I mostly ignore new car ads on television and when the Frontier was mentioned on one of the NPR programs I took a look and found that Nissan offers a somewhat bare bones pickup at a ~reasonble~ price.
http://www.nissanusa.com/trucks/frontier
How does that stack up against the competition?
Found 3 Frontiers for $19,500, rest are $21,000 and up near me. Tacomas start at $23k (1) then $30k and up, same for Colorados in local dealers.
I’d first check the reliability records of those in the same category, then I’d do long test drives to see if I liked it. But that’s me. Reliability is very important to me. How you decide is up to you.
I have a 2014 Frontier SV-V6-Auto-power windows-remote entry-towing package-backup camera-Cargo system with bed extender- sticker was under 27000 and we are pleased with it. We also got 3 year zero %. Yes I would recommend one. I did look at one of the entry levels but we like the bells and whistles.
Just to add info we also have dual climate control-heated seats (worth every thing they cost as an option )
The advantages of a Frontier or similar size truck are if you get it at the right price, the depreciation is low. There are a lot of buyers in the market for a good small pickup. The rear wheel drive layout makes repairs easier. The disadvantages are lower gas mileage than a small car and a harsher ride.
Personally, I don’t mind the ride of a pickup truck and would replace my minivan with a small truck if I didn’t have to transport people.
We have no complaints about the ride of our Frontier and MPG is acceptable. 17 to 19 in town and will reach mid 20’s at reasonable speed on highway. The 4 cylinder should be better.
I once bought a bare-bones Camaro with a 4-cylinder engine because they were selling like hotcakes at the time. My wife wanted a new one at the time so that’s what she got. It even came with a 5-speed and she loved that car and drove it until the wheels fell off. Good thing because it’s value plummeted after the first year.
Always had good luck with Nissan (avg mpg on the 4cyl trucks was 26,) Steady 45 mph on my last 4 cyl Xcab was 30 mpg .
Maybe I should take a closer look at the Frontier. Somehow I let that truck get under my radar.
I’ve seen them and thought they looked quite nice, and sized to more what I’d like in a personal truck.
Edmunds estimates that maintenance and repairs are $1000 less for the 2012 Frontier compared to a similar Tacoma over 5 years. Repairs are about the same. Maintenance for the Tacoma is a lot more. If Toyota is your yardstick, the Frontier seems to be comparable.
Oh, and my cousin is on her second Frontier. She loves them.
I checked out the link and discovered the bare bones model has optional ac
I wouldn’t be surprised if ALL of the Frontiers on the sales lot have the optional ac . . . except for the one truck that the salesman conveniently can’t locate. But he’ll be happy to sell you a heavily optioned truck, for several grand more
I wouldn’t buy a new vehicle without ac
I could live without some other options . . . but ac is a must for me
Heck, my 1994 Tercel has ac. It has a 4 speed stick, roll up windows, and no power steering, but it has ac . . . and it’s actually working great.
Frontier rates VERY poorly versus Tacoma, according to cr, last time I checked
Our Frontier has been trouble free and like all vehicles advertised the prices are usually from x amount then you add options. Add enough options and you can really run the price up. That said for the equipment list we have nothing else would match the price.
This is a personal view but I don’t care for Consumer Reports.
Frontier rates VERY poorly versus Tacoma, according to cr, last time I checked
Without seeing the owners manual of either vehicle, I idly wonder if that might be because the Taco has higher maintenance costs. Remember that trend where car makers would run ads insinuating you could weld your hood shut because you didn’t have to do any maintenance at all for the first 100k miles? Yeah, that’s a great way to break a car.
If Nissan has unrealistically lax maintenance schedules, that could explain a reliability drop.
The problem with ads like that is actually finding a vehicle on any dealer lot for that price.
Quite often that leads to “Oh, that stock number was just sold an hour ago but we have others here…” while leaving the MSRP off the end of the sentence.
Quite often those favorable prices are nothing more than BS honey designed to get foot traffic onto the lot.
Toyotas are good,but the Nissans are alright too,I wouldnt pay a whole lot more just to get the Toyota name,with a few exceptions the Asian stuff seems to do pretty well.(my experience anyhow ,FWIW )
I heard when a dealer runs an ad that they have Frontiers for sale at x amount of dollars, they are only legally required to have 1 bare bones truck at that price.
by the time you even see the ad, it’s probably already been sold . . .
I would expect that the trucks on the dealer’s lot are mostly fitted the way most of their customers want them. If 80% of the customers want crew cab, then 80 % of the new trucks on the lot should be crew cabs. It is unlikely that many people want a stripped truck. If they do, the dealer can order it.
@db4690, I think you’re right and odds are the minute the ad comes out the one vehicle they do have instantly becomes a dealer demonstrator assuming they even had it to begin with.
It’s all designed to generate interest, phone calls, and foot traffic on the lot.
Probably the brother or sister-in-law of someone who works at the dealership buys that one. I’d bet that contractors / small businesses want stripped pickups but they probably pre-negotiate their purchases. . .