Which USED CC LWB Frontier to Get?

[Battle]

Hello Nissan heads! Pardon the interruption from a Jeep XJ owner but I'm thinking of dipping my toes into your pool.

I'm looking to get a used "small" crew cab long bed 4x4 pickup as a winter driver/adventure vehicle, and parts runner while I work on my Jeeps (they need some garage time). I'm wanting to do a beach driving/camping trip around October and another couple has expressed interest in coming along (I was going to use my 4dr Jeep XJ but it needs u-joints, control arms, and a new heater core among other things), which is why I'm leaning toward a crew cab, and I want the long bed so I can sleep in the bed with the tail gate up (I'm only 5'7" and my lady is shorter). The bed would also help haul around axles/engines/etc. I'm not looking to wheel this truck (that's what the Jeep is for) but do want to take it on forest roads, the beach, and in all weather conditions, so only mods would tires and probably a bed topper. It would, for all intents and purposes, be a light-duty overland truck.

There are not a lot of CC LWB small/midsize trucks out there and I really don't want to spend more than $20K on this, which pretty much rules out the Chevy Colorado/ GMC Canyon. As far as I can tell, this leaves me with the D22 and D40 Frontiers, and second-gen Tacomas... which I find to be the ugliest trucks ever made and I would kick myself for buying a Toyota 4X4 that wasn't a Land Cruiser anyways.

So pretty much, I've got Frontier Fever! Which one would you recommend? The D40 seems by far and away the better truck (timing chain 4.0, more power without the added complexity of a supercharger, modernish creature comforts, more than 5k lb towing capacity, etc). I'm really wanting a post 2010 so I can avoid the automatic transmission issues but these are hard to find for less than $20K and I really wouldn't want to finance/borrow more than that.

While my brain wants a newer D40, my heart wants a supercharged D22! - I even found a black 2002 supercharged CC LWB 4x4 and I really dig it! I know it makes less power than the D40 and has a 4sp auto instead of a 5sp, but boost is fun and I really like the D22s aesthetics and 90s vibe. How much would I be missing if I went with the older rig? I can get these for less than $10K which means cash and no financing, which I'm down with.

Fuel type is another thing on my mind - I'm assuming the supercharged D22 wants 91-93 octane and most D40s are fine with 87. I've been paying out the butt all year to run my summer cars, but those go away in the winter and I'm kind of tired of paying for premium all the time.

Any advice, thoughts, experiences are welcome - thanks!

 

[llamalander]

The pre 2010 SMOD (strawberry milkshake of death) is real, but hasn't and won't happen to every frontier. My 2008 came with a stock transmission cooler for towing, never required the very simple bypass. Testing the coolant for hydrocarbons will let you know if there is any cross-contamination, and if not, bypass the radiator or add a trans cooler and the problem is avoided. Great trucks, good power, acceptable mileage and very capable and durable unmodified. Great 4wd for snow or bad roads. The brakes on the D40's are wanting and so is the turn radius, but the driving position is great and comfortable, the cab has useable controls and maxing the payload will not drastically change the driving dynamics. Also, reliable. Change the oil, fill the washer, give it good tires and it is happy.

 

[Wyo37]

What about a Suzuki Equator?

 

[colodak]

What about a Suzuki Equator?

Zero body parts availability, the front end is not interchangeable with the Frontier, most of the mechanical is interchanged though

 

[sideburns]

While I'm partial to D40 CC LWB Frontiers. The colorado and canyon are only about 10% more expensive used, they aren't Taco priced. I think there are more CC LWB trucks too. Might be easier to find than Frontier.