You can't go wrong with this truck!

After selling my '95 Nissan Pickup, and buying a car for a car pool, I decided to get another truck when the car pool dropped to just me and one other. With the good luck I've had with Nissans, that was the first place I looked. I initially wanted a Hardbody because I liked that style better than the Frontier. But I couldn't find one with under 100K on it. I was determined to get a King Cab because of my two girls and the extra leg room when they weren't riding with me. There were none to be found in my area. I then decided to get a new Frontier. I went to the local dealer and picked out a nicely equipped truck. The only request I had was to add a second jump seat since they came with only one. The salesman said it was no problem. It turns out it is a problem. The 2003 does not offer it as a option. He even called Nissan and they told him that it was not safe to add it, even though it was available in 2002 and it was the same truck.

I ended up buying a '97 King Cab 4X4 for an excellent price with 66K on the odometer. It was a very nice truck, but the fuel economy was horrible. It averaged about 16 mpg. The axle ratio was way too high for the interstate and absolutely sucked the gas. With high gas prices and 110 miles to work one way, I couldn't afford to drive it. I ended up driving my Subaru most of the time. I started looking at the 98-2002 Frontiers.

I found this truck at a Dodge dealer and worked out a trade. It had a couple of problems that the dealer fixed before I took delivery. Apparently, Nissan forgot the washers on the sway bar links and they pushed the bushing off causing poor handling. The shield on the catalytic converter was hanging by one bolt. The tension pulley on the engine was clicking. All this was fixed by the very helpful dealer. Everything has been great since.

The truck gets good fuel economy, especially if I keep it under 75 on the highway. The ride is quite good for a truck. The front seats are not as comfortable as the '97 model. I don't know why they didn't keep the previous year model seats; they were much softer. The truck is not very powerful, but it is a 4-cyl. I installed a K&N air filter, gave it a tuneup, and changed the front O2 sensor. I also put on a set of Toyo Spectrum 225/70R15's, which I feel is the best tire I've ever had (also have them on the Subaru). Winter driving was no problem; it has great traction. The heat and a/c work great. All controls are easy to use and the gauges easy to read. The paint is holding up great and interior is wearing well. If you do your own maintenance, the oil filter is unbelievably hard to get off. It is nearly inaccessible. All my Nissans were difficult to get to the oil filter, but this one is the worse.

Overall, I would rate this truck as excellent. Nissan has a reputation for holding up well. I saw many trucks in my search with nearly 200K on them. I will definitely buy another one when I start looking again.