2007 Nissan Frontier Nismo

[duckhunter71]

I've got a new mod to report on..

I've been waiting for about 8 weeks for it to come in, but this week I will secure the best mod yet, the "Labrador" mod..

His name is Reed and he'll be gracing my passenger seat in just a few days!

Also, I snagged a crazy deal on a winch, so now I have to figure out what to do with it. As mint as this truck is, I hate to subject it to the overgrown back roads and mountain trails of Arkansas, so I'm torn between ordering up an ARB (or similar bumper) or finding a cheap 4x4 to set up as a budget expo rig.. It'd be cheaper to put the bumper and winch on my Frontier, I'm just torn. Thoughts?

 

[Ramjet]

Great addition. These are my two boys.

 

[duckhunter71]

Awesome! I've had Labs my whole life. Reed's mom, Millie, was my dog for several years. I ended up letting my sister and brother in law take her since I didn't really have a place or time for her after my move and the hours needed to complete my MBA last fall, so I'm excited to get this little guy and start training him.

 

[stioc]

Cute pup! congrats!

As for the rig here're my thoughts. Off-roading to different people means different things. If your off-roading is more or less off-pavement driving then the Fronty with proper mods (pretty much the way you have it) can easily pull a double duty without much compromise at all. For that type of off-roading you don't need a heavy winch (or a bumper unless you have too many wild life encounters...). Many people probably fall in this category believe it or not without knowing and even a stockish 4WD with the right tires will do fine.

If your off-roading is slightly more on the serious side (lots of people fall in this category including me) then I'd say separate your daily driver from your expedition rig. If I were you I'd keep the Fronty as the expo rig and buy a gas-sipping car for commuting because you want something as solid and reliable as you can afford when you're days away from the civilization (no cell signal, no tow service etc). Personally I can drive the Pathy everyday (sometimes I do) if I need to but it's not my daily driver. This allows me to tailor it a bit more to the offroading duties and get away with it such as disconnected sway bars, heavier more expensive tires, a less sporty ride, a bumper+winch etc. I can also work on it at a slower pace and if I break either car I don't have to worry about getting to work.

If your off-roading means hardcore crawling and conquering boulders then you should keep the Fronty as a daily and buy an old truck to build more or less a trailered rig out of it with exo cage and what not. I think you'd be on Pirate4x4 not ExPo if this was you though

No matter what you decide for goodness sakes don't make your decision based on the purchase of your newly acquired winch :sombrero: :26_7_2:

 

[duckhunter71]

Haha good advice - I guess I should rephrase all of that to sound a bit more level-headed and rational.

I have a 2 mile commute, so I'm not concerned about gas mileage and what my DD is. I am not a rock crawler, and do not really get into anything any more serious than a forest service road. However, I do hunt and explore, and when I go back home we have MUD like you wouldn't believe. I despise it, but to get where you're going you have to deal with it. Winches also come in handy when working around the farm, as well. My biggest hesitation in regards to fixing up the Frontier for this type of activity is the toll that the trails would have on my Frontier's appearance and condition.. I'm a bit vain and like for my stuff to look/remain nice!

What I really want is a WD21 Pathfinder. If I were to do a few more things to the Frontier, I'd have to spend $1k or so for an ARB bumper on the Frontier to mount the winch on and then do a few more changes to get it where I'd want it. If I were to get a second rig, I'd really like a WD21 Pathfinder. I could spend $1500-2000 on a WD21, $200 or so for the materials needed for my uncle to build me a bumper with winch mount for it (and potentially rock rails in case I should need them), plus whatever I need for maintenance and tires and what not. I don't need or want anything extreme. Option 2 is obviously more expensive, but I enjoy tinkering and now that my house remodel is in the final stretch, I'll need a project.

Obviously I can get by with what I have, I just would like to do more. This type of thing is my only vice (that costs $$), so I don't feel terribly guilty for spending some time and money for the sake of getting out there and enjoying nature.

Thanks for the advice, my only local friend that is into this kind of thing drinks the Toyota Kool-Aid so he is of no help to me when it comes to discussing a low-cost budget rig. Everything he suggests is way too expensive for my purposes!

 

[Allof75]

Haha good advice - I guess I should rephrase all of that to sound a bit more level-headed and rational.

I have a 2 mile commute, so I'm not concerned about gas mileage and what my DD is. I am not a rock crawler, and do not really get into anything any more serious than a forest service road. However, I do hunt and explore, and when I go back home we have MUD like you wouldn't believe. I despise it, but to get where you're going you have to deal with it. Winches also come in handy when working around the farm, as well. My biggest hesitation in regards to fixing up the Frontier for this type of activity is the toll that the trails would have on my Frontier's appearance and condition.. I'm a bit vain and like for my stuff to look/remain nice!

What I really want is a WD21 Pathfinder. If I were to do a few more things to the Frontier, I'd have to spend $1k or so for an ARB bumper on the Frontier to mount the winch on and then do a few more changes to get it where I'd want it. If I were to get a second rig, I'd really like a WD21 Pathfinder. I could spend $1500-2000 on a WD21, $200 or so for the materials needed for my uncle to build me a bumper with winch mount for it (and potentially rock rails in case I should need them), plus whatever I need for maintenance and tires and what not. I don't need or want anything extreme. Option 2 is obviously more expensive, but I enjoy tinkering and now that my house remodel is in the final stretch, I'll need a project.

Obviously I can get by with what I have, I just would like to do more. This type of thing is my only vice (that costs $$), so I don't feel terribly guilty for spending some time and money for the sake of getting out there and enjoying nature.

Thanks for the advice, my only local friend that is into this kind of thing drinks the Toyota Kool-Aid so he is of no help to me when it comes to discussing a low-cost budget rig. Everything he suggests is way too expensive for my purposes!

Just as Stioc said, it depends on what kind of Wheelin' you're doing as to which would be the better option.

If you're looking to get into more "hardcore" off roading a WD Pathy is a good choice. But you may want to go with something with front and rear solid axles, in which case, assuming you're ok with domestic, I would suggest a Jeep Cherokee XJ. Dirt cheap, parts galore, pretty reliable, very tough, and plenty to tinker with, like every other jeep

But if decide to use the fronty for off roading, why not have your uncle weld up a winch bumper for it?

 

[duckhunter71]

Just as Stioc said, it depends on what kind of Wheelin' you're doing as to which would be the better option.

If you're looking to get into more "hardcore" off roading a WD Pathy is a good choice. But you may want to go with something with front and rear solid axles, in which case, assuming you're ok with domestic, I would suggest a Jeep Cherokee XJ. Dirt cheap, parts galore, pretty reliable, very tough, and plenty to tinker with, like every other jeep

But if decide to use the fronty for off roading, why not have your uncle weld up a winch bumper for it?

I do love XJs, I had a good lead on one a few weeks ago but someone beat me to it! I think I want a project, more than anything. Nothing hardcore, of course.

I'll have to discuss that with my uncle.. I am not sure how fancy of a bumper he can do, though it never hurts to ask!

 

[jacki666]

That,s superb model of the Nissan color black is specially graceful in that Nissan..Seating is also looking much comfortable and left hand drive is very easy to the drive.What is the price of this Nissan model?

 

[duckhunter71]

Thank you. The price varies, used ones might be low teens and new ones are over $30k. Depends on the year, options, mileage, etc. They've been in production since 2005 so there are some deals to be had out there.

As an update - I've decided to make a few changes to the Frontier and use it both as a DD and weekend exploration rig. I'll be ordering an ARB bumper this summer (mainly because I've had a thing for them for as long as I can remember and love the way they look) and will also be purchasing a RTT as soon as I find a good deal and decide which brand and model to go with (any suggestions?). I'm going to have my uncle fab up some mounts to elevate it over the bed, most likely using the Utili-Track rails in the bed. I also intend to replace the stock RF head unit with a touchscreen aftermarket unit that is nav capable and that also offers USB input for my phone.

My buddy and I are planning a trip out west next spring so I've got some time to think things over and plan out what I want to do.

Also on the purchase list - a new dSLR camera to document my journeys with the Frontier.

Stay tuned!

 

[mortonm]

Thank you. The price varies, used ones might be low teens and new ones are over $30k. Depends on the year, options, mileage, etc. They've been in production since 2005 so there are some deals to be had out there.

As an update - I've decided to make a few changes to the Frontier and use it both as a DD and weekend exploration rig. I'll be ordering an ARB bumper this summer (mainly because I've had a thing for them for as long as I can remember and love the way they look) and will also be purchasing a RTT as soon as I find a good deal and decide which brand and model to go with (any suggestions?). I'm going to have my uncle fab up some mounts to elevate it over the bed, most likely using the Utili-Track rails in the bed. I also intend to replace the stock RF head unit with a touchscreen aftermarket unit that is nav capable and that also offers USB input for my phone.

My buddy and I are planning a trip out west next spring so I've got some time to think things over and plan out what I want to do.

Also on the purchase list - a new dSLR camera to document my journeys with the Frontier.

Stay tuned!

Make sure you take lots of pics!

My brother and I are planning on heading out west next spring as well, perhaps to overland expo and some other wanderings, might see you out there!

 

[duckhunter71]

Make sure you take lots of pics!

My brother and I are planning on heading out west next spring as well, perhaps to overland expo and some other wanderings, might see you out there!

I see that it is in Flagstaff this year, is it always there? That would be the week before Memorial Day which is when we plan on traveling next year. It'd be awesome to bump into ya'll!

 

[mortonm]

I see that it is in Flagstaff this year, is it always there? That would be the week before Memorial Day which is when we plan on traveling next year. It'd be awesome to bump into ya'll!

Yup pretty sure the last few years it has been in flagstaff. Would be nice to get a Nissan section going

 

[Co-opski]

Yup pretty sure the last few years it has been in flagstaff. Would be nice to get a Nissan section going

...and you two would represent Nissan well.

 

[duckhunter71]

I just placed the order for my ARB bumper.. So far the best price I've found is through Amazon. It's on backorder, but I'm in no rush. I may be singing a different song as it gets closer to delivery time!

 

[txfactor76]

I waited 4 months for my ARB. By the time I got the call from 4WheelParts, I forgot that I ordered one. lol