It appears that the Honda-Nissan merger is off. Apparently, because Honda wanted to turn Nissan into a subsidiary rather than a co-equal. Nissan said no to that – probably a good idea. Because it probably would have meant something like what happened to Chrysler after the 1998 “merger of equals” with Daimler, the German parent of Mercedes. The two became DaimlerChrysler (and Dodge and Ram and Jeep) and what was left after Daimler cut Chrysler loose was sold off to Cerberus Capital Management, which ended up fire-sale’ing the rest to Euro combine Stellantis.
Chrysler is down to one model now – a minivan – and the end (for Chrysler) is clearly nigh.
Is it for Nissan, too?
The company needs an infusion of cash to recover its losses, most of them due to the malinvestment in devices such as the Leaf, which has been costing Nissan money for the past 15 years (since its 2010 introduction) partially due to the catastrophic depreciation costs of these devices – which lose about 51 percent of their original value (if you want to use that word) after just three years. This being due chiefly to the diminishing charge capacity of device batteries – and the enormous cost of replacing the device’s batteries.
It is hard to sell that to prospective buyers of new Leafs.
And fifteen years is a long time to lose money “selling” something that doesn’t make a profit. This is a problem besetting every vehicle manufacturer that bought into the politically-pushed idea that making devices rather than selling vehicles was a fine idea. Just look at how much money Tesla is making selling devices! But Tesla wasn’t really selling devices. It was manufacturing them – an important distinction. And Tesla was able to make it look profitable – by selling “carbon credits” to vehicle manufacturers, who were effectively forced to buy them. These “credits” were used to buy what amount to regulatory indulgences, very much of a piece with the way peasants bought indulgences from the Church before the Reformation – and for essentially the same reason.
That being to atone for “sins.”
In our times, the “sin” was – and still is – having too large a “carbon footprint,” as defined by “emitting” more than the arbitrarily-decreed allowable amount of this beneficial gas that does not have anything to do with pollution. Buying “carbon credits” reduces the size of that imaginary “footprint” – mea culpa! – thereby avoiding consequences from the church, i.e., the federal government. Tesla thus used the government to effectively coerce vehicle manufacturers to subsidize Tesla’s manufacturing of its devices. The vehicle manufacturers – including Nissan – were unable to put this operation in reverse.
All they could try doing – in order to avoid paying Tesla to manufacture devices – was to manufacturer their own devices, such as the Leaf. And then the Ariya, a more expensive device that has lost Nissan even more money per “sale.”
The entire industry is being bled white by devices – after having been bled by Tesla, via the government.
The fix – for Nissan and the industry, generally – is as simple as it is obvious: Stop manufacturing devices that cannot be “sold” without losing money.
The dilemma, of course, is that were device manufacturers (including Tesla) to price them at a point that reflected their cost to manufacture plus a viable profit margin – so as to make it worth manufacturing them, assuming they sold – the retail cost of a device would be so high that even fewer people would buy one.
Imagine Nissan trying to sell a new Leaf for $40,000 rather the current model’s $28,140 MSRP. That is probably what would be needed to make any money selling a Leaf. But then the people who bought one would lose even more money than the 50 percent loss of the new-car MRSP it costs to own a Leaf for three years.
And that’s a very hard sell.
Cutting one’s losses is called for at a certain point. But – in the case of devices – that would require the courage to challenge the lie underpinning the pushing of devices, about how the “climate” is “changing” because of people driving vehicles that “emit” the non-polluting gas, carbon dioxide. This lie has been used to – in the words of the man who oversaw the definition of “emissions” changed to encompass the gas that does not pollute – fundamentally transform – the vehicle industry, which has spent the past several years apologizing for itself in the most obsequious manner imaginable and yessa massa’d itself into a near-death state by manufacturing devices for which there is a “market” only insofar as the government (effectively) mandates one.
Nissan could save itself by rejecting the premise that vehicles are any kind of problem – except to those who despise them and seek through gas-lighting and guilt-tripping to make it so that only devices are available. It could bring back the kinds of vehicles that Nissan used to make a lot of money selling, such as the Frontier pickup. Not the current one – which has grown huge and expensive. The one Nissan stopped making back in 2003. The compact-sized one that people could buy for $15k or so that enabled lots of people to buy them – and enabled Nissan to make lots of money selling them.
Nissan hasn’t lost the ability to make great vehicles.
It has forgotten that great vehicles make a vehicle manufacturer profitable. And that “great” is measure in sales, which is a measure of people wanting what’s being sold and being able and willing to buy it.
That’s what’s needed now. Not more devices. 
Sadly – perhaps tragically – Nissan appears to be courting electronics giant Foxconn of Taiwan, which has been “seeking to expand its nascent EV contract manufacturing business,” according to Reuters.
In other words, more devices. Which is not unlike rolling up one’s sleeve for another “booster” to ward off the COVID one seems to keep on getting.
Sic gloria transit mundi.
Sometimes, you have to start all over rather than try to keep fixing what is beyond repair.
. . .
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Personally, I think the EV debacle is only the nail in the coffin of a decline that began with their merger with Renault back around 2000. You’ll notice that the last time Nissan made genuinely good, competitive models was in the early 2000s when models like the GT-R, 350Z, Infiniti G35, and the Frontier came out. European leadership and complete misunderstanding of the American market (I’m looking at you, Stellantis) led to bizarre cost-cutting approaches and lack of interest in designing and producing vehicles that consumers actually wanted has led to a steady decline since the takeover. With the infusion of cash, Nissan had a brief bump in success and now a 20+ year decline. EVs have only accelerated (at a rapid rate, which is an EV’s strong suit) this decline.
There are only two desirable models they sell currently, the Frontier, which is a cut rate Tacoma that still uses a dependable V6 and a mildly updated frame that dates back to the stone age, and the GT-R, which was so far ahead of its time back when it was first released almost 20 years ago (before the Renault influence had taken over) that it’s still competitive aside from its ridiculous starting price.
Unfortunately, as you point out, they’re still convinced EVs are the solution, and they’re burdened by the typical European mindset that has metastasized throughout the company. They are no longer truly Japanese in character and more Renault.
All this to say, I don’t see them surviving much longer. I’m also suspicious of Stellantis’s chances here in North America since they have ruined the Jeep brand (and are about to put a bolt through the skull by going heavy on EV), Chrysler and Dodge are walking dead, and RAM was spun off in such a way that it can be sold off as the one branch that has some hope of recovering. I suspect Nissan doesn’t have anyone in-house with enough nerve to go back to what made them great, nor does Stellantis.
Nissan can design and make simple and small ICE cars and SVU’s. No one wants EV’s! People are poor and dont have 100K for current bloated vehicles! Great example would be: small sizes trucks, cheap hatchbacks and cool looking full 4×4 Little aka Suzuki Jimny SUV’s! Nissan you can do it! I would buy 2 Suzuki/Nissan Jimnys if available! But currently there is 0 choice!
Amen, Robert!
All it will take is for the government to get out of the way…
Will Trump call off the EPA? Get rid of the chicken tax? Will he let the market decide & not the fed apparachuk, what’s available to the people?
Only time tell, but the winning in these first 3 weeks is an impressive achievement…
YMMV…
You’re SO right!
It sucks that it wouldn’t help our trade deficit, but someone could sit him down and explain that long game, bilateral trade would excel if we nixed the 30 year rule and allowed everything in currently made in Japan, on the condition of investment, and factories would pop up everywhere including my town manufacturing stuff that they would desire. US companies would have to join in and out-do them here. The stuff they currently make in Not America and the 51st State would be unsalable, but they’d be free to join the deregulated American market.
I wish someone would explain that long game, the sooner the better on this stuff. Extremely important work already being done in other departments, but having no cheap cars is keeping the kids GAY and keeping us from starting and maintaining small businesses.
All it would take is for the government to get out of the way… we’ll see. As I said long ago, forget the libertarian party as an fake and gay institution, Trump has now proven himself to be one of the great libertarians of my time.
What is it called when industry runs to an investment scheme that appears to make money but is actually a loser?
How can so many supposedly smart people all across the auto industry be so collectively stupid?
Did anyone at all do their due diligence by researching the market and margins?
Yes the cones and belts of that crap CVT were an abomination and the new name Nissan just sounds effeminate.- At least the name Datsun was not pretentious and the little tonka trucks were cute. They were cheap to buy and were little but stout runners. They screwed themselves when there overblown leadership insisted on the oligarchs pretentious NISSAN family name.
They sicken me like Mary Bartiromo and that girls hair sniffer Biden…
AND I like Musk so eat me!
Hi Steve,
Yup. Datsun was a fine Japanese brand name. I was saddened when they changed the name. And the only reason for CVTs – not just Nissan CVTs – is compliance. Take away that pressure and there wouldn’t be any cars so equipped. Just as there would no EVs, either.
I used to work for a guy and we’d fix cars from the lemon auction with yard parts. The CVT’s were the first to go, meaning high failure rate.
I like Musk so Eat me! Only on the space stuff, but now that DOGE is basically crippling the democrat party, I think some credit called for where it’s due. Let Marie-Antoinette drive a Cyber Truck meanwhile, hopefully the auto industry won’t take a back seat forever.
Amen, Steve –
I’m a practical guy and so if Elon serves to shiv my enemies, then he is useful to that extent. But I do not trust him. Yes, he’s doing some good now. But he has a very bad track record. I regard him much the same as dangerous tool or chemical. Use carefully.
Trust but Verify. He has said that he wants to go full in on the American Dream, and we’re going to make it real. So far on his report card, it’s A doubleplusgood.
I agree, Steve – so far . . .
But he’s shady and very smart. A bad combo.
Yup, the CVT is a “good idea” in theory; in practice, not so much. Lots of trouble, and, to make things worse, IF you have one of these things and it starts to take a dump on you, AND you are close to the end of the 100K warranty, the dealerships will stiff you until the warranty expires, and then “generously” offer to install a new CVT with an additional 100K “warranty, all for the nominal sum of $6K+.. such a deal. Oh, yeah, forgot to mention the “id incorrect” bricking of the Altimas if your battery gets under 11.7 volts…..
Really tragic to see a good car company get in trouble because of stupidity at the corporate level. The first sign of trouble was Nissan making the Maxima fwd. The engine was great, but the manual 5-speed was too weak for the power of the engine. It handled ok and was faster than the eurotrash competition. If it was rwd in the same spirit as the Z, Bowel Movement Wagon would have been put out of business by 1990. So, Nissan kept with fwd, made the Maxima untouchable, and, refused to make the Maxima AWD. An awd Maxima would have put Audi on the ropes, as Nissan has one of the very best awd systems on the planet (see Godzilla). And, just in case, I STILL have my ’71 240, ’72 240, and my ’75 280… nyah, nyah, nyah..
I owned a beautiful Silver 1983 Datsun 280ZX with matching painted louvers and t-tops. This car was bullet-proof and one of the sweetest rides on the planet.
It had over 190k mi when one day somebody chased me down and pleaded to buy it. It still looked and ran like new.
I sold it to the guy.. and have missed it ever since.
What a shame, they were awesome at one point. Maybe they can bring upon the IDx to be their cheap car to go after the Toyobaru if they cut back on the leaf production, slowly axe the EV’s and bring something to the table Honda truly wants, holding the keys to it if they can get more out of the deal
Also should axe the CVT’s entirely, that’s partially what ruined their rep was that junkbox of cones and rubberbands
In the 1960s and 1970s, Datsun was one of the best car makers. At a time when Detroit was producing junk, Datsun produced reliable, long lasting cars. I had several, including 2 sport cars and a Z. At the time, everything on American cars was extra, radios, air conditioning, better interior, but Datsun included all the popular extras in the base price. They changed how cars were sold. But then they changed their name. Their cars started having reliability and longevity problems while American and other cars were getting better. My last Datsun was bought in the early 1980s. I haven’t owned one in 40 years.
Maybe Nissan should wonder why.
You are correct. Japanese vehicles had much better fit and finish than any American auto product. American auto makers had to “catch up” to the foreign auto makers in terms of quality.
Now for the downside.
A friend of mine purchased a new Datsun (Nissan) pickup truck. It was an outstanding product but for one fault.
Not even three years old, it rusted out to the extreme. From quarter panels to doors to the bed itself, you could damn near hear the vehicle rusting away.
I realize that American cars of the era had the same problem with corrosion, but this Datsun pickup truck “took the cake”.
Amen, Lepke –
I have owned several Nissans. I’d love to buy a new one – if they still made them like they used to. But I’m not interested in a monster truck that costs twice-plus what my truck cost that’s laden with “safety” electronica I want no part of.
Eric Have you ever read the book “The Reckoning”?
From Amazon: “After generations of creating high-quality automotive products, American industrialists began losing ground to the Japanese auto industry in the decades after World War II. David Halberstam, with his signature precision and absorbing narrative style, traces this power shift by delving into the boardrooms and onto the factory floors of the America’s Ford Motor Company and Japan’s Nissan. Different in every way—from their reactions to labor problems to their philosophies and leadership styles—the two companies stand as singular testaments to the challenges brought by the rise of the global economy.”
The book is basically a comparison between Ford and Nissan. It’s an older book and much of the information is now obsolete, but the story of how Nissan cracked the American market is fascinating. I read it when it was new, and current, but the best part for me was the stories of the efforts the American side is Nissan did to break into the market here. Down to such things as defying the corporate bosses in Japan to market the cars under different names The bosses insisting that names like”Honeybee” and “Cedric” would be kept as they were popular in Japan. The group in Calif has different nameplates made locally and replaced then at the docks. “B210” etc.
It was amusing to read of the Nissan guys initial shock comparing the American made land yachts to their smaller cars and told the home office “No way we’re selling Anything here, please bring us home.”
The book also documents Ford’s monumental screw-ups which they eventually fixed, but now repeating with the Lighting and the fake Mustang.
Nissan share price is 5.39 USD this morning.
The PE is 10, 52 cents in earnings, a 25 cent dividend.
In 2012, Nissan’s share price was 19.61 USD.
We are telling you how to do bidness, no matter how much it costs and you lose, do as we say.
It cannot last, dot gov is to blame, when you cut to the chase.
The business will run itself… into the ground.
My Pathfinder has been a great vehicle. The V6, not the V8.
Replace sensors, you have to, otherwise, you won’t go far.
I have great memories of my 1985 Nissan 720 pickup. Cheap, dependable and fun to tool around in…if Nissan were allowed to manufacture something similar today, they’d make a mint.
CAFE killed Nissan.
It is scientific illiteracy that is responsible for the (limited) “success” of EVs today–until these same scientific illiterates find out about extended charging times and limited range. Basic scientific principles are not taught in schools, being replaced by “touchy-feely” environmentalism and how humans are destroying the planet (yeah, right).
Hi Anarchyst,
I edited down your last post because you’ve posted the same thing many times. Please refrain from doing that – thanks!
no problem. Thanks
Isn’t Nissan still part of partnership with Renault and Mitsubishi? Seems like a mess. Not surprised Honda would want total ownership. I’m sure the Japanese government will do whatever it takes though to prevent Nissan from disappearing.
[Sometimes, you have to start all over rather than try to keep fixing what is beyond repair.]
Nations too…..
No doubt the manufacturers were under pressure to convert to EVs. But I imagine plenty of them believed the press releases from all the academics, the overfunded startups and anyone else trying to build a better battery. Every week it seems there’s a “breakthrough” in battery tech that will allow for practical electric transportation of all kinds. These stories are gobbled up by the legacy media and big bloggers, who dutifully report the “news” of this fantastic new product… except the product doesn’t exist. It’s a grad student’s thesis. A grad student who’s never seen the inside of a battery plant, let alone manufactured anything at scale.
Science vs engineering.
Oh, at the end of the story they will include a little blurb about how this tech is 5 years away, but the “science reporter” doesn’t understand science, that’s not their job. Their job is to try to tie an optimistic bow around the gloom and doom that makes up the evening news.
Ford has dumped millions into a startup called Solid Power SLDP, a company trying to make so-called solid state lithium batteries. They claim to have a process that will produce batteries on a printing press like production line. They burn through about $20 million a quarter, but still can’t get the factory rolling out product in any quantity.
If solid state batteries can be produced at scale, they might have something a little better than the current EV. Still not up to the same level as internal combustion, but to the optimistic investors that’s just because it’s early days. Engineers tinker and improve and products get better over time, right? And electric motors are just so darn efficient (true) so therefore it just makes sense that EVs will be the winner… Right?
The turd in thst punchbowl is that no matter how good your battery is it still has to be charged.
I had one ignoramus told me that the next generation battery will be able to take a full charge in 5 minutes. I asked how many amps would be needed to transfer 50-90KWh in 5 mins.
No one understands basic physics anymore.
Nissan can easily generate enough charge by harnessing the spinning of Mr K’s grave.
‘I asked how many amps would be needed to transfer 50-90KWh in 5 mins.’ — Alex Thrace
With 3-inch thick copper cables weighing hundreds of pounds, those hundreds of amps can easily be transferred to your appliance … assuming electricity just comes out of the wall or the transformer.
Electrons want to be free.
Hi RK,
Even if there is ever a magic battery that can be charged up for a thousand miles of “range” in five minutes there will never be the electrical infrastructure to power that. At least the offshore wind scam is ending before all the whales are dead; I’m waiting for the grid meltdown this summer when residential a/c is competing for electrons with all the Big Brother “data” centers.
The “best argument I’ve heard is that cars (non commercial) spend most of the time parked, which is correct, so if only every parking space had a charging cord they could slow charge and no one would notice.
The obvious response is to ask who’s paying for the electrification of every parking space in the country.
This is why globalwarmingclimatechage has to be an existential crisis. If a few degrees of change doesn’t destroy the planet then there’s no justification for spending several times the GDP of the working to rebuild it “green.” Especially considering it won’t do anything but kill people.
The obvious response is to ask who’s paying for the electrification of every parking space in the country.
Another obvious response is to ask why people should be willing to put up with poorly-performing products just because someone says that they would be able to.
It’s always about short-term pain for a future of plenty. If only everyone does with less, everyone will have a great future (except for all the dead and frozen. But they probably had it coming).
No doubt the manufacturers were under pressure to convert to EVs. But I imagine plenty of them believed the press releases from all the academics, the overfunded startups and anyone else trying to build a better battery.
The automakers could have chosen to wait for these fantasy batteries to become reality before they launched EVs, that would have been the prudent thing to. However, they chose not to wait, and that too tells us something.
At least for the American market, do they consider that Trump (supposedly) reversed biden-thing era EV mandates? According the left wing rags, DJT ended the mandate stating half of new cars must be eeeveees by 2030. Nothing about rolling back the tax credit for wealthy people to buy their toys. Nothing about the CO2 farce.
It isn’t rocket science. Keep the Versa in production, lower the price to something reasonable while addressing quality issues, and then apply pressure on the US dealers to deliver a car under $20k without games.
The Titan was a decent truck, but Nissan didn’t turn the vehicle into a fetish item like the other manufacturer’s half ton pickups.
The Reuters link toward the bottom is defective. Here’s an archived version of the article:
https://archive.ph/UFIiI
‘Honda’s current stance is that it would not accept an integration unless Nissan agrees to become a subsidiary, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.’
For Japanese salarymen (and I do mean men), their company is their tribal identification and social network, cemented with evenings out drinking mizuwari (whiskey & water) and belting out Frank Sinatra tunes at the karaoke bar.
I worked for a Japanese company formed by a merger. Ten years on, all of those employed by the pre-merger companies were still identified as ‘N****o’ or “I***’ guys — apparently a lifelong affiliation.
So, yeah — for a dyed-in-the-wool Nissan man, better seppuku than enslavement and humiliation by the hated Honda tribe.
Latin geek note: although Latin is tolerant of varying word orders, the penultimate paragraph usually is rendered as sic transit (thus passes) gloria mundi (the world’s glory).
Link fixed, Jim – thanks!
One of the biggest problems now is there are a lot more poor people than there are rich people, you might be able to sell a cheap car to a rich person but at a certain point you can’t sell an expensive car to a poor person. Poor people might buy a used formerly expensive car and then whine about costly repairs (Audi).
Regarding Nissan, even if they wanted to go after the small affordable car market the Chinese pretty well have a lock on that market now.
In the end Nissan might wind up as an assembler of cars like AMC did and we all know how that ends.
Hi Landru,
Yes, but it’s worse. Middle and working class people increasingly can no longer afford new cars. You cannot maintain an industry by selling a relative handful of expensive cars to a relative handful of rich people. But that’s what’s happening. Every car is now a luxury-priced car. It’s as if the only brands available were Mercedes, Lexus and BMW.
And that’s pretty much it.
Its been a plan for decades to get the “riff-raff” off the roads. The old motto was “end America’s love affair with the automobile”
The auto makers enthusiastically went along with the plan.
Why?
Mary Barra:
Total Compensation: $27,847,405
Salary: $2,100,000
Bonus: $5,250,000
Stock Options: $4,875,013
Stock Awards: $14,625,000
Other Compensation: $997,392
GM can go bust tomorrow and Ms Barra is set for life so who cares?
Exactly, Alex –
No consequences for mismanagement or even malicious management. Total economic disconnect from the concerns of working and middle class people. And that is why corporatism kills capitalism.
I have no idea what this suicide pact the auto manufacturers seem to have these days. It certainly argues against one of the main premises of Atlas Shrugged.
BTW if you haven’t read Robert Gores The Golden Pinnacle you should. It’s a better, more readable and much more enjoyable than Atlas Shrugged with a similar theme. It covers a lot of the “Robber Baron” years, lots of railroad history as well and the best argument against the Federal reserve I have ever read.
I’ll gift you a copy if you like
poor people can’t afford cars now…
In the past, people with mechanical skills and tools, could buy a cheap older car and keep it running by doing their own repairs, saving thousands of dollars….
The very expensive new cars being sold now are so complicated, computer infested….they can’t be fixed by a backyard mechanic…the poor slaves will walk….which was part of the trapped in a 15 min city…no slave mobility agenda…..
UN Agenda 21 -> UN Agenda 2030. Somebody stop him! A slave with a w̶e̶a̶p̶o̶n̶ vehicle! Get the guards! Stop him!
This is what came to mind, took me a minute to find it.
https://rumble.com/v2fydbe-i-wanna-be-crazy-like-alex-jones.html
‘Regarding Nissan, even if they wanted to go after the small affordable car market the Chinese pretty well have a lock on that market now.’ — Landru
A quarter century ago, Japanese manufacturers dismissed Chinese competitors as low-tech and low quality. One of them sold a Chinese company some production equipment that was intentionally gimped with excessive tolerances that would result in many out-of-spec parts. Clever survival strategy — NOT!
By dismissing their Chinese competitors as crude, dim-witted blacksmiths, the self-blinded Japanese were taken by surprise when they got left in the dust.
Punishing China with tariffs is an analogous US response. China still has the rest of the world as a market. Delusional Americlowns never will take it back from China. That ship already sailed. Uncle Sam resembles the ‘Biden’ entity: a delusional, dementia-ridden old duffer who’s a legend in his own mottled mind.
This begs the question of actual Chinese “quality.”
Per a validation engineer friend I have, he tells me GM found trouble with their Chinese sourced V8 valvetrain components, which turned out to be junk.
So does China have secretly amazing QC for in-house products, while they ship total crap (Temu & Shien or whatever plastic clothing is now en vogue) to the rest of the world?
Or do they just have a great PR team and massive backing from the CCP (along with co-conspirators like the Scranton Sniffer and that Musk Mongoloid) pushing a narrative?
Hi Flip. Regarding Temu quality; some of it’s great and some of it’s sh*t. The pictures make it look great but if it’s junk they take it back or issue you a credit almost instantly. Ali Express plays games with misleading product descriptions though.
The problem now is everything is sh*t, if you’re lucky it lasts long enough to do the job you bought it for.
As a part of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration Saturday on Canada, Mexico and China, so-called “de minimis” rules on small imports from the countries were suspended.
“De minimis” rules say that incoming goods under a certain value are not subject to import duties (and sometimes tax). As a result, the U.S. temporarily stopped accepting parcel from China and Hong Kong as many popular retailers send scores of “de minimis” shipments from these locations, including the likes of Temu or Shein.
Temu or Shein could be facing higher costs soon….
The U.S.’ $800 threshold is one of the highest in the world while EU countries impose charges on imports of much lower value (above €150 – approximately $156).
China’s “de minimis” rules are also more strict, with any tax or duty under 50 Yuan Renminbi (approximately $7.00…..
Only $7.00….very low…in effect another tariff/tax on shipping goods into China….while they dump their garbage into other markets at lower costs…..
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-de-minimis-exemption-was-one-highest-world
Nissan “Et al” went along with all the LIES and now they are all screwed.Dam shame…. what what we need is a pickup like the 72 521 Datsun. I had one in the early 80s.it was a great little truck….if you are small enough to fit in it. I hauled my dirt bikes with it.
Hi Zane,
Yup! I have owned several of the old Frontiers – and still have an ’02. It is great little truck for those who don’t need or want a huge truck that costs twice as much as a little truck.
92’ Mazda B2600 4×4 (180k) in garage right now now complete front end rebuild.
All ball joints
All tie rods / drag link
Pitman arm
Idler arm
Axles / CV joints / Seals
New Upper Control Arm pivots
New brake hoses
New shock absorbers
All parts were original – essentially having gone 2x design life.
$700 in parts, labor at my standard rate of free.
Less than 1 payment on a new behemoth!
Makes ne giddy thinking about how nice and tight the steering will be when done. I’ve been shopping around for an old 4runner so I can apply some similar love to it.
Excellent, BID!
I have a clutch kit ready for when necessary. About $200 in parts plus my labor costs – which like yours are free. Good to go for another 200,000 miles. I would not keep a new turbo’d Taco if Toyota gifted me one.
Nissan also somehow became the darling of the rental car industry, and relies heavily on fleet sales.
This appears to cause a snowball effect on their downward depreciation, also affecting their retail sales.
And then you have the well warranted reputation of its subprime buying clientele and the infamous Jatco CVT.
Someone at Nissan initiated the doomsday machine within the last 20 years or so.
I guess 20 years is a long time, but they sure were a more appealing brand when they had Xterras, Z cars (that were actually visible on the road), V6 Altimas, SE-R Sentras, Pathfinders that weren’t disguised minivans and (a little farther back) the phenomenal “4DSC” VQ/5 speed Maxima.
The decline has been been painful to watch.