J_Marc

So I'm looking at picking up a truck soon. There's all kinds of options out there, but personally there's the Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier that I'm much more interested in.

I'm in the market for something used between 2004-2006 in the price range of $14K to $18K( in Canadian currency ), needs to be 4x4. The Rangers and Frontiers I'm looking at both have 4.0 L V6 power plants with surprisingly similar fuel economy, the Frontier gets about +1 mpg city/highway. Although power and towing isn't an issue right now, the Frontier is much more capable by far. Before looking into the Frontier, I had in mind to sell the Ranger later on and get something bigger, having a Frontier and keeping it might be a better idea now.

The strong points about the Ranger is the availability, they're everywhere, I have all kinds to choose from. This also means they're abundant in salvage yards, parts are easy to get, as far as I know, the aftermarket support for maintenance and repair parts should be good. The negative points about the Ranger is that it's pretty plain, there's not much too it, where on the other hand the Frontier is a lot nicer. All of the Rangers in the age/price range I'm looking at are for sale by dealers, lease returns they get at the auction. Some of them are kinda beat, even though they're reconditioned they come from a cheap lease, and the owners likely didn't care for them.

When it comes to the Frontier what I like is the look of it inside and outside, there's more power, has a nicer stance. There's lots of detail, seems like a better build quality, I've owned Nissans before, and the power trains are very strong and reliable IMO better than what I've heard about Ford. The big thing that's bothering me about the Frontier is the availability not only of the truck itself, but of the parts. There's only a few for sale around here, I might end up looking a little farther, but I'd like to stay local. It scares me that salvage yards might not have much stuff available, which leaves me at their mercy having to wait for parts they locate elsewhere, or having to pay $$$ for new at the dealer. I'm assuming maintenance cost will be more expensive, but with proper maintenance it could be more reliable than the Ranger to even it out.

I'm not really looking at any other trucks/brands except for maybe a Ridgeline, but the cheapest one at this point is almost more than what I'm willing to pay. I'm not looking at Toyotas, they're too expensive, 01-03 models over sell for as much as these newer trucks I'm looking at. Dodge and GM are out of the question and the not so common Mazda's are just a rebadged Ranger.

Here's a comparison between the Frontier and Tacoma

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKw2hX6xShc

One of the Frontiers for sale locally is an '05 Nismo edition like the one in the video, it's blue in color and has 80,000 miles/130,000 kms. The asking price is 18K but come with a 6 month/6000 km powertrain warranty which is great since it gets me through the first winter and into next year when I'll have quite a bit more into my savings. If the payment and insurance is good this could be hard to pass up.

So what do you all think, I know there's plenty to consider. I'm hoping to get some good input, this is a much bigger vehicle purchase than the ones I've made before.

civtec20

Go with the frontier nicer inside and out than tacoma and ranger IMO the best midsize truck but an 05 nismo with 80,000 miles for $18,000 seems like a whole **** load of money

J_Marc

Might seem like a shitload of money to you, but I'm in Canada, any and every vehicle is more expensive here than in the US.

There's about 6-7 Frontiers I'm looking at, all within a 300 km radius of where I am. They're 05's to 07's, all between $18K-$22K. I went to check out the Nismo today, I was pretty impressed with the truck, he offered to sell it for $17K but I don't want to buy the first one I look at. He also has an 07 SE crew cab, same truck as the Nismo except it doesn't have the off road package and alloys, the only useful feature I'd be losing would be the locking rear diff. The 07's in a little bit better shape, he'd sell it for $21,500. Both are offered with a 6 month/6000 km powertrain warranty which is nice.

There's an 06 ext cab for sale by owner, low mileage, factory warranty remaining, I talked to him today he's asking $21,500 willing to negociate. If I want to drive 2 hours, a Nissan dealer has the identical truck, 5 speed, with somewhat higher mileage for $18K. There's also an 05 SE I'm going to call about tomorrow, not sure all the details yet.

I'm also thinking about a Ridgeline, the dealer who has the Nismo, just got an 06 Ridgeline, I didn't get to see it yet, but he'd sell it for $18K, which is much less than other dealers sell theirs around here.

1.5Slowmatic

my dad bought his 06 ranger brand new with the FX4 package for 23k. It had basically everything of the Level II package minus the interior. The forged alcoa wheels, 4.10 LSD rear and 31x10.5 tires and a quick *** 5 speed auto. I love that truck its so fast and has plenty of power to haul a serious load in the bed. Of course if you go with the base model ranger, sure its gonna look plain but look around for the FX4 or LevelII package

Splaturn

Heh...As a Ford guy, I'll be the first to tell you.




You're better off with the Frontier.

GoLowDrew

If you ask this question 15 years ago, maybe Ranger.

The Ranger is incredibly small inside, even with extended cab models. The seat is also lower to the floor, so that may be a comfort factor for passengers (driver) too. And your arms feel like they need to hang out of the truck.

No question - Nissan.

The only advantage Ranger has is price (and maybe MPG for the 4).

That Nissan VQ engine is a gem. Think 350Z, G35, Maxima.

J_Marc

Yeah, the Ranger is a good deal, but that's as far as it goes. I'm not canceling the Ranger, I still have to compare insure cost between the two, I'm still working on getting the quotes.

As far as the Frontier is concerned, it's by far the best I've driven, I like it even better than my uncle's 05 Tundra. Very comfortable, handles awesome the truck is just solid.

J_Marc

I've seen them on the used car lots, the thing with these and the other Rangers is the owners lease and don't give a hell about them. They end up getting picked up at the auctions and most of the ones I've seen are pretty beat.

Frontiers on the other hand are much more pricey when new, the type of person that buys one is a bit more well off. The ones I've looked at are in decent shape.

SlammedDC2teg

Go with the Frontier.

Splaturn

I've been off roading a few times with guys in near stock Rangers and near stock Frontiers. Very rarely have I had to help pull a frontier somewhere (whether it's off an obstacle, or due to mechanical malfunction) when compared to Rangers.

Each has it's own pros and cons

The ranger has more parts at the junk yard, true. But to find a 2004 in the junkyard is about the same as finding a 2004 frontier in the JY. Luckily, the last generation ranger began in 98
Rangers seem more plentiful because the name's been out there forever. If you go to a junkyard and look for Nissan Hardbodies, you'll realize that these (basically older frontiers) are plentiful too.
The Build quality on the interior of the Frontier is quite a bit nicer than that of the Ranger. Less rattling, squeaks, and better fitment.
The Frontier will have a better resale value if you decide to sell it, but that also means a higher price when you buy it, too.

This is just what I've noticed/experienced, though.
Take into consideration any towing you'll do.
Your main purpose for the truck.
The kind of driving you'll be doing.

Stuff like that will help you in choosing the right truck. I have no idea what each can tow, it's payload, fuel economy, any of that....But I can attest to the fact that stock for stock, a frontier will out wheel a ranger.

J_Marc

The Frontier towing capacity is rated at 6300 lbs, the Ranger is at 3100 lbs, there's quite a difference, enough that I wouldn't bother with the Ranger for towing, I need something that can bring my crx to the track.

The Frontier actually gets 1 mpg more than the Ranger city and highway and it still has lots more power.

I also looked at crash test videos on Youtube, I wasn't quite impressed with how well the ranger held up, I was even less impressed with how the dummy got tossed around.

GoLowDrew

I was impress with the "cool" factor of the Ranger "Splash" models. The colors, the features, and price. Again, until I sat in it.

It would not change my vote for the Nissan.

J_Marc

Well I made a couple calls today, the two I need to travel a bit to see are still available, unfortunately I've come down with a flu so I won't be going anywhere tomorrow. I'm getting my insurance quotes all done by Monday and I might go see one of the trucks hopefully in the evening. Another one has popped up locally and I spoke to a sales rep at the nearest Nissan dealer to see if the could keep an eye open for one at the auctions.

zdizzle

Ill give to imports when it comes to sedan and small cars but when it comes to pick up especially the ranger its hard to beat. Look how many old ford rangers or s-10 u see on the road. I dd a ford ranger in chicago snow wth 275,000 miles standard I beat the **** out of it these lil trucks are amazing.

1.5Slowmatic

im 6'2" and so is my dad and we have TONS of room in his truck. I like driving it because of the seat height, feels just like my civic. I dont really notice any rattles or squeaks or anything like that.

heres his


hes getting 18-20mpg with mainly city driving with a TOUCH of highway right now with 31x10.5's and 4.10's. That aint to shabby for a 4wd 5spd auto v6. That thing loves the abuse too. Seats are comfy as hell too

zdizzle

Ranger ftw! These are great lil trucks.

J_Marc

I do still like the rangers.... what I really would've liked is an F-250 reg. cab XLT, but I can't justify it right now, if I was a baller I'd get a King Ranch edition F-250.

I'm still looking at the Frontiers, I was sick with the flu last weekend so it backed me up a bit. I checked with my insurance, the pricing is great. I'm going to see the dealer with the Nismo and the 07 SE later to talk about how all the pricing and financing is broken down, then Saturday there's another one I want to see.

I kind of feel like I'm going back to my roots, I've had a few Nissans, it's got me craving a rwd car again.

88Hatchy

I'm not sure about the Nissan, but the Ford front suspension is garbage (balljoints, tie rods, etc). Before making a decision, get some estimates on front suspension overhauls. Also be prepared for the Ranger suspension to sag to the left.

1.5Slowmatic

the yellow one is a touch over 3 years now and there is nothing of the sort. Infact he just installed a tune via an SCT Cortex tuner tonight and i drove it. Holy hell that thing woke up. 20-60 is like nothing with the super quick shiftin tranny.

JDMHN8

Frontier. VQ40 is the best V6 in a midsize truck. My dad's Xterra hauls f'uckin ***! I love Toyotas, but I would never buy a Tacoma when a vastly superior Japanese truck is available with more power, more options and at a better price.

Go for the Nismo. I believe Frontiers/Xterras with the rear locker have a Dana 44 vs. the Nissan R200. Much more robust axle.

With the Nissan, expect to never have a working gas gauge though! One of the most annoying short comings of an otherwise great truck.

acura_el2000

I'm kinda in the same boat. I'm looking for a used small truck for a winter vehicle, you can get a brand new Ranger for less then what a lot of the used Japanese ones are going for. Tacoma's and Frontiers have some sort of ridiculous ability to hold their value. there was a Tacoma for like $9,400 from like 92 with like 130,000km on it. Like WTF is that guy thinking?

J_Marc

You can a Ranger get for less, but it's a lesser truck. The price of quality is worth paying compared to paying for repairs on something of lesser quality, in the end it evens out, and in some people's cases they come out ahead by having the Toyota/Nissan if they really take care of their stuff.

The ability to hold resale value has to do with the demand, they are very expensive new, and people want them but can't afford them. People want used ones more than they want a new one, you can ask more. The reason you can get more for a used Tacoma/Frontier than a Ranger is that Rangers are cheaper new, lots more people can buy them new so there isn't as much of a market for used ones, so the used one are very common, and they need to be cheaper or else they'll just stay on the sales lot longer.

I bought my '07 Frontier earlier today, didn't have a drive or enough time to go pick it up before work. I finished work not long ago, so I'm getting up early to go get it, and hopefully the weather is nice so I can give it wash, clay bar, and wax before I leave for work. It's a crew cab 4x4, white w/tan interior, factory powertrain warranty remaining, new tires, brakes recently done, it's in real good shape, just needs a detailing. The dealer I bought it from is a real up front and honest guy, he had a car check report, his receipts for the work he did and the crash sensor recall that Nissan did. He sells only top notch Toyotas and Nissans.

I'll try to get some pictures soon. Thanks to everybody for the tips, advice, and input. I really had to compare lots of factors and do some research, The Frontier is really tough to beat, I knows it's weak points/strong points so I'll be taking good care of it, maintenance is gonna be important.

dewey werk

My buddy recently sold his 07 Nismo Frontier. It was dark blue with black interior. Thing was a beast. I loved everything about that truck. Very nice. I would def recommend it. Although the Rangers arent bad. A little more boring but my dad's 05 Ranger had a great stance, was pleanty powerful (the frontier felt way more powerful though) and he had zero issues with it. He even rolled it once and it never had any engine troubles what-so-ever. We sold it with 114K on the odometer. If i had to choose between the two though, i would def get the Nismo Frontier. It is a badass truck.

*Edit...didnt see your last post! Congrats...nice choice.

crxcess

My sister has a frontier. they have problems with cracking exhaust manifolds and it is not cheap to repair. it is a nice vehicle compared to the ranger.

ranger does get better gas mileage though.

this is all pretty pointless since you picked one already, but I would have suggest driving both and seeing which one fit you better.

the ranger is WAY overdue for a upgrade. Since ford is having trouble financially, I think upgrading the ranger has been very limited. oh well.

good luck!

J_Marc

When you mention the cracking exhaust manifolds, do you mean the cat. converters? I'm aware of that being an issue with some Nissans and some Frontiers as well, it's a pricey ordeal, but I expect that with any vehicle, any brand/model will have it's issues.

When I looked up the fuel mileage for 4x4 Rangers and 4x4 Frontiers, the Frontiers gets +1 mpg both city and highway, not a big difference.

It's funny you mention the Ranger being overdue for an upgrade, they have a new model developed it's supposed to be released in 2010 as a 2011 model, it looks a lot like a Frontier actually, they'll have a crew cab model.

So far my Frontier is awesome, the weather was nice on Saturday so it got detailed. I clay bar'd it, waxed it, did the interior, and all the glass. The truck turned out nice I have some pictures I'll post up later. Today I ordered some winter floor mats from Nissan dealer, I'm hoping to get it undercoated and ready for the winter within a month.