I haven’t spotted too many unreasonable dealer markups in a while. There was that Toyota dealer marking up a 2024 Tacoma they didn’t even have yet. And I know with models like the all new Lexus GX and Toyota Land Cruiser coming soon, some doozies are on the horizon. One model I never paid much attention to getting hit with markups, however, was the Nissan Frontier. And boy, I really should have.
It’s not that I didn’t think the Frontier would be marked up, I just didn’t expect to be so amused by dealers thinking that someone would want to pay over $50,000 for one. So I was shocked and laughing my ass off when I found multiple dealers marking up Frontiers. Sure Nissan did the market a solid when they finally redesigned the Frontier in 2022.
It also gained a pretty decent off-road trim with the Pro-4X. Starting at a not bad $36,640 for two-wheel drive Pro-X or $39,460 for the four-wheel drive Pro-4X (and only available in the crew cab configuration), you get a locking rear diff, all-terrain tires, Bilstein shocks, hill start assist and hill descent control. You won’t pay that at the dealer though.
From what I could find, a few thousand Frontier Pro-X and Pro-4X are priced over $50,000 at the dealer level. Take Cardinale Nissan in Seaside, California. They’re asking $57,680 for one of the Pro-4Xs they have in stock.
Want to save a bit? You can head to Nissan of Greer in Greer, South Carolina. They have a red Pro-4X in stock that you’ll still have to drop $51,310 for. There are a few places where you can find the Pro trims of the Frontier under $50,000 but they’ll still be priced more than the MSRP plus accessories.
The highest priced Frontiers though can be found at the same dealership. Cherokee County Nissan in Holly Springs, Georgia has 13 Frontier Pro-X trims in stock; two of them are priced over $50,000. The first is a near stock gray Pro-4X that the dealer threw some wheels and a lift kit on. The dealer claims there’s $8,000 in other accessories, but I don’t see it nor do they seem to be listed. They’re asking $64,476 for this Frontier.
The second looks to be the highest priced Frontier in the country. For those who want the appearance of being outdoorsy, it looks the part. Cherokee County says they threw on $16,980 of accessories that’ll probably never get used like a NISMO roof rack, light bar and a bed rack. With those accessories, they’re asking $66,190. The price could be the reason this thing has been sitting for sale for nearly 100 days.
Please don’t be tempted by these prices though. The Frontier is a solid truck. At these markups though it’s little more than a joke and highlights how it’s not much better than its competition and also puts it in the realm of full-size truck pricing. Go used or wait.