Nissan NV200 as a daily driver

[JoelB]

For some reason I've always wanted one of these little cargo vans. In fact I find it to be the most quirky/unique daily driver in my price range. I love the practicality and commercial aspect of it (thick vinyl seat bolsters, heavy duty alternator and so on). I would have to have a plastic bulk head with a window to convert it to a small cab vehicle.

I don't haul stuff. I don't have dogs or run a small business so I'm certainly not who this vehicle is aimed at. But they just fascinate me.

Anyone else like these little vans? There is of course the Ford Transit Connect and the Ram Promaster City. But I particularly like the Nissan. Am I mentally unstable here?? My wife sure thinks so...

 

[Leo99]

Women are usually correct about stuff like this. I'd listen to her.

 

[atikovi]

Get one. You will find many uses for it. It's like a pickup but with a fully enclosed bed.

 

[01rangerxl]

The shop foreman where I work daily drives one (the Chevy City Express version), but he uses it for his side business as well. I do think he likes driving it though.

They use kind of odd tires and there aren't many choices.

 

[Nick1994]

If you won’t be hauling anything, I just can’t see why you’d want to sit in a penalty box like that.

If you want something interesting, look at a Buick TourX or something.

 

[daves87rs]

Would be a good edition to your smaller cars....

 

[SatinSilver]

Looks like you can make a small camper out of it if you wanted to.

 

[atikovi]

Looks like you can make a small camper out of it if you wanted to.View attachment 48528

Ain't the whole point of it is if you have so much room, why not sleep INSIDE? Why do they have thing on the roof? I can just imagine having to take a leak at 3 in the morning and climbing down from that thing half asleep.

 

[nthach]

They’re smaller than a “small” truck(Tacoma/Frontier/Ranger). I’ve never driven one but given they are built off a car base(Versa in the NV200’s case, the Transit Connect is largely a Focus) they’ll be able to maneuver tight city streets with ease.

they are rather spartan and use odd tires though. The Transit Connect passenger van seems a little more Cush.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I've considered it just so I can have a nice spot to nap on lunches.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

I don't know why Nissan doesn't offer the passenger version outside the NYC Taxi program

They don't make the Quest anymore, so it isn't stealing sales from it. The NV Passenger is too big to be threatened by the tiny NV200

The reason Chrysler doesn't offer a 7-seat Promaster City, or even a cargo van with full windows, is because they're jealous that it would steal sales from the Voyager/Pacifica

 

[avacado11]

Your Wife is right. I brought a new 2015 NV200 back in the day. Thing was extremely flimsy and honestly horrible quality. Racked up 44k miles over 3 years. Main issues were:

-both sliding doors broke around 6k miles. They opened fine but you had to slam the hell out of them or else they wouldn’t fully latch. Dealer replaced all rails and latches but it stayed the same. I believe the whole vehicle flexed with a load in it and it was never straight again. They said it was normal...but it worked fine prior

-by 15k miles if you were turning over any incline you would hear the whole van creak as the body flexed

-The key cylinders DID NOT LIKE COLD WEATHER. They’d freeze up and it didn’t matter if it was dry or wet. It would just seize up from being cold. WD40 helped until it wore out and froze again

-by 36k the CVT had an occasional kick/jerk. Got worse as I pass 40k

-exhaust hanger would harden and deform when cold and there would be a constant knocking from the exhaust system. Dealer said it was normal.

-lastly the heater was so weak once you got on the highway it would blow cold air again.

That van is the reason I will never buy Nissan/Infiniti again in my life. If it’s based off Nissan(like the new Outlander) it’s a no go. Never seen something that horribly put together(factory overspray on dash, lots of gaskets loose, factory seam sealant missing/horribly applied) . There’s a reason they’re cheaper than the Transit Connect/Promaster City. BTW my van was always maintained according to the book and the CVT still took a sh*t lol

 

[joegreen]

Ford transit connect is pretty sweet in the passenger version.

 

[dlundblad]

If you get it, the wife might make you live in it down by the river.

 

[nthach]

Ford transit connect is pretty sweet in the passenger version.

The chicken tax is why Ford didn’t sell the Transit Connect in a passenger version initially. All Transit Connects are shipped to the US from Turkey as passenger vans. A 3rd party logistics company(think AWC) then rips out the interior, back side windows and back light glass and replaces them with body-keyed plastic panels.

that’s why Toyota and Nissan build the Tacoma and Frontier in the US/Mexico and they are North American-specific models. If the Hilux or Navara was imported from Thailand or Japan, it would face a tariff on each one imported.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

The chicken tax is why Ford didn’t sell the Transit Connect in a passenger version initially. All Transit Connects are shipped to the US from Turkey as passenger vans. A 3rd party logistics company(think AWC) then rips out the interior, back side windows and back light glass and replaces them with body-keyed plastic panels.

that’s why Toyota and Nissan build the Tacoma and Frontier in the US/Mexico and they are North American-specific models. If the Hilux or Navara was imported from Thailand or Japan, it would face a tariff on each one imported.

The chicken tax doesn't apply to passenger vans, only cargo cans

Passenger TC vans are shipped directly from Spain (previously Turkey) as-is. Same with the Sprinter passenger vans.

I wish Nissan would make the Navara in the US and the Amarok in Mexico (VW in general is popular down there, and the Amarok is popular in Latin America)

CKD kits would avoid the tariff (which is what Mercedes does with the Sprinter cargo vans)

 

[AutoMechanic]

Until they bring back the Econoline I won’t touch any van. And I’m talking about the good original Econoline any generation as long as it looks decent and has real keys.