Thinking about trading down..2012 Nissan Frontier to...?

[Patronus]

I'm just starting to consider trading down from my 2012 Nissan Frontier 4X4 to something older, SUV and MUCH cheaper. My P/U is in perfect shape, 20K miles and not a scratch on it. I'm just kinda tired of making $430 a month payments and I NEVER haud anything so the bed is of no use to me. I just wonder if it would be feasible to swap it down into something in the 90-2000 year models with little or nothing left to pay. Or if it even really makes sense. Still, 4+ years of payments left kinda depresses me lately. LOL!

Any thoughts/suggestions?

 

[lewdog]

Patronus,

Getting a older paid for vehicle is definitely something that can be done. I have been doing this for 20 years with used trucks in the $3000 range. It just depends on your preferences going from a late model to something 10 + years old is a adjustment. Your payment is about average but that is over 5,000 annual that you could allocate elsewhere.

 

[Patronus]

Patronus,

Getting a older paid for vehicle is definitely something that can be done. I have been doing this for 20 years with used trucks in the $3000 range. It just depends on your preferences going from a late model to something 10 + years old is a adjustment. Your payment is about average but that is over 5,000 annual that you could allocate elsewhere.

Yeah...like the ODT!.

Actually I'd like to free up the money to pay off other things and snowball it. The old Dave Ramsey approach. I actually paid myself out of debt once and then bought a house...then a car, then another, than a credit card, central AC/heatpump, time share...Son of a *****! What am I doing?


So, I'm starting on it again...LOL.

Yeah, I would be fine with a ten year old Blazer, Path Finder, etc. Maybe an Explorer but I never heard good things about the mechanical reliability of them. Maybe even a Jeep CJ. And a stick shift would be fine too.

 

[thesammythecurse]

The nice thing about a car like that is you have no worries. Any issues that do arise will be fixed with a replacement car at hand until 36k miles.

If you want no payments, you trade reliability (of course this is relative). You are just more prone to having to do more expensive maintenance jobs. Most of the time, good regular simple maintenance tends to give your parts a much longer life than stated by the manufacture.

If you are a little mechanical savvy, trade down by all means. I'm a fan of the older toyota trucks. the 22r and 22re motor's seem to be bullet proof.

 

[Patronus]

I thought about the added maintenence of an older car but hell, I could drop 2 motors in it a year and still break even. LOL! A paid off car saves 5 grand in payments. Not to mention a couple of hundred in tag fee if I buy it under the new rules and a few hundred in insurance. And the Nissan gets 17 MPG so I wouldn't lose much on that front either. Really, for maintenance the OLDER the better. A late 70's blazer or Jeep has next to no computers so fix or replace is simpler.

 

[144P&Y]

do you have 5-6grand laying around to do this with?

 

[GeauxLSU]

I'm confused. Do you assume you have equity in the Frontier and that is what you would use to buy the older vehicle?

 

[Stol3n]

Get yourself an 03 v6 4runner 4x4. They get about 20mpg, have a timing chain, and will last forever.

 

[lewdog]

Yeah if you know about the Dave Ramsey way there is no way to justify payments on a new one. It's all about your preferences.

 

[Patronus]

I'm confused. Do you assume you have equity in the Frontier and that is what you would use to buy the older vehicle?

LOL! It'd be nice to think so. 2 years payments at 3.25% SHOULD put me in equity but not enough. No I figure if I can put something together it will be with a small enough payoff to knock it out in <1 year.

Get yourself an 03 v6 4runner 4x4. They get about 20mpg, have a timing chain, and will last forever.

Very good to know. Thanks!

Yeah if you know about the Dave Ramsey way there is no way to justify payments on a new one. It's all about your preferences.

Yep. While I do love my truck and it's a great ride, I have no need for XM radio, 6 disc CD, the truck bed, and the endless (seemingly) payments. Will I miss it if I do this? Absolutely. Will I find consolation in the extra money...Oh yeah. Can I make something work within the money limitations I want? Hmmm...That is the question. Well, the BIG one.