Piston Slap: Is a Frontier Necessary for Your Frontier?

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta
Phil writes:

Sajeev,

I am currently the owner of a 2011 Nissan Frontier that I bought in February of last year. It is both the first truck and new vehicle that I have purchased. I am in the process of buying a house and have a little buyer’s remorse for purchasing a new vehicle.

I like the truck but with a mortgage payment coming I would like something used with a smaller payment or none at all. As nice as it is to have a truck on hand I also miss the handling and gas mileage of a car. According the KBB I should be able to sell it for enough money to break even or better with what I currently owe. I can still afford the house and the truck if needed but not having the truck payment would give me more pocket money for other things. What do you think I should do?

Sajeev answers:

DUDE! You gotta be kidding me. I can reuse your first two sentences for myself, and I will…”I am currently the owner of a 2011 Ford Ranger that I bought in August of last year. It is both the first truck and new vehicle that I have purchased.”

I diverge from you because I’ve owned my house for a year and have zero buyer’s remorse with the Ranger. But I’ll guess the Frontier is more expensive than my regular-cab Ranger: the odds are probably on my side there. Plus, I think my crappy little truck handles better and gets better mileage than many cars, thanks to it being the most efficient truck in the country and my mild suspension/powertrain tweaks on a platform that’s truly fun to rotate in a corner. Even a year later, I’m dumbfounded how many times I need a small truck to carry a variety of crap because of this house. But now it’s time to shut up about me and get back to you.

I don’t want you to sell the truck, because I think you need a truck as a homeowner. Keep the truck until you’re fully settled into the new place. Or make sure you have a friend with one.

As a homeowner, what vehicle do you need from here on out? A hatchback of some sort would be ideal. Or just rent a truck when needed and get a coupe. There’s really no wrong answer, except for the 2011 Ford Ranger XLT regular cab, 2.3L, 5-speed. That’s already been done, Son!

What say you, Best and Brightest?

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

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  • 95_SC 95_SC on Dec 13, 2012

    I hook a utility trailer to the Land Cruiser...All the utility of a compact truck with worse fuel economy that a full size LOL (Hey, its long paid for). In all seriousness, I'd just keep the truck. I think selling something late model like that is way more difficult than selling a beater and I have never seen anyone get KBB. The savings over the long haul are likely minimal to none.

  • JD-Shifty JD-Shifty on Dec 14, 2012

    Just put a super high price on it. If no one bites, just take really good care of it

  • Dartdude The bottom line is that in the new America coming the elites don't want you and me to own cars. They are going to make building cars so expensive that the will only be for the very rich and connected. You will eat bugs and ride the bus and live in a 500sq-ft. apartment and like it. HUD wants to quit giving federal for any development for single family homes and don't be surprised that FHA aren't going to give loans for single family homes in the very near future.
  • Ravenuer The rear view of the Eldo coupe makes it look fat!
  • FreedMike This is before Cadillac styling went full scale nutty...and not particularly attractive, in my opinion.
  • JTiberius1701 Middle of April here in NE Ohio. And that can still be shaky. Also on my Fiesta ST, I use Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires for the winter and Bridgestone Potenza for my summer tires. No issues at all.
  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
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