Hello! Nice to have another Nissan (and to be back on the road!!!!!) but this guy is a beater that I'm going to work towards restoring, have replaced the battery and have (on a different car) replaced brake pads but have never changed oil myself, is it true that "it doesn't make sense to buy an oil-filter wrench til you try hand-loosening yours"?

I was going to just pay $35 (am in Tampa area) to get it changed at a shop but realized that it'd be about the same price to do it myself with synthetic, though - just like putting higher octane gas in at the pump - I don't know if this is a case where it makes sense to use synthetic or not so hoping you guys can clue me in!

Thanks!!

(also, if you're generally handy, changing oil shouldn't be a big deal right? Have watched some youtubes and it seems incredibly straight-forward! Would like to save every penny I can, took a while just to get this truck and want to put as much into it as possible in terms of restorative/preventative stuff.....so long as the trannie holds at least, the auto trans is slipping in 1st gear, especially when cold, pretty consistently since I got this thing a few weeks ago!)

it's very easy to do, and while you can go to synthetic, it's not really necessary. Buy a good 10w30 variant and the correct filter, and here's the steps:

Remove the old filter (over a pan - some oil will run out). You might get lucky and get it off by hand, or you might need a wrench if it's too tight.
Clean up the area around the filter with a rag, ensuring you don't get dirt and other contaminants in the filter housing area
Stick your finger in the old oil and dab some of that around the rubber seal on the new filter. This will make the filter easier to remove in the future.
Screw on the new filter hand tight.
Remove your drain plug on the oil pan and let the oil drain into a pan. Once drained, replace the plug. if you have leaking or seepage around the drain plug, you can get replacement copper crush washers to seal it.
Refill your oil - however much the manual says.
Start the truck, and do a visual around the filter and the drain plug to ensure no leaks, and you're done.

Something else - unless your truck has bad detonation (sounds almost like a diesel clatter when you floor it), you're probably wasting money on the 91 octane gas. Run the 87, and just stick with top branded gasolines and not the cheap stuff the no name gas stations. Chevrons, Texacos, Shell, etc all have proprietary detergents in them to help keep your injectors clean.