Trading in Frontier for a Gladiator. Good idea?

[Stan H]

It's a heavy steel pipe I had set up in concrete by the driveway for a basketball hoop. Took it down when my sons got older and moved out on their own
It wasn't easy, I'll just say that!

One thing is for sure cant haul that in a Wrangler

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[SaiintNick]

I really had to bite my tongue with what I wanted to say.

 

[WILDHOBO]

This is a serious question - is that chicken for sale?
My wife keeps talking about getting a big chicken as a yard decoration - and that would make a serious nice birthday gift for her.

on the other hand, I'd have LOVED to have seen that going down the road and gotten a picture of it to show my wife. She'd LOVE IT!

We just bought it for our yard when that was taken maybe a month ago. But there’s a place around the corner from us that we got it from. Not that expensive really. Just hilariously big. It was super fun to drive home like that.

 

[SaiintNick]

One thing is for sure cant haul that in a Wrangler

Pop open the tailgate window.

 

[WILDHOBO]

It's a heavy steel pipe I had set up in concrete by the driveway for a basketball hoop. Took it down when my sons got older and moved out on their own
It wasn't easy, I'll just say that!

I assumed you used your crane. But it still wouldn’t be easy.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I really had to bite my tongue with what I wanted to say.

It’s been said. Huge cock right out in the yard. Not even hiding it from the neighbors.

 

[Solar Sparky]

Oh, I know exactly what type of truck the Gladiator is. It is my secondary vehicle as I have a 320hp Mk8.5 Golf R for all my fast and the furious needs lol
The decision that I am trying to cover here mostly is whether the spend the time and energy modifying my current frontier, or get this gladiator. It is a gorgeous truck with fantastic capabilities, my concern is whether it'll be a money pit for me and make me fall out of love with it. I know my frontier is very reliable, drivetrain wise, but it would never be as capable as a Gladiator, just by the engineering limitations of it.
Curious though, why are you on your second one? What happened to the first?

I doubt you could modify the Frontier to become half the vehicle the Gladiator starts at. I am also on my second Gladiator Mojave edition. The first one we ran the hell out of in the mountains of Colorado and the 4 corners region, and it was extremely capable. After 50k miles, and moving to Florida, I saw the amazing deals on new ones, and jumped on one. Nothing was wrong with the first one, I just wanted the newer features, and it is time for a beach setup vs a mountain setup.

 

[nasiraod]

I just got to looking at some of those pictures, hilarious lol
Thank you very much everyone, I think for me, I really like the Gladiator and I'm gonna be aiming to get one.
Just a small update, I went to both dealerships today.
Starting with the wrangler, I looked at the frame, and it's been cut and welded so horribly that I didn't even take it out for a test drive lol, so that one is definitely out.
As for Tha gladiator, I gave them an offer, it's lower than the sales manager can authorize, so they are going to talk to the General Manager on Tuesday to see what counter offer they come up if they do not accept my offer, I did put a refundable deposit on it. So wish me luck
Here are some pictures of the suspension I took today.

I'm not too familiar with Front Solid Axle trucks, let me know what you guys think. Everything indicates that it is lifted, but I don't see where the lift components are, could it be lifted from the factory?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I just got to looking at some of those pictures, hilarious lol
Thank you very much everyone, I think for me, I really like the Gladiator and I'm gonna be aiming to get one.
Just a small update, I went to both dealerships today.
Starting with the wrangler, I looked at the frame, and it's been cut and welded so horribly that I didn't even take it out for a test drive lol, so that one is definitely out.
As for Tha gladiator, I gave them an offer, it's lower than the sales manager can authorize, so they are going to talk to the General Manager on Tuesday to see what counter offer they come up if they do not accept my offer, I did put a refundable deposit on it. So wish me luck
Here are some pictures of the suspension I took today.

I'm not too familiar with Front Solid Axle trucks, let me know what you guys think. Everything indicates that it is lifted, but I don't see where the lift components are, could it be lifted from the factory?

Nothing came lifted from factory.
Looks like some spring bow there.

Guys, is that amount of spring rust typical?
Looks like a lot to me.
Something bugs me but can't put my finger on it
Need more coffee

 

[Pismo61]

Thanks, I really appreciate the resale value assurance, I have no idea about the Gladiator's resale value, since that is something in the back of my mind since I might have to relocate all of a sudden
As for the comment about Nissan, I'm a bit the opposite as you lol
Don't get me wrong, I agree about Nissan's garbageness in the current times, and I never been a fan of the Z either lol. However, the platform of the 2nd gen frontier is the exception, I've had an xterra before, which I lifted and modified. The engine, teanny, suspension etc are all bulletproof. And the interior is very simple with fewer luxuries than a homeless tent lol. It's why all municipalities where I live use them as their mid-sized trucks. However, you cannot compare the fun factor that the Gladiator would bring.

Yep,the Frontier is the Nissan outlier.Its a solid truck.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I just got to looking at some of those pictures, hilarious lol
Thank you very much everyone, I think for me, I really like the Gladiator and I'm gonna be aiming to get one.
Just a small update, I went to both dealerships today.
Starting with the wrangler, I looked at the frame, and it's been cut and welded so horribly that I didn't even take it out for a test drive lol, so that one is definitely out.
As for Tha gladiator, I gave them an offer, it's lower than the sales manager can authorize, so they are going to talk to the General Manager on Tuesday to see what counter offer they come up if they do not accept my offer, I did put a refundable deposit on it. So wish me luck
Here are some pictures of the suspension I took today.

I'm not too familiar with Front Solid Axle trucks, let me know what you guys think. Everything indicates that it is lifted, but I don't see where the lift components are, could it be lifted from the factory?

It’s a budget lift. By the looks of it the springs are so bowed the control arms aren’t the right lengths. They used geometry correction brackets, but the arms are Oem. Not a reason to not consider it, but use it for negotiation. “I’ll need to replace the bowed springs and go through the suspension to make sure it’s not going to happen again”. It’s a JKS lift. JKS and fox are the same company. (Sport truck USA). Their lift products are designed for mostly pavement trucks in my opinion, and from experience. To keep from bowing springs and messing up driveshaft angles, control arm lengths should be addressed, depending on the height of the lift. Again. All of these things are easy to replace. Use it for negotiation.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Nothing came lifted from factory.
Looks like some spring bow there.

Guys, is that amount of spring rust typical?
Looks like a lot to me.
Something bugs me but can't put my finger on it
Need more coffee

It’s a lot. But JKS parts rust like mad.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It’s a lot. But JKS parts rust like mad.

My gut said "cheap lift" - or better word "budget lift", but I'm not an expert on those, so left it as I did.
That rust would drive me nuts.

Personally, I'd take out all of those parts and put in quality parts, get rid of that spring bow (with springs that won't bow and/or get the geometry back to correct - and maybe it would be an ok truck.

 

[Stan H]

It’s a budget lift. By the looks of it the springs are so bowed the control arms aren’t the right lengths. They used geometry correction brackets, but the arms are Oem. Not a reason to not consider it, but use it for negotiation. “I’ll need to replace the bowed springs and go through the suspension to make sure it’s not going to happen again”. It’s a JKS lift. JKS and fox are the same company. (Sport truck USA). Their lift products are designed for mostly pavement trucks in my opinion, and from experience. To keep from bowing springs and messing up driveshaft angles, control arm lengths should be addressed, depending on the height of the lift. Again. All of these things are easy to replace. Use it for negotiation.

The budget lift on the Gladiator was performed by a set of springs and longer bump stops and a JKS adjustable track bar ...But the lower control arms are the Originals as @WILDHOBO says it appears as they are. Only 1 brand makes a spot to reattach the brake lines to the arms. And they are longer than the originals.
I would get it . Then the very first thing change those arms .
I agree with HOBO use it to your advantage that the kift kit is incomplete and you will have to put money into it.

 

[nasiraod]

Thank you very much everyone, this is great information. I will definitely use this in my negotiations
The spring bowing was something I noticed, and was not sure if it's normal, I guess my gut was correct here

Are any of these issues need addressing immediately? Ie, would they make it unsafe or prone to failure soon? Both in on road and off road situations?
For me, this truck would only be used in trips, off road excursions, and maybe the occasional Ikea run lol

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