Jeep Comanche Years
Jeep Comanches might not be exceptionally rare today, like a Peugeot 405 wagon of the same era or something equally unicorn-like that was sold for just one model year. But Jeep Comanches are rare in this condition.
The XJ Cherokee's debut back in 1984 gave Jeep the midsize four-door positioned below the Wagoneer that it wanted for quite some time. The new Cherokee was certainly plusher than the CJ of the time, but it left the luxury up to its older and larger sibling. But a midsize 4x4 isn't the only thing the XJ platform permitted Jeep: the automaker could now field a competitor to the Chevy S-10, Ford Ranger and other small trucks, which were present in a much greater variety in the 1980s.
In fact, Jeep aimed the Comanche squarely at the Ford Ranger and the Chevy S-10, seeking to beat both in price as the least-expensive Jeep in the lineup.
How could it hope to upstage those two already thrifty pickups?
For starters, the base model wasn't all that trail-friendly: Buyers could get it with rear-wheel drive and a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, producing 117 hp. That output was dialed up to 121 hp for 1987, when a 4.0-liter six-cylinder joined the lineup with 173 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque on tap. Two other engines were on the menu: a Renault 2.1-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder of all things, and GM's 2.8-liter V6 that, incidentally, was also offered in the S-10. So the Comanche had no shortage of engine choices, and a choice of two bed lengths created some variety in the range, as did the optional four-wheel drive. The choice of trim levels was also impressive over its entire model run.
Autoweek
As a small truck, on paper it had a lot of things going for it. But ultimately the Comanche saw only modest levels of sales success -- not enough to make a serious dent against its competitors. Of course, it's worth recalling its competition also saw its segment slowly decline during the Comanche's production run from 1986 till 1992.
Today, it's not easy to find a near-concours Comanche, and the existence of such a thing even sounds implausible. In the Rust Belt states Comanches rusted quite liberally, especially around the wheel arches and bed. Having fist-sized holes in the bodywork, of course, did not stop many Comanches from being used as daily drivers, but many were largely treated as disposable. Which is why their numbers by the late 1990s had dwindled considerably.
This 1988 example we spotted on the street seemed... just about showroom new. If you look carefully, you can see that even the undercarriage looks fresh, as do the small plastic and rubber trim items throughout. Was this Comanche driven only in the summer, like a prized Porsche, and only used to carry groceries? It certainly seems that way.
Suffice it to say, this is the cleanest Comanche we're likely to ever see on the street in this century, outside of some Jeep event where the automaker could carefully bring out a delivery-mileage example and let it sit on a manicured lawn. Does Jeep itself even have a Comanche this squeaky clean?
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Source: https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/a33862184/street-spotted-jeep-comanche/
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