K-cars

[MadMan]

Originally Posted by miniman82

I promise it shits all over that piss poor excuse for a japanese V6 and its impossible to change timing belt.

I take offense to that, sir. I have one of those piss poor Mitsu V6's, and I quite enjoy it. Nothing against the 4-bangers, just that the 3.0L is quite a decent engine, especially in its time period. The torque curve is as flat as a table, you have basically 100% of the torque at any rpm you need it at.

And changing the T-belt is only slightly more difficult than any other car - owing the the adapter plate, a whopping 5 extra bolts - but nothing any competent mechanic can't conquer with ease. Come to think of it, its been many years since I last did the job, I should do it again soon.

Also, chill down, nobody's talking shit about your car.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by MadMan

Also, chill down, nobody's talking shit about your car.

Even so, it wouldn't hurt to be prepared to just brush off snarky comments. Pretty much anyone into anything other than traditional muscle cars is going to hear others roasting their idea of a fly ride. Been there, done that, got the tee shirt.

[MadMan]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

Pretty much anyone into anything other than traditional muscle cars is going to hear others roasting their idea of a fly ride. Been there, done that, got the tee shirt.

What are you talking about? They'll do it anyway! The chevy guys and the ford guys are always going at it. And then there's the mopar guys who kind of get shit on by the other two factions, but mostly because they're secretly jealous of the awesome mopars. :3

lol

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by miniman82

With all due respect, you don't know what you're talking about.

K cars had a very long and also very successful production run, and as pointed out previously they basically saved Chrysler from the dustbin of history. A little more fun to drive than what? A potato? You've apparently never been in a 2.2 or 2.5 turbo with mild tuning done to it, I promise it shits all over that piss poor excuse for a japanese V6 and its impossible to change timing belt. Transmissions? Yeah the 3-sp torqueflite is sorta gay, but once again with a 2.5 turbo attached it most likely shits all over whatever you're currently in.

If you can't tell, I'm tired of people talking shit about my car. And no, I'm not a K-car fanatic. I'm a turbo fanatic. I also have a factory turbo Corvair, wanna fight about it? I'll put my '89 Spirit up against whatever you got, and while it may or may not not win you'll definitely be surprised...

When I was at your place in Waukegan, IL you didn't seem to be that enthused with Mopars. Many times, most conversations turn to cars.
You had shown me the old VW with the FI conversion and the Mini and IIRC, your wife had some kind of a Japanese SUV.
Mopars are still my first choice, but my daily driver is a Prius. I'm not that crazy about leaving that much money at the pump.
Still have my 2000 Dodge Dakota and my 2006 Jeep Wrangler, both bought new.
BTW, Powerglides and Dynaflows are really Gay.

[MadMan]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

BTW, Powerglides and Dynaflows are really Gay.

LOL I mean they kinda are. Powerglides apparently are used in drag cars a lot because, well, they're real solid and only two gears. Dynaflows are fascinating... but that's about it.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by MadMan

LOL I mean they kinda are. Powerglides apparently are used in drag cars a lot because, well, they're real solid and only two gears. Dynaflows are fascinating... but that's about it.

I heard that about the drag cars.
Practically everyone I know had to have the Powerglide transmission repaired once in their time of ownership.
How about the early Mopars with the Powerflites that used the same oil for the transmission as the engine.
The transmission fluid was changed every time the engine oil was changed.
Dynaflows= slush-o-matics.

[maxhifi]

Originally Posted by miniman82

With all due respect, you don't know what you're talking about.

K cars had a very long and also very successful production run, and as pointed out previously they basically saved Chrysler from the dustbin of history. A little more fun to drive than what? A potato? You've apparently never been in a 2.2 or 2.5 turbo with mild tuning done to it, I promise it shits all over that piss poor excuse for a japanese V6 and its impossible to change timing belt. Transmissions? Yeah the 3-sp torqueflite is sorta gay, but once again with a 2.5 turbo attached it most likely shits all over whatever you're currently in.

If you can't tell, I'm tired of people talking shit about my car. And no, I'm not a K-car fanatic. I'm a turbo fanatic. I also have a factory turbo Corvair, wanna fight about it? I'll put my '89 Spirit up against whatever you got, and while it may or may not not win you'll definitely be surprised...

Fair enough, around here the turbo variant was very rare, so much so that I'm not counting it as part of the normal K car experience. I did know one guy who had a turbo with a 5 speed, and yes, it was a lot better than a normal K car. That car was a real sleeper, and I won't argue that it's pretty cool.

It still had peeling paint, creaky doors, a misaligned instrument cluster, and the other k car defects.

And yes, your 89 spirit would blow the doors off my 86 toyota diesel pickup!

[Gregb]

We had a 1990 Dynasty which was an upscale K-car and it had a Mitsubishi V6 motor and it was an awesome car that got fantastic gas mileage. We bought it used and kept it a few years with very few problems. My one daughter bought an Aries with a 2.2 litre motor and we did have a lot of trouble with that one.

Gregb

[CoogarXR]

K-cars are easy to work on, and easy to get parts for. I just sold my 1985 Plymouth Voyager, which was technically a K-car. It had a 1985 Daytona turbo engine swapped in. It was a fun little ride.

I never had any real trouble with it. We also had a non-turbo 2.2 charger with the 5-speed. Never really had any trouble with it either.

I say, if you find one cheap enough, and it's been decently maintained, go for it.

I can say DON'T get a geo metro though. I had a 4-door one, and I had 4 people in it. I got hit broadside by a chick on a cell phone who ran a red light. All 4 of us ended up in the hospital. That car offered NO protection. Sure, they get phenomenal mileage, because they are a 3-cylinder-powered soda can.

[dishdude]

Rust will be the biggest concern. Rocker, floorboards, torsion bar. These cars are really vintage now!

[Username1]

I always look for a K-Car, I like to see the survivors show up on CL. And here in
Rustville, NY CL has about 10 a year that show up. Most are garaged, owned by
some "Little old lady" who recently passed away. They sell from anywhere from $600.
to about $2k. And they look Great! I wanna replace my old '86 Prelude this year, and
I might just get a K! I just had to re-weld my muffler as they don't make them anymore.
Rust is beginning to catch up with what I'm willing to do, and the wife wants a bigger
spare car, which is what we use it for mostly.


I agree with Mad Man, a lot of really great older cars are owned by people who buy
them in reasonable shape and then "run them into the ground" My wife's '91 Accord
has over 450K and runs great, I plan on keeping it forever, It was a very well designed
car, easy to keep up. But most around town look like wrecks because they are bought
now, by poor people who don't intend to do anything to them, but run them till
they explode.

I think a lot of people who bought the cheaper cars don't maintain them properly.
They don't have the money, or pay much attention to it. Add oil when the light
comes on, but don't think it's important to check it often if the light already
came on once.....

I got an 88 Dakota, and it has a computer, and digital radio, and like he said, you can
park it all winter and it'll start up in the summer without a jump. I always look up
my Dakota online to see what shows up on CL, or G to see what's new in the index.
Some stuff written about my D as being designed by an outside company, and with
the most use of galvanized steel because of the Chrysler 7/70 no rust through warranty.
Remember that? Well a lot of the old '88 D's I see for sale are really NOT as rusty as
some 10 year old C's D's and F's that were $50K New. There are a number of K cars
running around here and they are also not rusty, and I talk to the owners, they
love them.

I say more power to ya- Get a K-car ! I want one too......

.

[bgadow]

I see decent looking examples for sale all the time in the $800-1200 range; there is a later model Aries that I drive by all the time with a sign in the window. If I were in the market for a cheap commuter car it would be tempting.

I have some friends, in their 80's, who've used a Reliant wagon as their daily driver for about 25 years. Most I've known were owned by older folks & garage/carport kept. They were designed from the start to be a small car for people who were used to bigger cars: an engine that concentrated more on torque than hp, conservative styling, nothing flashy.

The other day I spotted a decent Daytona on the road. Now, there was a car that usually got beat to death! Like any used car, take the time to buy the nicest example your budget will allow. I'd try hard to find one that was fuel injected if at all possible. A manual, outside of Daytona's or maybe some of the convertibles, would be a tough find.

My last K-car story for right now: had this customer, a little blue-haired old lady, with a very early Reliant ('81 I think). I remember the radio looked just like the factory Mopar units but was labeled not "Chrysler" but "Motorola". (Maybe Moto built the factory units & offered a version for dealer installation?) Anyway, she brought it in because her back-up lights stopped working. I found a bad switch which, as far as I could tell, also served as the neutral safety switch. I explained how it was a good thing that one half of the unit had failed & not the other, because it could have left her stranded. Instead of making her feel blessed I guess it scared her because the next week I saw her driving in a newer car!

[DavGoodlin]

I ordered the 83 Reliant SW my folks bought. I was leery of the 2.6 Mitsubishi motor and opted for the 2.2 Chrysler 4-banger. Did not like the mileage penalty and idea of an automatic hooked to a 4 cylinder, so the 4-speed transaxle made it seem almost peppy as it pulled real good from a stop.
The heavy duty radiator, alternator and suspension were ordered though A/C was passed on, again due to doubts the 4-cylinder could handle it. It was traded on an 88 Voyager, so there are no memories of trouble as it may have had only 75K on it.

In my opinion, MoPar punted on most of their cars in the late-1970s and the K-cars renewed demand for this reason. The electrical systems were not as water-tight and the increasing pollution controlled and carbureted 225 slant-six was unreliable as a result. The 2.2 L4 was almost as driveable at that point.

[maxhifi]

Much as I didn't like them when they were plentiful, this one locally looks pretty nice, that wagon would be great for hauling TVs


Please view this ad:

1986 plymouth Reliant K ,
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[WISCOJIM]

Originally Posted by maxhifi

Please view this ad:

I wouldn't believe their 33 mpg estimate, these were only rated at 21/22 combined mpg.

The ad has also been viewed by more than 650 people. If that many looked at a listing specifically for a Reliant, and all of them decided against buying it, that should tell you something.

.