This Short-Bed, Stick-Shift Jeep Comanche Might Be the Perfect Used Pickup
Shut up and take (some of) my money (because it’s really not too expensive).
Most of us know that the Gladiator is not Jeep’s first foray into the pickup market. Back in the 1980s, the company released the Comanche, which was arguably a lot cooler than the new truck thanks to its ruggedness and utilitarian demeanor. The Comanche eventually fell victim to poor sales and a shifting corporate structure at Chrysler, where the company wanted to center pickup production under the Dodge brand. Even so, Jeep made plenty of Comanches over years, so you can find them on the used market fairly easily. In turn, they’re usually reasonably priced—like this short-bed, stick-shift model from 1988 that’s perfectly spec’d for a simple-but-clean pickup.
The Comanche was based on the Jeep Cherokee, and it touted many of the features that enthusiasts loved about the era including the legendary AMC/Jeep 4.0-liter inline-six and a five-speed manual transmission. The seller notes that the body on this example needs some touch-up work, but says that the undercarriage is clean. It's currently listed in Florida, so cold weather likely hasn't had a chance to completely ruin the truck's sheet metal.
Though it’s rocking 181,000 miles, the seller has replaced a laundry list of parts on the Jeep, including the fuel tank, radiator, battery, U-joints, and exhaust. There's plenty more you could do to this Rad-era truck, though there likely isn't much you should do. It has all the musts—four-wheel-drive, a stick shift, and a torquey engine perfect for doing a little work or heading off-road. Anymore might be overkill.
As for the interior, it's been upgraded with leather buckets from a Chrysler Pacifica and a Jeep Cherokee center console. The truck is undoubtedly pretty clean both inside and out, so someone will get a good deal on a capable and usable daily driver if they so choose.
All in all, $7,500 (or best offer—this seller clearly doesn’t “know what he has”) is a solid price for the Comanche, even with the minor work it apparently needs.
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