kcowyo said:
Mmmmm....NISMO..................:clapsmile
That looks like one sharp truck! The NISMO package definitely has my attention. :lurk:
I like the effort Nissan is putting into making their 4WD offerings unique from the rest. I have driven a Titan but not a Frontier, so I'll be interested in hearing your impressions.
Good buy David! :beer:
thanks! its an eye catcher thats for sure. my wife wasnt sold on the frontier looks until i showed her marks frontier page on his website. so i definitly owe him a cold one :beer: and at the dealership she like it more than the other frontiers. i also really like the thought and effort nissan is putting into the trucks that was one of the things that really sold me on the brand line. my impressions, hmmm well here are some rambling thoughts. everything in trucks, like life, is a compromise.
i read somewhere that nissan said there are 2 types of truck buyers. most are men, and there are the kind that want a truck to go the lowes and buy a couple bags of mulch and a weed wacker that wont quite fit in a car but hate the idea of a minivan and only use the bed a few times a week. (that is me) then there are the type that use their truck for construction work or are really hard on them, they are usually very brand loyal, and LOVE EAT BREATHE AND LIVE nascar. ok i added that nascar bit. anyway nissan realizes they are not going to win those second group of guys over and doesnt try. they do a great job of offering what the first group wants and makes it attractive to switch from whatever they have into a nissan.
i liked the titan, its more refined and "nicer" that the fronty, but its bigger and doesnt get as good mileage. but the engine and trans combo thats in it whoa momma talk about power. i didnt like the fact that almost all the rims were 18" except for the nismo. tires that big are spendy even for stock replacements. i LOVED the utility bed option! the storage box, extra lights at the end of the bed and power outlet and rails and assisted tail gate are not rocket science, but for the price of trucks these days they should be on every make and model. it just shows what nissan is doing to try to win a certian demographic in the market. i wish i had some of those things on my truck( i do have the rails, they are standard on the nismo package). the materials and "fit and finish" were a little nicer i thought. it has a few more nifty gadgets. and i found the captians chairs a little more comfortable. but all this comes at a premium and you pay for it on the sticker price. if i needed a half ton i think this would be it. and it would have to have the utility bed option.
i liked the frontier. for my current needs (comuting and small jobs around the house) it fits my needs better. it is cheaper and you can tell. dont get me wrong, i really like everything about it but its not a high end luxury truck and doesnt pretend to be. the only thing that i dont like thats not a little nit pcik i can resolve easily is that it has no armrest for the right arm of the driver. i dont think any compact truck does and it really bugs me.
as for the nismo package i wanted it for a few reasons:
there is no way my wife would let me spend extra cash for a selectable locker later on, it just wouldnt happen. i have never had a locker and i can think of only a handful of times i could have ever used one. but now that i have one i can use it if i need to
i really liked the rims better than the other trim levels. i personally hate the thought of buying new rims for a new truck, had the stock ones on my old ford and i still loved them when i traded it it. rims rarely need to be replaced except for cosmetic reasons if they are not abused. also they are 16" instead of the lots more difficult and expensive to get tires for 17" on the other trim levels. and i hate the crappy goodyears that come on the other trim levels. mark can back me up on this one he had problems with his in the first few months i believe. i have never had good luck with that particular type of tire on a few different vehicles i have had or been around.
the nismo comes with a few other things that eurorom mentioned fog lights and factory window tint and some other stuff thats just kinda cool to have. is this other minor stuff nesecary? no not really, but i think it might save money in the long run as some of it, like tint, was bound to be added at some point.
springs and shocks: first the stuff i know about, sortta, the shocks. they are "bilstien". i dont know if they are actually bilstien shocks and are designed to work with this truck specifically or if they are just branded bilstien for the name and blue and yellow. i am still uncertian it the springs are different. i think they are because it just sits a little different than the others. but i have read that they are the same and shocks are the only difference. the few places that do make lift kits for them do not specify any thing different for the regular vs. nismo models. i do know that my wife liked the way this one looked sitting on the lot and that had a lot to do with her aproval and the regular ones look just a little different. i cant really place what it is they are just a little different.
the stereo is awsome. i have the rockford fosgate upgraded radio and amp/subwoffer. the down side is the sub/amp takes up about a third of the useful space under the rear seat storage. the good side is it sounds great and has steering wheel controls. again is it nesecary? no not really but it a lot better than a costco cd player and blown out rear speakers. mine is "satalite ready" but doesnt have a satalite equiped head unit. i am checking to see how much it would cost to be able to have my xm radio in the factory head unit. i think its going to be over 300$ so i will probably just put my xm skifi 2 unit in & try to make it look good.
i had a look around under the truck and eng compartment yesterday on my creeper. i think BN mentioned in another thread how "tucked " everything was under there and i must concur that i really like that most of the stuff that could hang down quite a bit doesnt. at least as far as the transmission aft goes most things are at or above the frame rails. now from the eng forward it a different story. hmmm the front suspension looks awfully vulnerable. the distance from the ground to the frame rails has got to be within a 1/4" of my old half ton ford on 31" tires. and it had lots of stuff hanging down pretty low. but clearnce on the front end was a little better, not much mind you but a little. i think the prg leveling kit i want will help with that. at least a little.
now the skid plates :xxrotflma :sport_box i dont know who thought these up. they are not going to stop anything but road debris on the freeway if you are lucky. on the other hand they are really cheap to replace. like 20$ cheap. they might make pretty good templates for real protection later on though.
ok i cant think of anything else that you might find interesting right now and i have to go get the truck ready so when my wife gets here with the girls they can ride in it to go see the wiggles! im afraid the wiggles are as close to the outback as im going to get.
