1989 Jeep Comanche Pickup 4.0 Liter from North America

Summary:

I wish I loved my wife as much as my truck

Faults:

I have replaced the clutch and my Peugeot manual transmission is starting to go out now.

The paint was faded and the rear wheel wells were starting to rust from between the bed and the outer fender.

I had a few emissions components go bad, bypassed them.

No real problems.

I didn't want my truck to get old and die, so I am making it new again for the next 15 to 20 years that I plan to drive it.

It has taken me close to two years to get it back on the streets.

General Comments:

I am finishing a frame-up on my truck now, every bolt and part is painted and totally restored. You could eat off the bottom of it right now.

My Comanche is a 2004 model now, I have fresh gloss black paint on it (5 coats), I have all new chrome door handles and grille.

The interior has new stock bucket seats freshly from the upholstery shop and I am slowly putting it back together as my personal sport package which will look stock, but much better.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th January, 2004

14th Dec 2005, 14:25

Your jeep sounds awesome I want it bad (very nice) I have a grand wagoneer.

1989 Jeep Comanche Sportruck 4.0 liter six from North America

Summary:

A fun unique truck

Faults:

The a/c evaporator core had to be replaced at 50,000 miles; this was expensive, and the a/c continued to require regular recharges as long as I had the truck.

The clutch went at 65,000 miles, but it had become difficult to shift into first as early as 30,000 miles. After the repair however it shifted better than new, but had started to chatter at little in the last couple years I had the truck.

The catalytic converter and parking brake cable needed replacement around 80,000 miles.

The front wheel bearings went at 100,000 miles; they appeared a bit undersized to me.

The alternator went at 110,000 miles and it needed another one at the time I sold the truck.

The water pump failed at 125,000 miles.

When I sold the truck at 137,723 miles it also needed a new radiator, EGR valve, radio and window regulator cable for the driver's door. In addition the parking brake ratchet would not hold and the parking brake cable needed replacement again. There were also some electrical problems, mostly due to the bracket holding the parking brake pedal in place digging into a wiring harness above it under the dash.

General Comments:

My Jeep was a two wheel drive. The design is fairly straightforward and I was able to perform all of the above repairs myself except for the evaporator and clutch. In addition I performed normal maintenance such as front brake pads, belts, hoses, etc. The exhaust behind the catalytic converter was replaced twice as well.

Overall, the Jeep was a good tough truck that was fun to drive. It was always rock stable on the highway and handled curves well for a truck. You could fly down bad rutted roads at 60 that in my other vehicles I won't go over 30 max. The solid front axle is tough, and the tailgate is much heavier than on newer small trucks. The cab was roomy for a small truck, but there was a lot of road noise as mine was a base model without a lot of sound insulation.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th January, 2004

28th Jul 2006, 19:05

I wrote the above review and just wanted to clarify that the truck was actually an early 1990 model year vehicle; I entered '1989' since that was the year of manufacture, the truck having been made in August of 1989. I bought it new that September.

As a 1990, it had the AX-15 5 speed which is supposed to be better than earlier units, but as you can see from the above review, I still had clutch trouble. But, to be honest, I was caught in a lot of heavy traffic commuting with the truck, and I may have been hard on the clutch. As you may have gathered from the review, overall I liked the truck a lot.

22nd Sep 2010, 21:58

I leased a 1989 Jeep Commanche, 4x4, 4.0L. I will NEVER buy a Jeep product again. I bought the extended warranty, and one morning, the truck would not start. I called the dealership and they stated that that my problem is not covered under the warranty I bought. Guess what, once the lease was expired, I returned the truck and never bought another Jeep again. Keep in mind, this was my first new vehicle purchased after college. Ever since, I have either bought a Honda, Nissan or Toyota. As a matter of fact, I bought a Tundra four months ago.

25th Aug 2014, 19:53

Seems like an over reaction to condemn the vehicle forever for not starting. You did not even state what the problem was when fixed. The majority here seem to love the Jeep. Good luck with your Tundra Tonka truck.

28th Aug 2014, 22:42

I think that was an insult to Tonka. ;)

Jeeps rule!

28th Aug 2014, 22:45

Not buying another Jeep and driving tin sleds instead is your loss.