This paper introduces the Distributed Cache Invalidation Mechanism (DCIM), a client-based caching scheme designed for maintaining cache consistency in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). The DCIM utilizes adaptive time to live (TTL), piggybacking, and prefetching techniques to enhance data consistency while minimizing communication costs, outperforming existing pull-based and push-based methods. Performance analyses demonstrate that DCIM provides superior availability, delay, and traffic efficiency when compared to traditional cache consistency mechanisms.