K-cars

[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.