87Warrior

This truck was my daily driver for a decade. It was my hardware store truck, it was my back roads exploring truck. It hauled more than it ever should, it conquered Black Bear Pass and even ran up Mt. Antero to almost 14,000' feet in Colorado. Despite the rust, the crust, the water leaks, the lack of horsepower and the snide comments about it's appearance from the public, I really loved this Comanche. One thing this truck couldn't overcome was space. In 2023 my wife and I adopted our daughter. This was a path we had been on for more than a decade. Life got turned upside down and I quickly realized I needed a bigger daily driver, so I sold this truck to a family member who previously had an XJ. In 2024 my wife and I adopted our second daughter. Life was a whirl wind again! The family member who I sold the Comanche to asked if I'd like to buy it back for what I sold it for since he wasn't using the truck. I really, really, wanted to say yes but I knew it wasn't practical. I tried to pinpoint what I missed the most about driving the Comanche everyday. It was the manual transmission. The Toyota that became my daily driver was an automatic and I really missed rowing gears. Finding a manual transmission in a modern 4wd with enough room for a family of 4 and that had a decent payload was challenging. In the end, I ultimately settled on a Ram. It is still (kind of) in the AMC/Jeep family, has solid axles, an inline motor and a MANUAL transmission! Yesterday, I spotted my old Comanche in town! At first I didn't recognize it, but the snorkel, 2x4 rockers and JCR rear bumper solidified it. Looks like it was recently purchased due to the temporary tag. I am not crazy about the new black with green accent theme going on, but it is nice to see somebody put in a lot of effort removing the rust. And it's still sporting the CC decal I put on the rear window. I wonder if the new owner has joined the best Comanche resource in the world yet...

I know I am late to the party, but Thank You Pete for having the foresight to fire up this priceless resource and for keeping it going! I did not realize CC was just a toddler when I joined back in 2009.

Dear Comanche Club, forgive me. I have sinned. I sold one of my Comanche's last year. The decision to sell was driven by the lack of space and a family addition. I have a real knack for buying vehicles, getting attached and refusing to let go. My dear wife has let this go on forever. However, she did suggest that if I obtain another vehicle, something should go to open up a space for it. Her logic made sense. Shhhhh. I let my rusty '86 go. I loved the truck but as a new parent I really needed a truck with a back seat. My "new" truck is a 20 year old Toyota because I couldn't bring myself to buy a newer FCA/Stellantis Jeep. I still have two MJ projects and the TJ I've had for 22 years, so I am not completely lost The '86 went to a family member who had a XJ and who had been asking to buy the truck for a decade. Luckily I have first right of refusal if he ever decides to sell. None of that helps you out, but know there are other of us out here that have changed family dynamics that sometimes make us make these difficult decisions.

Your attitude is phenomenal. It's great to hear you are doing well!

Oh man, now I have cereal cravings!

I am confused. How do you sell a Comanche? All I can do is buy them... Congrats on the TJ. I've had my TJ Rubi since December 2003 and there is no way I could part with it. But I must say, at 6'3" I find the MJ to have more room than the TJ though, so I fear you will want out of the TJ in short order.

Same. My wife used to roll her eyes when I would point and yell "COMANCHE" while on the road. Now she does it too

Toyota did drink the IFS Kool-Aid. While the 100, 200 and 300 series Land Cruisers all have IFS, you can still buy a brand new 70 series wagon or pickup with solid axles anywhere else in the world. I own two IFS Land Cruisers and they are phenomenal long distance machines and very comfortable on high mountain pass trails. They definitely don't have the travel of a solid axle, but they do ride nice and have proven to be extremely reliable. The 200 series camper on BAT is a very nice build, but I don't see $200k of value in it. Clearly somebody did though!

This post made me stop and think... 1990 Jeep YJ SOLD 2003 Jeep TJ Rubicon I've had it for 20 years! 1997 Mazda Miata SOLD 1992 Jeep MJ Still a project 2002 Toyota Camry SOLD 1999 Jeep XJ SCRAPPED 1986 Jeep MJ Work Truck 2007 Jeep WK SOLD 1991 Jeep MJ Project 1991 Jeep MJ Parts/Scrap 2011 GMC Acadia SOLD 2001 Jeep XJ Parts 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser Daily Driver 1966 Chevrolet K20 Classic Iron 2019 Subaru Outback SOLD 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser Wife's Daily Driver 2017 Yamaha WR250R Street legal dirt bike 1977 Yamaha DT250E The classic I couldn't pass up I seems to buy more than I sell

That is terrible! Looks like a really, really nice truck with some unique modifications. I am hoping for the best. Thieves are pure scum. I am sorry they got your truck

I'd buy that thing in a heartbeat as it sits! However, once the cab gets cut up it basically becomes the same project that my truck currently is Thanks for checking though. I've never been to RI. Would be a fun trip, that's for sure. How are the floors/rockers/cab corners and 'frame' on that truck? Was it originally a Northeast truck? It looks way better than my 86 did when I drug it home from a long life in Iowa.

I am searching for a mostly rust free MJ carcass that I could swap over my 86's running gear into. While my trusty, rusty, 86 runs great and drives prefect down the road, the cab and frame are succumbing to aggressive rust (again) and the bed is crumbling apart. Ideally the perfect carcass candidate would be a long bed truck (so I can reuse my existing lwb topper) with no interior, drivetrain or suspension but with all of the sheet metal. I also wouldn't turn down a decent short bed carcass. With (or without) title. I am located in the middle of Kansas and am willing to drive practically anywhere for the right carcass. I know it's a long shot, but perhaps you know of a guy (or are 'the guy') with a long lost project, donor or parts truck shell that needs a new home.

Good eye. I missed that detail.

In preparation for the springtime gardening season I put the topper back on the truck. The plants seem to appreciate some wind protection when headed down the highway. Here the truck is sporting the topper and a couple more "speed holes" that have formed in the bedside... While driving through a typical Kansas thunderstorm I noticed my driver side floorboard was filling with water. The water was dripping over the fusebox and into the floor. I need to investigate the water issue further, but I suspect the windshield needs replaced and some metal might need repaired around the windshield frame. *sigh* I was hoping the truck would been trouble free for the rest of this year!

Somebody got an awesome truck for a fair price. I hope we can follow it as it gets back on the track!