If They Only Made a Full Size Truck

I purchased my little Nissan SE 4X4 King Cab new late in 1993. I was dropping down in size from my full sized Chevy 4X4 at the time. My wife had been having great success with foreign cars. Seeing as how my two year old Chevy was having transmission problems and my previous Ford truck was a disaster from day one, I figured I didn't owe the American manufactures anything other than a swift kick in the pants.

The first thing that I noticed was a relaxed atmosphere at the Nissan dealership. No one hassled me. They were just friendly and informative. I looked at the Nissan trucks then moved on to the Toyota and Mazda dealerships. I was looking for a little 4X4 that was packed with features. At the time, Mazda didn't have the features I was looking for. Toyota had all the features but a high price tag went along with them. So back to Nissan I went. I purchased the charcoal grey SE 4X4 and never regretted it.

The purchase price was right at $18,000 with a $500 rebate. I thought this was a good price for a base model 4X4 but this little truck was loaded. Check out this options list; sunroof, PW, PL, cruise control, air, delay wipers, am/fm cassette with a CD player, power drivers seat with lumbar support, 31"x10" tires, aluminum wheels, limited slip rear axle, etc...

I would always trade a vehicle in after three years without fail. I kept this little truck for seven years before my towing needs and growing family forced me back into a full sized pickup. In those seven years my Nissan was used and abused. I took it offroad as often as I could. I pulled stumps out with it. I hauled heavy loads in it. I towed with it. I changed the oil and had maintenance done when ever I felt like it. In seven years I replaced one fuel pump. That was all it ever needed through all of that abuse. I'd like to report on Nissan's service department but since I was never there, I can't.

On the road the truck performed well. I went on several long trips in the vehicle without incident. I'm a pretty big guy and it was a little cramped to drive at times. I wouldn't recommend this pickup for someone over 6'3" tall. Also, don't expect to be putting adults in the jump seats but for smaller children they're fine. The jump seat design allows you to really put a lot of cargo in the cab. Luggage or groceries were never a problem. Also, don't expect this vehicle to pull your cabin cruiser. A boat up to about 18' will pretty much max it out.

I'm not the type to get all sentimental but it brings a tear to my eye when I think about trading my little truck in.