Toyota Tacoma vs Nissan Frontier

critter1 · January 2006

Forum is for views,info and in general discource. Why get hot,it's DUMB! too.

centralcal · January 2006

The problem is really simple math, if you change your numerator (The expression written above the line in a common fraction to indicate the number of parts of the whole, or An expression to be divided by another; a dividend) but keep the denominator (The expression written below the line in a common fraction that indicates the number of parts into which one whole is divided ) the same, you get a smaller number. If you are paying less for the Frontier to begin with (ie the numerator, or lower than the MSRP you list) and getting the same denominator (the trade in value you list), you are retaining a higher resale value (it will make the -23% be a lower number). Most of this is taught in high school or your local GED courses. I can't believe someone actually put a man urinating on another car logo here. That must be a bumper sticker you have to go along with the naked lady mud flaps amd your undercarriage lights.

boone88rr · January 2006

Well Jeffrey, you can talk the talk but what are your numbers tough guy?

Let's see your math.

And it should look something like this:

My Truck in "Excellent" condition:
Engine: V6 4.0 Liter
Transmission: 6 Speed Manual
Drivetrain: 4WD
Mileage: 11,200

Selected Standard Equipment:
Air Conditioning
Power Steering
Tilt Wheel
AM/FM Stereo
Single Compact Disc
Dual Front Air Bags
ABS (4-Wheel)

Selected Optional Equipment:
Running Boards
Bed Liner
Premium Wheels

I paid = $20,500 before Tax, Title and License
Trade-in = $18,775
Private Party = $21,420
Retail = $24,160

driver56 · January 2006

Yea, but its entertaining Critter.
You're getting closer to your purchasing date! Bet you're gettin' anxious.

centralcal · January 2006

If your numbers are true, it would be stupid not to go and trade it in (or sell it) and get a new truck. Why don't you update us when you do that and tell us how it worked out. It looks like you are the only person in the history of the world who has actually made money by driving a car for one year and then selling it. My guess would be your final cost is wrong (are you including your trade in?, numbers are tricky and I can tell you have problems with them)

boone88rr · January 2006

My numbers are 100% true. I got an awesome deal. To say that Toyota wont bargain, well sorry honey, you just ain't got the "skills to pay the bills".

The MSRP on the exact truck I bought was $23,125. They took my sister's broken down BMW for $2,625. That puts me at $20,500 (you still following?). I was then able to sell my '93 BMW privately for $2700. I bought some Ivan Stewart TRD wheels, Westin Side Steps and a Toyota Bed Mat, ~$1200.

MSRP: $23,125
Trade-in: -$2,625
Paid: $20,500 before TTL
Sold Car: -$2700
Accessories: $1200

Total cost to me before TTL and financing: $19,000

Trade-in value, 11,200 miles later: $18,775

The look on your face after you see the resale value for your "street queen": Priceless :surprise:

Granted, even though my truck is technically in "excellent" condition, no dealer will ever give you this value.

Like I said you can insult me all you want but until you put up.... well you know.

centralcal · January 2006

Oh my God, I am so glad you posted this. YOU PAID MSRP. You first get the price of the car, then apply trade-ins. I thought things seemed very funny. Next time, take someone with you. The trade-in is an asset, just like cash (which is as good as money). Wow, a sucker born every day. Dealers love people like you, did you go in telling them you wanted a specific monthly payment? I bet they got that for you also. Thanks for laugh, back to work.

boone88rr · January 2006

I know you're shy about posting your losses so I'll help you out. This your truck, no? I found your post.

"LE CC 4x4 Storm Grey/Grey Leather with Traction, XM radio, fosgate stereo, ABLS, sunroof, sliding bed extender, microfilter, floor mats, side airbag, destination charge: Invoice just under $30,000 (it was all the factory options except the tow hitch). I would say I got it for $400 over invoice, but that is because they gave me more than my car was worth. Actual price was $31000, but they paid me at least $600 more than Kbb for my car. I also got the extended warranty. They said it retailed for $1800, I bought it for $1000."

Haha, extended warranty. Like you said, "sucker born every day"!

You paid (according to you): $30,400

I put all your little goodies into kbb.com just like I did and here's what I got. Hmmmm.....

Trade-in: $20,850
Private Party: $24,005
Retail: $27,315

I'll put your pride in a doggy bag for you. Good job paying invoice though. Thanks for the laugh. Screw you guys I'm a goin' home!

centralcal · January 2006

I am glad you found that, I would have had to go look things up, you saved me some time. I bought the truck in the first month of release, you always get killed. Also, if you want to keep your resale high, don't buy anything extra (ie leather, sunroof, airbags) you will get killed, these do not hold the value of its purchase price. I really didn't care because I was planning on keeping the truck and wanted to be safe and comfortable. I tend to agree with the extended warrenty being a waste, I was a little concerned about a completely redesigned model (especially when I was reading the Taco boards very early on about all the trouble, so I bit the bullet). You can always sell the warrenty back, you may loose a couple hundred bucks, but not a big deal. You seem to not understand the car market, Edmunds has some great tools for your next purchase. I would try doing a little reading on these boards, there are some really knowledgable people with good opinions.

driver56 · January 2006

You can fudge the numbers any way you will, auto dealers certainly do. And it bangs home how much mark-up there is on vehicles.
Toyota has certainly marketed themselves well! If you paid just $200 more for a new truck that is now a trade-in one year later, who has or will be taken? I'm sure it wasn't Toyota.
That is my point.

woodshop28 · January 2006

"My numbers are 100% true. I got an awesome deal."

This post made my day. That doesn't sound like a good deal at all. I am glad you are enjoying your truck, though.

Anyway, I paid 22,300 for a KC SE 6-spd with ABLS, floor mats, power package, bed liner. I think "sticker" was 2500 or 3000 more, but it has been a while.
Someone certainly must have gotten a better deal, but I don't think that is too bad. I purchased it last Feb, I think.
I dig my truck. Tacomas are nice too, but I prefer the new Frontier for the $.

driver56 · January 2006

Your outlay was $24325 (m.s.r.p. + accessories)
Trade-in value of current vehicle - $18775
Depreciation - $5550 (approx. 23%)
Retained value - 77% ( average)

* trade-in vehicle and sold vehicle are considered assets.

thegraduate · January 2006

Why all the yelling (FYI, in case you didn't know, ALL CAPS is like YELLING AT someone. Who said anything about a TSB in my post? Or the driving dynamics of the Nissan? Did you reply to the wrong post?

driver56 · January 2006

That happens quite often around here Graduate. Some people have a lot of passion (not a bad thing) and things might seem out of context at times.

badness · January 2006

O. sorry,I didn't even notice I had the caps on opps. maybe.

pschreck · February 2006

Has this argument been settled? :P

rocketman67 · February 2006

Any roumors yet on what if any changes will be done on the Frontier for 2K7?

midnightsun · March 2006

Resale values matter, but not as much as how YOU, the present owner, like the truck!

I test drove Tacoma first because, as a 2-time Toyota truck owner, I was biased towards getting the '05 Tacoma. Immediately, I disliked the too-soft suspension, the ultralight, vague steering response, and the surprisingly loud wind noise. It was louder than my old truck even though the '05 has a more heavily-insulated cab. The final straw was that the transfer case just did not want to shift between 4Hi and 4Lo at all, in either direction. Even shutting the engine off "to reboot the computer" as the salesman recommended, going back and forth between 1st and Reverse, etc. did not help. And forget about the plastic inner bed and tracks/cleats, no thanks.

With the Frontier, my reaction was exactly the opposite: everything worked perfectly and it was great fun to drive. Now, at almost 14,000 miles and almost a year after buying, I have no regrets about my choice.

If the Frontier depreciates more proportionately (which it might not), I don't care. I keep my trucks longer than most people, anyway, so I buy it for ME, not for what a future buyer might want out of the truck.

Some of you guys who are obsessed with resale value would do better to "invest" in something other than a motor vehicle for that purpose.

driver56 · March 2006

I could not agree with you more! My experience was a carbon copy of yours. Come Fall when the 07's show up, I'll be dealing on a 4x4 King LE.
It is good to hear of yet another satisfied Nissan owner - my family owns three now - and mine will be our fourth.
Cheers!

hpia4v2 · March 2006

I thought I was ready to pull the trigger on 06 Frontier w/ crew-cab but the back seats are not accetable for long camping/ATVing trips. SO I looked at Tacoma, well the back-seats are nice but the more $$$.
By the way, Toyo sales says no rebate on Taco, but I thought Edmunds says $400?
Any way more shopping to do, as long the little lady says OK to get a new truck :confuse:

jdunne78 · March 2006

I think the $400 rebate that they show is the College Grad discount.

critter1 · March 2006

$1,500.00 I think till end of April,not too shabby. Somebody posted about resale on Toy's true BUT! it's been 12 years since I bought a new truck,so not important to Buyer like me and probably others. Just don't like Taco Dealer attitude,Oh I'll look but making a deal with them forget it. Frontier better bang for $$$$!

Surf Fish'in Critter!

kentbhappy · March 2006

just bought an '05 4x4 nismo crew cab last fri (new) and loving it! it is in addition to the '93 king cab i have that is still going strong. the 93 is going to my 16 yr old, so naturally dad needed a new one. the $1500 is for '05's and it's $1000 for '06's.
if your a bargain hunter, now is the time to grab an '05.
the tag on mine was 31k, but i only paid $25,600

moparbad · March 2006

$1500 is for 06's.

ustazzaf · March 2006

The final straw was that the transfer case just did not want to shift between 4Hi and 4Lo at all, in either direction. Even shutting the engine off "to reboot the computer" as the salesman recommended, going back and forth between 1st and Reverse, etc. did not help.

My wife has that problem with my truck too, so I bought her an AWD. That switch can be confusing.

midnightsun · March 2006

There is nothing confusing about the transfer case dial in either the Tacoma or Frontier. It ain't rocket science. Really, some of us can even shift transfer case levers and lock/unlock manual hubs, change our own oil, too.

The fact I reported is that the Tacoma's dial did not want to work despite many attempts, and the Frontier's worked perfectly, first try. No insinuations about females necessary.

If you are smitten with your Tacoma, it's OK to just say that.

driver56 · March 2006

There seems to be an inordinate number of "bugs" with the new Tacoma. It makes me wonder about the engineering and the quality control. Is Toyota slacking here?

badness · March 2006

is thier any sites of the O7 Nissans out yet.

moparbad · March 2006

is thier any sites of the O7 Nissans out yet

Why?,the 07 Frontier and Titan are expected to remain nearly unchanged for 07.

danielacosta · March 2006

Regarding back seat crew-cab comfort: I find the back seat in the Frontier has more real-world legroom than the Tacoma, plus the back seat in the Frontier is easier to fold for cargo than Tacoma's. However, both of these pale in comparison to the Ridgeline, which rivals the Titan for rear seat legroom and cargo space. I have an 05 Frontier because I do a lot of off-roading. If off-roading is not important to you but back seat room is, you might want to look at a Ridgeline.

driver56 · March 2006

I keep my eyes peeled in anticipation, but don't expect anything to change for the 07's except for minor tweaks. Perhaps a new exterior colour? My plan is to deal this fall or Winter of 06/07.

hpia4v2 · March 2006

Thanks.
But I don't like the look of ridgeline at all. I am also looking at Titan (due to $2250 rebate on crew-cab) but will probably still settle eith Tacoma. It fits my need on a truck better.

badness · March 2006

ok,thanks man.

badness · March 2006

If you choose Toy,keep in mind you better have a trade in or some money to put down,since Toy want even give their GRANDMOTHER A DEAL!!but what every you chose goodluck!!!

saddaddy · March 2006

Find a Titan message board on the net, and you will see what mfg is slacking on engineering and quality control. It ain't Toyota!

This is not to say the the Tacoma is better than the frontier, just stating my opinion that NO Toyota truck has ever had the severe problems seen in the Titan (ie, burnt up rearends and brake problems). For the record, I like the Titans ALOT.

danielacosta · March 2006

"Thanks.
But I don't like the look of ridgeline at all. I am also looking at Titan (due to $2250 rebate on crew-cab) but will probably still settle eith Tacoma. It fits my need on a truck better."

"This is not to say the the Tacoma is better than the frontier, just stating my opinion that NO Toyota truck has ever had the severe problems seen in the Titan (ie, burnt up rearends and brake problems). For the record, I like the Titans ALOT."

A good friend had one of the first Titans with brake problems, etc. Despite the problems he ended up getting a new Titan anyway, i.e., for him the good outweighed the bad.

It's interesting that the Frontier is built on a modified Titan platform (as is Xterra, Pathfinder, Armada), but Titan seems to have the worst reputation. For the record, my 05 Frontier NISMO CC with 24,000 miles has been one of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned.

Tacoma was my first choice when I started shopping 05's back in late 04, but all four Tacomas I test drove had quality / mechanical problems, such as leaking manifolds and 4wd engagement problems. Those were early production models, so maybe by now some of those bugs are out.

Aside from that, I didn't care for Tacoma's premium fuel recommendation, difficult to fold back seat, and lo-hanging exhaust for off-roading.

Frontier is not perfect either. It's biggest problem is the left-outside mirror will not position far enough to the left to eliminate the blind-spot caused by the B-pillar. Also, the front of the rear fenders get terrible road-rash from the front tires despite having factory mud-flaps.

I guess the point is none are perfect, and some have better strengths and weaknesses in certain areas than others. Take it all with a grain of salt and choose what seems best for you. Happy shopping and good luck.

driver56 · March 2006

One part does not make a whole. I don't know what the actual stats are on the Titan, but I'm sure that Nissan will remedy any shortcomings. Apparently Toyota did with the early model Tundra's brake issues.
I cannot believe that Nissan would be slacking in any way,shape,or form, but I do believe that Toyota may
be living it up a tad on their reputation. That, as you know, can go a long way.
I am not convinced that Toyota put their best efforts into the Tacoma and I believe that Nissan did with the new Frontier. The new Tacoma is an improvement over the old, but the new Frontier in comparison to the outgoing is light years ahead.
My humble opinion.

toykick · March 2006

As For Toyota As a whole on "quality" its doing pretty Well. Nissan right now is below industry average and below Ford in initial quality. Which means Ford is putting out more Vehicles with Less problems with first 3 months of Ownership... Nissan as Whole is doing worst then toyota in initial Quality& dependability. As a matter of fact Toyota last year outdid Honda And Acura in Initial Quality which is surprising.

The Tacoma in my opinion still has a lot of bugs that need to be fixed.. So The Frontier is the better pick in this category. The only thing holding it back is resale value. Most nissans depreciate quicker then Honda and Toyota. This Year the Tacoma got Kelly blue books best compact truck. The tacoma has been on that list for a while, maybe next year the Frontier might take away that spot or the Ridgeline.

ustazzaf · March 2006

There is nothing confusing about the transfer case dial in either the Tacoma or Frontier. It ain't rocket science. Really, some of us can even shift transfer case levers and lock/unlock manual hubs, change our own oil, too.

The fact I reported is that the Tacoma's dial did not want to work despite many attempts, and the Frontier's worked perfectly, first try. No insinuations about females necessary.

If you are smitten with your Tacoma, it's OK to just say that.

The fact is that there is not a problem with the trucks shifting. There is a problem with people that don't know how to do it. I tried to shift between high and low several times with very little success until I figured out that you need to put the clutch ALL THE WAY to the floor before switching. Then it worked every time. Read the directions and you too will have success if you even own or have driven a Toyota.

saddaddy · March 2006

Again, I am a fan of both trucks being discussed here -- completely objective.

"I don't know what the actual stats are on the Titan, but I'm sure that Nissan will remedy any shortcomings. "

Response: That was assumed when the problems began on 04 models, however, they persist on present 06 versions as well. ??

danielacosta · March 2006

"The fact is that there is not a problem with the trucks shifting. There is a problem with people that don't know how to do it. I tried to shift between high and low several times with very little success until I figured out that you need to put the clutch ALL THE WAY to the floor before switching. Then it worked every time. Read the directions and you too will have success if you even own or have driven a Toyota."

The 05 Tacomas I personally had 4x4 problems with, as well as the problems reported by various magazines and websites, were automatics. In my case the vehicles went to the service department for repair and I went and bought a Frontier.

eagleg · March 2006

I have an 05 Tacoma D/C L/B TRD Sport 4X4 5spd auto and have never experienced any problems going into 4 wheel drive.If you're going over 65 mph it won't go because it's not supposed to.Low range you have to stop,just like it says on the visor.It's a no brainer!Enjoy your Nissan.

toykick · March 2006

The Tacoma should already have all the bugs fixed by 06-07 most first year trucks have issues.

Theres more then Two times the amount of Tacomas on the road then Frontiers so that might explain the amount of complaints vs. the fronty.

driver56 · March 2006

Point well taken Toykick. There are more Tacomas out there, which in relative terms, would explain why there might be more complaints. The "bugs" you refer to (in the Tacomas} are just minor annoyances. Ditto for the Frontier. And here is a thought for you. I have never owned a vehicle that behaved the way the stats (surveys, J.D. Power, Consumer Reports} suggested it would. I have always kept an eye on these, but know full well that it just aint' science.

driver56 · March 2006

Then the Titan is a bit of a dog isn't it?

driver56 · March 2006

No doubt, Toyota builds quality. Remember though, the industry average for quality is now elevated compared to yesteryear. The "best" for initial quality is really only slightly ahead of the "worst" when you take a good look at it. Say perhaps, for the sake of argument, that one company has 1.5 problems per 100 vehicles as opposed to another having 4 problems per 100 vehicles. That is not a big discrepancy, but it can sure look like it on paper.
As far as depreciation goes, it matters not to me. Again, these vehicles are within a few percentage points of each other and it's all figured into the overall price of ownership (a non-appreciative investment). Furthermore, the average automobile is not going to cost an arm or a leg.

toykick · March 2006

True.. Nissan right now has 120 problems for every 100 vehicles.

Acura 116 per 100 & honda 112 per 100, toyota 105 per 100..

Lexus has the least problems with 81 per 100.

Lexus has been on top of that list for more then 10 years.

a little reflects a lot considering theres hundred thousands - million vehicles produced by some of these car manufacturers each year.

driver56 · March 2006

You are showing the actual 2005 stats Toykick, but you get my drift. The competition is certainly there. I mean, look at the refinement of your average Lexus - one of the most, if not the most, refined vehicles out there. In my opinion, Suzuki, on the bottom of the quality list, is not that far behind anymore. Would I buy one? I doubt it seriously. But not for reasons of initial quality. Also consider the price difference.
The gap is closing and we're all winners.

ustazzaf · March 2006

I think the initial quality stats are distorted at best, probably flat out bogus. Look at the vehicles that have decent initial quality, but end up in the junk yard at 100K compared to the ones that are barely broke in at 100K. If I spend 40K for a vehicle with all the bells and whistles, I won't expect any rattles, squeaks or things that I perceive as problems. However if I spend 7995 for a new Huyndai, I expect a little less quality. Chances are the 40K truck will see it's way back to the dealer long before the Hyundai even though they both have the same rattle. Plus, the 40K vehicle is going to have 3 times as many bells and whistles that can malfunction. If they compared only items that they all have in common like tires, trannys, engines, ect... you may see a vast difference between the top and bottom.

toykick · March 2006

Your totally right thats why JD power also has the dependability study... problems with first 3 years of ownership.

" The study, which measures problems experienced by original owners of 3-year-old (2002 model-year) vehicles, provides useful information to both consumers and the automotive industry on long-term vehicle quality. For consumers, the VDS offers insight into the reliability and dependability of brands and specific models as they approach the end of a typical warranty period. Manufacturers use this information to track the quality performance of their models over time to implement product improvement plans."

i value your opinion but The initial Quality is very helpful to all car manufacturers... I wouldnt call these ratings Bogus since This is a bench mark for car manufacturers.. All car manufacturers rely on JD power & associates ratings to compare their vehicles reliability and quality vs. the competition...

Toyota Tacoma vs Nissan Frontier

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