I’ll admit it, I have a thing for Jeep XJ’s – they’re one of my all-time favorites. I owned a ’91 edition for many years and it continues to be one of the best cars that I ever owned. Sure, they got plenty of middling press but I never had a problem with mine and managed to get 325K miles out of it. And, to the best of my knowledge, it’s still kicking around in the Houston area. And that love fest extends to its pickup variant, the Comanche such as today’s 1989 Bristow, Virginia domiciled find. These don’t turn up often so let’s check this one out.
Introduced for the ’86 model year, about 190K Comanches rolled off of the Toledo assembly line before the end of the run occurred in ’92. The Comanche utilized the same powertrains as the Cherokee along with similar suspensions though the underside rear structure was enhanced for additional load-carrying capacity. One fact that I had forgotten was the twin cargo bed lengths, it was available in both six and seven-foot iterations. The entire vibe of the Comanche was reminiscent of Ford’s Ranchero and Chevrolet’s El Camino.
The listing details this Jeep’s body with statements of, “While most the Jeep escaped any rust damage there is rust above the passenger side rear wheel well (patch panel included in sale), and is the only rust hole on the entire Jeep. Buyer should be aware while the rockers and cab corners are original (original paint too!) the floorboards have had previous rust repair work done to them.” All good to know, the exterior still presents well with just general wear being evident – it’s actually pretty sound for an everyday driver that has experienced 35 years of existence and seen 173K miles of use. Unfortunately, no image of the cargo bed has been provided.
Power is provided by “old reliable”, a 177 net HP, 4.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine. And, I can tell you from experience that this powerplant is just broken in at this point in its life cycle. The seller refers to it as “strong running” and mentions that the original five-speed manual transmission has been replaced with an Aisin-Warner AX15 gearbox which supports a transfer case for 4X4 activities. The listing also details various replaced engine components and upgraded suspension bits.
The interior is a minimalist environment that will only accommodate two individuals, three maybe if you’re pint-sized or quite friendly, but it is surprisingly clean. The instrument panel features complete gauges and its original AM/FM radio – something that’s often chucked for a more modern unit. This is an air-conditioned truck but the seller warns, “The AC is currently nonfunctional and will need at minimum new AC lines before further diagnostics can be performed.” My Cherokee’s A/C was constantly on the fritz with the biggest offender being the expansion valve and then, the lines. The original compressor eventually quit and I had it replaced but finally, an indeterminate leak side-lined the system for good. My very knowledgeable and old-school A/C guru said the final straw was the evaporator and that was a game-over event.
This is a neat find but it’s probably more a nostalgia piece than anything else. Pickups have obviously evolved way beyond this Jeep’s somewhat limited format but it still has a purpose in life and would be a useable alternative to a zillion-dollar Gladiator – especially if you’re a Jeep aficionado. You can check out the listing here on eBay where it’s available for a current, no-reserve bid of $5,805 with eighteen bids tendered so far. Could end up being a cheap Jeep, right?
Must be nap time for Howard.
Room for 3 is a stretch in these Jeep Trucks. Whats not to like. I6 manual,4wd.
RW…Howard would probably welcome one on the ranch. Especially the longer bed model.
There’s room for 3 if they’re workin’..
And thus the true reason for a cowboy hat having upturned edges-so you CAN fit three across and you’ll know the smart one of the bunch, sitting in the middle so they don’t have to drive and don’t have to get out to open and close the gate..
Jeep, import fighter, billiard ball shift knob, Cobra CB, just irritates the heck out of me, this wasn’t good enough. All you import buyers, tell me, what did your Toyota have that this doesn’t, aside from costing almost $3,000 more?? Mmm-hmm, I thought so.
Had a Heilemans Old Style beer tap shifter on my 76 Datsun King Cab
Many of these with manuals are 4cyl, good to see the 4.0. Hopefully the trans swap was done correctly, but no reverse light wiring makes me wonder. It is a huge plus having a external clutch slave cyl. That internal cylinder was a pain in my 85 xj 5 speed.
Price and originally seem great, I like this alot.
My dad ordered a new 86 when they first came out. Gold paint, auto, 4cyl and 7 foot box. Ran over two hundred thousand miles and was still going until a head gasket side lined it. Great little truck that towed quite a few Ramblers home for restoration.