Frontier Truck

[YipMan_Style]

Thinking about a new Frontier truck. I will be driving it to work and carry people so crew cab. Will not tow anything.

- Are they good trucks?
- Are they hardy as how trucks should be?
- I4 or V6? I know more about the QR25DE engine. Don't know anything about the 4.0 V6. Outside of power, is one more reliable than another?
- When I talk to truck guys, they say to get a Toyota instead. Agree or disagree? Would you choose Tacoma over the Frontier?
- What do you think of the Toyota Tacoma?

TIA

[BRubble]

Thinking about a new Frontier truck. I will be driving it to work and carry people so crew cab. Will not tow anything.

- Are they good trucks?
- Are they hardy as how trucks should be?
- I4 or V6? I know more about the QR25DE engine. Don't know anything about the 4.0 V6. Outside of power, is one more reliable than another?
- When I talk to truck guys, they say to get a Toyota instead. Agree or disagree? Would you choose Tacoma over the Frontier?
- What do you think of the Toyota Tacoma?

TIA

Hey Yip,

Surprised that not many have given you much traction on your quest for a New Pickup.

Several Frontier's, that I've read about, have gone over 300K mile's, with the VQ40DE Engine. They said mainly just regular Maintenance and as I recall, some have done the Timeing Chain Maintenance. I've been told that the Early Timeing Chain Issue's have been addressed. But @ some point the Engine probably will need Timeing Chain Maintenance, hopefully it'll be over 200k or 300k miles.

I got my 1st Nissan Truck New, in '93; KC, AT, 2WD, 4cyl/KA24E. I drove that little Truck for 20yr's/176K miles, and sold it in 2013,, after I got a New '13 SVV6 Frontier AT, 2WD, KC.

The '93 needed a New Gas Tank @ about 100K Mile's/10 year's. It got a small pin hole leak in the bottom. The Water Pump started leaking @ 174K mile's,, and replaced with a new one. Other than that,, just regular maintenance, The Timeing Chain was still doing good, and the Engine was still good and quiet,, when I sold it.

I don't pay too much attention to those that say a Toyota has a Higher Resale Value. The Condition of the Truck matter's way more, especially the longer that one keep's a Truck. I paid 10K $'s for that '93,, and @ 20 year's & 176K mile's, I got 4K $'s for it. According to KBB, it was worth more than a comparatively equiped Toyota.

I drove all of them before hand, ie Silverado, Ford F150, Ram 1500, Tacoma, & Frontier.

The Nissan Frontier just give's More for the Money.

All of the V6 Frontier's Now, are Rated 1/2 Ton Pickup's. The V6 AT's, come standard with a Transmission Oil Cooler and are Rated to pull over 6200 lbs. My SVV6 KC AT 2WD is rated to pull 6500 lbs right out of the Gate( AFter the Break'in Period) of course. A V6 Tacoma doesn't come standard with a Transmission Cooler for the AT Transmission, and only rated to pull 3500 lb's, unless you get the Tow Package Option, which add's $'s. A Frontier has a Steel Bed,, and a Tacoma has a Plastic Bed.

All in All,, for a 2013 I would have needed to spend more for the Tacoma equipped the same as an SVV6 AT 2WD KC Frontier; at least 5K $'s, and the Toyota Salesman,, said it would have been about 9K $'s more for an equally equipped Tacoma.

If you go Frontier get the V6,, cause the I4 only get's 1 mpg more with the AT, than the V6,, and the V6 is only about 850 $'s more. Difference between 3500 lb's & 6500 lb's of Towing power, Way More Passing/Hill Climbing Power, & about 900lbs versus 1400 lb's max hauling.

But you need to Test Drive all of them, to see which one fit's you best. Much over 6' Tall, and the Frontier may just be too small, and you may have to opt for a Silverado.

Back in 2013,, if Money had not been an object,, I most likely would have gotten an Extended Cab Silverado V6. But it was at least 2 to 3K $'s more then, and now even more $'s Difference.

Never Say Never, I've been told. Pickup's were made to Haul People, Cargo, & Tow Trailer's. Barring a Truck getting Totaled in a Wreck, Eventually,, someone is going to be Hauling Cargo,, & Towing a Trailer. So think about that, as far as Resale Value.

Truck Guy's like V6's, V8's, and Regular Length Bed's(at least 6' Long). 4WD is also very popular,, and also help's on Resale,, but Hurt's MPG and cost's more. I needed MPG,, way more, than I needed 4WD.

If you go Frontier be sure to follow the Break-In instruction's, & Owner Maintenance. The Ring's on my V6 didn't really seat good until a little after 2K mile's. So My advice is to give the break-In a little bit longer, like 2K to 2400 mile's, if possible. That's basically what I did.

Before the Ring's Seated,, I was getting about 19.5 MPG, Mixed Driveing. After the Ring's Seated,, I'm getting aroung 21 MPG, Mixed Driveing over the same Route,, Same Station, Same Pump...

Make it an adventure,, and have Fun,, Testing and Driveing all of the Truck's out there.. Alway's Sleep on it at least over night. If it's a Deal You Can't Refuse,, put down a Deposit,, with the Deal in Writeing,, but still Sleep On It Over Night.

As long as no one Rawhide's, Climb's Big Rock's, Goe's Mudding, or Water Higher than the Axle's,, I would be ok with a Silverado, Tacoma, or Frontier Truck. But not the 3.6 Liter Ram, or the Honda Ridgeline(Just not much of a Truck to me). In other Word's don't try to do those Commercial's, ie Pulling Stump's out of the Ground, or Abuseing Your TRuck. Common Sense is all you need to get your Truck to Last a Long Time.

Most of the Full Size Truck's Now,, are way too big. I just wouldn't feel right about driveing some of those Big Pickup's. And I've got a Class A CDL.

Good Luck

PS, Sorry I typed so much. Sometime's my little Finger's have Way Too Much Energy.

[Desert Rat]

Good response above. Tacomas do have better resale, so consider that when buying. If you're gonna run it for years and years, that is less important.

Weakest link I'm aware of is the front axle in the 4x4s - an all aluminum R180 that's been known to split apart under heavy use. (As in heavy rock crawling use - probably fine for 98% of owners). The 4 liter motor is a horse and has about a 20 HP advantage over the 4.0 in the Tacoma. The Frontier is also better looking (matter of opinion), and doesn't have all the stupid bulges that the Tacoma has. The Tacoma has the edge in a little nicer interior, but again, this is very subjective. Overall they're well matched trucks.

[YipMan_Style]

Thank you.

[YipMan_Style]

I read that the Frontier is on the same frame as the Titan. That's an advantage when it comes to towing, etc.

Are there any "advantage" to this if I'm using this truck just like a car?

[BRubble]

I read that the Frontier is on the same frame as the Titan. That's an advantage when it comes to towing, etc.

Are there any "advantage" to this if I'm using this truck just like a car?

Truck's can do everything that a Car can do,, and a Whole Lot more.

If you use the Frontier as intended ie Hauling People, Cargo, & Pulling Trailer's, Take Good Care of it, ie Don't Abuse It. As a Rule,, a Truck is more durable than a Car,, and when it come's time to Sell,, They pay good money for a Good Used Truck. As a Rule,, Truck's retain more of their Resale Value than most Car's. The exception is like maybe High Demand Car's like a Corvette, Porsche,, RollsRoyce, etc.

Read the Owner's Manual Cover to Cover,, and do exactly like it say's to do, Put you some seat cover's on the Seat's. The Seat Cover's will more than pay for themselve's when it come's time to sell or trade.

Don't pay any attention about what other's boast about resale value, on other Brands. I bought my '13 Nissan SVV6 KC AT 2WD brand new 7/3/13,, and according to KBB,, it is still worth more than I paid for it today. IMO, the most important thing about Resale Value,, is Mileage,, and Condition. I bought a Brand new 1993 Nissan 4cyl, AT, KC, 2wd Truck, for $10,000 Dollar's out the Door. 20 year's later and 176,000 mile's, I sold that little Truck for 4,000 $'s. I took good care of the little Truck,, but used it a lot for Hauling and Pulling my Trailer's. When I took the Seat Cover's off, before I sold it; The Seat's looked just like brand new. First person that looked at it,, bought it.

Nobody want's a Ragged Out, Rawhided Truck, with Hole's in the Seat's,, no matter what Brand it is.

A Truck come's in real handy when time to move, get an appliance and get rid of the old appliance. Hauling lumber for home repair's, and the list,, just goe's on and on.

I wish that I had been smarter when I was young. If I had gotten a Truck from the GetGo,, I would have been way ahead in the game.

Watch Truecar.com,, for the Truck that you want,, and look to the Far Left, at who paid the least. That's the Figure to shoot for, or even lower. Use the internet to find who's got the Truck that you want,, and don't be afraid to drive 100 to 200 mile's to save a lot. The last 3 Truck's that I bought,, were from a dealer in another State. Alway's get your financeing in your Home State though, especially if the other State doesn't Reciprocate on Sale's Tax.

Hope some of what I wrote will help you.

[david29]

Never had one but ive heard they can be as durable and reliable as any of the Nissan trucks. Maintenance is key to keeping any vehicle alive.

[hektor]

I have had my new Frontier king cab V6 2wd since December 5th but have driven it little due to a shoulder surgery. But, I can say that I have been pleasantly surprised with the truck. Very comfortable and plenty of power with the V6. I drove a 2006 Tacoma 4 cylinder for 7 years and it was quite adequate, but the Nissan may prove to be even better. The mileage in town is not that great - maybe 17 mpg driven right and on the road (I have the TonnoPro hard cover) I get an honest 22to 23 mpg, which was about what the Tacoma got. I did invest with a Scan Gauge for this truck and I mounted it over the rear view mirror and I would recommend this to anyone who wished to keep track of the vehicle's performance.

[BRubble]

I did invest with a Scan Gauge for this truck and I mounted it over the rear view mirror and I would recommend this to anyone who wished to keep track of the vehicle's performance.

What does the scan gauge do? Is it wired or wireless?

New thing's coming out all the time, so maybe I need to get one.

[65ShelbyClone]

A ScanGauge plugs into the OBDII diagnostic port and displays information from the ECU datastream like coolant temp, intake air temp, MAF voltage, and a truckload (pun intended) of other parameters. It reads codes too and can even be set up to display pretty accurate instantaneous and average fuel economy. I plan on getting one now that I have an OBDII truck again.

Regarding Nissan vs. Toyota, are you looking to buy new or used?

I can say from experience that Toyotas are good trucks, but a pre-2005 V6/automatic combination in the 4x4 chassis doesn't get that great of fuel economy. I had an '00 Tacoma PreRunner Xtra Cab (phony 4x4 like the DesertRunner) and it did about 21mpg on the highway with good behavior. Around town it dropped to about 16-17mpg. I had a '94 regular cab 5-speed before that would do 29 on the highway, but the 22-RE engine that I don't think was ever as solid as Nissan's KA24E. The Toyota 3VZ-E 3.0L V6 are horrible on gas and can't hold head gaskets even after the recall work so I refuse to own one. I like to describe them as four-cylinder power with V8 fuel economy.

I think resale value is a misleading purchase criterion. Toyotas demand higher used prices, but they cost a lot more new anyway and the extra resale value doesn't really offset the higher purchase price.

Nissans are new to me. I literally bought mine yesterday, so only time will tell what I think of it. I did see some extremely high mileage Hard Body trucks in classifieds while I was shopping around. One had over 450,000mi and was (understandably) on the second engine.

[BRubble]

I think resale value is a misleading purchase criterion. Toyotas demand higher used prices, but they cost a lot more new anyway and the extra resale value doesn't really offset the higher purchase price.

I totally agree with that. ^^^

What I've found,, is that, We get more with a Nissan Truck, for the same money. Condition & Mileage matter the most in Resale Value.

Seat Cover's, Floor Mat's, as well as Steering Wheel & Arm Rest Cover's, will pay for themselve's when it come's time to Sale or Trade,, as long as you don't pay too much for them.

Consumer's will go straight to the Clean & Shiney just about everytime,, versus the Dirty & Ragged Out with hole's in the Seat,, even though the Latter may be in better mechanical shape.

Take good care of your Truck,, Don't Abuse it,, and they'll pay good money for it.

Just about everybody need's a Truck,, but a lot of them,, just don't know it yet.

[PalmerWMD]

Thanks for this informative thread fellas.

I am looking hard myself at a Frontier ( or also a XTerra) as a 2nd vehicle for SHTF
Other than the mpg they seem to be better trucks than competition.

Its good to hear they come with transmission coolers.

What does the 4LO setting really do?

Just change the final drive ratio is all?
Or does it lock up any diffs for better traction as well?

[BRubble]

Other than the mpg they seem to be better trucks than competition.

When I was researching the '13 Frontier, I found that the 4 cylinder got a little bit less than the Tacoma.

However the V6 Frontier's beat the competition in MPG. That was in '13, it may be different for the later model Midsize Truck's.

Last Fillup, I got right @ 20.5 mpg, in Mixed driveing. I'm easy on the gas, and Brake pedal,, so YMMV. However I'm driveing the V6, the same as I drove the '93 Nissan 4cyl.,, and I'm getting very close to the same MPG for both truck's, in mixed driveing.

So far,, I'm very pleased with the '13 SVV6 Frontier.

[PalmerWMD]

Thanks!, thats good info!

[65ShelbyClone]

I can tell you that my '00 2.4L/manual/reg. cab gets about 2mpg less than a Tacoma with the same specs. It also weighs 450lbs more than a comparable Tacoma. The weight has only minimal affect on highway mpg though and that's where my truck is 90% of the time.

Full disclosure: my truck had worn-out copper plugs until I put new iridium/platinums in a few days ago. Jury is still out on whether it helped mileage because as soon as I put them in, the weather on my commute got extremely windy. Now the refineries are allegedly switching to the summer blend which typically increases economy, so I may never know if the plugs did anything.

[BRubble]

I can tell you that my '00 2.4L/manual/reg. cab gets about 2mpg less than a Tacoma with the same specs. It also weighs 450lbs more than a comparable Tacoma. The weight has only minimal affect on highway mpg though and that's where my truck is 90% of the time.

I don't recall the exact MPG #'s for the 2013 4cyl Frontier/Tacoma,, but that's about what was advertised for the 4 cylinder's.

But with the V6's,, KC 2wd with AT, for 2013, the Frontier is advertised to get a smidgen better than the Tacoma.

Being me haveing just one vehicle,, MPG, was important to me,, and moveing from a 4cyl to the 6cyl,, I was concerned that the V6 would get a lot worse.

I'm really happy that the Frontier V6 AT 2wd kc, for me and my driveing habit's, that the MPG, so far, is just as good in mixed driveing as the '93 Nissan 2.4 4cyl ka24e AT 2wd got.

MPG, isn't so important right now, but if the Trend in Gas Price's continue to follow as they did over the past 50 year's, the price of Gas, although much lower now, will continue to climb.

[65ShelbyClone]

I actually used the dip in oil prices as an opportunity to shop for an "economy" truck. I couldn't/still can't believe how many short-sighted people suddenly started upgrading to full-size trucks just because fuel prices were realistic for a few months. It's gone back up nearly a dollar per gallon in the last three weeks. Of course Exxon let their own refinery blow up to help with that and everyone else is using the summer blend "changeover" as a further excuse to price gouge, but I digress.

[lilguy]

Just bought my 5th Nissan, Frontier ProX4, since 2001. 1 Pathfinder, 1 QX4, 1 Titan, 1 Xterra. All good solid trouble free vehicles.

[PalmerWMD]

Just bought my 5th Nissan, Frontier ProX4, since 2001. 1 Pathfinder, 1 QX4, 1 Titan, 1 Xterra. All good solid trouble free vehicles.

I am very curious to hear of your experiences and impressions!!!

I been a Nissan/Infiniti Sports Car or Sedan guy my entire life and this truck thing is new to me

[JB'sTitanXD]

You will love the truck. I had a 12 and it was a great truck. hauled anything and everything i threw at it. it was always impressing me. I plan to get another truck in 2-3 years and will be another nissan for sure. here are some pictures, i did alot of work to it.

[BRubble]

You will love the truck. I had a 12 and it was a great truck. hauled anything and everything i threw at it. it was always impressing me. I plan to get another truck in 2-3 years and will be another nissan for sure. here are some pictures, i did alot of work to it.

Yee Haa,

If you want your Truck to Last,, this is a perfect example of, "What Not To Do".

[lilguy]

I started out in life running VWs in my family. Then switched to GM cars and trucks, all over priced bags of trouble, everyone of the six. Tried a Jeep Grand Cherokee, my extended service contract paid for over 9000.00 in repairs. Had a friend who suggested switching to Japanese cars. He was a master Cadillac tech and hated the crap Detroit put out. My first was a 98 Honda Civic for my daughter going to college. It's still running 17 years later in another friends family. Then bought my wife a 99 Lexus and she's on her third and loves them. I bought my first Pathfinder in 2001, drove it a 100k and traded it in on a 2007 Titan. Drove it to 100k and now getting a new Frontier. My wife tried a QX4 mid stream in the line of lexus' and gave it to our son who had it until(100k) it was totaled in a head on with my wife and I in it. It saved our life. We got our son an Xterra as replacement that has 50k on it 4 years. I'll never buy anything but Nissans for my personal rides. Many of the Japanese cars I've bought are built in the US, it's not the American auto worker that's the problem. It's the corporate mind set that determines quality.

[JB'sTitanXD]

Yee Haa,

If you want your Truck to Last,, this is a perfect example of, "What Not To Do".

here we go....

[ricbrk]

The main reason I chose a Nissan crew cab, was my Brother has a 2000 extended cab with a little under 300,000 miles and still going. It survived a timing belt snap, and has the original clutch ! I really like this truck. My 4 biggest gripes are; it could use a little more head room getting in and out in the door opening, they need to fix the rough idle on these trucks, it's very annoying. Because of the rough idle, the exhaust heat shields constantly come loose and rattle. Nissan doesn't recognize the exhaust shields as a warranty defect according to the dealer so either I crawl under and clamp them, or have to pay the local exhaust shop to weld them. Also, the paint is of a very poor quality. I normally get a new vehicle every 5 years. In 2018, Nissan will not be top of my list. I am leaning toward Toyota, and since GM brought back the Canyon, I might test drive one of them. If Nissan would fix the idle issue, or put a diesel in the Frontier, I would reconsider. It seems this idle issue has been around for quite a while, Nissan must not care much ?

[BRubble]

The main reason I chose a Nissan crew cab, was my Brother has a 2000 extended cab with a little under 300,000 miles and still going. It survived a timing belt snap, and has the original clutch ! I really like this truck. My 4 biggest gripes are; it could use a little more head room getting in and out in the door opening, they need to fix the rough idle on these trucks, it's very annoying. Because of the rough idle, the exhaust heat shields constantly come loose and rattle. Nissan doesn't recognize the exhaust shields as a warranty defect according to the dealer so either I crawl under and clamp them, or have to pay the local exhaust shop to weld them. Also, the paint is of a very poor quality. I normally get a new vehicle every 5 years. In 2018, Nissan will not be top of my list. I am leaning toward Toyota, and since GM brought back the Canyon, I might test drive one of them. If Nissan would fix the idle issue, or put a diesel in the Frontier, I would reconsider. It seems this idle issue has been around for quite a while, Nissan must not care much ?

The reason that I stayed with Nissan was because I got more for the same price with a Frontier, and because I drove a '93 Hardbody for 20 year's, with no major problem's.

My '13 V6 has a smooth idle, and So far, no problem's with the exhaust shield's on mine either.

The Paint does seem to be a bit thinner than the paint was, on my '93 Hardbody.

I would say that for those interested in a Frontier to Test Drive it,, to make sure the Truck will fit you.

Good Luck,

[65ShelbyClone]

The main reason I chose a Nissan crew cab, was my Brother has a 2000 extended cab with a little under 300,000 miles and still going. It survived a timing belt snap, and has the original clutch ! I really like this truck. My 4 biggest gripes are; it could use a little more head room getting in and out in the door opening, they need to fix the rough idle on these trucks, it's very annoying. Because of the rough idle, the exhaust heat shields constantly come loose and rattle. Nissan doesn't recognize the exhaust shields as a warranty defect according to the dealer so either I crawl under and clamp them, or have to pay the local exhaust shop to weld them. Also, the paint is of a very poor quality. I normally get a new vehicle every 5 years. In 2018, Nissan will not be top of my list. I am leaning toward Toyota, and since GM brought back the Canyon, I might test drive one of them. If Nissan would fix the idle issue, or put a diesel in the Frontier, I would reconsider. It seems this idle issue has been around for quite a while, Nissan must not care much ?

Is your brother's truck an I4 or V6? Mine has the four (KA24DE) and the idle is quite smooth. It just hangs high for a while on rare occasion, which makes me think sticking idle control valve.

One thing that does not impress me is the power delivery. There's enough of it, but the power curve sucks IMO for a truck. I've never driven a vehicle period that required a two-gear downshift to bust a move at freeway speed.

The steering is also archaic; a recirculating ball steering box, idler, and drag link make for six ball joints; four more than rack & pinion. I guess Nissan went R&P in '05...close to a decade after Toyota.

[BRubble]

Is your brother's truck an I4 or V6? Mine has the four (KA24DE) and the idle is quite smooth. It just hangs high for a while on rare occasion, which makes me think sticking idle control valve.

One thing that does not impress me is the power delivery. There's enough of it, but the power curve sucks IMO for a truck. I've never driven a vehicle period that required a two-gear downshift to bust a move at freeway speed.

The steering is also archaic; a recirculating ball steering box, idler, and drag link make for six ball joints; four more than rack & pinion. I guess Nissan went R&P in '05...close to a decade after Toyota.

I had a '93 4 cyl and now a '13 v6. Both had/have a very smooth idle. I've heard about the rough idle. It might be those Truck's that are driven through Deep Muddy Water and Played with in the Mud.

The '93 Hardbody with the KA24E engine would Step down pretty easy when the pedal was pressed on,, and the '00 Frontier may have been a little bit heavier as well. I know that the '13 4 cyl Frontier weigh's about 1K lbs more. The Motor is a little bit stronger but still.

The '93 hardbody that I had, did have the Worm/Roller Steering Box,, but the '13 has Rack/Pinion.

Toyota may have beat Nissan on the Steering,, but Toyota,, is behind the Curve, with the Rear Wheel Drum Brake's.

I thought that I'd like the Rack/Pinion steering better,, but Actually the '93 with Worm/Roller steered Better. However the Huge 265/70/16 tire's on the '13,, probably has something to do with it. I imagine,, that the Power Steering Cylinder or Pump, need's to be a little bit stronger to over come the Gyroscopic Resistance of the Wheel's to be moved out of their Rotateing Plane.

It all come's out in the wash, as the old saying goes though, and I expect thing's will start to heat up in the MidSize,, and Full Size Truck Competition. It's allready a Fierce Market,, but I expect Nissan to up their game to stay in the fight.

Although I tend to keep my Truck for a long long time, it'll be interesting for me to watch how the Truck Market Evolve's.

[icrf]

What does the 4LO setting really do?

Just change the final drive ratio is all?
Or does it lock up any diffs for better traction as well?

Looks like this might have gotten lost. 4LO is used when you're driving very slowly and want extra power, traction, and control. It effectively doubles all gear ratios, so your 4:1 first gear becomes 8:1, etc. You don't drive more than about 20 mph in 4LO, and usually going so slow speed doesn't register. It doesn't lock up anything more than 4HI does, so if you want diff locks, that's a separate feature. It just deals with the transfer case.

I've used it a lot off-road, rock crawling and the like, but is also useful if you're pulling a boat out of the water, or ripping a stump out of the ground, especially if you've swapped out for larger tires and hurt your final drive ratio in the other direction. I love it so much I swapped out the gears in the t-case so it's even shorter.

[65ShelbyClone]

Toyota may have beat Nissan on the Steering,, but Toyota,, is behind the Curve, with the Rear Wheel Drum Brake's.

I only hate drum brakes when I have to work on them, which was once in a blue moon with the '90s Toyotas. The shoes would easily go 100k and the drums would last through two sets.

I thought that I'd like the Rack/Pinion steering better,, but Actually the '93 with Worm/Roller steered Better.

I can't speak to Nissan, but Toyota's power R&P is good even with 31x10.5 tires. The '00 Tacoma PreRunner (4x4 chassis with 2WD) I had had lighter, better steering and handled better than my smaller, lighter, and lower 2WD Frontier does. I'm not trying to dog on Nissan because I do like my truck more than not, I just wonder why a company that can produce a techno-car like the Skyline/GTR was still using torsion bars and a steering box after redesigning the truck.

[BRubble]

I can't speak to Nissan, but Toyota's power R&P is good even with 31x10.5 tires. The '00 Tacoma PreRunner (4x4 chassis with 2WD) I had had lighter, better steering and handled better than my smaller, lighter, and lower 2WD Frontier does. I'm not trying to dog on Nissan because I do like my truck more than not, I just wonder why a company that can produce a techno-car like the Skyline/GTR was still using torsion bars and a steering box after redesigning the truck.

I hear ya.

There are definitely thing's that I don't really like about my '13 SVV6. I would have preferred to have a Front metal bumper, but to get the metal bumper,, I would have needed to spend more.

The steering is very tight on the '13,, but I expect as the truck gain's more mile's,, and over time, it'll probly ease up. I guess I would rather it be too tight,, than too loose though.

I do wonder why it took Nissan so long to get the Coolant mixing with the Transmission Fluid problem corrected. Supposedly between 2005-2010. Maybe it was corrected before 2010,, but that's what I keep seeing on the WWW.

Truth be known,, I probly would have gone Tacoma,, if the price difference was much closer to what I got with the Frontier.

So far though, I have to say,, that the '13 SVV6 Frontier meet's my need's completely,, as long as it is as durable,, as the '93 Hardbody that I had for 20 year's. That '93 4 cyl, was such a simple and easy Truck to do maintenance on,, and the cost to own over 20 year's was very low for me.

Fast Forward 20 year's to the '13 Frontier,, and suddenly Simple & Easy,, became complicated. Harder to change the oil filter, and much harder to change the spark plug's,, although I may be long gone,, before the spark plug's need to be changed out.

I also considered the Silverado WT 6 cyl Ext Cab, but again,, the price difference was too much for my meager budget. I'm glad really that it cost too much for me,, cause,, the MPG,, wouldn't have been as good as the '13 V6 Frontier.

Many have complained about the V6 Frontier MPG,, but in my case with 2wd AT KC,, I'm really pleased. I just filled up again Wednesday,, and the MPG,, were 20.2 mpg. So far,, the last few fillup's have given me between 20 and 20.7 mpg, in mixed driveing. I did a theoretical MPG, and figured that I might get about 19 mpg in mixed driveing,, so in that respect,, it's good. When I pull my Trailer though,, I expect the mpg to be much lower,, but the mpg was much lower with the '93 Hardbody as well.

It's way too early to know how durable the '13 SVV6 will be,, but if the Cost of Maintenance and Repair, is low,, like the '93 Hardbody,, then I'll be a Happy Camper.

I guess it all come's down to a budget, for me at least, and liveing within my mean's. I'm just glad that I could afford to get another New Truck in my Lifetime, and I hope and Pray,, that I won't have to get another one. For me,, it was pretty stressful,, trying to negotiate one, with a price that I could afford, that had a V6 Engine.

To me,, Truck's are a lot like Gun's; None are perfect,, but just try to get one that I can live with.