1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer 4.0 Litre I-6

Summary:

One of Jeep's finest offerings ever!

Faults:

The motor was tired. It belonged to a farmer who used it to irrigate, so it idled a lot & breathed a lot of dust over the years. At 145000 miles, I replaced the engine. The paint is nearly gone on the hood & top.

General Comments:

Competition in the small truck market was too much for AMC in the late 80's & early 90's. Too bad it's not still in production! I use the truck primarily for hunting/fishing/4-wheeling. It has never left me stranded and I'd put it up against rock crawlers with 4x what I have in it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st February, 2003

1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer 4.0L I6

Summary:

A truck for any lover of Jeep vehicles

Faults:

Water pump replacement.

Valve cover replacement. (To fix the blow-by problem)

Replacement of vacuum hoses.

Replacement of axle seals.

Replacement of all radiator hoses.

Transfer case leaked oil, but had it repaired.

Many many small rust spots appearing.

Tailgate handle heavily rusted and had to be replaced.

Steering is a little sloppy.

General Comments:

This truck is amazing, I love everything about it. When I bought it I had a lot of engine work done to get it running in perfect condition. Now that the engine work is out of the way I gotta start on the body work. The Comanche's are very prone to rust and mine has collected a few spots. Mainly on the bottoms of the doors. But I look past all of the trucks problems and I see the potential of a fierce off-road machine.

I have driven the vehicle off-road stock for a few months now and I have never gotten stuck. With the 4 wheel drive option it handles mud like it was smooth black top.

With so much low end torque the Comanche is able to provide the driver with a lot of acceleration. With this I have been able to do many burnouts and donuts as well as power drifting around corners on dry pavement.

The Comanche in winter is a perfect vehicle. While the back-end is light the four-wheel drive will fix that problem and maneuverability will increase greatly on snow and ice. I am also very proud of the Comanches ability to perform drifting around corners in the snow; as it is easy to swing the back end out and then bring it all back for a very controlled drift.

There are alot of things to maintain, but if you keep your truck clean you should never have a problem with it.

I believe this is one of the best vehicles made by Jeep and I think that it was a bad decision to have stopped producing these amazing vehicles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th December, 2002

7th Feb 2009, 18:46

In my truck I love mudding in it. I have had mud come over the hood, and have out climbed and out mud bogged many trucks. It is the best truck I have ever offroaded in.

23rd Jan 2020, 19:54

The original owner of my '88 Comanche bought it new. He took the Pioneer package with the 4.0 with the Aisin AW4 automatic in 2WD.

Although only 2WD and wearing street tires (I don't want to even be tempted), this trucks is surprisingly capable. I got stuck in my pasture, and although I had to do some back-and-forth, it came out.

I won't put mud grips on it because, as I said, I don't want to be tempted.

1988 Jeep Comanche Base 242 4.0 l6 cylinder

Summary:

Extremely dependable 4*4 power

Faults:

The pistons and valves were knocking, I paid $1,200 and rebuilt the engine.

The water pump was replaced at the same time.

I replaced the radiator and all hoses, because the engine was overheating.

I recently replaced the front rotors and pads.

I had the rear drums turned and replaced the shoes and springs and lines.

General Comments:

I've had this thing through some awful stuff and it always brought me out of what it put me in.

I love my truck and wouldn't give it up for the world.

Most the parts I've replaced didn't need replacing, but I wanted too.

I've had it up to 130mph and it handled well, but is a little tippy.

The tires will light up on a dime and it goes 0-60 in 8.5.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd March, 2002