Well folks, looks like it’s time to trade in my old car for a small truck which will be more useful to me for many things I need such as light towing (4 wheeler, small boat, etc) and handiness for moving stuff. In light of the past 3 1/2-5 years, I will not be buying ANYTHING touched by the hands of the big 3 and their unions. So that brings up two choices: Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. Any experience with either of these two? I’m looking for ease of maintenance, cheap and readily available parts, durability, etc. The info I have is that Toyota trucks seem to really last–true or not true? Are Nissans better, worse, same? Any quirks of either I should know? Also I gather I can pick up a few extra MPG by using a net tailgate–true or no, and if true, how much difference does it make?
I own and am on the verge of selling my 2002 Nissan Frontier.
Good effing riddance.
I noticed almost from the day I drove it off the lot that they must have put it together with the cheapest materials available.
Windshield wipers went within three months (I mean the rubber part deteriorated), even though that truck couldn’t have sat on the lot for more than a month or two.
Rubber seals around the fenders went next.
Just out of warranty it needed a new EGR valve.
Of course as it aged it needed brakes, tires, battery, etc., but all at thousands of miles less than the Chevy Cavalier I traded off to get it.
Now at 95,000 miles it wants something else every few months.
I was always told a Nissan pickup with 100,000 miles on it was just broken in. I think they meant “broken.”
Get the Toyota.
toyota has pedigree over nissan.
In the light duty pick up arena, Toyota all the way. Nissan makes some excellent cars (had a hand full of them) but Toyota picks up wins hands down there. I’m fan of Subaru but they don’t make a viable competitor the Toyota pick up if that’s what you need.
Just went from a Subaru to a Toyota Rav4 V6 Sport, and I couldn’t be happier with the choice so far, but that’s not a pick up but small SUV.
as I say you dont see old Nissan or American trucks kicking around Central America or Australia or Africa or Mexico only old Toyota trucks 
that alone should tell ya all ya need to know
Tacoma
/thread
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Get the Toyota.
Nissan trucks and SUVs are certainly not on the same quality level as Toyota trucks and SUVs, and that is fairly commonly held opinion among Japanese auto enthusiasts.
The Toyota is the better product in this comparison. The Taco is a very solid little truck that has a very strong following, which helps in aftermarket support and resale.
I used to have the tacoma best light truck ever in my opinion
Tacoma
Yep, resale value should be a factor as well. Around here finding a used Taco is just about impossible. Nobody wants to get rid of them. The four cylinders especially now b/c of fuel prices.
The older Nissan square body trucks (before Nissan gave their small truck an actual model name) are quite good at reliability. The new ones not so much. Like Doc Glockster mentioned, they just have a cheap ‘feel’ about them.
-Jax
I have uber experience with Toyota, currently I’m on my fourth Tacoma 4x4, this one a taco(regular cab 4x4). I got rid of my 09 Tacoma double cab 4x4 last July, this because its gas mileage was no better then(actually worse)my Ford F-150. It averaged about 16 miles to the gallon, which given the political climate with the communist party control of the economy paired with $4.00 a gallon gas, was not very comforting.
So I dumped it on a 2011 Tacoma Regular Cab 4x4, which are in fact, somewhat hard to come by, and nearly impossible to come by as you prefer them equipped! I got lucky, my guy located me a black Taco, with bucket seats, and automatic transmission, it came equipped with air/am/fm/cd/tilt wheel/sliding rear window/magnetic hubs, and the 2.7 four cyl motor.
Either version(double/regular)is the best in its class, by far! The six cyl double cab will obviously get you to a different level of performance, most(mine did)come with the off road suspension(just different shocks)and the ability to tow upwards of 6500 pounds. the trade off being the slump(significant)in gas mileage. They also come equipped with all the goodies, with more refinement to the interior of the cab(metallic dash trim/multiple CD player/leather/power locks/windows/mirrors/cruise/tilt/fog lamps/ect…)…
On the other hand the Taco usually only comes equipped with a manual five speed transmission, bench seats, blackend dash trim, single CD/AM/FM player, tilt wheel, and maybe a rear sliding window. They do not come equipped with power windows, locks, mirrors, cruise, fog lamps, or the beefier off-road shocks(you don’t need em). Toyota only delivers the taco in two packages, pony, and really pony! However, they do come equipped with the best freaking motor on the planet, Toyota’s 2.7L four cyl, Toyota offers the same motor in diesal, but not in the USA market! This power plant is delivering me just over 28 MPGs on the road(its the only driving I do), I’m absolutely certain that if I took it across country, I’d easily get it up over 30! Of course all those MPGs come at a price, you can only tow 3500 lbs with a taco, not a big deal if the truck is a run-about, however, if it’s your primary, or only rig, you’re losing a lot of towing capacity to the double cabs six cyl!
I got lucky with mine, it was located by Maplewood Toyota, it came equipped with bucket seats, and automatic transmission. I added the cruise, fog lamps, bull bar with PIA lights, and the hitch. The ponied Taco is fairly affordable at about $22,000, mine was purchased for $23,900, plus I added in an additional $5500.00 in other goodies, so it wasn’t nearly as inexpensive, in fact by the time I was done with it, it was equal to, or greater in price then the extended cab version.
The 2.7L four, with regular care, should get you an easy 300,000 miles of service life, a few go well beyond that before they cack up the spirit…Either way, you’ll be getting a superb pick-up…
You get 28 mpg in a 4x4 2.7 liter auto? Damn!
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200K on my '99 Tacoma.
I have owned both. A 2001 taco 5spd 6cyl TRD 4X4 and a 2005 frontier.
Taco hands down.
The only thing the frontier had on the taco was the location of the oil filter.
The taco just seemed better built and easier to work on. The taco also had more comfortable seats.
Best thing to do is look at taco and Nissan forums to review issues and modifications you may want to make. I sold my taco with 89k on it and never changed anything but oil, I sold my Nissan with 189k on it. At 175k I changed the timming chains and tensioners, at 189k the overdrive and reverse went out. I sold it.
I bought a titain with 90k on it 2 years ago and it now has 187k on it.
I would still vote taco.
I have owned two Toyota Tacomas (1999 and 2006) and one Nissan Frontier. My Frontier was supercharged. It got 12 mpg city, and 6 mpg when I towed a trailer with 4 wheelers. That is right, 6 mpg. As in “six miles per gallon”. The Frontier did not make me happy.
The Tacomas were perfect in every way. The first one I sold at just 40K miles (got the 4 door Frontier because of baby), the second one I sold at 60K miles (got a Tundra because I wanted a bigger truck). So I am not one of these guys who can claim 400K miles from a Toyota, but the served me well while I had them. The Tundra is not so good.
A lot of the recent Frontiers and Xterras have a coolant line that runs through the transmission, and it is prone to leaking. I don’t recall exactly when that was fixed/changed or if it was.
So if you are looking at used trucks and they are out of powertrain warranty, that would be a major concern as the transmissions aren’t cheap. I happen to really like Xterras and I don’t mind the spartan (or some say cheap) interiors.
bc
Tacoma hands down. Have two friends that owned Tacomas, one was an 02, the other an 08. No issues whatsoever, and the 05+ with the 4.0 V6 have good pep with a reliable motor. Oil changes are stupid easy, due to the oil filter up top. Before I bought my 03 4Runner, I was looking at the 05+ double cab Tacos with 4x4. Very hard to find them for sale, and their resale is stronger then the Runner (which holds value pretty well).
Agreed. Toyota (Helix/Tacos) are the most prevalent vehicle in use in the middle east and especially in AFG. Then the Land Rover Defender…wish the imported those and the Helix to the U.S.
The Hilux is a Tacoma with a much beefier frame, suspension, and the 2.7L diesel. Once upon a time Toyota sold the Hilux in the USA, alas no more! The Tacoma was built especially for the USA market, it was “intentionally” engineered to be less durable then the Hilux, the idea being that rich American’s would buy a new one ever 3-5 years! While the Tacoma is a great little truck, its no match for the virtually indestructable Hilux…Its the Hilux thats seen all over the middle east, not the Tacoma…