rotaryman Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I'm looking for a solid complete mostly stock rust-free truck...really cheap..i'm willing to buy a hooptie thats been rode hard and put up wet....in the south near louisiana...but not gonna pay overinflated price for it..must be running/driving...4.0 engine..shortbed...automatic..(ole lady will wanna drive it too)...2 or 4wd...willing to buy works in progress...but must be mostly intact... plan on restoring it and making it my daily driver...87 to 92 models only.. eliminator would be a plus...silver or charcoal factory paint and tan or gray interior a plus.... a little surface rust O.K.....BUTT, rust holes or bondo will make me go postal...budget is 1500...keep in mind this will eventually be my daily driver and i'm willing to pay about the the same amount for a decent comanche that i sold my very nice 87 for 14 years ago.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinkrun Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj5 Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 looks like you might be better building one cus your pretty specific with a $1500 budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregM Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 The '89 I recently bought from a friend was $1500. It is a California truck so very little rust, and only has 77k on-road miles. Interior is excellent! So they can be found... This one sat because the 2nd owner kludged several repairs so it became undriveable, lucky for me because it kept the mileage (and thus wear) down. But even though the cost was $1500, the price wasn't. Needed: 5 tires, center caps, TPI, idle solenoid, water pump, belt, SMOG cert, rear axle seal, rear brake cylinders, front hubs, rotors, front axle mount replaced, front lenses, headlight surrounds, vacuum tank, all fluids changed, trans filter, etc. Was missing battery hold down, a rim, the jack, the fog lights, tow hooks, skid plates, and other little things. Needed to reglue the interior mirror, fix stiff exterior mirrors, and lots of little stuff. Front right fender has a little damage so needs to be replaced and there is a little damage to the right front underneath, nothing major. Could use another repaint too. So the price was a lot more than the cost, to make it roadworthy and complete again. A lot of the above is just what you expect from a sixteen year old vehicle, but it is a little annoying that so many parts ended up missing. Maybe stolen while it sitting or never put back after maintenance. All can be tracked down and that's part of the fun! Parts are pretty cheap, fender was $20, an exterior mirror was $10, center caps $10 ea, complete jack $50 on eBay. Low parts cost is probably because of the partial Unibody and tendency of midwest vehicles to rust out and be scrapped. I'm told Comanches tend to be scrapped here in California when the trans finally gives out. Example: there is a decent looking one on Craig's list for $500 with no engine or trans. Good luck on your search! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellaheep Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I have this one in Colorado for $1600. Needs an engine and some tinkering. Factory automatic, 4x4, with power windows and A/C. 8.25 rear axle swapped in (but needs the spring seats positioned for MJ specs, still OEM XJ position which has the shackles in a bind). If you want a runner engine to go with it, add $300. Image Not Found Lots of new parts under the hood. Have a pair of MUCH nicer tan bucket seat skins and a tan full console to go with it. Has some surface rust, one rotten spot on pass. door. Floors are in good shape though. It also now has a much straighter red tailgate as well. PM if you want more details and pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotaryman Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 Thanks guys, for all your responses.....I realize that i'll probably be doing much work especially if I find a truck that's been sitting more than a couple years...Hell, I'm just finishing up a restoration on a rx7 project that sat for 15 years outside under a tree! Now that was a challenge....right now I'm hoping to start with a rust-free truck that's has all its parts intact.AND that has been recently driven.....one fairly close to home....then i'll take my time to rebuild/repair.....Otherwise it would take me forever to save up enough to buy a nice Comanche that's gone up even higher in price....keep an eye and ear out for me I'll try to raise my initial budget to get a truck that I could actually drive back home when bought....shipping is just too expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glundblad Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 just remember the surface rust. if you see some of it starting to appear from around the rear wheel flairs, that means there is a lot of it behind the flairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glundblad Posted April 22, 2015 Share Posted April 22, 2015 Oh and the chiefs are very cool but I suspect everyone already knows that. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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