Frontier, Tacoma or Prius?

[handyman]

Guys, My old Nissan Frontier got crunched a few days ago. I’m thinking of replacing it with one of these cars.
(1) Nissan Frontier. I’ve had different Frontiers for the last 22 years. This last one lasted 13 years.
(2) Toyota Tacoma. I really like Toyotas and would like to try this.
(3) Toyota Prius. Gas mileage.
My wife thinks we need a truck to haul stuff. I’m thinking more about the cost of gas in the next few years.
I keep my cars until they fall apart or get crunched. I’m worried about replacing the batteries in the Prius. Can it go 200,000 or more without replacing the batteries?
What do you think?

 

[addyguy]

Get a deal on one of the last Ford Rangers coming off the line.

 

[sciphi]

Prius absolutely can go 200k miles with no powertrain issues. Lots of Prius's with that or higher mileage with no issues. A fleet of Ford Escape Hybrids used as taxis went 400k miles on each vehicle with not a single battery replacement. The Prius powertrain is extremely reliable.

What kind of stuff do you haul? A Prius with a hitch and a small utility trailer might be the answer if it's just small/lightweight stuff.

 

[Jim_Beverlin]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Get a deal on one of the last Ford Rangers coming off the line.


I like this idea! You can get 200K with ease in a Ranger. My 2001 has 180K on it and my only concern is rust. She'll go to 250K but not certain what the body will be like.

 

[123Saab]

Originally Posted By: Jim_Beverlin
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Get a deal on one of the last Ford Rangers coming off the line.


I like this idea! You can get 200K with ease in a Ranger. My 2001 has 180K on it and my only concern is rust. She'll go to 250K but not certain what the body will be like.


I agree.

I plan to get to 300k on my 03, No rust on mine so far and has been bulletproof for 150k +

 

[Eosyn]

I don't know about anyone else, but electric fees have soared every winter around here and with (possibly) Cap and Trade going thru in Washington, I'm not sure if Hybrids or electric vehicles are the way to go to save money. It would be interesting to ask Prius and hybrid owners how much their electric bill has gone up, if any, since using their vehicles.

With that said, I'd most likely go with the Tacoma or Frontier, whichever I could afford more for what I get.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: Eosyn
I don't know about anyone else, but electric fees have soared every winter around here and with (possibly) Cap and Trade going thru in Washington, I'm not sure if Hybrids or electric vehicles are the way to go to save money. It would be interesting to ask Prius and hybrid owners how much their electric bill has gone up, if any, since using their vehicles.

With that said, I'd most likely go with the Tacoma or Frontier, whichever I could afford more for what I get.

Hybrids like the Prius don't get plugged into a wall outlet at all. The batteries are charged by the gas engine and from regenerative braking. So it has no effect on their electric bill at all.

 

[bepperb]

How about splitting the difference. Get a non hybrid car and a nice trailer. The list would be so long, I can't type it here.

 

[Eosyn]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
Originally Posted By: Eosyn
I don't know about anyone else, but electric fees have soared every winter around here and with (possibly) Cap and Trade going thru in Washington, I'm not sure if Hybrids or electric vehicles are the way to go to save money. It would be interesting to ask Prius and hybrid owners how much their electric bill has gone up, if any, since using their vehicles.

With that said, I'd most likely go with the Tacoma or Frontier, whichever I could afford more for what I get.

Hybrids like the Prius don't get plugged into a wall outlet at all. The batteries are charged by the gas engine and from regenerative braking. So it has no effect on their electric bill at all.


thank you for clearing that up for me, I stand corrected, please disregard my post

 

[yaris0128]

You can get great gas mileage without paying the extra money for a hybrid. Look at the Chevy Cruze/Sonic with the 1.4L turbo engine. Pretty close to the prius at half the price. Or a new 12' Accent would do the trick.

 

[bdcardinal]

Out of those 3 my choice would be the Taco. The Frontier was never a good looking truck IMO and the Prius would get me shunned from family and friends if I bought one.

 

[FXjohn]

I'd get a frontier or a ranger.

 

[Spazdog]

As many trucks as we have in Texas, you'd think they would have a better selection of Tacomas.

If you want a Tacoma 2WD with the regular size tires (instead of the Pre-Runner) you can have it in any color you want as long as that color is white.

Tacoma 2WD SR5 access-cabs with 4 cylinders and manual transmission? Maybe...as long as you like it in white.

The Frontier XE 4 cylinder had a better selection of colors availiable.

Rangers? Again, I would think that we would have a better selection. Maybe Ford thinks that no self respecting Texan would drive anything less than an F-150 Supercrew.

Given the sticker price of a decent Tacoma and the advertised price of the F-150, I might consider a 3.7 V6 F-150.

Same thing happened at Mazda when they still had the B-Series. They would only have stripped down B2300 standard cabs here. Vinyl bench seat, vinyl floor, AM/FM radio... I went to Ohio and the Mazda dealer there had B2300 SE5 extended cabs. CD/MP3, cloth interior, carpet, A/C,etc....

 

[handyman]

Sorry, but I really like Japanese cars/trucks. A buddy of mine did have a Ranger that almost made it to 200,000 miles. I live a few miles from Arlington Tx. I guess I better like white.

 

[Spazdog]

I like Freeman Toyota on East Loop 820 and Don Davis Nissan on I-20

Too many stupid games at Vandergriff Chevrolet and Hyundai. I would guess that carries over to Honda and Toyota too.

 

[Eosyn]

Originally Posted By: handyman
Sorry, but I really like Japanese cars/trucks.


+1

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: handyman
Sorry, but I really like Japanese cars/trucks. A buddy of mine did have a Ranger that almost made it to 200,000 miles. I live a few miles from Arlington Tx. I guess I better like white.


White is the best color

 

[Spazdog]

All the Tacomas at Freeman are automatics.... but they actually have a silver one!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Prius absolutely can go 200k miles with no powertrain issues. Lots of Prius's with that or higher mileage with no issues. A fleet of Ford Escape Hybrids used as taxis went 400k miles on each vehicle with not a single battery replacement. The Prius powertrain is extremely reliable.

What kind of stuff do you haul? A Prius with a hitch and a small utility trailer might be the answer if it's just small/lightweight stuff.


It sounds like the Ford hybrid powertrain is extremely reliable as well then. Maybe he should be considering an Escape?

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL


It sounds like the Ford hybrid powertrain is extremely reliable as well then. Maybe he should be considering an Escape?


This