terrawombat

Clean and tastefully done - I like it.

Pretty sure that's not a true Laredo - he just labeled it as such.

The bumpers are chrome with black caps. One thing I have not seen on other Comanches are the swing are mirrors. Mine are original equipment, but most of the others have the lower profiles. Does anyone else have these mirrors? Tim Yea, those are the "towing" mirrors. My '88 SporTruck had those, so it wasn't a top of the line option - could be had even on the basest of base models. It came with AC, cruise control, AM/FM Cass, power windows & locks, off road package. Not the typical "base" model. As for the color, it is the original - minus the clear coating. It has thin, red stripping down the sides and on the hood. The tailgate "Jeep" name is a sticker, not painted. I want to spend the $$$ to restore it. Keep the original color. Tim Yours is a Laredo - top of the line. I was simply stating that the fold-away mirrors were not a Laredo-only option. All model trims could get those. Do you have any pictures of the interior? Another thing I've noticed is that all Laredo's come with red or tan interior.

The bumpers are chrome with black caps. One thing I have not seen on other Comanches are the swing are mirrors. Mine are original equipment, but most of the others have the lower profiles. Does anyone else have these mirrors? Tim Yea, those are the "towing" mirrors. My '88 SporTruck had those, so it wasn't a top of the line option - could be had even on the basest of base models.

Turbo's can easily be replaced and adapters can be made to make some of the more common turbos adapt to the exhaust manifold on the XJ diesel. I'd be more concerned about the machining time to get the block and head decks true after it overheated and definitely warped some stuff. The fact that there is water in the crankcase also means trashed bearings. Basically, the engine is likely shot and this truck would only be worth it to someone who has an MJ or XJ diesel and needs some of the other hard to find diesel parts under the hood.

It also doesn't have the wider Laredo trim that I usually see on them. It just looks like a Pioneer to me and I would have assumed it was if I didn't see the Laredo badge on the fender. So far, every Laredo I have seen has had the "tweed" door panels and matching fabric on the seats.

Just wondering. Don't think I've ever seen an MJ Laredo shortbed.

April 29, 1992

For whatever reason, the price of R134A has gone WAY up in my area. I used to buy 4 cans of that stuff for about $25 and that would normally be enough to charge my system. Last time I was in the auto parts store looking for the stuff, the cheapest I could find was about $20/can.

Only an hour from me....but yea, that thing sounds trashed.

Which has been driving up their price like crazy. If I ever have the time when I'm in the JY, I'll usually pull one to add to the stash as my local place only charges $60-$75, depending on who is working. There's a few idjits on one ZJ forum I'm on who won't use the 242 because it has a slightly lower max torque rating than the 231, but the figures we're talking are almost triple the output of any ZJ engine...

Then you've never used the Verizon FiOS modem/router combo. By far the best consumer wireless router I've used, hands down. I have the thing sitting in my bedroom window at my place in NJ and I can pick up the wireless signal with a run-of-the-mill wireless bridge at my shop 1/4 of a mile away, while going through trees and brush and it never skips a beat, not even in wet weather. However, there is never a reason to pay the ISP anything additional to use a wireless router - that's a marketing ploy to get uneducated peeps to fork over more money...and it works really well. For example, Comcast tried to charge my GF an extra $10/month for wireless service. The service guy even told her that she wouldn't be able to get wireless without it. I told her I'd give her one of my old wireless routers and she insisted that it would work because "the service guy said so!" I told her she owed me dinner if I could get it to work. So I go down to her apartment with a spare router and I'm looking at her cable modem...it's a damn combo unit and all I had to do was go into the configuration and turn the wireless router from OFF to ON. And they were going to charge her $10/month to do that... As for your internet speeds, Rob, I would KILL for almost 3Mb down/.5Mb up where I'm currently living. With the internet usage that you stated, that should be more than enough for you. Are you sure your brother doesn't have large downloads running in the background (i.e. Torrents) that are killing your speeds? The crappy starter service internet I'm on now is about 1-1.5Mb down/.5MB up on a good day and we have no issues with three people using it just doing some standard web browsing. It was NOT easy to adjust to this coming off of my 25Mb/15Mb FiOS back in NJ...

You have to be careful with some of the aftermarket, custom bumpers as they often don't use the right size box tube on the "receiver" portion of the hitch and the fit is very loose and sloppy - not something you want when you're towing (JCR had this problem). A lot of the "built-in" hitches in off-road bumpers are geared more towards recovery points and hauling light loads, like one of those attachments for a cooler and/or grill for camping. Unless the manufacturer states that it has a Class rating and was designed for a specific load capacity, I would assume that the hitch is next to worthless for towing. Where did you see that Hanson's MJ rear bumper was class rated?

My pup usually sprawls out on the bench seat and rests his head in my lap. Or he does this... Or when he's awake... Don't have any good solutions for you, just wanted to get a dog in an MJ plug in.

I have been patiently waiting for a 4.7L H.O. WJ to pop up on the cheap as a new DD. The H.O. is pretty hard to come by, though :( My uncle just surpassed 200K on his '99WJ with the 4.7L with no end in sight. He did, however, have some major wiring issues with the thing when it was out of warranty...that cost him some big $$ to diagnose and fix.

Yes, that's part of it, BUT, I have given him all of the information that he requested and he has not yet told me that he's received it and/or verified it to create the letter. What I should have said was, "I still have not had confirmation from my mortgage company that they have everything from me and can easily give me a letter of approval." You may know this already, but I'll tell you anyhow just in case you don't. Pre-qualificaiton and pre-approval are two entirely different things. Pre-qualification just does a credit check and figures out what you can afford based on what you have TOLD them. So, you could have lied and told them that you make more money than you actually do (not saying you did, just throwing out theoretical scenarios). As such, a pre-qualification letter doesn't hold much merit when submitted with an offer. It basically tells the owner that you probably have decent credit and may be able to afford the house. Pre-approval, on the other hand, comes once you've submitted every last bit of financial information to Joe Blow at the bank. This includes previous year's tax returns, W2's, paystubs, bank statements, social security card, drivers license, nude pictures of your spouse, etc etc. The bank then uses this to verify all of the information that you told them when you filled out your pre-qualification application. If everything checks out, then you're likely to become pre-approved for that same (or more) number that the bank gave you before. A pre-APPROVAL letter from the bank is a much more serious document when you submit and offer to the seller. It tells them that the bank has done a financial lobotomy on you and found out you're not a complete douschebag and you can afford their house. Yes, all letters, both pre-qualificaiton and pre-approval, are tailored to the house and the offer amount. If the sellers knew how much we were actually pre-approved for, they would think we are low-balling piles of dog poo (which we are, minus the poo part). I'm not even sure how the banks have come up with their figures for me, since house payments would be 40% of my yearly GROSS salary and I'd have to live on ramen noodles and water to afford it.

The second inspection of our #1 didn't go so well. I took my GF's father (contractor, carpenter, handyman, etc.) with us and he pointed out some things with the house that would need immediate repair - most notably, the roof. The house also looked way worse without furniture and revealed more problem areas. It was known going into this that the house was a fixer-upper, but I at least thought it would be a livable fixer-upper. I also was finally able to get the Plat for the house and it revealed something that did not interest me in the slightest - nontidal wetlands surround the house. Lots of additional hoops to jump through when building accessory structures. Not to mention that the land is constantly wet. No thanks - no offer to be made on that house. Two more popped up this past week so we decided to go check them out and then our agent told us that she just had a contract fall through on a house in my price range, so we checked that out too. Of the first two house, only one was a viable option. A pre-fabbed rancher built in the 70's sitting on 3/4 of an acre. The construction of the house is awful, but it seems like there is infinite land to build on. It also comes equipped with a large two-story shed that is insulated, dry walled and heated. Basically, a detached Mancave that the previous owner used as his "smoking hut" (not cigarettes). The second house we looked at has been vacant for a while and it looks like some teenagers have been using it as their party house. Beer cans and burn holes in all of the carpets - place is trashed and it's on a small lot with wet lands and a stream in the backyard. Just went on the market and the asking price is pretty high. No thanks. Third house is the one our agent told us about. Contract fell through on the previous buyer. Great house, very solid construction, and very well insulated/sound proofed. It's right off the major road that runs through the town of Stevensville, MD and you can't even hear the traffic when you're in the house. Price is right, too. Only problem is it's on a narrow, long lot and I don't think I can even get a driveway to the rear to put up my shop. Not entirely sold on this house. Getting very irritated and frustrated. STILL don't have a letter of pre-approval from the bank even after sending them every bit of financial information about myself. I absolutely hate sending this kind of stuff to "some guy". Yea, he works for a well-known bank, but doesn't mean I trust him. Oh well, the hunt continues...

Only ZJ rims were all 16x7 and are FAR less desirable than the 16x8 Moabs. As far as desirability goes, only the 16" rims on the 5.9L ZJ come close. Your truck has neither Moabs or ZJ wheels...soo...why'd you post a pic of it, again?

1. Forest Green 2. Large Heavy Hoodie 3. Sport Grey

http://easternshore.craigslist.org/cto/2672586765.html In case anyone is interested, here is a rundown of the truck: The truck is a pretty big POS. Rear fenders are rusted out, frame isn't rotted, but it's headed in that direction. Both sides of the floorboards are rotted from the front to the back and would need to be replaced. Bottom edges of the doors are rusted and rotting. Bottom lip of the tailgate is rotting. Every single window is busted out or smashed in and nothing to keep the rain out. Aftermarket sunroof was put in, but the glass is busted out so the rain had a direct entrance into the truck. Interior is in real rough shape and it doesn't run, likely because half of the fuses are missing and/or destroyed. I have a feeling this was a junkyard truck that the guy just wanted for himself. I basically told him how to get it running and left. I wouldn't even take the truck for scrap value.

The aluminum pumpkin D44 was standard for V8 models. Like Rob said, it stinks. I've got 165K on mine and it's beginning to make some unpleasant noises. As for the fuel mileage, it'll definitely be better than the previously stated 11/15. In my 5.9L, I get roughly 13.5/18...and I drive that thing with a heavy foot.

We did a pre-inspection of our current No. 1 this evening. Tenants had mostly moved out and only had a few small items left so the place was mostly vacant. The place is a complete mess and just about everything needs attention or needs to be replaced. Fortunately, the bare bones of the house seem to be in good shape and there were no signs of mold. They had a dog that basically chewed up every piece of trim in the house. The hardwood floors are water stained from a leaking toilet. The appliances need to be thrown in the trash and replaced with new. They took the washer and dryer, although there was an older washer and dryer in the garage that may (or may not work). The crawlspace didn't look too bad, but we'd have to get under there and secure some of the insulation. I was a lot less interested in the house this time around. I'm going to throw out a pretty pathetic offer and if they accept - great. If not, we'll move on to the next one and wish the future owners of the home the best of luck.

Appreciate the offer. Sticking to the Eastern Shore and I'm being incredibly picky and staying on Kent Island.

The funds for refinancing through the USDA RD loan are apparently on hold. Funds for purchasing are still going. Saw a couple more houses this weekend - one of them was beautiful inside and out and the current owners are upside down on it so they're trying to dump it cheap - selling it for 85% of what they bought it for in 2005, not to mention the thousands they dumped into the thing for upgrades and improvements. The husband has his own HVAC, drywall, insulation business and it looks like he used his trade skills on his own home. The 2-car garage is fully insulated, dry wall, and painted with the pipes and electric already run for a heater (just needs the actual heater). Rest of the house is extremely modern with nice wood floors, granite counter tops, and stainless steel appliances throughout. One of the downsides that I see is the lot is extremely small, however, the lot next door is completely vacant and it sold for $5,000 in April of this year. If I could somehow acquire that lot to build my shop on then this house may be a winner. We were supposed to do a pre-inspection of another house that is on the top of our list, but the tenants said they would not be able to vacate the house for an hour or so as they were pressed for time and needed to be completely moved out by November 1st, so we had to reschedule for sometime this coming week, pending the departure of the tenants. I think it's better we wait until they're out of there just in case they do any additional damage to the home during their move.

I had heard of the USDA loan programs but dismissed them without much research. Obviously I should have done more. This looks like a very promising way to go. Ran through the online eligibility checks and it looks like we qualify as well as the property we are looking at. I've been shopping around for better rates and I had one bank tell me that the USDA RD funding has dried up, but he's going to call me back and confirm that when he talks to someone with more experience with them - he thinks that the "re-finance" funds are on hold, but the purchasing funds are still flowing. For me, I feel like my agent has done some good legwork. She found some houses that I didn't even know about and because she's from the area I'm looking to move, she knows a lot of the people. We looked at one house that was pretty close to both neighbors and she knew both of them and gave me enough information on each to know that I would not be a good fit between them (loud cars/trucks, noisy dogs, late nights with friends hanging out on the back porch) and it would eventually just wind up being a hostile living environment. I basically tell my agent the houses I want to see and the times I'm available and she does the rest, which is great since I can't be making personal phone calls at work. Is it worth the large commission she'll make? Maybe not, but it's not like they're getting commissions on a bi-weekly basis like we get paychecks. I've been making her take me around to houses for the past 2 months (I think we've seen over a dozen now) and she still hasn't gotten her cut. In fact, I could decide one day that I can't really afford the mortgage and just want to rent...then she'll get nothing.