Faults:

- Misfiring issue that caused a wild goose chase of replacing fuses and O2 sensors. I don't know the details as it was owned by my dad at the time, but that's why I only mark it a 7/10 on reliability.

- A/C belt snapped, not the truck's fault.

- Worn pulley, coincides with the above fault.

- Just essential maintenance items other than that.

General Comments:

Besides the misfiring problem, this truck has been great to my father and now me.

It's funny because people seem to think these small Japanese trucks are small and sporty, like they're a Jeep alternative or something. They are not. These trucks are built in the traditional sense of the word "truck". They're hard-riding, rubbery-handling, tipsy little trucks that are built to work until they rust apart (which should be in a couple years here in the midwest). That's why I love it. I hate to beat a dead horse, but modern trucks, while useful for a lot of reasons, have lost the simplicity and ruggedness that makes these small trucks so enticing. This truck, aside from the modern stereo, A/C, and fuel injection, is a flashback to the 60s.

That being said, I do have a few complaints. The 2.4 is just adequate for the truck. It's not painfully slow like a Ranger, but it's not fast. It is however relatively torquey and has a surprisingly beefy exhaust note at full throttle. It also sucks down a ridiculous amount of fuel to make 140hp. I wouldn't be surprised if I was getting 18 MPG. What also doesn't help is the gearing. This truck is happiest at 55mph; anything above that will start to strain on the engine. On the highway in 5th gear at 70mph you're running about 3500-4000rpm. My only other complaint is the interior comfort, or lack thereof. Being a single cab with a bench means that the bench, while not only pretty punishing on longer trips, will throw you around more than the suspension. Other than that, I don't really have any more complaints.

I should also mention that I wouldn't buy another Nissan, not because of this truck, but because with the Frontier it seems to me that there was a significant quality drop. I've had experience with a 2002 Frontier and a 2007 Pathfinder, and both were and are fantastic to drive, but they're all on the verge of falling apart. The Pathfinder was especially heinous with the well-known transmission exploding habit they have. It also just felt cheap on the inside; the plastic they used was nearly GM-grade if not worse.

Faults:

Passenger side front wheel bearing.

2 clutches.

Evap cannister.

Starter.

General Comments:

Probably the single best investment I have ever made in a vehicle or farm implement. I needed a dependable truck at an affordable price that would also fit my 6'0 275lb size in comfort, and an extended or king cab was the only option.

Paid $12,500 as a "used" truck from the dealer - it was originally sold a few days earlier, but was brought back after the guy's credit didn't pass. I have had this truck since November of '97 and have been to 38 states including AK and HI, a few foreign countries, and a few US territories with this truck. Currently coming up on 368,000 miles with only a few repairs needed since new.

If I had known that this would be the last year of the Hardbody, I would have bought two of them and garaged the other one for future use. In reality, the 99 and '00 Frontiers are the same excluding the body work.

Repairs include two clutches ('00 & '07) as I used to haul trailers with it frequently, a front wheel bearing in '04, evap cannister at 300k in '12, and a starter last month. I have tried to buy a used one, but no one, and I mean no one is selling here in Hawaii and for good reason.

I get offers constantly to buy mine; even had one offer and in a moment of weakness agreed to sell for $5k - if the guy could get to the bank and back by the time my truck came out of the car wash. 20 minutes later I was ecstatic that he didn't make it back in time and I scurried out of the car wash!