Nissan Frontiers....how are they?
 

Going to check out an 08' Nissan Frontier Quad Cab (non Nismo) this weekend at a local dealer. Only 71,000 miles and they are asking $9,800 for it. Very clean inside and out, zero rust, 4wd, automatic, and has a hard tonneau cover on it too. Anyone know how these things are? Any issues to worry about? Considering it's a Nissan, I figure the thing will run forever as long as it's been taken care of. Carfax is saying it's been owned by 2 owners, and zero accidents.



https://www.cstatic-images.com/super...2227397679.jpg



If I get it, I'll throw a 2 or 3" lift on it, and some decent off road tires to get me through the winter.

They are great trucks. I own one. One HUGE caveat! You have to change the radiator. The OEM is known for a seal failure that allows coolant and tranny fluid to mix! There was a class action suit against Nissan to remedy this. The remedy was extended warranty to 100k and 10 years. It will eventually fail. I changed mine for an all aluminum one from csf for about 350. Install was a bit of a pain, but doable.



That said......I do love my truck. Last Nissan my family owned was my dad's hard body and it lasted 290k when I finally traded it in on my 2009 Frontier. It was 4 wheeled every year and taken hunting every season. Only thing my dad replaced was a clutch, locking hubs, and alternator! Incredibly reliable truck that was very capable off road. Got us everywhere we wanted to go.



As for a lift, look at the rancho quick lift. Very affordable 2" lift. Use a 1/4" spacer on the top of the front spring to get you to 2.5" lift in the front. I used an adjustable shackle in the rear and stuffed 33 skinny talks under it,BFG's. I also used the Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks and the now discontinued air ride system to remotely change my shocks from the cab. Cool system if you can find one for sale.



Check the radiator though before you move forward with the purchase, and check the tranny fluid and coolant for signs of contamination. Also drive it. If it shifts hard, could be a sign of contamination that they may or may not be covering up by throwing fresh fluid in. My truck has 70k and shifts like it was brand new. In fact, my roommate still thinks it's a cvt tranny!! LOL!! To my understanding, Nissan corrected this by 2012, and maybe as early as 2010 Incase you want to keep searching.



Good luck with your decision and if you grab one, welcome to the frontier family!!!

Here's the list of things that need to be checked... Open the coolant reservoir. If there's a rainbow effect on the surface of the coolant or obvious red fluid in there, the tranny cooler is already cracked and it needs a trans and radiator. If not, ask if the radiator has been replaced. If it's a Nissan Dealer they can pull what's called a "Service Comm" and see if it's been replaced. You don't need an aftermarket radiator, they fixed the issue in 2010. All new OEM radiators are updated.



The dealer would have no reason to cover it up. It's still under the 10/100k warranty extension. We like doing them. They pay a lot, even through warranty.



Have them also check the service comm for timing chains. The secondary chains and tensioner shoes wear out. If you hear a noise that sounds like a turbine spooling when you rev it, they need to be changed.



Other common issues... the recirc door actuator (you'll hear a clicking noise in the dash, near the passenger's side A-pillar), oil cooler seal, front swaybar bushings and the side motor mounts.



Those are the things I always checked for on every Frontier that came in for service.

What about the Nissan Titans with the V8? Same dealer has an 04 Extended Cab Titan with 87k for only $7700.



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The 5.6L V8 is pretty bulletproof. However, the Pre-'08's have issues with the manifolds cracking. They're very expensive because the cat is built in. If they've been replaced since '08, you'll be fine. They revised the manifolds in '08. Ask if they've been replaced. They were covered by an 8/80 warranty. Other than that, only small stuff. Sometimes the air/mix door actuator with make noise and need to be replaced. The occasional pinion seal, which is very cheap to replace. Much more reliable than the Frontier.

Awesome! I'll probably show more interest in the Titan then since it's cheaper, less issues and I like the idea of the larger V8 in case I ever do decide I want to tow something.

Went and checked out the trucks this weekend. Well....now I know why they only had pics of the trucks of just one side. When I got there and checked them out, the other side (not showing on their website) was scratched to hell and a bunch of rust on the cab corners, tailgates and other spots. Waste of time. As soon as I saw that, I just turned around and got back in the car. :headshake: Going to check out some more trucks this week. Couple of GMC Sierras and Chevy Silverados, and a quad cab Dodge Ram.

Soooo, I ended up buying a black 2007 Dodge Dakota over the weekend. Club cab, 4wd, 42,000 miles and picked it up $5100. It includes a 3 year powertrain warranty. Not a spec of rust anywhere on it (Southern truck), tranny shifts super smooth and it's quiet as hell. Bought a Lund tri-fold tonneau cover, Flowmaster exhaust, 2" front leveling kit with 1" rear lift blocks, new stereo, bed stripe graphics and window vent visors. Also debadged it the second it got in my driveway. I want to put some meaty off road tires on it since I'm lifting it but the dealer put 4 brand new tires on it so I'll wait until they need to be replaced before getting the off road ones. Or I might just see if I can find some Dodge Ram SRT-10 wheels and tires and throw them on. But for the price (paid all cash for it...screw financing) and for what I need in the winter...this should be fine. :) I'll eventually get some HID's for the headlights and fogs before the winter and maybe even an LED light bar but I'm good for the time being.

Looks identical to this



http://images.trucknsale.com/pictures/40035466.jpg





Not a fan of the chrome grill so I might throw some plastidip over it. :dunno:

Please return the Flownot exhaust. Get ANYTHING else.