Episode #229 - Is Nissan Making a Comeback?Another Pointless Automotive Podcast · Jun 17, 2026
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Concept
rose color glasses
“Rose color glasses” means you’re looking back on something with a too-positive attitude. In this case, it suggests the host thinks people are remembering older Nissan years as better than they really were.
The Nissan 300ZX twin turbo is a Nissan sports coupe with two turbochargers. That setup helps it make strong power while still feeling like a comfortable car to drive.
The Nissan 240SX is an older Nissan sports car that became popular with car modders. People liked it because it’s rear-wheel drive and there are lots of parts and upgrades available.
The Nissan X-Terra is a tougher-looking SUV that was aimed at people who wanted something more capable than a typical mall cruiser. In this segment, it’s mentioned because it was selling well.
The Nissan 200 SX is a Nissan model name that’s associated with sportier cars from the past. The podcast mentions it while talking about how Nissan was doing well up to around 2008. It’s brought up as part of that older, more respected lineup.
Term
Jacko transmissions
“Jacko transmissions” sounds like a specific transmission brand or option. The hosts are basically saying there are different transmission choices, and each one changes how the car feels to live with.
The Nissan 370Z is a sports coupe in Nissan’s long-running Z lineup. The hosts mention it to make the point that the Z name has been around for a long time.
The Nissan Z is Nissan’s sports-car line, and the hosts are talking about the newer version of it. They’re saying it was a good move and that people have had time to judge it now.
The Toyota Supra is another popular sports car that people compare against the Nissan Z. Here it’s mentioned because the hosts are talking about how well the Z sold compared to the Supra.
Jatco is a company that makes transmissions for cars. The speaker is saying that transmission problems tied to Jatco contributed to the car’s bad reputation, and that improving things can help the model’s image.
The Datsun 240Z is an older sports car that became famous for being fast and fun. The podcast describes it as a standout classic. It’s brought up because it’s an important part of sports-car history.
The Nissan GT-R (R35) is a famous fast Nissan that’s been around for many years. The host is saying it’s still cool, but it matters less for Nissan’s next chapter than the new Z.
“Underpinnings” just means the main bones and engineering base of the car. The host is saying the new Z is built on older Z foundations, but updated a lot.
Concept
refresh it heavily
This means Nissan didn’t just leave the old design alone—they updated it a lot. The idea is you can make a “new” car by improving the existing base instead of building everything from zero.
Body-on-frame means the car’s body sits on a separate, sturdy frame underneath. It’s a common design for trucks and off-road SUVs because it tends to handle bumps and tough driving better.
Crossovers and SUVs became more popular because they’re practical and feel more versatile for everyday life. The hosts are saying that, during that shift, the old-school rugged style of the XTERRA didn’t match what most people wanted.
The Porsche Boxster is a two-seat sports car with the engine placed toward the middle of the car. It’s made for people who want a fun roadster experience. The podcast mentions it while talking about changes to what the model might become.
Term
EV Boxster
This is the idea of making a Porsche Boxster into an electric car. The host is basically saying Porsche may have to adjust its plans because the market isn’t lining up with what they expected.
Term
uncharger the charger
This is a joking way of saying the Charger’s electrification plans are being changed or reversed. The point is that some brands have to rethink their EV strategy, while Nissan can still sell gas or hybrid versions.
The Dodge Charger is a car built for performance, typically with strong acceleration. It’s known for being a popular model among drivers who like fast cars. The podcast brings it up while discussing what’s being launched or changed in the lineup.
They’re comparing to the Toyota 4Runner, a rugged SUV that’s built for off-roading. The point in this segment is that the 4Runner is the “standard” the Nissan would be trying to beat.
TRD stands for Toyota Racing Development. When you see a TRD badge, it usually means the vehicle has Toyota’s sport/off-road focused upgrades or styling.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is a tough SUV designed for rough roads and off-road driving. People talk about it because it’s known for lasting a long time. The podcast says the newer version feels very different from what fans expect.
MSRP is the sticker price the manufacturer says the car should cost. It’s not the final price you pay at the dealership, but it’s a common reference point for comparisons.
“Architecture” means the car’s basic design and platform—what it’s built on. They’re suggesting Nissan could reuse that foundation to make a smaller, lighter version of the “Centra.”
The Toyota Tundra is a large pickup truck made by Toyota. It’s meant for hauling and towing, but also for regular driving. The podcast says it’s been getting a lot of bad press lately.
Concept
recalls and reliability issues
A recall is when a car company has to fix a problem in cars that are already on the road. Reliability issues mean the car tends to have problems more often than expected. The host is saying these kinds of issues can hurt how people feel about a brand.
A hybrid system is a car setup that uses both a gas engine and an electric motor. Because it has more parts working together, it can be more complicated and sometimes more expensive to maintain if something goes wrong.
Subprime means a loan is being offered to someone with less-than-great credit. That usually comes with a higher interest rate, so the car ends up costing more over time.
RB26 is a famous Nissan engine (an inline-six) that people associate with the Skyline GT-R. It’s known for being powerful and for having a huge aftermarket, so it’s a go-to engine when enthusiasts talk about building or swapping cars.
The Nissan Juke is a small SUV/crossover. It’s known for having a very unusual look that not everyone likes. The podcast mentions it because the speaker thinks it’s ugly but still acknowledges it has fans or value.
Nissan’s Nismo version of the Frontier is a more aggressive, enthusiast-focused pickup. It’s meant to be better for off-road use and has more sporty styling than the regular model.
The Nissan 350Z is a sports car coupe made for driving enjoyment. The podcast is comparing it to a newer Z and saying the 350Z Nismo version was very impressive. It’s mentioned because it’s a well-regarded performance model.
“Seam welded” refers to welding the body panels together along the seams, rather than relying only on spot welds or adhesives. On performance or limited-run cars, it’s often used to improve rigidity and to create a more “hand-built” look that enthusiasts notice.
Term
low mileage ones
“Low mileage” is a used-car qualifier meaning the car has been driven relatively few miles compared with typical examples. In enthusiast markets, lower mileage often supports higher prices and can make limited cars easier to justify buying.
Concept
Japanese manufacturer scene
“Japanese manufacturer scene” is a shorthand for the broader ecosystem of Japanese brands and their reputations—models, dealer networks, and how enthusiasts perceive them. Here, it’s framed from the perspective of an American buyer comparing what’s available and how the experience differs.
The Mazda CX-50 is a small SUV for everyday driving. It’s meant to be practical, but the podcast frames it as a good choice for people who still care about how the car drives. The host suggests it as an enthusiast-friendly daily driver.
The Mazda RX-3 is an older Mazda sports car. It’s known for being different from typical cars, including its unique engine design. The podcast brings it up as an example of something interesting that enthusiasts might want.
The Toyota RAV4 is a compact SUV that’s made for everyday driving. The podcast mentions it as a smart choice when you want a vehicle that fits common needs. It’s brought up as an example of a reliable, sensible option.
Pontiac was a famous American car brand that used to market its cars as exciting to drive. The host is just using it as an example of that kind of branding.
The Mazda Miata (MX-5) is a small two-seat sports car designed to be fun to drive. It’s known for being light and easy to handle. The podcast mentions it because it’s a popular enthusiast choice.
Genesis is a luxury car brand associated with Hyundai. The podcast talks about it from about 10 to 15 years ago, when Hyundai was trying to build a more premium lineup. It’s mentioned as part of that earlier push toward luxury cars.
The Nissan Sentra is a small, affordable car. Here, they’re saying Nissan could make a sportier Nismo version of it to attract enthusiasts without charging supercar money.
The Nissan Pathfinder is a midsize SUV known for being offered in multiple configurations over the years. In this segment, the hosts discuss a potential refresh where the Pathfinder name could cover two different construction types—unibody versus body-on-frame—which would significantly affect how the SUV drives and is used.
Unibody means the car’s body and structure are built as one unit instead of a separate frame. It’s common on many passenger cars and usually helps with a smoother, more car-like feel.
The Nissan Maxima is a regular-sized sedan made by Nissan. The podcast talks about wanting it back, meaning people like the idea of that type of car returning. It’s mentioned in the context of what Nissan should offer to be compelling.
This is talking about Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand. The idea is that if Nissan brought back the Maxima as a top-tier sedan, it might need to be sold under the Infiniti name instead of as a regular Nissan.
Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury brand—more upscale cars than regular Nissan models. The hosts are using it to talk about whether Nissan should chase luxury again.
The Infiniti Q60 is a luxury car model (more coupe-like than the Q50). The host is saying people often don’t remember the differences between the Q50 and Q60.
“Upmarket” means aiming higher—selling cars that cost more and feel more premium. The host is saying Nissan could reposition itself away from the budget end.
A “value leader” is a company that tries to give you the best deal. The host is saying Nissan could focus on making cars that are affordable but still worth buying.
Inflation and economic instability are big-picture money problems that can make people spend more carefully. The host is saying that when that happens, car companies often bring back cheaper options to match what buyers can afford.
The used car market is where people buy cars that have already been owned. If used cars are selling well or prices are strong, it can push automakers to adjust what cheaper options they offer.
CVT means a transmission that can change ratios smoothly, like having an infinite number of gears. The hosts are talking about Nissan using CVTs and whether Nissan can make them reliable this time.
In this context, “unreliability” is the idea that a specific technology or product (here, Nissan’s CVT) has a reputation for failing more often than it should. The hosts describe it as a lingering “grim specter,” meaning it continues to shape how people judge Nissan.
“Body and frame” means the car’s body sits on a separate heavy-duty frame underneath. That construction is often used for trucks and off-road vehicles because it can handle rough use better.
A “V6” is an engine with six cylinders arranged in a V shape. It’s a popular engine type for SUVs because it usually provides strong pulling power without being as complex as bigger engines.
A “retro callback” is when a new car brings back design details from an older version or a past style. It’s meant to feel familiar and nostalgic, but still look current.
A “loss leader” is something a company sells for less than it costs, just to get people interested. The hope is that customers will buy other things or the brand will benefit overall.
The “NX” mentioned in the podcast sounds like a small, unusual car idea. The speaker wants something like an “NX 2000” that’s different from the usual choices. They’re saying this type of small car isn’t really available right now.
Subaru is another car brand they bring up as a partner. They’re saying Toyota and Subaru shared the basic design so the cars could be made more efficiently.
The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a car model name used by Mitsubishi. In the podcast, it’s mentioned along with other Mitsubishi cars to talk about how they were positioned. The point is about how these models relate and how they differ.
The Mitsubishi Mirage is a small, low-cost car meant for getting around day to day. The podcast mentions it with other Mitsubishi models to talk about how they should be different from each other. The focus is on lineup variety and clarity.
The Mitsubishi Lancer is a compact car made by Mitsubishi. The podcast mentions it along with other Mitsubishi models to talk about how the lineup was different from one model to another. The focus is on how they were positioned and differentiated.
A six-speed gearbox just means the car has six forward gears. That can make it easier to keep the engine in the right “sweet spot” as you accelerate and cruise.
This is a specific version of the Toyota Celica from the year 2000. “GTS” is the sportier trim level, and the hosts are basically saying the ad is describing that exact car.
An “action package” is a set of add-ons the manufacturer offered together. In this case it sounds like it includes the big spoiler and body kit so the car looks more aggressive.
Suspension tuning means setting up the car’s suspension so it grips and handles better. The idea is that the right setup helps the tires work effectively.
Term
grippy tires
“Grippy tires” are tires that stick to the road better. That means the car can go faster or turn harder without sliding.
The Toyota Camry is a common, everyday sedan. It’s known for being comfortable and practical. The podcast mentions it because the speaker is talking about an engine size and power that comes from the Camry.
Term
GT4 variant
“GT4” is a name people use for a specific higher-trim version of a car. It usually means it’s the more performance-focused model compared to the standard one.
Term
SS205
“SS205” is a special version of a car, usually the more performance-focused one. The letters and numbers are basically a code that tells you which setup it has.
Term
Beams NA
“Beams NA” means a performance engine that’s naturally aspirated—no turbo. That usually makes the car feel more responsive as you rev it.
Term
SS2 variant
“SS2” is a named version of the car. Here they’re saying it’s similar to a naturally aspirated “Beams” setup.
Term
Revi NA
“Revi NA” is a named naturally aspirated version—so it’s not turbocharged. They’re saying this version made a noticeable difference in how the car felt.
Term
6B manual
“6B manual” means a manual gearbox setup with six speeds. Manual fans like it because the gearing and shift feel can make the car more fun to drive.
The Honda Integra GSR is a sportier Integra model. The hosts are comparing it to a Toyota Celica GTS and saying the Integra GSR tends to be more valuable and has advantages like more power and an extra gear.
The Acura Integra is a compact car that has been made in performance-focused versions. In the podcast, they’re comparing an Integra to other sporty cars from around the same time. The goal is to match up what those cars were like in terms of performance.
Horsepower is a number that describes how strong the engine is. Higher horsepower usually means the car can accelerate more quickly, which is why the hosts bring it up in the comparison.
An “extra gear” means the car has one more step in its gearbox. That can help the engine stay in the right range for power and can make driving feel better, especially when you’re accelerating or cruising.
“Grippers” means tires with better grip. Better tires help the car stick to the road, especially when you’re driving hard.
Term
good brakes
“Good brakes” means brakes that can stop the car strongly and keep working even when you brake hard again and again. That matters a lot for rally-style driving.
Term
7,500 RPM, 8,000 RPM
RPM is how fast the engine is spinning. They’re saying you’d keep it spinning high—around 7,500 to 8,000 RPM—so the car stays in its strongest, most responsive range.
Term
dealer add-on mods
“Dealer add-on mods” are upgrades you get through the dealership, not something you install later yourself. They’re usually sold as a package and can be more “official” than random aftermarket parts.
A “cat-back” exhaust replaces the parts of the exhaust after the catalytic converter. People do it to change sound and how freely the exhaust can flow.
“Apex N1” is a brand/model of aftermarket exhaust. People swap it in to change the car’s sound and sometimes how well it breathes, especially for a more spirited build.
“Period correct” means the parts look and fit the same style as what was used back when the car was new. It’s about keeping the build true to its original time period.
“Rally” is a type of racing on timed sections, often on rough surfaces like gravel or dirt. People build cars for it to handle traction and control better, not just to go fast in a straight line.
“PCP” is a way to finance a car where you pay monthly and then often face a big final payment at the end. It’s worth checking what you’ll owe then and whether you can return or buy the car.
A valve cover leak means oil is seeping out around the top cover of the engine. It’s usually caused by a worn gasket, and it can get worse if you ignore it.
The sun visor is the fold-down panel inside the cabin used to block glare from the sun. The clips mentioned in the transcript are the small mounting pieces that let the visor stay in position.
The Lexus ES 300 is a Lexus luxury sedan. Here, they’re talking about a problem with the trunk-release button in the door—so pressing it doesn’t open the trunk.
A push button is the physical switch you press to trigger something. In this case, it’s the button in the door that should release the trunk.
Term
trunk one
They’re talking about the trunk-release control. The trunk doesn’t respond when they press the button, which usually points to the button/switch being the problem.
VCT is a system that adjusts when the engine’s camshaft opens the valves. That helps the engine run better at both low and high speeds, and the solenoid is the part that helps control that adjustment.
VTEC is Honda’s system that changes how the engine’s valves work at different speeds. It’s mentioned here as another example of variable valve timing so you can relate it to VCT.
“Pull codes” means plugging in a scanner to read error messages stored by the car. Those messages can tell you what part or system is causing the problem.
A “pending” diagnostic trouble code is one the car has detected but hasn’t confirmed strongly enough to fully mature into a confirmed fault. It often requires the problem to occur again under the right conditions before the check-engine light or a confirmed code is set.
Intermotor is a company that makes replacement car parts. The speaker is saying it makes the same basic part used by Audi/VW, but with different mounting details.
“Mounting ears” are the little tabs on a part that bolt it to the car. If the tabs are shaped differently, the part might not fit or bolt in the same way.
An O-ring is a small rubber ring that seals a connection so nothing leaks. If you don’t use the right one, you can end up with leaks.
LIVE
In a world with entirely too many shows about cars, this is another Pointless Automotive
podcast.
Welcome back to another Pointless Automotive podcast.
Frank, how you doing this evening, man?
I'm good.
I'm the heart of Rock and Roll is still beating, I guess, as local legends Huey Lewis and
or the news once said, no, no, no, doing okay.
What has Mr. Lewis been up to?
Good question.
Is he related to Aaron Lewis?
I don't know.
It hasn't been in the news, that's for sure.
That's true.
Do you know what has been in the news?
Oh my God.
Look at the segue for this guy.
We've talked about it before, right?
We have definitely hinted towards it.
We've laid our plans out to save this company.
Mother, F, and Nissan's making a comeback, guys.
Let's be super serious on this one.
Maybe.
I don't know.
The CEO hasn't been carted out with musical instrument boxes out of Japan yet.
That's a good sign.
That's positive.
The board is happy with that.
He's an enthusiast.
I've heard too.
Yeah.
Not on the lamb, which is great.
Ivan Espinosa is his name.
All signs are pointing to the direction we wanted the company to go because I think when
we did the saving Nissan episode, I think we both pretty much aligned in it.
What's that?
Keep talking.
I want to look up when we did that.
It was a little while ago, but we both kind of were on the same page where Nissan needs
to come back as like an enthusiast-focused brand like it was in the 80s and 90s.
When it was peak Nissan, we haven't talked about that yet, but we should.
I think they're kind of hinting towards those things that made them a great company during
that era and putting it back into their business model, my friend.
Yeah.
I mean, so I just looked.
That was episode 192.
That was September 24th of 2025 is when we put out our saving Nissan episode.
So not quite a full calendar year.
No.
But like...
Yeah, it's interesting because, first off, I think anyone who is an actual car person
is rooting for Nissan.
Yeah, I think so.
I don't know.
You know, they're not the Cleveland Browns, right?
I don't know about you.
I want the Cleveland Browns to be the factory of misery forever or of sadness, I believe
is what they like to call themselves, the factory of sadness.
I want them to just be more abundant until the end of time.
I want them to just ruin a young, budding quarterbacks career because they draft them
in the first or second pick and utterly just dash their career upon the rocks.
And I want them to just be sad forever.
I don't have that same feel for Nissan.
Good.
I want Nissan to be good.
Yeah.
For instance, I'm not a Raiders fan.
The NFL is a better product when the Raiders are relevant.
Oh, so it hasn't been for some time.
Right.
But if the Raiders are at least in the mix, even if it's getting there like getting absolutely
punched in the face in the first round of the playoffs, sure.
I think that makes the league a better place.
The car world is a better place when Nissan is making relevant and competitive products,
which they have struggled to do for some time.
Yeah.
Dave, well, here's the thing.
I think we reflect rose color glasses, whatnot.
We look back at 80s and 90s Nissan, you had like the 240SX, you had a lot of cool offerings,
300ZX twin turbo, you had a lot of cool stuff coming from Nissan, right?
And it kind of in the early 2000s, they were still doing really good.
The Ultima was a very purchasable item.
People were buying that.
The Sentra was still a thing.
You had Pathfinders.
You had X-Terras, which actually sold really well.
Nissan was still doing good.
2008, bad time for Nissan, most, right?
Except for Subaru, Subaru, the only one to really come out unscathed through that.
Subaru, I would say, undertakers.
Good, good, good time to be alive.
Maybe bail bondsmen and perhaps, you know,
realtors that specialize in foreclosures or dating sites.
Dating sites were really coming along at that time.
I think Ashley Madison was getting ramped up.
Oh, that's right.
Right, wasn't it ballparked at that time?
That was, and what was the can you believe?
Like, yes, bear with me.
I often have to.
I think they ran.
Didn't they run a fucking Super Bowl commercial?
They did.
That was like life's short, have an affair.
Correct. I'm sorry.
I'm not Mr.
like high horse clutch my pearls holier than now.
That's how you're coming across.
But I don't think anyone is allowed to, like,
get upset about anything in pop culture
and what anyone says and, like, not have gone Scorched Earth
on that that was a fucking Super Bowl commercial.
Was just like, hey, you should have an affair.
Dude, we were we were a softer.
We are a softer and gentler people after that.
I think COVID took another couple of rounds out of us.
But to that time period, I don't know.
We're a little a little more hardy.
I think that was.
I don't I mean, I think I think a good old show like adultery.
Right. And not even just like.
Not even just like, hey, if you're going to do it,
like this is a way to do it, but like, no, you should do this.
Life is short.
You should not like, hey, if you're considering it,
like here's the platform, like, no, no, you should.
You should be adulterous, right?
And then the really quick voice at the end of the ad was like,
you should totally trust our security systems.
We won't make any information.
We're not 98 percent in man bots.
No, it's like actually.
Yeah, because it went didn't one of the it was the Duggers.
Didn't like the creepy one that get arrested.
Didn't he that wasn't he wrapped up in that?
And like with politicians and probably some.
Yeah, some like really staunch conservative
politicians got swept up in that, like, oops.
Look, yeah, if you weren't on that list and the Epstein Island list,
who the fuck are you?
You're like, I know, don't waste time talking.
Yeah, I'm I'm not even I wish I was that masculine to be on both.
But let's go here.
Because we were we were back to Nissan, guys.
We weren't really saving them.
We were talking about how they really had a lot of compelling
products they had in a long time.
Like we're talking 80s, 90s.
I would give them the benefit of the doubt.
I think up until 2008, Nissan was still doing pretty good and respectable
and was a big Japanese automaker.
Obviously, they've fallen off.
They've become a joke.
There's big ultimate energy, their products, there's Jacko transmissions.
There's there's pick your pick your poison there.
Yes.
But I think they've been trying to write that ship.
It's been a while, right?
Like the 370Z carried on for 50 years.
Seemingly, right?
What are you most excited about?
Because I think the Z coming back, the new Z.
Was a good step in the right direction.
Sure, I think we did a whole kind of waxing poetic
about the Nissan Z when that car came out like past, present and future.
The future is now.
And now that we've lived with it for a little while.
Yeah, it was definitely.
But what's silly is, yes, when that car came out, I bet if I just thinking
back to when we talked about it, when it was brand new and it was like,
here's the announcement and we just because we're not topical, we don't do this thing.
But like we talked about it when it came out and we were both very excited for it.
Yeah.
And I think the marketplace was until it wasn't because they haven't
sold a bunch of them and you don't really see them.
It outsold the Supra.
It. Correct.
I think it's more interesting than the Supra.
And this is as a Toyota guy.
Is it a Toyota?
Yeah, is that a relevant statement?
That's a different conversation.
But like, yes, I do think that was a step in the right direction, whether it was.
And what it might actually end up being, which is something we don't really have
anymore, is an actual halo car, not in the way of.
You know, getting people in the showroom to see the sea.
And then they they waltz out of there with a with a a fucking kicks.
I don't think that's happening, but it is taking a nameplate that's been pretty
maligned and has been down in the gutter and getting continuously kicked while it was down.
Or while it's Jatco transmission was down and.
Showing that there's signs of life and showing that there is some desire,
ability to where when you see one, you go, oh, wow, look, hey, a new Z.
Yeah, well, they saw one.
Hey, look, dude, blue with a blue interior, rad.
Or, oh, it's the whatever the special heritage edition in that, like,
you know, tennis ball, yellow killer.
And oh, they've got a Nismo one now.
And like, he gets people talking about the brand in a positive light.
That's even if they're not selling a ton of sports cars in general, man, right?
Like they're not balance sheet movers, dude, sports cars.
Not anymore.
Yeah.
I remember the win on Sunday, sell on Monday mentality, right?
Like not anymore.
But I still think there's brand cache and recognition in having a sports car
that still bears a resemblance to their historic, like absolute killer of a
sports car, the 240Z.
But that being said, they've done like great things like the Nismo now comes
with a manual.
I think that's a fantastic step in the right direction.
And they're going to continue refining.
They do have a new one planned.
I have some more notes about that in a little bit.
But I think that was the step in the right direction.
They also still made the R35 for like up 10 years.
And that thing's still cool as all hell.
It's still cool.
But I think I think it's a less important thing for the future direction
of the company than this new Z, whether it's going to, which is ironic
because the underpinnings of that, quote unquote, new Z is old Z.
Correct.
But I think in order for them to do what they, what I think they've successfully
done, even if we might not call it a terribly successful vehicle.
Is, yeah, they, they, they, they took the underpinnings of an old car.
They refreshed it heavily and launched it as a new product for not a huge amount
of money, both to the consumer and for the manufacturer.
And they get people talking positively about the brand for the first time in a long time.
And so I think that is kind of reading the word on the street and feeling kind
of the, the vibe in the air about Nissan.
It feels overwhelmingly positive.
Like right now, I'm with you, I'm with you too.
So they've, they've made some really interesting announcements.
And I think, I think the brand, the, the, the company is targeting
like the enthusiasts because they also announced a new XTERRA is coming out.
At first it's like crippling fear, like, oh my God, it's going to be an electric,
you know, unibody piece of shit.
But they already have come out and said, yeah, they have already come out and said
body on frame v six, like exactly like the, the truck in your background,
the truck in my driveway, the, the XTERRA, which was a great sale success story for Nissan.
And to tell you the truth, the original XTERRA, which is like, what is it?
2000 was the first year to 99 99.
Okay.
So came out at that time, which the world was already moving to like crossovers and SUVs.
The idea of a body on frame family hauler or adventure vehicle is kind of
being antiquated at that time.
So I love the fact that Nissan built it and focused on the adventurer and the risk taker
and that kind of person that lives that life and really double down,
if not tripled down on those attributes.
I love the XTERRA.
I think the XTERRA had a huge cult following right from the rip and it still does.
The fact that they're bringing it back and keeping it true to the roots, dude,
that really, that resonates with me.
Like as a brand that like recognizes why that vehicle is important
and aren't going to solely the name prelude.
Well, what's interesting, what I think is really interesting is we're watching a lot of brands
do this pivot
away from EV away from some hybrid, not all, but some hybridization away from
some complex things and whether you or I or anyone or the marketplace,
whatever feels that this is a swing because of political reasons or it's a swing because of
economical reasons or the straight or gay or celibate of Hormuz reasons.
Please say a body of water.
Please say a body of water.
Oh, my drunk uncle's talking about that.
You weren't really bears my straight.
No, I'm straight in your bear.
Exactly.
But like, no, regardless of the reason, there is a current pivot by a lot of manufacturers
that they're having to do an emergency course correction to a more quote unquote simple,
you know, gas powertrain, maybe with some electrification in there, but not going full EV.
And Nissan got caught up in that a little bit with the Aria that sure is.
I'm pretty confident named after a Stark.
But like, there's a lot of manufacturers, Stellantis chief among them and Porsche
and Mercedes Benz with EQ technology and whatever.
There's a lot of manufacturers that are currently posting enormous losses
because they went hard in the EV stuff and now they're having to meet the market swing back
the other way where Nissan is a little bit in an advantageous position because they were so
fucking poor and non-innovative for so long that they don't have to like go from one pendulum
end of the pendulum swing to the other.
They're already right in the middle.
So they're in a better position to just have the new XTERRA and have it be like
all gas or gas and hybrid.
And that's it versus, you know, Porsche having to like undo the EV Boxster or Stellantis having
to uncharger the charger.
And now they just launched the new quote unquote new Durango, same as the old Durango
with a V8 in it that's like non-competitive, but people are going to buy it.
And so it's an interesting position that they're in.
And I think they're in a better position because of what the market is doing around them
than probably where we thought they would have been back when we had that conversation.
Agree, I think you're right.
I think they're positioned well.
But I also think they're geniuses because there is this untouched market segment
and we beat this drum all the time.
You can't go get a cheap good car anymore.
The average new car is 50k, right?
Across all makes and models.
There's nothing exciting below that mark really.
There's some things, right?
But it's highly limited.
There's no more stripper.
There's no more basic models.
And I think what happened with that price creep, that scope creep, that feature creep,
it was because of EV technology and doubling down on that.
And then all this other technology, absolutely a factor.
And then Nissan just saying, you know what?
You guys want a fucking off-road truck, like a body on-frame truck?
We're going to make the X-Tera again.
And just like the original X-Tera, which way undercut the forerunner,
even more so now this new X-Tera is going to come in.
What's a new forerunner?
And then God forbid you get,
yeah, even a base forerunner.
And then God forbid you get like anything with a TRD acronym on there, you know?
Or the LC250, which, you know, I'm very much in support of bringing back the Land Cruiser.
But the current offering feels and seems so wildly uncompetitive,
even within its own brand.
Yeah, like I don't know why you buy one of those for more money than a forerunner.
Then a forerunner, it makes no sense.
But let's see, base 2026 forerunner MSRP.
Starting MSRP, $42,070.
Yeah, and $42070.
That's a stripper.
You're probably not going to find it, you know?
Right, yeah.
And they're going to ask for like 10 grand above that.
So the exterior, I think, is targeting in the 30s still, which is absolutely wild.
And do we need it?
Yes, Nissan can be that company.
Nissan can be that company that identifies that segment being under, like,
serviced, right?
And put these vehicles in there, right?
Like we talked about the Centra SCR coming back.
I see that coming, Frank.
I see they tried it with the Nismo.
I think it was around 2019.
They stuck a turbo on there.
It didn't bring back the spirit of the old B13.
I think the B13 is the benchmark Centra.
Let's be honest.
Well, I think the Centra is too, honestly, it's too big.
Too big.
They're going to have to change.
You're going to have to bring in a model under it.
I don't think they should call it the Versa.
No, but they could use the Versa architecture, right?
And build that smaller Centra around that.
Give a smaller, more basic thing, lighter, tossable.
Like you just do, like we look at, and let's use the forerunners,
as an example, where, and really the full Toyota lineup,
like the Tundra, the Tundra is getting a ton of bad press for Toyota.
Yeah.
Because of recalls and reliability issues.
And then they recall it because of liability issues.
And it still has continued reliability issues.
Yeah.
And over a complication with hybrid systems, which honestly,
Toyota is about the only company I trust buying a hybrid system from.
They are the best.
Period.
But even now, still in their new, like everything is offered in a hybrid from them,
which I think is a good move for them.
God, they're good at it too.
They're very good at it, but it doesn't come without pitfalls.
Sure.
And one of those pitfalls is complexity, cost, cost.
And so if you can eliminate some of that complexity and eliminate some of that cost in,
again, back with that pendulum swing of the market is looking for less complexity and less cost
because of reasons, because maybe you don't want to go take a fucking 120-month loan out at 19%
because that's interest rates for a subprime.
And so, like, I think there is, like, they're really in a good spot.
And I think, yes, with the new XTERO, which I'm excited for,
they're finally going to fully revamp the frontier, it sounds like.
And perhaps the Titan is making a comeback.
I think.
Did I hear that?
I think that is.
I think that's in the works.
Yeah, yeah.
And then, yeah, and there's also whispers of a new skyline is coming.
I don't know what to make of that.
That is happening.
I'm pretty sure it's like 2030 is the R36.
Originally conceived as an EV, which I guarantee they've walked that all the way back.
I bet you they didn't walk it all the way back.
I bet you it's a hybrid.
A hybrid.
Yeah, absolutely.
But it's not going to be a totally electric vehicle.
Probably not.
Yeah.
Even if it was, the skyline, the skyline moniker has always been
like pushing the envelope as far as performance technology.
And I think if it was an all EV, which again, I think you're right.
I don't think it will be.
It won't be.
But even if it was, I think if they pulled it off in a way where it drove
really fucking good, I think that would be fitting of the skyline moniker.
Now, if it's the FAP-Zonic charger EV, no, no.
In half-baked, no.
I don't think so.
But I am really interested to see what they cook up for the R26.
Yeah, or yeah.
36?
36.
36, 36.
Sorry, RB26 was getting in the way of the hybrid.
They're definitely not sticking that in there.
Bring it back, man.
Bring it back.
Nismo.
Have you seen the Nismo Armada?
It's so goddamn silly.
It's so fuck yeah for doing that first off.
It's had a shroff.
It's ruinously stupid, but I'm here for it.
I'm here for it too.
And so Nismo, which is Nissan's kind of sporting division, is looking to go in 20.
And this was like one of my favorite factoids I just read.
In 2028, there'll be 10 different Nismo models offered across Nissan's lineup.
They're going from five to 10.
And like, don't get me wrong, I think the Juke is one of the fucking ugliest vehicles,
but will I take a Juke Nismo?
Oh, hell yes.
Fuck it.
Hell yes.
I'm looking real hard.
Like, I don't think, hmm, they might have gotten like this for a little bit,
but you want to be careful.
It's like Audi's S line or R line or like, you know, any of those kind of things.
End line.
Yeah. Nismo won't do that, right?
Or GT line or whatever, you know, they won't do that.
Like if they're going to put a Nismo badge on, they're going to like tweak some stuff
and actually make it a capable, I don't know about the R model.
Let's not talk about that right now.
But I think this is what we're talking about.
I think you do bring back those Centra Nizmos.
You bring back like those lower model Nismo variants, man.
Do you think Nismo has any fair?
Do you think like the Nismo name and branding,
do you think it has any actual cache?
I think it does.
I think it does.
I don't know.
It does.
I don't know that it does.
They, I think it does.
I think it does.
I think it has for some time.
I think the Nismo version of the Zs were always like much more respected.
The GTR Nismo was a different animal too.
I think Nismo really is a thing, dude.
But again, that needs, maybe it faded a little bit.
Like the Nismo Centra wasn't well received.
It was a not-revy little turbocharged four cylinder.
The Frontier Nismo, which was effectively the off-road trim.
Right.
The Pro 4x.
Like I don't, I don't know.
You know, the 370 Z Nismo was a thing.
Dude, the 350 Z Nismo was pretty fucking impressive.
I know you don't agree with the body kit, but I love it.
First off, I fucking love it.
I love that it's like seam welded.
I think that was a cool touch.
I think the very limited production numbers of those makes it really cool car.
I would absolutely chase one of those.
I almost bought a red one for like 17 grand.
Now you can't get it for like 30 grand, right?
Low mileage ones.
Do you think there's any, it's funny.
If you look at just the Japanese manufacturer scene
from the position of an American consumer.
You have Toyota, Toyota Lexus, right?
Which is the old standby.
They make the solid thing.
That's what you buy if you want to have a questionable dealer experience.
But you will have, you'll have a car for 10 years
that it will retain 81% of its value.
And be reliable.
Great.
Mazda's the fun one, right?
Zoom, zoom.
Yeah.
That's the one that, you know, any, any car enthusiast that says go buy daily drivers.
You know, go get a CX 50.
Go get a Mazda 3.
Um, you know, oh, the, the CX 9 now has an inline six.
Did you know, did you know you could get a CX 50 hybrid?
Yes.
And it's all Toyota powertrain.
It's all Toyota.
I love that.
It's all, it's all, it's all.
Good for that.
RAV4, like that's, see, that's the trick.
If you want, if you want, don't buy the, the two year old RAV4 hybrid
for like $1,200 off the original MSRP with 50,000 miles.
You'll get the CX 50 hybrid that's two years old.
And it's 40% off MS, original MSRP.
That's smaller interior space, but much higher quality interior.
Yeah.
So nice in those.
Yes.
So no, but like, I guess the vibe is Mazda's like, that's like,
we build driving excitement as Pontiac once said.
Like just, it's, it's the drive.
It's like the drivers.
My heart did.
Um, didn't even mention Miata, but whatever.
And then, you know, Honda is kind of, I think they're a little bit lost at sea right now.
They are.
Yeah.
But I think the perception from just, you know, Joe, every man or Sally, every woman,
or, or Pat, uh, McCroch, Pat non-binary is, um, like, like, oh, they, they make a good car.
They're reliable.
They're comfortable.
They get good fuel economy.
And I think that's probably largely accurate.
Still true.
Yeah.
Nissan, I think, has an opportunity here to come in as the, a little bit of like the value brand,
but in a good way.
Like when we were looking at, you know, Hyundai and Genesis, like 10 to 15 years ago,
where they're like, oh, they're making, like, they're making really good stuff now.
And they've got this compelling lineup and they're making some things that other people
aren't making, like a Genesis coupe or a, you know, the, the, the Genesis sedan, five
liter R with the towel, five liter V8 or, you know, whatever, they're making some compelling
products at a better price point.
And it's a more simple thing.
And, and I think Nissan has an interesting opportunity to do that, um, especially with
their heritage as a huge bonus.
So, um, what, what would you like to see a Nismo version of from Nissan?
It could, it not even just what they have currently, just what could come back
with a Nismo variant?
That'd be fun.
I mean, good options out there.
Like, what are they missing?
You know, what are they missing in the lineup?
I think, I think we were right with like a return to like the small enthusiast, uh, you
know, like the Sentra competitor, not the new Sentra, but like pulling up their lineup.
Yeah, use, use the Versa platform.
I think that, I think that's the ticket.
I think if they get a Nismo back that harkens back to the, and call it the Sentra
SCR again, I think that sells, sells at 22 to 25K all day.
Also, while I'm thinking about it, I think they did announce that they are,
when they refresh the Pathfinder, I think they said for like 27 or 28,
they're going to, um, they're going to have a, they might do a split where it's going to be
unibody and a body on frame.
So that weirded me out when they said that, like they're going to have the same,
the same name vehicle, but two completely different construction types.
I think you, you just have one be the XTERRA and one be the Pathfinder, but you know,
what I'm just, I'm just an idiot in front of a mic.
Yeah, they'll be, uh, peeing in the same urinal if they do.
Yes.
You know, a body on frame Pathfinder, because the original Pathfinder kind of gave way to
the XTERRA and cause that allowed the Pathfinder to become that more family SUV unibody deal.
It did.
Cause it went, I mean,
Pathfinders are fucking great though.
I, we love, we love the Pathfinder.
Well, what's interesting is like, I would love a world where the Maxima comes back,
but I think in order to make a compelling Maxima, you're just making an, an infinity.
You are.
And if it's an infinity, we haven't heard anything about it.
I mean, if it's either you have, uh, infinity take the Derek David Carradine way out
or the lead singer from in excess, or you just don't bring back the Maxima.
I think I, I, I think there is some brand cash aid to be gank garnered.
If they got rid of infinity, especially with all the sideshow like rep that it has today,
if you just axed infinity, you brought back the Maxima as your flagship sedan.
Hmm.
I don't think you make a coupe, but like you bring back a flagship sedan.
You make a, I don't know if you make something nicer than, than the Armada.
And maybe you do that for five years and then bring infinity back, right?
Coca-Cola classic.
Ah, I was going to say maybe Nissan becomes infinity and Datsun comes back
as the enthusiast level.
That'd be kind of fun.
I could, I could see a world where Nissan stays Nissan,
but you bring back Datsun like Toyota had Scion.
Yes.
Where you have it as the, like the value brand that's like catered towards young people
and NVH is sky high, but it's a little tossable and it's inexpensive.
You know, you make the slate of combustion vehicles.
Um, and then, you know, like the, you get rid of the Versa and you have the Versa be the
nicest Datsun.
You call it the 510 or whatever.
I like it.
The honeybee.
I don't know.
Dude, embrace the retro styling and boxiness, which is still popular.
But I guess there's just a really quick answer to your last question.
I would say I would want them to make a Nismo Versa.
Yeah.
Agree.
Agree.
I think that's the small kicks we need.
Yeah.
I'd rather have a Versa.
I think we need it.
I think we need a compact.
I think you're right.
I think the kicks would sell though.
I'm not, I don't know if the, the Versa would bring back cars again.
Make cars great again.
I want to see the Nissan CEO do, yeah, do a press release and go up there and
absolutely from a little case or a special forces guys, if I can cover them.
But no, he comes out and he's like, first thing he's like, I want to address
everything with Nissan moving forward.
Any infinity fans out here?
Crickets, chirp, right?
All the heads kind of sag down.
Good.
One person claps and he just points at him and just escort him out.
He's sniped instantly.
Infinity's fucking gone.
Infinity's fucking gone.
That's what he says.
And everybody claps.
We forget about, we forget about the model differences between a Q50 and a Q60.
And we all, we all embrace Nissan as this large company again.
And maybe they can try the luxury thing later on.
But why, why try to get into that competitive circle again?
Infinity has not hung with Acura, which is Acura has grown more divergent from
Lexus over the years, right?
Acura is the sportier, nice upscale model.
Whereas Lexus has doubled down on its refinement.
And even Acura is struggling.
Acura is not crazy.
They are, they are, but like why invest anymore into that?
It doesn't make sense anymore.
Congratulations, Lexus.
We knew you were going to fucking win.
You won.
Acura was first to fire, didn't finish the fight.
And honestly, I think if they, they took two or three or five years off
and you brought back Infinity with like a cogent lineup and you brought it back to
some pomp and circumstance and you got rid of the QAnon based naming convention.
Yeah, I think, you know, and then, and then you come, you, you rise it back from the grave
like RFK Jr. is supposed to come back and regain the presidency as per QAnon.
I think, I think you, I think like something, I think that could work.
I like, I really do.
I think.
Yeah, or even don't even worry about that.
Get Nissan, get your legs under you to develop what you are.
Like, yeah.
Like if Nissan ends up kicking ass, right?
But do you need it?
Do you need it?
Mazda doesn't need a luxury division.
They're kind of their own luxury division.
And I don't know if what's super doesn't have a luxury division.
Mitsubishi.
To be fair.
Let me tell you about Mitsubishi though.
The upper trim of the Outlander kind of is.
No, it's, it's not good.
I mean, the Outlander is like now currently like 80% rogue.
So, or the rogue is 80.
It's complicated.
It's a little bit of both.
But like, I do, I can't see a world where you get rid of Infinity.
You bring in Nissan and then you eventually push Nissan slightly upmarket
and then you create an under, you get rid of the Versa and the kicks.
And you basically have, when you restyle those together,
you have them launch as Dotsons and then you have a couple of fun with.
You bring, you bring in like, like the Fair Lady.
But you know what?
As a little convertible, like Miata competitor as like an anti, an anti-halo.
You know?
Yeah, absolutely.
But we have a lot of circumstance right now.
Financial instability, whatnot.
What a better time.
What better time is there to come out with a brand that's focused on like value?
Like Nissan could be a value leader.
Like they could just push out products that are affordable, but still good.
And they're, it's not on the market anymore.
Like you can't go get a cheap Toyota anymore or cheap Honda.
They are pretty expensive.
You can go get a cheaper Hyundai, but it's, you're probably not getting the same quality
as some of those Japanese OEMs.
So I think Nissan coming in as a value offer forces Honda and Toyota to kind of
take a step back and say, man, we need to address our lineups.
Maybe we need to have cheaper cars too.
And then we can kind of reset that market because inflation, economic instability,
all that kind of stuff.
I think it really calls, because the used car market's doing really good compared
to the new car market right now.
I think everybody brings out cheap cars again, dude.
Let's go back.
Let's reset it, Frank, to the time period where you could get.
I love it.
You can't get a cheaper anymore.
And I'm advocating for it.
I think the only, the pitfall here is especially when you're making cars at volume
is what was part of the main
issues with Nissan 15, 20 years ago, which is they, they, I don't want to say they push the
envelope as far as development stuff, right?
But they, they, they brought the leaf and the leaf was sort of the first, if not the
first real mass production electric vehicle on the market.
What a deal to get one of those now.
Let me tell you.
I know, spent by one for like $2,800 and held 14 miles of range.
That's exactly it.
But, you know, one of the other things they got into early and pushed hard for and a bit them
on a very, very, very big scale was the Jacko CVT thing.
Yeah.
And so I can see like, if they do all of this stuff and they engineer shit properly and whether
that means they recycle a lot of old tech to keep the costs down and keep
hopefully in theory, reliability up because you're using proven materials and proven vendors
versus Jacko, which is primarily owned by Nissan.
Hey, we're going to do the CVT.
It's the, it's the future and they're not wrong there that that's proven out.
But the product was dog shit and continued to be dog shit and it's still looming over Nissan,
like some grim specter of unreliability.
And so I think if they do this, right, and you start making, you grow and you make these cars
at scale and you do what they were doing 20 years ago, you know, you look at an early to mid 2000s
Nissan lineup, they had some cool shit.
Great shit, right?
Like, yeah, not dog even in infinity.
Yeah, even, but like, if you get back to there and then Jacko your pants,
yeah, like you're, you're just the cycle of abuse, you know, like it's, it's not, you know,
you have to avoid that pitfall and that's easier said than done.
I'm not an engineer.
I can't, I can't pull that shit off, but I'm saying though, there, there is space in the
market right now for that kind of an approach.
Like, like if the XTERRA comes out as a body and frame V six powered truck for 30 K,
there is nothing competing with that right now.
Or even, even 37.
Yeah.
Well, that's the if you're undercutting pro four acts or even just like, so the base four
runner is 42.
If you come in with the base, the base XTERRA at 37, you undercut it by $5,000, which is,
you know, what is that 15%?
Yeah.
That's not inconsequential.
Plus it's the new hot thing.
Um, and you offer like, oh, it's got the bump with the in the back with the, uh,
they, oh, they got a first aid kit.
Absolutely.
You have, you know, you have some, some retro callback stuff, which the current four
runner doesn't really have.
It doesn't, it's not this like cutting edge swoopy thing, but like it doesn't have any
like throwbacks.
I think it would be very successful and be a moneymaker.
I don't think they need to create a loss leader here.
Um, but I'm, I'm looking forward to it.
I think I'm super pumped right there.
We're like, we're right on the, on the beating edge of Nissan being back.
And I think they are, I think they're going to keep some retro callbacks to what made
the XTERRA, the XTERRA, but also like it is going to be a little futuristic looking,
which is cool.
I love that it's going to be like moving forward in design, but I love like just the,
just the recipe dude, the, the body on frame and the V six.
I fucking love that already.
Right.
So let's, let's lean into that.
Let's have an off road trim.
That one pushes like 38, right?
What completely, what completely forgotten model are you bringing back for Nissan?
I think the maximum I should absolutely come back, but besides that, what else?
What a mini van back on new mini van.
I'm bringing back the access.
Yeah.
A X X E S S, but like as, but like as a city, like a city metro, um, you know,
like they had the NV 100, you know, like a better, a better one of those.
I'd like to see something small and stupid, like an NX 2000, like something different.
That's not represented on the market.
Little sporty coupe.
I think they brought, yeah.
Call the, call the, the 200 S X or even if they call the S honestly, like if they just
leaned into some of their heritage, like almost to a heavy handed extent, right?
If they brought back a small, you know, tossable shoot, even if it's like a
cupified four door, which I personally don't like, but they, they, they got to sell the
damn thing and coupes don't sell anymore.
If they brought back something that's tossable and fun and call it the Sylvia.
That's what I'm, so I almost, I almost caught myself.
Yeah.
Like what would it be the S 16 S 17?
I don't even know what they're at.
Bring back that because the GR 86 does pretty well and make it a GR 86 fighter
undercut the GR 86 called the Sylvia and called like, yeah, the S 16 edition or whatever
when it launches or whatever, let's do it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Called the 240 S X.
Called the, you know, yeah.
That's sorely missing for the S 16.
Yeah.
There's a way to do it.
Affordable sports cars are sorely lacking in today's market.
So I think you, you build it as a GR 86 fighter.
You could.
I mean, I love it.
I love it.
And the Nismo one, spicier, fun, maybe turboed.
Do you know what you do is you, you plot your, Nissan's a major investor in, in
Mitsubishi at this point, you can platform some of this shit.
You know, I mean, that's the only way that Toyota was able to do the 86 was by platform
sharing it with Subaru and those cars are like, not differentiated at all.
But if they, if they platform shared something with Mitsubishi and called the Eclipse or
whatever you want to call it, the Mirage, Lancer, whatever, but differentiate them a
little heavier, right?
Maybe one is a two plus two and one is just a two seater.
I don't know.
Like figure out what you want to do there.
That could happen.
I think there's a way that you can make it be actually feasible.
And actually sell and make money and not again, not be a loss leader.
It's just funny.
I just think like as abstract as it was when we presented our how to save Nissan,
I think we're heading kind in that direction, which gets me pretty excited.
I think the news coming out of Nissan is good.
The buzz around the brand has been very, very positive lately.
I'm excited.
I'm excited.
I'm a Nissan truther.
I've owned some fantastic Nissan's and I'll continue to own fantastic Nissan's,
but if you see that brand turn around, I would love.
I think that's the come that come from behind story.
We're all waiting for, man.
Yeah.
And you're definitely a Nissan truther.
I'm a Stevie Wonder truther.
Oh, yeah.
He can see.
I failed to see your point.
Actually, I see the eight ball behind you.
Ask the eight ball if Stevie Wonder actually can see or not.
Let's find out the truth right here.
Now is Stevie Wonder lying to us all about his gift division or lack thereof.
Dude, I need glasses to read a magic eight ball.
That's you.
You've been Stevie Wonder this whole time.
My sources say no.
So it looks like the great eight ball eight ball.
This is Lidos, my friend.
Cool.
But Nissan's coming back.
On that note.
Mark your fucking calendars.
Let's all go by Nissan's.
You ready to play a little game, Frank?
Oh boy.
Yes, I am.
I'm actually not, but I'm here to hopefully not fall on my face.
You pull up what the hell you're going to do to embarrass me.
And while you're going through the motions,
I will explain what we are up to.
The game is afoot in this game is our print at quiz game.
Chadwick has found himself
advertisement from the 80s, the 90s to the mid 2000s.
And he's going to read the type copy from this print ad.
He's going to redact out anything overly identifying.
And it will then be incumbent upon me within 10 minutes
and within three guesses with some hints sprinkled in there
to try and figure out and deduce the make model
and approximate model year of the vehicle at hand.
Please play along at home.
Take notes.
Scream at your listening device or watching device
as I flounder helplessly.
And yeah, without further ado, let's get into this thing.
Yeah, emphasis on deuce in your deduce statement.
So this is a one page spread.
I'm going to tell you right now.
Can you have a one page spread?
Yeah, it is.
It's crinkled up and you unfold it.
It's like a flip book.
Interesting.
Smartass.
So this is not heavy on the details, my friend.
But we're going to get there because we haven't done this car yet.
So vehicle is the top 60% of the page,
three-quarter angle from above, passenger side, streaking.
I think it's more of an illustration than an actual photo of the car.
The numbers beside it, 654321
And then it says go.
Wow.
So that's six, those numbers.
Yeah, Jenny's been here.
These numbers do mean something.
So it says introducing the next blank.
Okay.
So obviously probably an existing brand, right?
So the new blank has a six speed gearbox.
Wow.
Firing 180 horsepower into the pavement.
Please enjoy your flight.
And then it breaks down the trims and their costs.
I will tell you that the most expensive trim, $22,985.
Okay.
Seems like a good deal.
I think it is.
Frank, what are we talking about today?
Damn.
Okay.
What's funny is there's some stuff to unpack there.
Wait.
Okay.
Hold on.
Hold on.
Hold on.
Hold on.
Nope.
Re-read the numbers.
You said like it started at what like 7654321
The numbers were 654321
Like a countdown to go.
And it's because it has a six speed manual.
Ah, okay.
So it's a very clever ad.
Fair.
I was actually, I was thinking what if it was six generations?
Oh, that's good too.
And now this is the seventh.
That's not bad.
So six speed manual in the era where something like this, that would cost $22,000 in top trim.
And got you presumably with this six speed.
Definitely.
Late 90s, early 2000s, we're in a six speed was a big fucking deal.
180 horsepower.
At this price point.
When you said the six speed, I was thinking Celica.
And 180 horsepower in a GTS, VVTI, fits.
First generation, second generation, third generation, fourth, fifth, sixth.
I think this would be the seventh generation Celica, which you know, through like kind of
fits the advertisement.
And I don't know if they meant this or I just read into this, but that's why I asked.
Maybe where they started the count.
So six speed gearbox was definitely good for this year.
Right.
So I'm thinking this is a seventh gen, which would have been a 2000 Toyota Celica GTS in
this configuration.
And the numerology is leading me to this.
So I'm going to say this is a 2000 Toyota Celica GTS.
Final answer about introducing the next Celica.
It is.
We are talking about it.
You could get a GT starting at 15,695.
What a deal.
What a deal.
These are, I'm going to flip my laptop towards the screen in an awkward manner.
Cool, Ad.
These kind of are cool as shit, dude.
And that's about as wordy as an ad from this era got.
When you start talking to early 2000s.
I was going to help you get there no matter what, because I think this is a car that we
should talk about because I think it's kind of cool.
I loved it.
I forget what it was called, but you could get that cool arrow package with the giant
spoiler and the unholy body kit.
That's called the action package, my friend.
Fuck, I want that.
There's a yellow one that's absolutely trashed.
That I think that car in yellow was just right.
The interiors were dog shit.
They fell apart pretty quick.
Interiors were a lot of hard plastics.
Cool.
I've driven one once.
I did a photo shoot on one.
It was a decent example.
It was silver with like a gray and black leather interior.
And the leather was kind of dried out.
It was a hundred and I think it was like 150,000 mile car.
So cool.
Wow, I would love an opportunity to just take one on a rally and beat the snot out of it.
Yeah, I think it'd be great.
I think it would actually grippy tires get brakes.
I think that would be a good time.
Pretty light cars.
The 2ZZ is infinitely revvy, right?
Yeah, I mean, I had one in the Vibe GT.
I will say the one thing is, and you drove the Vibe, and so you'll know, is like,
if you're going to drive it aggressively, you have to be flirting with red line at all times.
Got to keep it on boil.
If you shift 300 RPM before red line, you're out of the VVTI cam profile.
You're back into...
It's wild.
Yeah.
So you basically have to be perpetually damn near bouncing it off the limiter.
It's Toyota.
There's still a little bit of mechanical sympathy where you're just like,
I don't feel right doing this all the time.
That's how you have to drive that car at the limit.
Not even at the limit, but just like to have fun and keep it in the pan pan.
Dude, these things are so short.
And you remember when they came out, these things were incredibly popular.
These things actually sold very well, especially, dude, I always liked the GTS.
I think if I was to get one today, I would get a crazy color.
I think yellow is the way to go with that Aero kit.
I think that's just so stupidly cool now.
And honestly, I think suspension tuning breaks in grippy tires, like you said,
on a rally to rip one of these things.
It'd be great.
Yeah.
I think it'd be a lot of fun.
It would be a good time, right?
This car was a big deal when it came out because the Celica before that,
which I like a lot, that sixth gen with the quad headlamps,
I think it's a good looking car and a far better built car than this car.
We didn't get the spice though.
We didn't get the spice.
But it was always an under performer.
The hottest example we got was a 140 horse motor plucked from the Camry.
Yep.
And so we didn't get the smoke, dude.
No, we got no smoke.
We got no GT4 variant.
We got no SS205.
Yeah, we didn't get the SS2 variant, which was like the Beams NA voter version.
And so when this one showed up, I was like, oh, okay, we've actually got some pop now,
because not only was it a Revi NA 180 horsepower,
which was a good amount for that era.
Absolutely.
6B manual is a big fucking deal.
Big deal.
Yeah, I'm glad the app kind of focused on that, right?
But I think these are largely slept on.
I don't think they go for a lot of money.
A very rough condition, most of these that you find nowadays.
They're hard to find on.
But God, dude, I don't...
Does it deserve more?
Does it deserve more respect?
It's a Toyota-badged front-wheel drive sports car, really with 90s design.
It's got a low disaboter.
But you know what I'm saying?
Does it deserve more?
Because they're not shit.
It's like...
No, it's just they're very capable.
They're slept on compared to when...
If you were to put it up next to, say, a GSR Integra,
which say you had a 2000 Celica GTS and a 2000 GSR Integra.
And let's say they both had 100,000 miles and were clean.
Oh, the GSR is going for probably double the money or close to it.
And it's a much older design.
I actually...
I'm a Toyota guy at heart.
I actually think the Integra is probably the better car.
It is, yeah.
That GSR might be special.
You know, the GSR compared to the Celica,
you're getting 10 extra horsepower in the Celica,
you're getting an extra gear.
Well, it's half a decade of technology right there, but...
Yeah, and half a decade of tech.
And well, yeah, but that's part of the deal.
And so, you know, the build quality and the Integra's a little nicer in the inside.
Yeah, yeah, it is.
The Integra, a facelifted Integra at this point,
pride in my opinion is a nicer looking thing.
What a good match, though, to take those two against each other.
Right, but at like a 50% discount, sure, take the Celica.
So...
Absolutely.
I think I will own one of these.
I want to get a clean one.
I do want the stupid arrow kit.
I'm an idiot like that.
But I do like them in, like, shouty colors.
I feel like 80% of them are silver with a black interior.
They're silver or that dark blue.
Yeah, but mostly silver with a black interior.
And I think they look cool.
I think they don't look like anything else.
And for that, I salute Toyota.
I think the Celica GTS is a super slept-on car.
I really do.
Yeah, no, they are.
They're cool.
They are slept-on.
And yeah, let's go get one.
Yeah, we should.
We should.
We're going to get W12s.
Yeah.
And we're going to get 702 Celicas.
I feel like if you get one of these, like I said,
you throw a bigger rear sway bar in.
You lower it maybe a little bit.
You freaking put some grippers on there.
You put some good brakes on there.
And you just grip it at a rally or something.
I think it would be a highly rewarding car.
Because you would just live at 7,500 RPM, 8,000 RPM
the entire time.
And yeah, with the action, you got to get that action.
Maybe open the exhaust a little bit.
I bet that TZZ screams at those.
How sick would it be to have all the in-period TRD,
like dealer add-on mods where you get the action package,
you get the cat back?
Super charger?
Could you?
I don't know if you could get it.
I thought there was.
I swear to God there was.
For some reason, I thought it was on the one ZZ.
Maybe.
And maybe.
But anyway, but you open up the exhaust,
put an Apex N1 exhaust on there.
Something period correct, right?
An intake.
This could be a fun ripper for a rally.
And all under 7,500 bucks.
Yeah, 7,500.
Yeah, you can probably get 150,000 mile example.
Put some mods into it.
Yeah, hell yeah.
Oh, I want to get one of these.
Yeah, I'm going to get one of these.
I will own it.
Put it on the list.
Yeah, it's on there.
That list of 500 vehicles.
All right, let's close this down.
Guys, thanks again.
Hold on.
We got a piece of PCP.
We have to do drugs.
Have you?
Have you?
You went first last time.
Let me return the favor.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
What's on your list of drugs that you've been doing?
Snorting.
ES300.
So we got it running, which was a huge accomplishment
with a coolant temp sensor that we talked about a week ago.
Bro, I finally did a full inspection of the car.
It's pretty good.
Weirdly, super detailed engine bay,
which always makes me question things
when I say that.
It is.
It's an incredibly original car.
I love seeing that.
There's no modifications.
It's never been fucked with.
Some questionable things.
It does have a valve cover leak front and back.
And I have been giving you awesome photos
to show you what I found.
Because literally it was done nine years ago,
which is sure a valve cover can leak again after nine years.
Not really if you do a good job.
What the miles though?
Like not a lot.
11,000.
Not enough to have a new valve cover.
Yeah.
Dude, down at a dealership,
I'm not going to drop any names.
Right?
Like a little respectful here.
It's the only respect we will ever show on this podcast.
What's this?
I've conquered.
You want to do this?
It's fucked up.
Bro, the guy's dead.
The tech that did it's dead for sure.
He's long dead.
He's way dead.
It's like, I like to...
Dude, that's my favorite thing to do
when I watch movies with people.
Maybe he did it halfway through this job
and then somebody had to come behind him
and just like finish this.
Oh, that guy fucked it up?
Okay.
When I watch old movies and stuff,
when there's a cat or dog,
I'm like that animal's dead now.
I just love to break the mood with that.
But anyway, keep it real.
Milo and Otis.
Yeah, I fucking love that movie.
I actually do like that movie a lot.
I have it on DVD.
What was I saying?
Oh, yeah.
So valve cover.
So I noticed there were two colors of RTV,
which is always an all-star move.
See, halfway through.
That's an all-star move, dude.
You double up and in case,
like because there's an argument,
oh, you use the black or do you use ultra gray?
I use both motherfuckers.
So the guy didn't take off the old gasket material.
He put the new RTV on there
and just fucking sandwiched it all down.
Wonderful stuff.
So I'm noticing lots of little
shortcut stuff like that, which is,
it's a job though, dude,
because you have to take the intake manifold.
Yeah.
All that kind of stuff.
So anyway, my inspection.
I saw that.
I saw a valve cover leak.
The undercarriage is pretty wet.
I don't know if you stuck your head under there.
Like everything's soaked
indicative of a valve cover
pouring down the side of an engine block.
Brakes are actually kind of old looking too.
So I'm going to do that.
I was like 40% on the pads.
I'm basically just making a list of myself here.
So I think a good inspection is good
to let you know where you're at.
I think we're getting into something good here, dude.
I don't doubt the quality of this car.
I think it's a,
it needs a little more than we initially thought,
but like maintenance, bro.
It's just maintenance.
Are you getting emotional over this, Frank?
Or are you just getting high end in your eye again?
Kind of.
Are you done?
Yeah, dude.
It's just because I have a segue with my tears.
Oh, good.
Trail of tears.
All right.
So yeah, no, it's,
we need to do some things is what I'm saying.
And I love it when like you get that whole,
oh, do a shit maintained car.
And you're like, oh, I don't need to do shit.
Yeah, everything's perfect.
Look at that car.
And I'll have some videos coming out shortly.
But Frank, what have you been wrenching on?
I've been tearing up over here.
So, so two things.
Um, I'm sitting over here like rubbing my,
my Lisa left eye Lopez.
Don't burn any mansions down.
I'll try not to go full,
full Andre rise in this bitch.
But no, um, no, I just got sunscreen in my eye
and I was wearing sunscreen
because I was at pick and pull earlier.
Oh, and I lubed myself up.
And it finally has just worked its way into my eye.
For some reason,
am I the only one that's happened to
almost every single time without fail?
If I put sunscreen on my face.
And because I'm a Caucasian gentleman.
And in my forties,
now I feel like I have to do this.
And so I put sunscreen on and I,
it always finds a way sometime later
to get in my eyes and just doing it right now.
So that's the whole thing.
But I was at pick and pull.
So two things.
A, um, I went to pick and pull first off
for the X era behind me,
which I don't need anything too crazy.
But some of the stuff we discussed before
is the driver side rear quarter.
Quarter panel molding, the wheel flare.
That's right.
Broken.
So there were two X terrors at pick and pull.
Great.
You know what?
That's awesome.
Let me get out there.
Not only that, I also need spare tire hardware.
I need the first aid kit,
which I'm pretty sure I wasn't going to find.
I need the little, um,
the little clips that hold the visors,
the sun visor.
They're missing on mine.
They're just gone.
So I need the little clips
so I can clip the visors in place properly.
It's important.
And I'm missing like a number of just like random fasteners
under, under the hood.
Ah, one of the ones that holds the air box
to a bracket just gone.
Okay.
I'm missing a couple off of the timing, uh, timing belt cover.
And I'm missing a couple off of
they're like 10 millimeter bolts,
12 millimeter bolts on the, um, both sizes
around the valve cover.
There's ones that like hold,
there's like a crossover coolant pipe.
There's two bolts that hold it to that
that are missing.
Got it.
There's another little, little tiddly,
tiddly shit like that.
So, you know, the valve covers are like a specific cage bolt.
So I like, whatever.
And you go to pick and pull,
you buy like one or two things.
Nobody can ask you,
well, what about those two bolts that you have?
Yeah, in your, in your anus,
deep in your anus, um, that you're crying about, sir.
Um, they're working their way out folks.
So I got all the fasteners for $0.
I bought the, um, the, the flare for $5 and 99 cents.
Oh, nice.
I found a good one.
Um, both had no spare tire hardware and no,
and both of the clips for the visors were gone.
So I guess that's a common thing.
I don't know.
And then I also got for the aforementioned Lexus ES 300.
That is so killer.
Here we go.
There was one, a 93 that was there.
Wow.
It was hitting the front.
And, uh, yeah, here's the switch for the, oh, it's dusty.
I hope our issue lies within that switch,
because the, the gas release,
so it's actually a push button mounted on the door
for those not looking at the video, Frank holding up a switch.
The, the gas release works perfect,
but our trunk one has nothing,
no action when I push down on it,
which leads me to think it's the button malfunction.
This is before the electronic ones.
So I'm hoping just swapping that over,
which, yeah.
How hard was it to get out of the door?
Did you mutilate?
The door panel was already off.
It was just sitting there next to the car.
So I looked at the door.
I was like, oh, the door panel's gone.
It was like, whoop, there it is.
And I picked it up and it was there.
And I just like, you can see there's like a little
push connector here on the, on the side.
On both.
And so I just pushed it in it.
Easy.
No tool.
Yeah.
I'll have to, I'll have to pull the door cover,
which will be the first time that's ever been off on that vehicle.
Yeah.
So that part's a little daunting,
but dude, that might be our fix.
Cause if not, that was kind of shitty,
not to have a trunk proper.
Does it have a relay?
No, it's not.
I don't think it's anything serious.
I think it just goes straight to the trunk.
I just checked.
There's a four prong.
So I mean, there's, you know, probably a ground
and then one for each.
Yeah.
There's a fuse, there's a fuse that goes to it.
But I guess the, if that fuse was bad,
the gas cap one wouldn't work either.
You would think, right?
Cause it's networked or it's circuited together.
So that one works fine.
So I think the actual physical,
and there's no tactile response from the switch
because press on yours.
I think it clicks a little bit
when you press on the up to the microphone, please.
Do you feel something?
So there's nothing.
It just feels like a dead button.
So I think that might be our fix.
All right, we got it.
Surprisingly expensive.
And by that, I mean, it was 16.99.
I should look it up online
because I think that's like a $75 part though.
Probably.
On the eBay's.
Cause I looked, I looked in,
there were a couple of Camry's there
and it was a, it's like the traditional cable pull release.
Yeah.
Because we're in Lexis land,
it was a far more fancy push button.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I've got that.
Nice dude.
And then a quick update on the back to the focus.
This is a lot of PCP.
Yes.
Was that your best RFK junior impression?
That was me on PCP actually.
Yes, exactly.
No, the, the part, it's actually, I looked it up.
It is the, it's, it's the VCT,
the variable cam timing solenoid.
So think like a, think like a VVT or VTEC solenoid.
But it's, it's, it's, it's the Ford version.
Okay.
Cool.
I guess I just need to get another one of those.
Utterly discontinued.
Nobody makes a repop.
The, the only thing you can do is,
and again, I haven't had a chance to pull codes,
but like I looked up and the symptoms of one of these going bad
is identical to what it is.
That sucks.
Slight miss, terrible throttle response.
It probably would eventually,
I've started the car twice.
It probably would eventually be throwing a fault.
That makes sense.
And so, and there's probably a pending one.
I just haven't scanned it.
So this is what, what I need.
The quote unquote fix is there's actually
of an Audi Volkswagen part that's made by Intermotor
for Audi Volkswagen.
That is the same part effectively,
but the mounting, the mounting ears,
because on this it's just a single,
it just like, it's a, it's a cylinder and it goes in
and then it just has like a single triangle shaped ear.
10 millimeter bolt and that, or an eight millimeter bolt.
And that's it.
And an O ring.
Oh, okay.
O ring, yeah.
Um, great.
Cool.
Well, the Volkswagen part is the same thing,
except it has two ears.
You got to cut one off and then you have to slot the bolt hole
on the other one and then run a washer with the same bolt.
And then the electrical connector is different.
So you have to get the corresponding pig tail for it.
Oh boy.
With the, and then, and then cut the old pig tail off
and splice it in.
Somebody makes it as a kit.
There's like a Ford performance Euro company
that makes it as a kit and it's like 160 bucks.
Comes with a pig tail.
It comes with one of the ears already chopped off.
That's the fix.
It's very annoying because the car's just sat.
It's not like, oh man, I put like a thousand miles on it
and this part failed.
It's like, no, I changed the valve cover gasket
and somehow in that exchange, this has decided to wick oil
up through the bodies and internal seal has failed
and now it's going up into the harness.
So, you know, it's the gift that keeps on giving.
It's apparently a known thing and there's a fix for it.
And this is a fix putting an Audi Volkswagen,
you know, 1.8 or two liter turbo.
Those vehicles were so bespoke, this componentry.
Also, tune in to find out if Frank finishes
this budget rally car one year after the.
Exactly.
I was thinking about that.
I was like, man, at this rate, I might as well just take it
on the next DWA rally.
Do you know what?
It might almost be ready for it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It'll be September, October, whatever.
So, yeah.
That would be hilarious.
All right.
Let's, I'm going to actually shut it down.
Sorry.
Yes, shut it down.
Let's go home.
Guys, thanks again for joining us on this wonderful pod.
Patreon, APA pod.
Check us out if you want to help us.
That small monetary contribution goes a long way
to getting us properly drunk off some horrible beverages.
The worst.
And that's fun.
And we do also supply you with a very valuable
once a month episode where we go extra off the rails.
If you think this is fucking crazy, you buckle up.
No, we did get a pretty crazy.
Remember that one time we degloved that drifter
in that bonus episode?
And there was that episode where you died twice.
But we'll get on that later.
Exactly.
Modern medicine.
Who knew?
Dude, yeah, modern medicine.
Yeah, was that what that was?
Check it out.
And killed me.
Yeah, cause and solution to all our problems.
So thank you guys for joining in again.
If you want to check out my stuff, Auto Obscure Garage,
more ES300 content coming up.
And Xterra review.
We're talking about Nissan this episode.
God bless it.
Come back, Nissan.
Frank, where can the good people follow your world-class photography?
If you have to, mostly on Instagram.
Otherwise, I'm out and about out there in the scene.
Oh, it's a scene kid.
I'm really definitely a scene kid.
I'm going to go and what do modern scene kids do?
I think they're emo themselves.
I think it's what they do.
Yeah, to a final complete end.
The, yeah, that's at the photographer's garage on the things.
But most importantly, just keep coming back here.
You know, you can rate us apparently.
I've been told.
Big is true.
He said rate.
Many people are saying it.
For the team.
So, yeah, rated or rated.
That's it.
We're falling apart here.
All right.
Let's get the fuck out of here.
Let's get out of here.
Tune in next time.
Yeah, when Nissan comes back even more, we know it's happening.
That's right.
Go Nissan.
Return to Dotson.
All right, guys.
Take care.
Peace.
About this episode
Nissan’s comeback gets debated through a mix of strategy and product momentum: the hosts tie it to an enthusiast-focused brand direction, point to the modern Z as “a good step in the right direction,” and connect renewed energy to a broader lineup push. They also discuss Nissan’s potential to win if the market pivots away from full EVs—especially with a body-on-frame, V6 Xterra—and how Nismo could expand. The episode also detours into Celica GTS ad decoding and hands-on repair stories.
80's and 90's Nissan could do no wrong. After that time period, Nissan has kinda only done wrong. The brand has undergone quite the shakeup and looks to re-invent itself with enthusiast desires in mind. Is Nissan making a comeback?
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