What the world needs now, is love sweet love. But, it also needs a small two-door pickup. People have been saying that for years now, maybe decades, and manufacturers just aren’t listening. Maybe because most people don’t actually want a small two-door pickup? This 1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer 4×4 is listed here on eBay in University Place, Washington, and the current bid price is $6,600.
This two-door Comanche pickup is almost two feet shorter than the “small” new Ford Ranger two-door truck, but that model doesn’t come in a single-cab configuration. The smallest cab is either a super cab or a four-door cab. The new Ford Maverick is only a four-door, and the Chevy Colorado has four doors. Dodge doesn’t make a small two-door pickup and the Toyota Tacoma two-door is even longer at almost 19 feet. Can you think of a new, small, two-door pickup?
Jeep offered the Cherokee-based Comanche pickup in either 2WD or 4WD from late 1985 for the 1986 model year, until the end of 1992. I rarely see them on the road or even at car shows anymore but they’re so unique that I have to believe that this is a future collector vehicle, especially one this nice. Please check out the seller’s great listing that shows dozens of nice photos of this gem.
Inside the pickup bed looks almost as nice as inside the cab does on this Jeep. The first thing I look for is the transmission, and in this case, it’s an optional five-speed manual. Perfect. A four-speed manual would have been standard and either a column-shifted or console three-speed automatic would have been options. I don’t see really any flaws inside, this looks like one very nice truck.
Even the engine is spotless! This is AMC’s 242-cu.in. (4.0-liter) OHV inline-six, which would have had just under 180 horsepower and 224 lb-ft of torque when new. The seller says that this beauty has been in the same family since new and it has never left Washington state, an area known for its rust-free vehicles, and the underside looks great on this one. Hagerty is at $10,300 for a #3 good-condition truck and $20,100 for a #2 excellent truck, so as of now, this one is a bargain. I would love to have this truck – have any of you owned one?
Total unicorn! And it’s got the desirable 4.0 engine and a hand shaker. Such a shame AMC was acquired by Chrysler because this was killed off because it competed with the Dakota but IMHO was superior to the Dakota truck.
I disagree. There would be no Jeep today if Chrysler hadn’t have bought AMC. And better yet there would be no Jeep Gladiator with supercharged 6.2 engines. If Chrysler only had a crystal ball in the 1980s.They had the next best thing, Lee Iacocca.
The jl gladiator is a sick joke that we were better off not having
Dad always drove GM or Ford. I was the first in the family to buck that trend, buying myself my 1st new vehicle at age 19. A 1990 Jeep Comanche 4.0 5 spd. Within the 1st 6 months it went thru a starter, 2 alternators, a complete fusebox/wiring harness, 02 sensor, and was leaking oil from the head. After the 1st year i never had another issue w it the remaining 2 yrs…and still saw it on the road years later. But i said never again
Fun fact…even with money down and as good a credit score as a 19 yr old could have at that age, my interest rate from our local bank was 11%.
Worse yet, a base Maverick only has a 2000 lb towing capacity. I believe the Jeep was rated at 4000 with a Class B hitch. That is along with the Maverick’s basically useless small bed.
The Maverick is selling very well, there is only a ten day supply. Ford is adding another shift at the assembly plant.The tailgate has a feature so the truck can haul 4 x 8 plywood.
The Maverick can be configured to tow 4000 lb.
The base Maverick now has 250 hp, 73 more than the 4.0 in the Comanche.
And the Maverick with the 250 hp engine gets 33 percent better gas mileage than the 4.0.
Like many, I wish they made a Maverick 2 door pickup.
I’m not sure if 1980s and modern towing capacities can even be compared or to what extent the SAE J-code test has changed. Chevrolet claimed a 1500lb towing capacity for the Cavalier wagon in 1985 and anything even close in weight and configuration has “Not Recommended For Towing” in more recent years.
I suspect it’s like EPA fuel economy numbers – the original test protocol gave such, shall we say, optimistic results that it was revised downward twice (in 1985-6 and 2008).
Yet another car that’s on my bucket list! This one of the few vehicles I would just keep it like it is save for window tint . Just nothing really to improve on ! Ok maybe a lift kit & tires I’m 6’4″ and although not mentioned this is a extra cab! Perfection is hard to beat!
At 6g’s and if the powertrain is healthy jump on it, its a keeper
If this was within 500 miles Id bid. And if it was that close it would be rusty. This or a clean manual XJ are what I want, and they’re climbing, and f course. This one should go north of 10k
Nice truck for sure, just a little fyi.
This is a a MJ & not a XJ.
Let’s be honest. No, you wouldn’t.
I bought an 89 Comanche 2WD Eliminator in1997 with the 4.0 liter. Fun truck and quite quick with the 5 speed. My buddies at the local auto parts store said ” Make sure you don’t blow up the transmission because it’s not fixable!” (Peugeot trans, I think). Never blew it up and drove it for two more years thinking that it may replace my 86 Toyota 2WD. That didn’t happen! Sold it to a friend’s brother-in-law. Today he still has it and drives it. Looks great, repainted and tranny is fine! I still have my Toyota! Comanches were great trucks eliminated from the Dodge repertoire because they didn’t want it to compete with the Dakota. No wonder guys are still making ‘Cheromanches”. Of course not in the northeast because Mr. Rust has prevailed……..This one looks like a nice example…
Buddy had one in black. Did alot of hunting geese and ducks. Took it out in the corn 🌽 fields never got stuck. Reliable and quick to drive. Fun trucks. Smallish cabin feel compared to my F150.
My dad still has his ’89 Comanche SporTruck (base, SporTruck, Pioneer, Eliminator, in that order, for the uninitiated). Runs decent… The old AMC running gear was so good that it lasted through the TJ Wranglers (2006), so a very serviceable vehicle. This Pioneer is in unheard of condition. Should fetch the high end book price, but then anyone would be afraid to get her dirty!
Cracked dashes, bad wiring connections on interior/dash lights, and frosted clear coat is the norm on these, even if well kept. I’ve never seen one nearly as nice that wasn’t restored.
Hate to pee on the parade, but the world needs a whole lot more than love. The world is a different place than when Dionne Warwick sang that song in 1966, in a different sort of way. We could start by making simple pickups like this again. And in my usual pro-USA format, the only reason I can figure why someone would buy an import pickup then, was a giant middle finger to the USA. That’s right, you heard me, when decent small pickups like this were made, there was no reason to buy an import. My views may be dated, but most import buyers just didn’t realize how important the auto industry was to our country, and I place the blame of our current automotive mess squarely on import vehicle buyers. Now you know the rest of the story. Great find.
It’s bid up to $7500 now, but still probably worth it. The 5 speed transmission is key to the value of this truck for me. I’ve had poor luck with Chrysler automatics.
Howard, I disagree with your views on import buyers. Most import buyers (myself included, as I own a Toyota – along with a couple of GM’s) bought imports because they felt they offered better reliability (real or perceived) than the domestics. I don’t think this Jeep would match the reliability of a Toyota truck of the same vintage with an auto trans. With the manual? Maybe closer. It’s nothing vindictive or personal, but it’s a little difficult to be a martyr with your own money when you’re buying a new vehicle.
Don’t get me wrong, domestic manufacturers have made some reliable vehicles. But they’ve made some that turned out to be absolute garbage, too. Toyota, not so much. Can you think of a Toyota engine or trans that turned out to be a known problem child? I can’t. Now ask yourself the same thing for the domestics…and then place your $30k bet on a new car.
Nice Comanche. A sweet spot in Jeep history.
I agree. When it came to my money and buying something new, I went with a Toyota truck. Pretty mundane rig but should last me to the end of my driving life. Domestic products seem best to really pile on the miles within five years, then when it’s about paid off and before expensive troubles start, trade it in.
Think back to 1988. You need a cheap mini truck. The choice is down to a base Mazda B2200 or a base S10. The Mazda was decently refined and drove kinda like an old sports car…just add AC and a your own stereo. A base S10 was pretty crude and agricultural. It was a nice little truck only when a buyer added half again its a price in optional equipment.
Agree with much of what you said but the real blame lies with uncle Sam. Unrealistic safety, fuel economy, and emission regulations all issued simultaneously and at odds with each other made it very difficult for an industry with 5 to 7 year product life cycle times.
The result was subpar quality, often poor drivability issues etc for domestic cars. Coupled with a weak dollar made the imports cheaper to boot. The imports by pure luck based on the vehicle needs of their home countries had product ready to go.
There were of course mgmt issues with the big 3 but bottom line is they were forced by bureaucrats to change too much too quickly to fully and thoroughly engineer their cars.
Scotty, I have to disagree I think a lot of people want just a small two door possibility extended cab truck with a longer box than what is available today but manufacturers just won’t build them. Its going to be interesting to watch and see the final price on this rig.
Oh, many foreign mfrs. still build small pickups and utes; they just don’t import them here anymore. We have our absurd CAFE regulatory scheme to blame for the disappearance of truly compact pickups (and most affordable wagons) from the US market:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/10/how-cafe-killed-compact-trucks-and-station-wagons/
I’m in the smaller pickup camp and would actually consider purchasing a new one if they were available the way I’d like. The closest thing out now is the Ford Ranger super cab. But the bed is too short for my liking. I guess that the manufacturers either don’t want to invest the cost to design the configuration myself and others have mentioned or maybe people like me are in such a distinct minority that it may not be a profitable endeavor for them. This Jeep certainly is a nice little truck but again too far away from me. All the really nice rust free stuff always seems to be in the Western parts of the country. Someone will be getting a very nice vehicle that is eminently useful. GLWTS!
The short bed is really a bummer. I’d love a small pickup.with an eight foot bed!. What is wrong with the people in the executive suites at Ford and Chevy? Have they not seen all the handicapped placards in California buying 80 K HUGE pickups.with six foot beds.except for Ram I guess. If they made a decent 2 door Colorado or Ranger with a long bed I’m guessing they would fly off the lots. I had high hopes for the new Maverick but at best its a grocery getter. Too bad.
Scotty I agree w/ you and I’d like to know how (what we used to call) “The Big 3” determine what exactly the buying public wants.
I believe I read recently that Gen X’ers make up the largest segment of new vehicle buyers (and that segment includes me). Clearly, a lot of us, frankly, aging guys have been saying for years and years that we would like the option of a simple, American, lower-cost 2-door, small pickup with good gas mileage. Further, many of us want nothing to do w/ any battery in our vehicle other than the one that starts the internal combustion engine and the option of a manual tranny would be nice too.
The closest thing to what we went seems to be the new Maverick (which should have been called the Courier IMO, and Maverick could be used for some car, but I digress). Yes it is available as a hybrid but the ICE version is an option. Predictably, the public is going after Mavericks like crazy and between their popularity and Covid-related changes in our supply chains, labor shortages, etc. Ford can’t build them fast enough. Hyundai Santa Cruz are similar but… meh.
So, what’s a guy gotta do to get a truck like the S-10’s and Rangers of old? How hard could it possibly be to start w/ an existing car design and make it into a small truck (which would still pass the government tests)? I’ve seen examples that guys have accomplished w/ Sawzalls and cases of beer in the backyard. Or, can we start w/ the specs for an ’04 Ranger or S-10 and modify to bring the thing up to modern safety standards?
Can’t auto engineers give us something so many potential buyers seem to have been asking for? Its not rocket science, its truck science. If you build it, they will come.
Howard, I love your comments but have to look at imports a bit differently. I served 7 years with Uncle and couldn’t be more pro USA. Had it not been for imports the quality of domestic cars would still be poor. I bought a 63 Volvo that I drove for 10 years and never a problem. I went to work for a Pontiac, MB, Honda dealer in 1972 and as much as I loved Pontiacs, Hondas were far superior in quality. Pre-delivery issues came standard on Pontiacs, not so on the imports. Wish Pontiacs were still a stand alone brand. Have a great day.
Competition makes for better products and what could be more American than competition.
Lord have mercy upon my soul. If this had power windows and locks, I’d grab this thing and drive it until one of us is sent to that great junk yard in the sky.
I bought one on a whim in Los Angeles and drove it home to Pennsylvania, it was an 88 SporTruck. I them sold it at the end of the summer and instantly regretted it. Come around last year I purchased a big piece of property and realized I needed a truck, so I found my dream Comanche, a 1990 Eliminator with the 4.0L, 5 speed AX15 transmission, 4×4, AC and buckets seats. A bonus that I found when I got it home was a LSD equipped Dana 44, ordered from the factory. That Comanche is a little beast, I have towed trailers well past it’s rated towing payload. It rides well, I’ve since added factory cruise control, in the past 1.5 years have already put 14k miles on it.
I honestly can’t say enough good things about the Comanche. My only complaint is I wish the cabin were about 2 inches longer, my clutch leg would really appreciate it.
The “Holy Grail” of MJs. The 2.5 liter engines gave Comanche decent acceleration but the 4.0 liter six really turned the truck into a sport truck!
I can think of a small pickup — the Ram 75; available south of the border and primarily only in Spanish speaking countries. It comes only with a manual. The Ram 1000 is an automatic upper scale version. There are probably other vehicles from other companies. America is starved of affordable existing vehicles. So much for “choice.”
The fact that no one is making a small pickup anymore has nothing to do with demand. It has everything to do with greed. The automakers have done the same with small cars. Plenty of people want them, but they make more selling giant pickup trucks and behemoth SUVs.
It has nothing to do with greed scooter. The reason why no one makes a compact truck in the US is the same reason no one males a compact car
It’s because of the epa fuel mileage requirements. In order to make a compact vehicle in the US they would need to over 30 mpg city and over 40mpg highway.
Auction update: this one sold for $11,800, the buyer got a good deal. I hope it just went to a good owner who will love it and keep it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it showed up at a national auction at some point.