Help! 2019-21 Tacoma TRD OR? 2022-23 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X? 2021-22 Colorado ZR2?

Hello all,

New to the forum here but have been reading and learning for a while now. Full disclosure: I’m posting this same query to the Frontier and Colorado forums as well. I fully expect reasonable bias on each forum, but just want to hear honest advice from seasoned owners.

Currently in a Jeep Wrangler JLU and about to give it up for a mid-size off road truck, which will be my daily driver but also my adventure vehicle.

I’m really torn between the three options listed in the title, and I currently have one of each on deck with varying mileage but virtually the same price point: (1) 2023 Pro-4X with about 18K miles at about $36K with Premium Package; (2) 2021 Chevy ZR2 Bison edition (V6 engine) with about 39K miles at about $35K; and (3) a fully modded 2019 Tacoma TRD OR with 50K miles at about $37K with King suspension, Gamberg UCAs, Method wheels, 33in tires, rock sliders, upgraded skid plates, upgraded lights, an air compressor, among other goodies…

Each of these trucks obviously have their pros and cons: I love the new redesign of the Frontier and the interior is really sweet: really blows the other two trucks out of the water on comfort and modern amenities in the cab; I dig the heavy hydraulic steering and the 9-sp trans. Aftermarket support, though not great, looks like it’s improving and there would be plenty of good ways to mod it out and get it up to spec (since I think it objectively trails behind the other two options in terms of off-road capabilities). The Chevy is obviously pretty damn amazing as an off-road beast and overlanding platform (truth be told, probably overkill for me, though it’s nice to have the capabilities and not need them rather than need them and not have them). And the one I’m looking at is really in mint condition for the age, mileage and price. The Tacoma… well, it’s a bit older, has higher mileage… but its a Tacoma and it pretty much has every imaginable mod I would ever want to make, already installed and ready to go.

On the down side, the Frontier is probably the least capable off-roader here, and I honestly know nothing about Nissan generally or Frontiers specifically, beyond all I’ve been reading lately, which tells it’s a very good platform as well (love the boxed frame and the old-school V6). But reliability, longevity? I have no idea. The Colorado is an impressive machine, and those multimatic shocks are so sweet… but the interior: it is just god-awful. Cheap plastic everywhere you look and I just don’t see it wearing well over time. Could I live with it? Maybe, given everything else the ZR2 Bison offers. With the Tacoma: I mean… it’s a taco… which means I just keep reading about how crappy the 6-speed transmission is and how underpowered it is and still, how much everyone loves their tacos! (The one I’m looking at here has been regeared and tuned, so…).

Honestly, I’m just completely stuck on this decision. All good options, each with their considerable flaws and drawbacks. Any and all guidance on this conunundrum would be most appreciated!

Thanks!

 

I think you've handicapped your choices really well ….you work in Vegas? ;-)
Tough one …

 

I would not buy a modded vehicle, too many butchers out there. At the very least, have it inspected by a tech and a reputable local off-road shop.

EDIT: add another note- often the aftermarket higher end shocks do have a frequent suggested rebuild schedule,,, not that everyone follows that,, but still keep that in mind. You might be buying a truck with what you think has fancy cool shit,, when in reality it's liability that needs work.

 

Honestly, the Nissan is the better truck. Nothing about the 3rd gen Tacoma appeals to me. Hands down one of the ugliest trucks on the road in my opinion. It has a minivan engine and a shit gearbox. GM, I mean it's a GM so you will have a cheap interior and electrical gremlins at some point. I would not buy a Colorado but the Nissan is an overlooked beast. Everyone I have known that has owned one swears by them. Resale sucks on the GM and Nissan but at some point the Tacoma will take hit on resale. It is just a dated truck that is not all that reliable, if you are one of these "I drive it until the wheels fall off" people then on the Taco know it will be until your frame prematurely breaks in half. Now a redesign is out. The fan base of the 3rd gen will dwindle as will the price. Performance is a known issue on the 3rd gen compared to what is expected of like vehicles and all the things you mentioned are working against that also. Most that do not own a 3rd gen agree that it is an outdated turd that gets shit mileage, has plenty of reliability issues and is just not fun to drive.

 

^This and this^...

I would not spend my $$ on the other options. The Nissan is not good looking to me - at all and Nissans have always seem quite cheaply built. I'd never spend $1 on a chevy, ford, etc... I've never been a fan of their products and I want some reliability.

The un-availability of a manual transmission made the consideration of these options completely irrelevant in my case.

I agree with Funkn - You've made your choices pretty equivalent!

-If the Taco were clean, (a mall crawler) I'd likely go with that. If it was off-road-ed lots, then maybe not.

I could not stomach spending that much on either of the other two... I'd look for a different vehicle.

Let us know which way you go!

 

I picked the Tacoma for myself because of the universality of it, i.e. what is more popular on the trail, if/when I have problems who on the trail would be more apt to help me. The Toyota repair experience and parts availability on the trail is much more in-depth than any other make/model. The on-trail help you could receive with the other makes/models I believe would be much less comprehensive.

Any previous mods expect to rework those to your own satisfaction, just as you would in adding a mod yourself.

 

For me, it's easy. Look at the resale. It tells the story.

1. Chevy never wants a trade of their own truck back w/o a story.
2. Nissan, well a 2023 for 36k
3. Tacoma, a stout price. However, I wouldn't buy that heavily modded truck w/o thorough inspection as the prior post stated.

 

IMO Nissan's quality slipped 25 years ago and still isn't what it was in the early to mid 90's. I was brought up on GM vehicles and have had mabyn9f them but IMO they're far behind Toyota as far as building something that will last and not nickle and done you sooner rather than later.

 

Nissan sales are in the toilet. They might be able to give you a new Pro X for less than used.

 

Out of those three, I’m taking the Nissan.

the Tacoma is heavily modded, personally I wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole. If you do go that route, get a pre purchase inspection

 

Long term reliability on a used vehicle is an impossible metric.

Did the engine blow because of quality, or because the previous owner was a redlining goon?

 

Hello all,

Wow, thanks for all the helpful (and immediate) input. Very good point about purchasing a heavily modded vehicle, regardless of make. It gives me pause, no doubt, and I like Toycoma2021 says, I'll likely want to tweak whatever existing mods are on a truck, so duly noted. Buying stock and doing the mods myself also appeals to me.

OZ TRD: Have you been in the redesigned Frontier? I test-drove a Pro-X the other day and nothing about it seemed cheaply built. It was solid. Seemed way more so than the Chevy, in every way.

SH10151: I wouldn't buy a Pro-X... Pro-4X or bust. But are all Nissan sales in the tank, or just some models? Honestly, where I live in SoCal there are next to zero Pro-4Xs on the lots here. The one I found is here nearby, but it's one of just a handful I've found. Most are in AZ or the midwest.

So, to anyone still following, let me reframe things: pound for pound, all things being equal (age, mileage, price), and no pre-installed mods to muddy the waters: who besides JJ Customs would buy a stock 3rd gen Frontier Pro-4X over a 3rd-gen Taco TRDOR? (Just having this convo with you all, I'm feeling that ZR2 less and less by the minute.)

 

All things equal, I’m taking the Tacoma over the frontier

 

Got it, kimosabe15. Reasons? (Again, I realize this is a Tacoma forum, but just to get past personal loyalties so as to some more concrete sense of the pros/cons).

 

Well, I think you already aware, but I'll admit I'm biased towards Toyota and against Nissan. We owned a CVT Nissan and hated it, couldn't sell it fast enough. I travel quite a bit and get to drive a lot of rentals. I have never had a Nissan I liked - granted, rentals are typically poorly spec'd. Regardless, I don't see myself ever owning a Nissan to be honest.

I believe Nissan lost their way sometime ago, around the time they made the push to CVTs. It seems like they were content being the budget option to Toyota and Honda as long as they kept selling. I have no proof, but I feel like Nissan chose to pursuit high volume of poor quality cars instead of keeping up with Toyota and Honda. In my biased opinion, Toyota does not jeopardize their quality as much as Nissan did.

Objectively, I prefer the looks of the third gen tacoma to the third gen Frontier.

 

I love my ZR2.

 

You're on a Tacoma forum so you're naturally gonna get mostly get the Tacoma answers. I had a 2018 Nissan Murano and it was great. Totally reliable, never needed a repair and excellent build. Way more luxurious, more get up and go and better road manners than a Tacoma and lots of things included so not much needed to add for options or aftermarket. In a lot of ways it was a better vehicle than my Tacoma.

 

Too bad the Tacoma is heavily modded. I'd probably still go with it though. Domestic midsize pickups only exist because the Tacoma does so well. Don't kid yourself, if they could get you to buy a bloated half ton they wouldn't produce the Colorado/Canyon twins. Nissan does make some good vehicles, they never really made me want one though. Kind of invisible. Probably a good 2nd choice.

 

Taco, duh