New from Nebraska

[Reddout]

I've been a full-size Jeep fan for quite some time. Recently thinking about selling my TDI New Beetle and picking up a 4x4 Short bed Comanche... been telling myself, I think I need a truck and what would be better than to continue the lineage and start my search for a Comanche.

 

I've spent the last several weeks looking for something on the interwebs without much luck. Figured it was time to join a legit club and learn as much as I can about them. What to look for (as in good) and what to look out for (as in bad).

 

Thanks

 

-Bob

[DirtyComanche]

:waving:

 

There a lot like a Cherokee.  Look for rust on the body, the uniframe, and the floors.  Make sure there's no cracking around the steering box, leaf hangers, door hinges, etc.  The 4.0L is IMHO the best engine, followed by the 2.5L, and then followed by planning to do an engine swap.  AW4 auto from behind the 4.0L is pretty darn reliable, the 5spd until mid-89 is not, after that it is (AX-15).  Look for general wear and tear, bojang repairs, things like a brake or clutch master eating the firewall, etc, and you can't really go too wrong.  Just be wary of missing Comanche specific parts, you might pay a lot for them...

 

Lots more posts on this if you search around in tech too. :cheers:

[Reddout]

Thanks for the reply. I've been doing a lot of reading and learning from this forum. Not many decent Comanches available, by am intrigued by many of the cool builds here. Lots of good tech info here

[Pete M]

as long as you can overcome the search function, there's a ton of info. :D 

 

just be patient and you'll find the right truck.  :thumbsup:  chances are that craigslist will be of more help.  

[Reddout]

Thanks, I've been a daily visitor to Craigslist and have a notification set up with eBay. Patience is my friend

[Pete M]

what are you looking for in a truck?  bone stock DD?  project? 4.0/2.5?

[Reddout]

Not necessarily bone stock. Id like a 4.0 since I am familiar with them. Working AC, no electrical or mechanical gremlins, good floors, none or minimal rust, a mild lift. It will be my year round daily driver out here in Nebraska.

[Knucklehead97]

Welcome! To save from electrical gremlins I would find an auto transmission one. Almost all stickshifts have had the clutch leak on the fuse box and REALLY messes with the electronics. And honestly coming from someone who has driven and owns both the auto Comanches are really fun to drive. I love my stickshift one to death but the auto one is very cozy to drive!

[Reddout]

Welcome! To save from electrical gremlins I would find an auto transmission one. Almost all stickshifts have had the clutch leak on the fuse box and REALLY messes with the electronics. And honestly coming from someone who has driven and owns both the auto Comanches are really fun to drive. I love my stickshift one to death but the auto one is very cozy to drive!

Thanks for the welcome.

 

I've been looking for the pros & cons of the manual or auto trans.  I had read on this forum about the clutch leaking onto the fuse box issues.

 

I'd like to go auto anyway so the wife wouldn't have any problems driving it as well.

 

Thanks for the tip!

[DirtyComanche]

Welcome! To save from electrical gremlins I would find an auto transmission one. Almost all stickshifts have had the clutch leak on the fuse box and REALLY messes with the electronics. And honestly coming from someone who has driven and owns both the auto Comanches are really fun to drive. I love my stickshift one to death but the auto one is very cozy to drive!

 

Find one that the owner cared, and that won't be a problem.

 

But yeah, my 88 has a rotten firewall in that area from the clutch leaking on it.  Luckily I do not believe it has the same harness in it as it did then, but who knows.

[Reddout]

I found an '88 Pioneer, semi-near me in Oklahoma and have been in contact with the owner. 4.0, 5 speed. Looks to be in good shape with a non-oem colored paint job. It's had some recent work done including new clutch, rear brake cylinders, fuel injector service, Petco door lock kit, hub bearings, some wheel and axle work. 138k miles and no rust. He's asking $5900 which may be fair, but would like your advice on what to offer and thoughts on this Comanche.

Receipt;

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Pics:

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Thanks

Bob

[Pete M]

new paint always makes me nervous.  bring along a weak fridge magnet to check for areas of bondo.  pull up the carpet on each side as best you can to check for moisture or worse.  look up in front and behind the rear tires to check for rust starting.  our trucks rust from the inside-out so just because it looks good on the outside doesn't mean it'll remain nice in a year or 2.  did they remove all the trim and badges for the repaint or just tape them over?

[Reddout]

Thanks, Pete.  From reading here, your checklist items are on mine as well.  As well as checking the firewall for clutch mc leaks.

It looks like they added a couple of badges on the lower tailgate, which, if I owned it, would be immediately removed.  Not sure on how thorough the truck was prepped before paint.  I asked about rust and he said there is no rust.

 

It's about a 7.5 hour drive to it.  Just want to make sure it is worth the trip.  I was initially looking for something around $5k or under.

[Pete M]

the only way to know is to see it with your own eyes, or at least through an impartial 3rd party's eyes. 

 

all I know for sure is that if I was the one selling it, you better believe I'd be taking some better quality and more in-depth photos of what all justifies that high price tag.  no matter how rust-free it may be, it's still a 30 year old truck.  what's the underside look like?

[Reddout]

Yes you are right. He's been sending me pics. The p.o. had put some sort of blue herculiner type coating on it. He and his son took it all down to metal and he has sent close up pics. Looks like a clean job. The body shop removed the emblems and did the final prep. He said the underside is clean.

He did say that the 2 interior light do not work, all gauges do and light up and work.

 

Before doing anything I have to put my eyes on it. I've always been that way. If it is what he says, I was thinking about offering under $5k.

[Pete M]

oh, and you might want to talk to your insurance company first too.  they may not agree on that price point and you could lose a significant amount if it got totaled. 

[Reddout]

Good point

[Reddout]

oh, and you might want to talk to your insurance company first too.  they may not agree on that price point and you could lose a significant amount if it got totaled.

 

That might help in negotiations. From what I've read on these forums, guys that get some relatively mild damage from a run in with a deer only got around $1800 from their insurance company. And there's looked to be in pretty good condition before.

[Minuit]

Since it's a 5 speed, check the fuse box VERY CAREFULLY. Wiggle the fuses. They should be very tight. If the fuses are even slightly easy to pull out or wiggle (my 1991 requires pliers to pull fuses out) do not buy the truck. My 89 has severe fusebox damage and there isn't evidence of it on the firewall, but the fusebox is absolutely trashed.

 

The badges are in the wrong place. The 4x4 badge is about an inch too high and there shouldn't be badges on the bottom of the tailgate (they belong in the recessed rectangle where the JEEP letters are). The re-paint was probably a half assed job like most re-paints are. The badges should be exactly where they belong if the paint job is of good quality, not wherever Cletus felt like putting them. And what's up with the inside of the bed? Another detail I just now noticed is the uneven panel gap on the hood. Possibly it was in an accident, or someone took the hood off and didn't care to make it line up again. Neither are good signs.

 

Not a $6k truck. A $6k truck will have original paint in good condition or a very high quality repaint, original rear bumper, etc and there should be absolutely no problems. That's a $3k truck to me, tops. I wouldn't drive all day to look at it. Most likely there's a reason the pictures are so terrible. Most likely it photographs well from a distance but doesn't hold up to any sort of scrutiny.

 

They all say there's no rust.

 

Disclaimer: I'm a ridiculously anal retentive detail oriented freak. Your mileage may vary.

[Reddout]

Thanks Minuit & Pete

 

The more time I have to think about it and with the responses I've gotten here, I'm going to move on and keep an eye out for another.  Since I am new to the MJ scene I didn't know the side badges were in the wrong place.  If I had bought it and found that out, it would have bugged the crap out of me.  I, like you, am very detail oriented.

 

Sometimes I can get too fixated on cars initially (new, shiny), but as time goes by & I have time to evaluate more that enthusiasm almost always drops off.  Unless of course everything checks out.

 

During my searching I stumbled upon this one a couple weeks ago, but with the high mileage on the 4.0 and the high asking price I didn't bother to contact the owner.  It was also on eBay a couple weeks ago but didn't meet the sellers reserve

http://bloomington.craigslist.org/ctd/5622439627.html

[500 MJ]

Oil pressure gauge is reading wrong in the photo of the cluster... engine is running, tach shows it.

 

If that's a $5.5K truck, most guys on here ought to be able to sell theirs for much more.

 

I'd go $2500 on that one AT MOST.

 

I paid $500 and $675 for each of mine. They needed work, don't get me wrong... I have the same thoughts as Minuit regarding a $5K Comanche...

 

Good luck with your search!

[500 MJ]

Another thought. If you haven't already, watch for some of the sales brochures for the Comanches on eBay, at flea markets, etc. If you are really looking to spend a chunk of cash like this on an MJ, you should look through them and get familiar with what offerings were there from the factory. In my opinion, a true $5K MJ should be something sought after and it should hold its value VERY WELL, even if it is used and driven often. Something of lesser worth, you are just emptying your pockets and lining someone else's when/if the day comes when you need to sell it...

[Reddout]

Good catch on that oil pressure gauge.  I need to pay closer attention to the details.

That's a good idea on picking up a brochure, thanks

[Minuit]

That oil pressure gauge is attached to an idiot light sensor. Either it started life as a no gauges truck or it had the wrong sensor put in if the original one died. The gauge will peg past 80 when the sender for idiot lights would command the idiot light off.

[Reddout]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not contacting that seller, it's just another example of a "pretty" truck that is over priced, especially for the mileage.

 

Although wikipedia has a good history on the Comanches, are there any other sources you would suggest?  I'd like to know as much as I can about them to help me find the right one.

I do have a question, the Renix system was replaced in 1991, netting more hp, and have read references to the renix system here. I know they ended Comanche production in mid 1992 but would it be better to look for a '91?  Also I did not know that Chrysler wanted to end production of the Comanche so they could produce the Dodge Dakotas.

 

I found a couple brochures on eBay that I might  pick up.

 

Thanks for all they help