[PinheadLarry]

Hi there everyone!

I'm new to the forum, and really love what I see. For a while now I have kicked around the idea of buying a mid-size truck for myself, the only problem being that I am paranoid and miserly.
So to put my paranoia at ease a bit I have turned to you all at the Frontier Forum! Most of what i need to know is just about reliability, I am looking at crew cab 4x4s and would hate to spend so much to get something that will break. I realize that a lot of this will come down to how hard I off road it and how well I maintain it.
I suppose to sum up all that I need to know is: Are 4x4 Frontiers reliable, I will be looking mostly at manual transmissions but would consider an automatic for the right price. This is probably the wrong forum to ask this but would it be worth it to just spend the extra money and get myself a toyota? (I can't wrap my head around the fact that they would be worth so much more)
Some info that would probably be useful would be to know that I like in New Mexico in a High Desert climate, and most of my offroading will be done on washed out dirt roads/mud when it rains.

Thanks for any help and advice in advance, I look forward to more posts.

 

[40112]

2010 CC SE 4x4, 169,000 mile and just routine maintenance. Came over from years of Toyotas. Not going back.


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[Zedbra]

If you plan on buying the truck and keeping it, get the Frontier. Save the money up front to customize it how you'd prefer. Do your regular maintenance and you are good to go for years. My truck has 10 hard years on it and still going strong. Now if you are one of those people that swap vehicles every three years, the Toyota probably has a higher resale value. I personally didn't like the Toyota ergonomics inside the truck and how it drove. Not sure if they still use C channel frames or not, but I never liked that idea on a small truck (under 5 tonne).

 

[finallygotatruck]

Most of the design bugs were worked out in the 2012 year model. This truck is unchanged since the mid 2000's and looking to be unchanged thru the 2018 year model. Thats a long production run from a Car maker with a known reliability reputation. (despite what you might read here I'll stack a Nissan against any Toyota Honda or American vehicle any day of the year)

You'll want to change the headlights if your off roading....You'll want an extension for the center console cover... You'll want to check the battery lugs for corrosion every oil change until you replace the battery (vents near the positive lug) and I'm putting a mesh cover over the front grill lower opening to keep rocks and such out of the radiator.


Other then that, they are about 8 grand cheaper then a similar Taco , have a peppier engine then the GM midsized (can you say "SLUG with electrical problems") and parts are almost as easy to find as small block Chevy parts IMHO.I've found everything I've looked for first try.


Dealers are hit and miss. I hit on my purchase, others not so much.


Jump in, the water is FINE!

 

[jaymarstel]

I love my Frontier! Follow maintenance guidelines (oil, oil filter, air filter changes as per guideline) and you'll have many years & miles of reliability! These trucks are very, very tough!

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[ghmpm]

Obviously you are not going to get many Toyota lovers on this forum. As for me, I looked at the Tacoma when I bought my first Frontier and 1. The prices were exorbitant and 2. I do not like the styling of the newer ones. The Frontier has had nearly 13 years to work out all the bugs and is tried and true. If you shop around the Frontier resale prices are not bad, perhaps not Taco class but since you pay a lot less in the beginning... Plan on mediocre to poor fuel economy, but after all it is a truck not a car with a truck bed on it.

All that to say I love my Frontier and I am amazed how smooth and quiet it is on the highway and capable off-road! Good luck with your choice!

 

[OutFrontFrontier]

X 5 year Toyota Tech(94-99), I've owned several Toyota 4x4s. None have been as good to me as my Frontier. I've never owned a vehicle this long either. It will be five years/45Kmi on 12/20/17!!! These trucks offer so much yet require so little, especially in upfront costs. Save $4500 and get yourself a Frontier.

 

[Contra]

Welcome to the fold (in the future)