Dad is fed up with his '97 F-150 & needs replacement; **Update 7-11** Frontier XE V6 Crew Cab **PICS**

[Demon-Xanth]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: alkemyst
F150 -> Tundra ... if he is using the F150 for it's capabilites the Tacoma may not be enough truck.

My father has a Tundra (extended cab, 4.7L) he likes it a lot, good towing capacity (23' Dusky Center-console Open Fisherman with double engines and 130 gallons of fuel sometimes)...he is looking into a SUV type vehicle now since the homeowners association is requiring all open bed trucks to be garaged.

The medium - large SUV market is ridiculous as far as pricing goes. He is leaning to a 1996 Bronco (last year) 5.8L

Wtf kind of messed up homeowners' association is that?

There's some town houses near where I work:
Blinds cannot be left open.
They have to be a particular style and color
The garage cannot be left open for more than 5 minutes
There is no parking in the streets


It looks like the place is vacant, but they just don't want to see people outside. I'd get kicked out of that place in less than a week.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
If he does any type of work with it then get a GMC or Chevy. Ford is OK but always has some problem here or there, and dodge trucks always seem to be one step back.Toyota is a OK truck for driving around and doing light work.

My dads company has switched to all GMC/Chevy trucks and upkeep and repairs have dropped.

Import only for my dad. He's not buying anymore domestics.

And it is basically light duty stuff (afterall, the F-150 has the V6 so you can see he doesn't do heavy duty stuff). He doesn't tow. And another thing, he wants better gas mileage. Even with the 6, it drinks gas like a frat boy drinks beer.

Then the Toyo might do what he needs. Just have him check to see what the Max weight is he will have in the bed and make sure the truck can handle at least 10% more than his max. If not move up to something bigger. Toyota truck are good city trucks, but so far not very good work trucks. But the majority of trucks and 4X4's never see offroad or heavy loads, so toyota is going after the BIG peice of the pie.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
NSF4 asking about car advice?!!!?!?!!? :Q Hell HAS frozen over

Tell him to wait, he NEEDS a Titan

Not car advice...TRUCK advice. I'm not up to terms on most truck stuff.

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: alkemyst F150 -> Tundra ... if he is using the F150 for it's capabilites the Tacoma may not be enough truck. My father has a Tundra (extended cab, 4.7L) he likes it a lot, good towing capacity (23' Dusky Center-console Open Fisherman with double engines and 130 gallons of fuel sometimes)...he is looking into a SUV type vehicle now since the homeowners association is requiring all open bed trucks to be garaged. The medium - large SUV market is ridiculous as far as pricing goes. He is leaning to a 1996 Bronco (last year) 5.8L

Wtf kind of messed up homeowners' association is that?

There's some town houses near where I work: Blinds cannot be left open. They have to be a particular style and color The garage cannot be left open for more than 5 minutes There is no parking in the streets It looks like the place is vacant, but they just don't want to see people outside. I'd get kicked out of that place in less than a week.

Most home owners associations are stupid, and people are stupid for letting the association run over them for the sake of making the neightborhood look "nice".

I'm glad that my neighborhood doesn't have one

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: rbloedow NSF4 asking about car advice?!!!?!?!!? :Q Hell HAS frozen over Tell him to wait, he NEEDS a Titan

Not car advice...TRUCK advice. I'm not up to terms on most truck stuff.

Hmm, so you admit defeat?!!?!!!?!?!!!

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: rbloedow

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: rbloedow NSF4 asking about car advice?!!!?!?!!? :Q Hell HAS frozen over Tell him to wait, he NEEDS a Titan

Not car advice...TRUCK advice. I'm not up to terms on most truck stuff.

Hmm, so you admit defeat?!!?!!!?!?!!!

I don't admit defeat. I admit asking for help. If this had been about SUV's or cars, I probably wouldn't have asked. But pickups are something that i really don't keep up with.

I think I might get him to take a look at the Frontier Crew Long Bed as well. That might fit better into his needs.

 

[Tom]

Shame he wants better gas mileage, except for that my Ram is a great truck, so far. It's extremely comfortable and has a great ride and handling. Plus I'm too old(fat) to enjoy being cramped up in a tiny truck.

Plus I've seen dealers advertise new ones with a Hemi and quad-cab for under $25000. Don't know how legit of a deal it is though.

But no one I know ever regretted getting a Toyota. If he spends a lot of time in it I would just be sure it's comfortable for him.

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis

Originally posted by: alkemyst
F150 -> Tundra ... if he is using the F150 for it's capabilites the Tacoma may not be enough truck.

My father has a Tundra (extended cab, 4.7L) he likes it a lot, good towing capacity (23' Dusky Center-console Open Fisherman with double engines and 130 gallons of fuel sometimes)...he is looking into a SUV type vehicle now since the homeowners association is requiring all open bed trucks to be garaged.

The medium - large SUV market is ridiculous as far as pricing goes. He is leaning to a 1996 Bronco (last year) 5.8L

Wtf kind of messed up homeowners' association is that?

There's some town houses near where I work:
Blinds cannot be left open.
They have to be a particular style and color
The garage cannot be left open for more than 5 minutes
There is no parking in the streets


It looks like the place is vacant, but they just don't want to see people outside. I'd get kicked out of that place in less than a week.

Good lord....there is some messed up people...

 

[Parrotheader]

I'm not an owner of Tacoma DoubleCab, but I WAS seriously looking at them about 7 months ago before opting for a different crew cab truck. I knew I wanted 4-door pickup because I need the bed space to haul stuff (without worrying about roof and cleanliness limitations of an SUV) but I also needed a little room to haul people and our future kids without being a gas chugging whale. Compact crew cabs seemed like the ideal solution and so far I was right. I use the bed fairly regularly (although not daily) and I can easily take 3 co-workers with me out to lunch. You wouldn't want to travel long distances with 4 adults in there, but it's fine for short-medium distances.

I personally ended up opting for a 2000 Frontier Crew Cab because the new DoubleCab Tacomas were priced a little too high IMO. You could get a more fully equipped Frontier for considerably less, but I personally just don't like the industrial/rivet exterior styling on the current Frontiers. Luckily I realized the 2000 model Frontiers were more attractive for my tastes with similar styling to the current Tacomas. Plus, they could be had for substantially cheaper. The hard part was just finding one that fit my requirements. I love my truck.

The Tacomas are awesome trucks IMO. A little spartan on the inside, but hey, it's a truck right? They actually get a little better mileage than the Frontiers even though the base V6 has more horsepower. However, the Tacoma didn't feel quite as torquey as the Frontier V6 to me (the Taco felt like it had a powerband a bit more like a car engine with the power kicking in more at higher rpms.) The Frontiers were by far the best handling of the crew cabs we drove, but the Tacoma was definitely a lot better handling than the more cumbersome SportTrac's and Dakotas. And obviously the Toyota reliablity is always a plus.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Parrotheader
I'm not an owner of Tacoma DoubleCab, but I WAS seriously looking at them about 7 months ago before opting for a different crew cab truck. I knew I wanted 4-door pickup because I need the bed space to haul stuff (without worrying about roof and cleanliness limitations of an SUV) but I also needed a little room to haul people and our future kids without being a gas chugging whale. Compact crew cabs seemed like the ideal solution and so far I was right. I use the bed fairly regularly (although not daily) and I can easily take 3 co-workers with me out to lunch. You wouldn't want to travel long distances with 4 adults in there, but it's fine for short-medium distances.

I personally ended up opting for a 2000 Frontier Crew Cab because the new DoubleCab Tacomas were priced a little too high IMO. You could get a more fully equipped Frontier for considerably less, but I personally just don't like the industrial/rivet exterior styling on the current Frontiers. Luckily I realized the 2000 model Frontiers were more attractive for my tastes with similar styling to the current Tacomas. Plus, they could be had for substantially cheaper. The hard part was just finding one that fit my requirements. I love my truck.

The Tacomas are awesome trucks IMO. A little spartan on the inside, but hey, it's a truck right? They actually get a little better mileage than the Frontiers even though the base V6 has more horsepower. However, the Tacoma didn't feel quite as torquey as the Frontier V6 to me (the Taco felt like it had a powerband a bit more like a car engine with the power kicking in more at higher rpms.) The Frontiers were by far the best handling of the crew cabs we drove, but the Tacoma was definitely a lot better handling than the more cumbersome SportTrac's and Dakotas. And obviously the Toyota reliablity is always a plus.

Thanks for your insight. I just talked to my dad again an mentioned the Nissan Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed and he kinda liked the sound of that He said he's going to the credit union at work to see what they can work out for him. He's planning on getting the vehicle by week's end. He also wants me to find pricing on his F-150 so he can sell it outright (dealers r@pe you on trade-in...especially with high mileage vehicles).

Right now, It's between the Tacoma Double Cab or the Nissan Frontier Crew. I'm sure he's leaning towards Toyota b/c he's fallen in love with them, but the Frontier seems like it has more "utility."

Problem is, I don't think he knows what a Frontier Crew looks like. Knowing his tastes, he'll probably balk at its "industrial" look

 

[Parrotheader]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Right now, It's between the Tacoma Double Cab or the Nissan Frontier Crew. I'm sure he's leaning towards Toyota b/c he's fallen in love with them, but the Frontier seems like it has more "utility."

Problem is, I don't think he knows what a Frontier Crew looks like. Knowing his tastes, he'll probably balk at its "industrial" look

How can he NOT know what the Frontier looks like. Nissan's selling them like hotcakes. LIke I said, the current body style just doesn't do it for me, but apparently a lot of people love them (or possibly love the price.) It seems like younger people would be more inclined toward that aggressive styling though.

I forgot about the long-bed option on the latest Frontiers. That is a nice option to have. I'm surprised Toyota and the others aren't doing it yet, although maybe it's because they all have more expensive full-sized trucks they'd rather steer prospective buyers to while Nissan currently only has the Frontier. Which made me thinkg of one other little thing. Maybe they measure the same, but I swear the bed on the Tacoma felt rather shallow in comparison to all the other compact/mid-sized crew cab. Maybe it was just me, but it certainly left that impression. Granted, none are as deep as the SportTrac (with the truck rail being too high off the ground and too short a bed IMO) but depending upon what he's hauling everyday the depth of the bed could be important as well.

 

[newbiepcuser]

I use to own just basic model Tacoma, very reliabe truck. Just changed the oil and othe regulare mainteance. It was bumpy ride, but it was very reliable. I was so happy with it, when I did upgrade I got Tacoma Prerunner v6. I haven't had any problems with this Tacoma either.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Parrotheader

Originally posted by: NFS4
Right now, It's between the Tacoma Double Cab or the Nissan Frontier Crew. I'm sure he's leaning towards Toyota b/c he's fallen in love with them, but the Frontier seems like it has more "utility."

Problem is, I don't think he knows what a Frontier Crew looks like. Knowing his tastes, he'll probably balk at its "industrial" look

How can he NOT know what the Frontier looks like. Nissan's selling them like hotcakes. LIke I said, the current body style just doesn't do it for me, but apparently a lot of people love them (or possibly love the price.) It seems like younger people would be more inclined toward that aggressive styling though.

I forgot about the long-bed option on the latest Frontiers. That is a nice option to have. I'm surprised Toyota and the others aren't doing it yet, although maybe it's because they all have more expensive full-sized trucks they'd rather steer prospective buyers to while Nissan currently only has the Frontier. Which made me thinkg of one other little thing. Maybe they measure the same, but I swear the bed on the Tacoma felt rather shallow in comparison to all the other compact/mid-sized crew cab. Maybe it was just me, but it certainly left that impression. Granted, none are as deep as the SportTrac (with the truck rail being too high off the ground and too short a bed IMO) but depending upon what he's hauling everyday the depth of the bed could be important as well.

He's probably seen it, but doesn't recall the name of it. The Nissan is priced just right too. $21,913 for SE V6 (not S/C) Crew Long Bed, 4-speed auto, 4WD and optional bedliner. It comes standard with A/C and CD player and a bunch of stuff that the Tacoma doesn't even have at that price.

 

[DrVos]

I bought a 2003 DCab Tacoma V6 TRD in April and absolutely love it. I don't do much heavy hauling and the Taco seems to suit me just fine. Something to keep in mind is that the DCab's bed is only 5 feet long, though you can purchase a flip out bed extender which would extend the bed another foot and half or so. Mileage is decent, I avg around 18mpg but I'm hoping that will go up as the engine breaks in.

 

[NFS4]

Hmm, Tacoma has a $750 rebate available. Frontier has $1,500 rebate.

Frontier has more bed space, better features, cheaper price, larger rebate. Seems like a no brainer

Guess we'll go to both dealerships later this week.

 

[DrVos]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Hmm, Tacoma has a $750 rebate available. Frontier has $1,500 rebate.

Frontier has more bed space, better features, cheaper price, larger rebate. Seems like a no brainer

Guess we'll go to both dealerships later this week.

Make sure that the Tacoma rebate applies to doublecabs as well, when I was shopping for a truck, the rebate DID NOT apply to DCabs.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: yellowfiero
Ewww! Buy American!!!

Dude you are talking about NFS4 here....Basher of all american car products.


Ausm

 

[NFS4]

Credit Union approved him for $25,000.


'03 Frontier 4dr Crew Cab XE-V6 4WD LB (3.3L 6cyl 4A)

MSRP / Invoice / TMV

Base
$22,639 / $21,174 / $21,196

Options
P03 XE Power Package* $999 / $866 / $868
M96 Bedliner-Under w/Rail Caps, Long Bed info $359 / $215 / $217

Total
$24,537 / $22,795 / $22,781

Rebates available
$1,500

*XE Power Package (Includes power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, remote keyless entry, cruise control and tilt steering wheel)

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: ausm

Originally posted by: yellowfiero
Ewww! Buy American!!!

Dude you are talking about NFS4 here....Basher of all american car products.


Ausm

The Tacoma is actually more American that most of the so-called "American" brands. You are guaranteed that the truck you buy was built right here in the good old U.S.A., right in Fremont, CA.

Can you say the same for a Canadian-built Ford or a Mexican-built GM? And please don't even mention that German car company that tried to pretend that it is still American.

 

[NFS4]

The Tacoma is actually more American that most of the so-called "American" brands. You are guaranteed that the truck you buy was built right here in the good old U.S.A., right in Fremont, CA.

Can you say the same for a Canadian-built Ford or a Mexican-built GM? And please don't even mention that German car company that tried to pretend that it is still American.

Yep, same for the Frontier. Built right in TN.

Most of the biggest selling Honda/Toyota/Nissan models are built right here in the US.

 

[grillmasterP]

I am the proud owner of a 99 Tacoma Xtracab V6 4wd.
I know plenty of DC owners & I am an active member of the Tacoma Territory Off-roader's assoc.

check out
TTORA
Visit the talk forum- There is/was a specific DoubleCab Sub -forum but it may have died.

As far as gas mileage with a V6/Auto expect 16-18mpg city.
With my Xtracab 5spd 4wd- I see about 17.5-18mpg city/daily driving - 19-20Hwy
On my previous 4cyl auto Prerunner Xtracab - I consistently had 18.5-19 mpg city
The Xtracab & Doublecab share the same wheelbase & just about everything else -
Double cab is & has only been available with an automatic tranny.

There have been quite a few older tacoma owners that have traded in to the double cab.
Toyota truck reliability as well as resale value cannont be beat IMHO

for example - I bought a used Tacoma prerunner- sold it for $250 less than what I paid after 2 1/2 years & 40K+ miles
how is that for "depreciation"

Great Truck! Definately worth it

 

[grillmasterP]

Toyota has quite a few combinations when it comes to Tacomas:
single cab, xtracab, doublecab....
2wd, 2wd Prerunner, 4wd
There is a significant difference (although it does not apply to the double cab) between the regular 2wd & the 2wd Prerunners - The Prerunner shares the same suspension/components/height(6 lug wheel) as the 4wd counterparts while the reg 2wd trucks are significantly lower, lighter suspension, brakes 5 lug compared to 6 lug wheels but get much better mileage-
Double cabs are available only as 2wd Prerunners or 4wd
The 2.7 4cyl is a great engine but is better mated w/ a manual tranny - So if you get the Double cab (that only comes w/ auto - I say get the V6 -
As far as 4wd - Stock Tacoma 4wd's are VERY offroad Capable -
As far as other options & pkgs- TRD supercharger is available as well as a Rear electronic locking differential.

Currently My father, my brother, & I each have tacoma's (So I am a little biased)

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: grillmasterP
Toyota has quite a few combinations when it comes to Tacomas:
single cab, xtracab, doublecab....
2wd, 2wd Prerunner, 4wd
There is a significant difference (although it does not apply to the double cab) between the regular 2wd & the 2wd Prerunners - The Prerunner shares the same suspension/components/height(6 lug wheel) as the 4wd counterparts while the reg 2wd trucks are significantly lower, lighter suspension, brakes 5 lug compared to 6 lug wheels but get much better mileage-
Double cabs are available only as 2wd Prerunners or 4wd
The 2.7 4cyl is a great engine but is better mated w/ a manual tranny - So if you get the Double cab (that only comes w/ auto - I say get the V6 -
As far as 4wd - Stock Tacoma 4wd's are VERY offroad Capable -
As far as other options & pkgs- TRD supercharger is available as well as a Rear electronic locking differential.

Currently My father, my brother, & I each have tacoma's (So I am a little biased)

Hehe. On my way back from Morrisville, I saw a Double Cab Tacoma on the highway. The bed looks EXTREMELY tiny. Doubt you could even fit a body back there My dad is planning on putting a shell on the back of the vehicle, so the DC Tacoma just looks like it may not be big enough to hold anything useful.

 

[grillmasterP]

Its funny, (Pre- Tacoma Days) toyota offered short(standard) & long beds....not anymore
I expect them to offer an optional "longer" bed tacoma soon , I guess nissan just beat them to it.
When it comes to the Crew cab & double cab, they both have a shortened bed, Nissan just recently offered the longer(regular-sized) bed. The shorter bed is equivalent to the bed of a truck with a toolbox in it- Its still pretty useful.
One thing to compare is over-all length - As I said above, Double-cab & Xtracab share the same wheel base....
My Xtracab tacoma is longer than a 4-runner - So you might want to consider the overall length of the Nissan.
Also , Nissan has price in its favor.
I test drove both Frontier & Tacomas when I was shopping and your dad should do the same. I have nothing against Nissans either, My fiance bought an Xterra last year because it seemed the best bang for the buck.

One of my friends traded his 4wd Frontier for a Slightly used 4wd Tacoma - his opinion, Frontier is a good daily driver truck for the money - but doesn't compare to the over-all/off-road ability of the tacoma. I think you can get away with more abuse & neglect on a tacoma

 

[NFS4]

Well, my dad just called me on my cell. I'm gonna meet him at the Nissan dealership in about 45 mins