPGs of the pick-ups are in the low 20s! Just for a laugh I looked at the chevy S-10 and saw you can get one with a 120 HP engine whose gas millage is in the upper 20s...big difference! See, I can't imagine he'd carry around his equipment + a friend (max 600 lbs). So I guess no foreign pickups come with small engines?
Second, we can't decide whether to get new or used. I wrestled with this problem when I bought my car, but ended up getting new b/c of the warranty. If you buy a used Toyota or Nissan do you get the remainder of the Warranty? Is it just the powertrain or also the bumper to bumper? And do you have to buy the used car from a toyota or nissan dealership? We are getting this car from a dealership (and not an individual, cause we don't have the time or wits to sell the old car ourselves).
Or with the end of the year sales will it be best to buy new?
Also, how much, in general does one of those cover-things (sorry, don't know the name, a Cap maybe?) that goes over the pick-up bed cost? I saw on nissan's web site that it is a $1000 add-on to the frontier. Is it that much if you don't buy it from the dealership?
FInally, how common is it to find a crewcab used? It seems like that would be nice, but not essential.
So in all honesty we want a basic pick-up that will last forever (hehe), but that doesn't need to be super-powerful at all, just well priced and good at moving some heavy roadcases around. Styling and extras don't matter.
TIA!
A) It will get annoying trying to keep up with traffic, merge, avoid getting rear rended, or slow people down etc... in a vehicle with a dog of an engine.
So what's my advice? If you absolutely must have a fourbanger, even though I don't think mileage will be much better than many sixes(My 4 cyl. 2 wheel drive regular cab Ranger gets 21-24, not much better than the small V6), then go with one of the imports. Their 4 cylenders are stronger. Period. The S10 is an absolute dog without a 6, I'd stay away.
If you want to consider a 6 cylinder, look at the Ford Ranger with the 3.0. It offers 150 or so horses but 185 pounds of torque. Ask owners of this vehicle: You may be suprised to find that their mileage is actually often comparable to 4 cylinders.
Avoid the Dodge Dakota V6: It's less powerful than competitors and still manages to guzzle too much gas. The Toyota V6 is also a very good engine and usually averages in the high teens and if you're lucky low twenties. The Chevy S10 190 horsepower V6 is also very nice and should get similar mileage. Just remember, no matter what kind of compact pickup you get, even with the smallest 4 bangers, driving style will determine mileage very much, and your driving style will have to be extremely aggresive with most 4's.
I would say a good used compact SUV is probably better suited for what you're describing. But if you are dead set on a pickup, don't buy used if you can spend 10k+. A brand regular cab can easily be had for 11k or less, especially around this time of A brand new pickup and a tonneau cover or camper shell will not break your bank.
Be careful about comparing pickup and sedan performance. Those HP number may seem impressive, but bear in mind they also weight considerably more than a welterweight subcompact car. I've owned both 4cyl Tacoma and Frontier and test driven the rest, and in my experience, only the Tacoma has acceleration anywhere close to what you're used to in a subcompact - and that is only because the Tacoma, at 2700lbs, is quite a bit lighter than the rest. Most other compact pickups weight in at a little over 3000lbs. 4cyl pickups are mainly econo-hauler/commuters, not pocket rockets with a basket. :-)
Good luck.
It is an interesting theory that a "6 cylinder does not have to work as hard as a 4 cylinder, therefore it gets better gas mileage."
So I suppose that turbo-charged 8 cylinder engines get the best gas mileage because they don't have to work hardly at all? Yeah, right!
More cylinders firing = more gas burned over time. That's just simple physics.
Of course, every engine has a fuel efficiency curve that varies with RPM and load. If a 4cyl, which might normally be more efficient than a particular 6cyl engine, is forced to operate at a low point on that curve, then it is possible for that 4cyl to burn more fuel than the 6cyl.
Not too sure the original question was on this issue at all. It was on whether or not the 4cyl. trucks are good performers or not.
The drawback of the extra weight on the Frontier is performance. The stock V6 Tacoma has a better power-to-weight ratio than the supercharged V-6 Frontier, which makes it quicker on road ( abotu 1 second faster 0-60) and more agile off road
I agree with your comment that the Frontier is quieter, as well as the rest of your comments. Now that I've moved to Houston and the rush hour traffic have reduced my Frontier mileage down to 22mpg sometimes, I kinda wish I had my old Tacoma back. :-)
I am going to order one soon. I am down to the
Toy Tac 4x2 4cy. or Prerunner 4x2 or Frontier.
I need some help pls. I do not feel I need the 4x4 cost and utilization being the factor, however, I like the idea of the Prerunner 2.7 vs the 2.4, extra power would be appreciated. Being higher off the ground for safety would be great. LockDiff does not come with the 2.6 just the 6 (this fact bothers me). Can any one give me some more reasons for getting the Prerunner vs the 4x2 Tacoma 2.4. IS the ride going to be as smooth as a Tacoma 4x2 or is it the same as a 4x4. I feel the prerunner is a bit sparse/smaller compared to the Frontier. I can live with that issue. I have had 2 Toys and am leary about getting the Nissan. However, all the msg I have read have spoken highly of both products.
Comments appreciated. Note: None of the dealers in the area have a PreRunner for road testing (Michigan area) Truck to be used in Northern Michigan.
Thanks
RonP
If you want to offroad in a 4x2 Prerunner, a locker is a BIG plus. In a 4x4, you will rarely need to use it though...
towing: 3500 lbs (reg. or ext. cab)
payload: 1494 (reg cab)
0-60: 8.4 (reg. cab)
Now as far as the prerunner, if you get the 2.7L, you only get 8 more hp and 17 lbs more torque. With the extra weight of the prerunner's suspension, that power advantage gets canceled out. The towing limits are the same, though. The only advantage to the Prerunner (reg. cab) is better off-road ability. A severe disadvantage is that it only comes w/ automatic trans.
If you plan on owning this truck for a long time, put down some serious money and get either the 2wd with the V-6 or the Prerunner Extended Cab V-6 (my pick). The V-6 prerunner is a little slower 0-60 (9.2 vs. 8.4-9.0) but it is a much smoother engine, quieter (trust me, this is a good thing on long trips) and it has over 80% of it's torque at just 2500 RPM's. It's a gem. Plus, you can get the off-road package and big wheels which all together look vastly better than the humble 2wd reg cab (an ugly 2wd truck, if you ask me).
As far as the Locking Diff, unless you ever go off-roading, you will never need it. You are considering the 2wd and the prerunner, so I just figured you weren't doing too much off-roading.
Of course, it's your life and your opinion is really the only one that matters to you.