Piston Slap: Is a Frontier Necessary for Your Frontier?

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.