any thoughts on the titan?

[calamaridog]

My impression is the Titan is the least desirable full size truck option. Nothing personal to anyone, but that is my .02.

I base this upon having driven in all the new truck offerings, except the new Tundra, which I sat in. My friend at work bought a Titan for himself and an Armada for his wife. Two years later and they are both driving something else, due to too much time in the shop.

While I really like the Frontier pickup, and would consider it alongside the Tacoma, I just don't feel the same way about the Titan. Hopefully time will prove me wrong and I'll hear more positive feedback from people like Brettf.

I really like my brother-in-laws new Dodge 1500. I feel the mid-model improvements were dead on.

 

[jingram]

If you are going to buy a full size vehicle, what is the point of buying one without a diesel. That means the Nissan and Toyota are both subpar compared to the domestics.

eepwall:

 

[DaveInDenver]

If you are going to buy a full size vehicle, what is the point of buying one without a diesel. That means the Nissan and Toyota are both subpar compared to the domestics.

I do think that's a great point and I agree that we should be able to get diesels in more vehicles. However you can't get a diesel in a F150, Ram 1500 or the Silverado 1/2 ton either. That's the market in which the Titan and Tundra supposedly compete.

 

[Deleted member 1276]

If you are going to buy a full size vehicle, what is the point of buying one without a diesel. That means the Nissan and Toyota are both subpar compared to the domestics.

eepwall:

I certainly wish I had a diesel. I didn't really know better at the time though...

That being said, for someone who wants a new full-size truck and can't afford a diesel or doesn't want to deal with diesel for some reason, a gas engine is a good (if only) option.

Not sure your logic is sound with regards to toyota/nissan being subpar... I think I see what you mean, but that sounds an awful lot like ******** talking for the sake of it.

 

[Haggis]

brettf, seems like your having better luck with your Titan than my Dad is. On the plus side :
-Great strong pulling motor and smooth trans
-Nice for those long trips over the interstate
-Does a great job towing
Now for the bad:
-Brakes and rotors are crap, 80,000 miles and on its 4th set. Nissan took care of the first two sets, Dad bought factory stuff the third, This time we are trying Powerslot rotors and EBC brakes, Mainly because they are half the price of the OEM crap.
-Rear diff went out around 40,000 miles
-Front axles snapped around 50,000 miles
-Rear door latches broke around 55,000 miles
-Exhaust rotted off behind the cat and radiator cracked along the plastic seam around 80,000 miles
-Nissan OEM parts are very expensive when compared to other brands

This truck is not wheel hardly at all and is used mostly for driving the old folks from one of my Dad's huntin' trips to another. Out West, Up North, down South, anywhere there's critters to get. It's an 04 crew cab with the Nismo Offraod package and the Big Tow Package. It sucks off road, never seems to be able to find traction and it sits way to low. We thought the traction issue was with the stock tires, so we switched to Toyo's with no real improvement. Dad's been driving off road for ever, you have to when your in the timber business, so he knows what he's doing with a rig.

He's had a belly full and wants to get rid of it.

 

[jingram]

Not sure your logic is sound with regards to toyota/nissan being subpar... I think I see what you mean, but that sounds an awful lot like ******** talking for the sake of it.

I own a Nissan (see Avatar) and have owned several, same with Toyotas and Isuzu and Jeep for that matter. It was a bit of a poke because I wish Diesels were more plentiful in the US.

:sombrero:

I don't think either of their offerings are subpar, far from it. In reality I was giving calamaridog, who made the post above mine stating that the Titan was the least desireable of the full size trucks, a hard time. IMHO though, if you are going fullsize, really what is the point of going with an Import offering? Domestic Automakers have that market down cold. Not to say there isn't any room for innovation, far from it, but if I was in that market, the Big 3... err was Big 3 would be on the top of my list. It is simply hard to beat the package offered with the towing power and fuel economy of a diesel package and I see no other good reason to own a full size vehicle besides their capability as heavy duty/heavy hauler platforms.

I do think that's a great point and I agree that we should be able to get diesels in more vehicles. However you can't get a diesel in a F150, Ram 1500 or the Silverado 1/2 ton either. That's the market in which the Titan and Tundra supposedly compete.

Now this I can agree with. Both the Tundra and the Titan were designed to compete with "entry level" offerings from Ford, GM, and Dodge. Then again, if both Toyota and Nissan had a decent Diesel offering, it isn't like they need a new platform to make a Titan or Tundra "Heavy Duty". We all know that the only real thing that seperates at least the first and middle tier of full size trucks is the drivetrain and suspension. Interior/Exterior volume are nearly identical between identical packages (quad cab, standard cab longbed, etc.)

 

[edgear]

Being a Toyota guy myself, I was bummed when my dad recently sold his Tundra double cab & bought a Titan double cab. But after having spent more time around the vehicle, I'm starting to like it more. The interior space seems much bigger. And the lockable storage behind the rear driver side wheel is pretty darn cool. When he was getting ready to put on a camper shell, I encouraged him to get one with "windoors." Now he has a pretty nice setup. I was jealous on our last hunting trip when he was sleeping comfortably on his queen sized mattress in the back of his truck, and I was sleeping in the fetal position in the back of my 5' bed.

Personally, I wanted a small truck, so that's why I bought a Tacoma before they made the bigger body style in '05. But if I was in the market to get a non-diesel full-size pickup, I would seriously look at the Titan. I haven't talked him into taking it on a difficult trail yet, but time will tell...

 

[Deleted member 1276]

brettf, seems like your having better luck with your Titan than my Dad is. On the plus side :
-Great strong pulling motor and smooth trans
-Nice for those long trips over the interstate
-Does a great job towing
Now for the bad:
-Brakes and rotors are crap, 80,000 miles and on its 4th set. Nissan took care of the first two sets, Dad bought factory stuff the third, This time we are trying Powerslot rotors and EBC brakes, Mainly because they are half the price of the OEM crap.
-Rear diff went out around 40,000 miles
-Front axles snapped around 50,000 miles
-Rear door latches broke around 55,000 miles
-Exhaust rotted off behind the cat and radiator cracked along the plastic seam around 80,000 miles
-Nissan OEM parts are very expensive when compared to other brands

This truck is not wheel hardly at all and is used mostly for driving the old folks from one of my Dad's huntin' trips to another. Out West, Up North, down South, anywhere there's critters to get. It's an 04 crew cab with the Nismo Offraod package and the Big Tow Package. It sucks off road, never seems to be able to find traction and it sits way to low. We thought the traction issue was with the stock tires, so we switched to Toyo's with no real improvement. Dad's been driving off road for ever, you have to when your in the timber business, so he knows what he's doing with a rig.

He's had a belly full and wants to get rid of it.

Wow. Not good to hear. I've been somewhat active in a Titan forum and am aware of some of these problems on some trucks, but wow.

On the traction note, there are quite a few Titan owners running lifts who have installed traction bars because of axle wrap issues. Some people with stock suspension have done the same to eliminate (real or perceived) axle wrap as well. I have no complaints in that department whatsoever, lucklily.

Good luck to you guys getting rid of it or whatever happens with it.

 

[Deleted member 1276]

I wish Diesels were more plentiful in the US.

Amen.

 

[vengeful]

brettf, seems like your having better luck with your Titan than my Dad is. On the plus side :
-Great strong pulling motor and smooth trans
-Nice for those long trips over the interstate
-Does a great job towing
Now for the bad:
-Brakes and rotors are crap, 80,000 miles and on its 4th set. Nissan took care of the first two sets, Dad bought factory stuff the third, This time we are trying Powerslot rotors and EBC brakes, Mainly because they are half the price of the OEM crap.
-Rear diff went out around 40,000 miles
-Front axles snapped around 50,000 miles
-Rear door latches broke around 55,000 miles
-Exhaust rotted off behind the cat and radiator cracked along the plastic seam around 80,000 miles
-Nissan OEM parts are very expensive when compared to other brands

This truck is not wheel hardly at all and is used mostly for driving the old folks from one of my Dad's huntin' trips to another. Out West, Up North, down South, anywhere there's critters to get. It's an 04 crew cab with the Nismo Offraod package and the Big Tow Package. It sucks off road, never seems to be able to find traction and it sits way to low. We thought the traction issue was with the stock tires, so we switched to Toyo's with no real improvement. Dad's been driving off road for ever, you have to when your in the timber business, so he knows what he's doing with a rig.

He's had a belly full and wants to get rid of it.

I'll tell you why. It's a 2004. Never buy the first year of a new model release. They are always full of bugs and problems. I bet you even got an early 04, too, with all the real bad brake issues.

Trade it in on an 07, and you won't have any of those issues.

 

[Haggis]

I'll tell you why. It's a 2004. Never buy the first year of a new model release. They are always full of bugs and problems. I bet you even got an early 04, too, with all the real bad brake issues.

Trade it in on an 07, and you won't have any of those issues.

It's my old man's truck, not mine and I would not have bought it. I never buy the first of anything, just not an early adopter I guess, Hell I'm an old school solid front axle guy, not to many choices in those these days. But then again a nearly $40,000 truck should not have these kind of problems and having talked to the Nissan manager at the dealership he bought it at, it seems this a recurring experience for many titan owners, not just the '04s. I don't know about you all but the pricing on new trucks is just getting out of control, I'd rather spend my $40,000 on a good rental property, and be collecting $500 a month than paying it to some bank. Nissan had their shot at the old man, I don't think they'll get another chance. He's considering a new Tundra, but when Ma saw the price on those that Nissan will have to last for awhile. What's funny is that his most dependable vehicle is his 79 Dodge 250 dumping flatbed, now that's a truck.

 

[vengeful]

I do agree that Full-Size truck pricing has gotten WAAAAY out of hand.

I priced out a 2008 Ford F-350 Superduty the other day..came out to just over $60,000. $60,000 for a friggin pickup truck! Outlandish!
:smileeek:

 

[jingram]

$60k? Are you kidding me? That IS outlandish!! :smileeek: What is the term on that thing? 120 months?

 

[vengeful]

Monthly payments were $1092 over 72 months - and that's through USAA!

Unbelievable....I'll take a $12,000, 120k mile 80-Series before that! :sombrero: