It is time to buy a new pickup. I have a 97 Ranger XLT extended cab (158,000 mi) that I have been so happy with that I am almost sure to buy another one - the repairs have been very few and easily affordable. However, there have been times I needed to haul a small U-haul and my little Ranger (4-cyl) had a tough time of it. Everytime I park next to somone with a Titan I ask them for an opinion - they have all been pleased so far. I see loss leader ads at $18K for the king cab at times, and so I am tempted - has anyone had to make repairs (a/c, clutch, water pump, etc) and are they made so that these common repairs aren't so outrageously costly (as Toyota's are)? I am interested in hearing Titan owners sound off. littleberry
I love my Titan. But it is a full sized pickup. Much bigger than the Ranger with a lot more capacity and towing power. IMO, the Frontier is a better compare to a Ranger.
Early Titans had some teething problems but I believe they are just about perfect now. Fuel economy is OK for a 300+ HP truck. Just don't expect much better than 16 or so MPG highway unless you are a very conservative driver.
The 07 has a plus up on HP due to variable valve timing.
I would absolutely buy another but would also give a close look at the new Toyota full size.
I have a 2006 Frontier (King Cab, 4WD, V-6) - the USA Nissan truck that is closest in size to your Ranger. I am disappointed with the Frontier. We have a small farm and I purchased the Frontier to replace an older stripped down F150 (1992, 6 cylinder, 2WD, short box). We also have a 1999 Ranger (Supercab, 4WD, 4.0L V6). I anticipated that the Frontier would be more comfortable than the F150 or Ranger, haul more than the Ranger, and have fuel mileage somewhere in between. I am disappointed on all counts. The Frontier has the worst seats known to man. The console in the middle essentially makes the drivers space about the same as a Miata. The rear jump seats are worse than useless (they keep falling down and getting in the way and no one can fit in them). The fuel mileage is worse than the old F150. And despite having a bigger box than the Ranger, if you actually try to load it down with farm supplies (seed / chemical / etc.), you cannot haul any more than the Ranger because the rear suspension bottoms out sooner. Nissan did an amazing thing, they combined a horrible ride with no load carrying capacity. The Ranger actually rides better and can carry as much. The old F150 was much more comfortable and could carry a lot more than the Frontier. When I was shopping, I narrowed my choices down to the Frontier, Tacoma, Ranger, and Colorado. I didn't buy a Ranger because I thought they were too small and we had been buying those for 20 years. I didn't buy the Colorado because I thought it was under-powered and cheap feeling. I didn't buy the Tacoma because it costs too much relative to the others. I wish I had bought another Ranger or maybe bitten the bullet and bought the Tacoma. The Ranger was thousands less than any of the others, and today, when I am at the farm and drive the 2006 Frontier back to back with the 1999 Ranger, I am always struck by how much more comfortable the Ranger is, despite being much smaller looking. Now if you are interested in drag racing pick-ups, the Frontier has a clear advantage. Once you get it in the power band, the Nissan V-6 engine really pulls. However, the low end sucks, and if you are trying to drive around in soft dirt with the bed loaded, the crappy old OHV V-6 in the Ranger is better. Oh yeah, one more complaint - who in the hell decided to put the oil filter in the center front of the engine and cover it with a slash shield. They did put an access door in the shield, but it is too small and makes changing the oil a pain in the hand. The best things about the Frontier are the engine and transmission. These would be great in a car. And if you are just going to ride around town in your truck, they are a good combination (except the gas mileage sucks). If you get a Frontier, make sure you get the upgraded seats. The standard seats look good but really suck on a longer trip. Oh yeah, the Frontier has been back to the dealer three times in the first 8 months - two recalls, a fix for the jump seats (fix didn't work), and a misadjusted rear door. Fuel economy over the first 8 months and 13,000 miles is slightly worse than for my old F150 (I keep a gas mileage log).
Ed
wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
IMHO, the 1997 Nissan PU was the last of the good looking, reliable, and comfortable Nissan Pickups that didn't try to combine a truck and family sedan in one vehicle and thereby lose on both counts.
After asking around and thinking about it, I have decided to get another Ranger, OR an F150. Whichever one appears in the newspaper as a loss leader first, that is where I'll go. thanks for the replies, littleberry
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