coleL
Member
If I had the money, I'd have a 2023 Tacoma TRD Sport Long Bed. Back when they still had the V6.
Ford Ranger or Nissan Frontier
- Thread starter coleL
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Hem
Well-known member
Nice trucks...but spendy.
The ' 22 Frontier i bought new was cheaper than used Tacos with 40k.
Gulf of America
Well-known member
My sister had a second gen Frontier. Great little truck, but the transmission cooler line within the radiator is known to fail, mixing antifreeze with ATF and blowing the transmission. Happened to my sister at ~110k miles, had to replace the radiator and tranny for somewhere in the range of $6k. I think this was fixed in the latter part of the 2nd gen, so you can replace older radiator prior to failure and avoid this. Just something to look out for. If you're looking at an older 2nd gen, get your eyes on the the ATF - they call it the "strawberry milkshake."
now now, my 2014 titan hit a deer at 65 mph and aside from cracking the AC condenser just needed to replace the bumper and skid plate.
benefits of steel bumpers and tall trucks I guess. honestly was like bug hitting the windshield when it happened. guy in the backseat was wondering why i yelled oh shit and was pulling over.
to OP, i'd also vote frontier. however nice the new ones are, the like 2005 to 2015 years of titans and frontiers are wildly dependable rigs, very offroad capable, and quite affordable. i just can't look at any fords these days as providing that kind of dependability and simplicity.
if my 2014 got totaled i'd honestly probably be looking for another used one
Hem
Well-known member
I think the new gen Frontiers are back on par with first Gen. I considered adding some sort of burly bumper but consensus seems to suggest they are more about vanity than function. Not certain I want to add excessive weight to the front with a full-on deer masher.
As far as I could tell, mechanically my '22 was fine. I drove it 100 miles after the collision. We didnt have much out of pocket for a '25 on clearance. The upgrade to the Pro-4x was worth it. Better suspension, nice bells and whistles. I like viewing Onx on the screen.
LuketheDog
Well-known member
You only live once...Ranger Raptor
Hem
Well-known member
Its always obvious who just moved to Montana. Knee jerk response...gotta have a Raptor or a Rubican to negotiate the roads.
shootbrownelk
Well-known member
Just get the Tundra. 
Hem
Well-known member
I bought the Nissan so my Tundra would last longer.Just get the Tundra.
The_Coloradoboy
Well-known member
If we are talking about hunting rigs the 3rd gen rangers are pretty bullet proof. I’ve always been an old Tacoma guy for hunting rigs and recently switched to a 2004 ranger with the 4.0 v6 in it and I’ve ran that thing hard all over the place this season. No complaints, just regular maintenance and she’s goes A-B. You’re not going to pick up any chicks in it, but that little rig has hauled a lot of dead stuff this fall…
Don't know how tall you are, but the 3rd gen Frontier was the most comfortable for me at 6'2" by far. Especially combined with my kids riding in the back seat. I could ride in the back seat without my knees hitting the driver's seat based on how I drive.
No regrets on my '23 Pro 4x so far with roughly 36K miles.
No regrets on my '23 Pro 4x so far with roughly 36K miles.
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