I did not like my ranger pickup..It had major issues and it drank gas... I decided that I couldn't take it any more.. Plus I wanted a new car... So I went car shopping (again, I had the ranger just four months)..I looked a camry and that was to old peopleish..I liked the Tacoma, and it was a 5-speed, something on my list..The mazda b-series was off my list, because of its ford roots... The dakota, cost to much and even with a V-8 didn't have the power I wanted, plus they drink gas, worse than my ranger... A sentra was to small, an altima was to expensive... Then I saw my car! a leftover 2003 Frontier XE King Cab 5-speed.. Perfect... With a $2500 rebate, I drove home @ $13,000, in my first new car..I have had it scince Jan. 6th and have put 2600 mi on it..
The 4-cyl. engine has decent power, but could use a little more off the line punch... The 5-speed manual shifts well, it has a little longer throw than some, but not bad... The truck handles well, but it leans more than my ranger did, but it rides sooo much better than my ranger did... The ride is great, almost car like... The 15" tires grip well and handle snow with aplomb, even with 2wd.. Just need to add weight to the back.. My biggest pet peve is the 15 Gal tank.. This truck get 26 mpgs, which is good, but the guage reads empty at 375 Miles... Get with it nissan, put a 20 Gal tank in a truck...Yeesh!
My truck is white and i liek the color, it hides dirt somewhat..The dealer added a graphic kit and that sets it off... I get tons of complements on this truck...
The interior is nice, it has a good mixture of plastics and fabrics... The glove box rattles a little, but thats it.. It has a full consoule and had a place to plug your cell phone in the center consoule... The cd player works well, but the speakers stink.. The heat and a/c work well, but havent used tha a/c much yet, so I will hold comment until I test it fully... The guages are fairly easy to read with the head lights on, but not with them off... This truck has 1 jump seat, and thats a major pain for who ever gets stuck back there...
The only problem was a manufactures defect, they left a bolt/washer off the harmonic balancer and it fell off, busting the belts and stranding me... I am to get my truck back tommrow... Nissan fixed the problem promptly and with cortasey... They called me several times to apologize..This is one of the few frontiers thats had any issues before 100K..Thats a good sign...



Amount Paid (US$): 13500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: XE Value Pkg, Floor Mats, Manual Trannie