I Think I Found A New Truck As Good As My Old One

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

And here it is....http://www.channel4.com/4car/rt/nissan/np300/23480/2. It's a Nissan NP300 (D22) Pickup. Unfortunately, it is only sold in Europe, Mexico, etc. and not in the US. I think it is sad that the truck that replaced my beloved D22 Frontier in Nissan's US lineup is so damn huge. I also wish I could have gotten the Turbo Diesel that the Europeans got in their trucks. I wish I could still get some of the old models from the 90's that other countries can still buy new here ( Nissan Tsuru is another that comes to mind). Unfortunately, small cars and trucks have gotten too big, fat, and heavy to be efficient and cheap. Sorry for the rant, but after doing some new car shopping I am just disgusted by what is offered and the total lack of stripped down and boxy models.



New

My 1998 Frontier with 293,500 miles

My Engine this winter when it had 275k. ( Note the cardboard in front of the radiator for heat!) Unfortunately, not a Diesel. 🙁

95% of the miles are from delivering pizza, and the engine has never been touched. It does use oil though-almost a quart every 3500 miles. And the original clutch only lasted 200k. I may get a new delivery car, but I don't think I could bear to part with the Frontier any more than my Cutlass. After 10 years, it's too much a part of me. I was hoping for 500k from one engine, but fuel prices may force an early retirement from delivery work.

 

[dougfather]

still looks clean with 239k miles and 10 years old!!! They are usually well trashed here in PA once they get that old.

 

[hujass]

That's great! My cousin has a 88 Nissan Hardbody 2WD beater with 200,000 miles, not as nice looking as yours but the thing runs like new. Gets close to 30 mpg on the highway with the 5 speed.

Your right about small cars and trucks getting so heavy. Back in the day the CRX HF and Metro XFi were were stripped down boxes and easily got over 50 mpg without trying. Now the best new car we have, the Prius, can only do 45 mpg if you are lucky. Even the tiny Smart car can't hit mid 40s without feathering the gas. The "cheap" stripped down boxes like Aveo can't get over 35. How are the car makers ever going to meet the new CAFE standards down the road without seriously cutting fat?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, my ugly Sentra got 55mpg with the A/C on, and cruise set at 80 mph driving from Tampa to Daytona a few times. Surprisingly, it was an automatic. It only got 26 city though. I also had a 5 speed version of the same car that got 32 city with the A/C on. I am searching for another one now, and I just got "Economically Stimulated", so now I have some cash to do it when one comes along. Unfortunately, the Frontier gets 18-20mpg city and I spend $580 a month on gas. With the 32 MPG shitbox, I can save $235 a month.

 

[hujass]

$235 is a lot of money to be saved when living in the Tampa Bay area. I used to live in Clearwater....got tired of the traffic, high cost of living and palmetto bugs and hightailed it back up north. :lol:

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I do have one ace up my sleeve to live here cheaply. I bought my house before the housing boom, and so I only paid $40k for it. It's 2/2/1, 1100 sq/ft, with an in ground pool, and in South Pasco County around the Trinity area. The neighborhood was a bit run down at the time ( as was the house!), but it also had no HOA--a big bonus! I probably could have gotten $160k for it at the peak, but the peak has passed so I am stuck here. My mortgage is cheaper than apartment rent on a 1 bedroom, so I live cheap. I deliver pizza for a living 30-35hrs a week as my only job and live alone with a house full of car parts. I guess I could be doing a lot worse as I have no real fear of losing the house as my minimum bills are around $1k a month including car insurance and all utilities. Plus, no road salt means cars last almost forever. The mechanicals may eventually fail, but that is easy to fix compared with major rust repairs. The lack of hills also helps with wear and tear, not to mention fuel economy. ( I drive 30-40k miles a year, so this is important!)

As far as it goes, I try to stay out of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Too congested and expensive. I only really need go as far as Tarpon Springs for school ( working on an Engineering Degree), and work less than 2 miles from home. I am a native New Yorker, but the amount of laws and taxes up there would ruin me. They spend too damn much on schools for my taste. Those costs should only be paid by people with kids in public schools, not spread around to everyone whether they have kids in those schools or not.

 

[jonnyslick]

Don't you live in FL? You mean it's cold enough there to have to cardboard the rad? That's odd.....

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, I had a thermostat stuck in the open position. I also run the radiator from the supercharged V6 Frontier for extra capacity since my old one got clogged somehow ( no rust in the system--go figure!) and used to peg the temp gauge 1-2x a day. I have since done the PITA thermostat and have no issues. I had changed the radiator first, over the summer, before I started delivering again. Then I did the thermostat over the winter. I was running a thermostat that fails in the open position by design instead of the more common style as a safety measure. The funny thing is that the engine has been overheated to some extent more times than I can count yet it has never had a blown head gasket, and it still holds excellent compression at the top of the specs in the factory service manual. It is easily the most unstoppable vehicle I have ever owned as it seems to take the abuse I dish out ( constantly shifting at the fuel cut, occasional long oil change intervals, etc.) with no ill effects.