Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: roo_ster on January 14, 2014, 12:54:58 PM
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I just replaced my 2005 BMW X5 with a new stock 2013 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab S.
I thought to myself, "Hey, why not get a camper shell for it? One of those aluminum jobs that are so light you can take them on & off easily."
Holy sticker shock, Batman! Sellers want $500+ for aluminum shells and $1500+ for fiberglass shells. I had no idea these things cost that much.
Gotta keep an eye out for a used shell on craigslist, I guess, because $500+ is not going to happen.
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About 40 years ago, I got an aluminum topper that had been rolled for free.
I stripped it all down to the frame, straightened it out and patched it, and put new metal on the roof and new plexiglass in the liftgate. The side and front windows survived, along with the front and lower sheet metal.
I used it for a year or two and then sold it for a fair price, and bought a nice new insulated topper. At that time the new one was less than $500. ;/
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Toppers/caps are almost vehicle specific now. I wish you luck in your quest.
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Your new truck is exactly the sort of mid-sized pickup I am pondering in a few years. I will be interested to hear what you think of it.
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Your new truck is exactly the sort of mid-sized pickup I am pondering in a few years. I will be interested to hear what you think of it.
Heck, might as well cough up initial impressions...note, this is for the 4-door crew cab variant and "S" level trim.
Here is the Frontier web page:
http://www.nissanusa.com/trucks/frontier?next=header.vehicles.postcard.vlp.image
One of the biggest determinants for purchasing the smaller Nissan truck was the great 14 year run I had with my 1997 Nissan ext cab pickup. It was everything I wanted, except as I married & had kids I wanted it to be bigger. And an old lady decided I didn't need it anymore and totaled it by driving into it.
I did some googling to see if the smaller Nissan was still considered a decent piece of kit. Back in 1997, the Nissan was the equal of the Toyota mechanically, but lost out to the Toyo on the interior and paint. I found that some rating orgs now rate the Nissan higher than the Toyota as a used truck purchase. I figured that as soon as I signed for it, it would then be "used"...
Anyways, the Frontier I bought is the basic trim level, which is what I wanted. Manual locks & windows & mirrors. I have never given a hoot about most all that powered baloney. OTOH, "Basic" nowadays means you get AC, PS, PB, radio with CD(1), cloth & carpet, and an imperial buttload of other doohickeys that used to be options. The only options that this one has is an option I would have rather done without, but I'll manage: auto transmission.
Specs:
Crew Cab
S trim
4.0L V6
2WD
Traction Control (No shinola, traction control. It works.)
ABS
Auto trans, 5sp
5' bed
It is a bigger truck than my 1997 Nissan ext cab. The 1997 was a compact pickup and nobody makes them anymore. The 2013 is a mid-sized pickup. It is wider, but about as long as my 1997. More interior space and of course the back seat is a real option to seat humans, rather than the side-facing jump seats of the 1997. Don't sit behind me if you are an adult, though. I put the seat all the way back and tilt it, too. My pint-sized 7YO daughter is happy as a clam and my wife is OK sitting behind me. Decent room overall for the driver. Not full-size pickup room, but on par with any mid-sized sedan (Honda Accord, Mazda 6, etc.). My back is longer than most, so if I don;t take care I can whack my head on the way in, as the seats sit up in a high driving position. I am 6', so regularly proportioned folk of up to 6'3" ought have no problem. Similar deal in the back seat. With my long back and big melon, I lack an inch or so in head room and have to tilt. Like with the front seat, though, most folk up to 6'3" would be good to go. Again, the back seat is comparable to a mid-sized sedan, but more upright. And that might have been the design objective: interior seating comparable to a mid-sized sedan.
The exterior is what it is: a pickup. If you don't like the way a pickup looks, you are out of luck. They all sorta look the same to me.
The 2013 drives well, but is a little harsher than my 1997 Nissan PU. The 1997 had torsion bar front suspension and these newer beasties have a strut/coilover arrangement. The torsion bars were heavier, but provided a great ride. FTR, I prefer torsion bars to any sort of strut. The 1997 OEM tires were passenger rated and the 2013 is sporting some larger wanna-be truck skins (still "P"). Still, not bad, but not as good as my wife's 2012 Mazda 6. OTOH, the Mazda 6 is not rated to tow 6500lbs or tote a half ton in the bed. The 2013 handles well, with a little sway in the corners. I can go around the cloverleaf fast enough to generate squawks from the kids in back. The 4.0 V-6 is a hoss and will go zero to speeding ticket right quick. The auto trans is not annoying like most autos. I can deal with it. If I had not been in a hurry, I would have searched for a manual.
I got 18mpg on my first tank of gas. I expect it will end up doing better as the motor is worked in. EPA claims 16city, 22hwy, and 18combined. My 1997, using the old methodology, was 22/27. With 100% gas, I got 25mpg, with 10% corn juice, 22mpg.
That's about it. Hopefully this 2013 will be as reliable as my 1997.
(1) The 8-track of the 2010s!
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I traded off my 2006 Frontier LE back in May. It was a tough little truck. The most solid feeling pickup I ever had. I was getting 22-23mpg hwy and 14-16mpg city with 10% ethanol gas. Before everyone down here was forced to add ethanol I actually got 27mpg hwy (70mph). City mpg never really changed much. I really hated to get rid of it but it was just getting too small for my needs and there was an issue of cross contamination of transmission and radiator fluids due to poor design by Nissan. By the time Nissan owned up to it my truck was past the mileage limit where they would take on any repair costs. I think that only applies up to the 2010 model year. The cost of a fiberglass camper shell is why I didn't get one.
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Did you use USAA's Buying service ?
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Did you use USAA's Buying service ?
Nope, roo_ster's buying service. I did not have time to goof around, for various reasons. I was fortunate in that there were still 2013MY trucks on the lot in JAN2014.