Ford Ranger or Nissan Frontier

[coleL]

9 speed 6.
Rather have that then the Tacoma turbo 4.
Larger interior than Tacoma.

If I had the money, I'd have a 2023 Tacoma TRD Sport Long Bed. Back when they still had the V6.

 

[Hem]

If I had the money, I'd have a 2023 Tacoma TRD Sport Long Bed. Back when they still had the V6.

Nice trucks...but spendy.
The ' 22 Frontier i bought new was cheaper than used Tacos with 40k.

 

[Gulf of America]

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."

 

[TOGIE]

No truck would fare well hitting a deer at 70mph.

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]

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

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]

You only live once...Ranger Raptor

 

[Hem]

You only live once...Ranger Raptor

Its always obvious who just moved to Montana. Knee jerk response...gotta have a Raptor or a Rubican to negotiate the roads.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Just get the Tundra.

 

[Hem]

Just get the Tundra.

I bought the Nissan so my Tundra would last longer.

 

[The_Coloradoboy]

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…

 

[Exhausted]

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.

 

[jimh406]

I haven't researched, but from what I've seen, Nissans don't keep their value very well. You might want to consider that as well.

I would also search to find the known issues for both.

 

[coleL]

I haven't researched, but from what I've seen, Nissans don't keep their value very well. You might want to consider that as well.

I would also search to find the known issues for both.

I don't particularly care about resell value. It's not like I'm buying a new truck, just a reliable hunting truck I can have fun with and drive till it can't no more.

 

[elkduds]

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."

Frontiers notorious for this problem. My '01 gen 3 Ranger has 4.0 v6, notorious for chickenshirt timing chain guides that require pulling the engine to replace 2 $50 parts. Except for that glaring flaw, those Rangers are robust and reliable.

 

[Mudranger1]

I have never sat in any Nissan car or truck and thought to myself this is more comfortable than my old danger ranger....plus you'll never find as many viral post as to the usefulness of a frontier compared to The Ford FN RANGER

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[jimh406]

I don't particularly care about resell value. It's not like I'm buying a new truck, just a reliable hunting truck I can have fun with and drive till it can't no more.

Probably obvious, if you are buying used, low resell can be an advantage.