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2003 Nissan Frontier

2003 Nissan Frontier
Overall rating:  Product Rating: 4.5

Reviewed by 6 users

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warthog6


Reviews written: 3
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A Good No-frills truck for the money


by warthog6: Written: May 13 '04 - Updated Oct 21 '04


Product Rating: 3.0 Recommended: Yes 

Pros: A good commute car for the weekdays and junk/dirt/furniture hauler on the weekend
Cons: Interior fitment is less than perfect, no frills, deteriorating reliability as it ages
The Bottom Line: Good, inexpensive truck with no frills. You could trick one out but ours is simple and useful which is what we wanted


This is about as no frills as a truck can be. Ours is a 2WD 4 door without power locks or windows, its even plain-jane white (although for some reason the dealer optioned it with big flashy alloy wheels).

Interior:
The interior is no-frills but very nicely done. The cloth seats are comfortable and fine for long trips. The rear seat is comfortable for medium sized adults but a six-footer is not going to want to sit back there for any extended trips. My only complaint about the interior is that some of the fitment on the plastic trim pieces is less than precise. The stereo is bottom of the line but totally adequate. The stereo is however a 2-DIN unit which limits aftermarket replacements for people who want sound in their truck; on the other hand, most aftermarket car audio makers now make spiffy 2-DIN units.

Exterior:
The exterior is nice if plain. I would have liked a rub strip along the sides since it seems like that area is vulnerable to dents. The truck included a bedliner which is a nice feature since they're not all that cheap to add on later ($250 and up) and are absolutely essential if you really use the truck to carry things. My husband put 1000 pounds of garden soil back there with no problem, couches, boxes, file cabinets...no problem.

Performance:
Its a truck..but it does ride well for one. We have the V6 which has totally anemic acceleration and takes a good long while at high RPMs to get to highway speed. If you want a sport truck then this is not the one. A manual transmission might make this engine seem peppier but with the auto its pretty utilitarian. Our family also has a couple of other sport and muscle cars that satisfy our need for performance so having a truck to handle the dirty work balances out any lack of performance.

Economy:
Good economy, this is not an expensive truck, we got ours for $21K with basically no options except it being the 4 door model. Haven't tried to resell it so that remains to be seen but they seem to hold their value fairly well looking at ads. Gas mileage is quite good for a pickup, combined city and highway is around 23MPG on 87 octane.

UPDATE:
Since writing the initial review, I have become somewhat less happy with the truck now that it has 13K miles on it. First, the AC compressor self destructed, and it managed to do so on a 5 hour road trip. Nothing can dim your enthusiasm for a car like 5 hours on California Highway 5 with no AC. The dealer did replace the compressor under warranty and said they'd never had another one do that unless it had been struck by road debris; ours wasn't, it just blew. Secondly, the brakes on the car are starting to go. When the brakes on a car start to go at 13K, it tends to indicate that they're undersized for the weight of the vehicle they're designed to stop. As of now, the car is essentially undriveable in inclement weather because the current state of the brakes just isn't to my safety standards. Back to the dealer it goes...
Amount Paid (US$): 21000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: SE V6 AT
Product Rating: 3.0
Recommended: Yes 
Reliability:  
Seat Comfort:  
Build Quality  
Roominess:  

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