So, K cars?

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Ken_B

Ken_B

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So I know they may not be a popular car here, but they are still a mopar. Im not looking to start a thread bashing them, just curious who here has had one? Any stories or memories to share?

A friend of mine had an ex navy fleet car in highschool, we spent a lot of time riding around in that car, and a bit of time working on it too :D. It clattered and knocked like a diesel all day long but never let him down for many miles.

I have been in the market for a cheap beater commuter lately and ended up picking up an '88 Reliant 4dr, its an 89k mile car, needs a little tlc but not a bad little car. I had forgotten how comfortable these things are for a small car, and really pretty dam easy to work on.
 
Cheap pieces of crap. But it did get Chrysler out of a hole. I did own a 87 New Yorker. I will say it was very comfortable and never broke down on me. But that 2.2 had bad piston slap. Everyone asked me if my car was a diesel. LOL!
 
had 2 of them, onw was a company car, a reliant k wagon, J U N K !!! If you put one drop of gas more into it after the first auto click off of the pump, it would run like **** for the first 20 seconds after every startup for 2 days....dealer said it was an overflow problem in the canaster.

Second one was one my Uncle gave my daughter...car was 15 years old, only had 28000 miles on it, looked like it had 275000 on it....served the purpose, but was a money pit....

FF
 
Call them what you will, but Chrysler would be a thing of the past were it not for the K platform.
 
Saw a k-car wagon at the car wash today, it had the fake wood on the outside , and was MINTY as heck. The guy was picking it up from a professional detailing. This one was sure well cared for. Funny the guy sure seemed proud of it.
 
When my Dad died, and Mom bought a new car, I bought their 86 Dodge "600." This was a well appointed car, with cloth seats, AC, cruise. I forget, 2.2? 2.5? No turbo. It was a "little twitchy" to drive especially in the slick, partially because the narrow track didn't fit well in deep snow with those that went before. Frankly I rather drive a /6 A body, even with lesser suspension, than a K car. I just don't like the way they handle.

It was actually pretty reliable, until one day in the rain, I blew a heater hose, and because of the rain, did not notice immediately. It cooked the head at the very least. I put a junkyard engine into it and drove it some more, sold it to the neighbor, who had it awhile and then sold it to ANOTHER neighbor's girlfriend, who drove it some MORE

You also have to "figgure" that other car makers had similar stuff. In 76, or 78 or so, Mom and Dad bought a new Buick whatever it was called Skylark? platform with the then new V6. Worst car Dad ever owned, had less power than was believable (you didn't EVER pass anyone) and didn't get very good mileage for a small engine, either. The AC sprung a leak over a winter, just right to show up after the warranty was void.

Frankly, in my opinion, none of the "basic" domestic front wheel drive, small platform cars of that era where much for anyone to brag about

Forgot to mention, when Dad was still alive, his ate a computer---was mounted in the air filter intake dealie thingie piping gizmo diddle
 
A friend's Aries, was dependable and comfortable, but flimsy, an accident finished it.
 
Daily drive an 88 New Yorker. Was given to me for free from family of neighbour who died....

It's really kind of a piece of crap; but a piece of crap that's started every time and has gotten me around for a year now. Would much rather be driving my 74 Dart but she guzzles gas.

As mentioned extremely comfy can't *****; it's a free car for gods sakes....

Little short on legroom but I'm 6-9.


Matt
 
My stepfather had an 86 New Yorker...TBI 2.5, automatic, digital dash, all the tacked-on crap. Athsmatic engine, nautical handling, jiggly ride, weak gas mileage. It was your basic crapbox that did nothing especially well. An M-body 5th Avenue did everything better (including gas mileage).
 
Jason Cunningham said:
Saw a k-car wagon at the car wash today, it had the fake wood on the outside , and was MINTY as heck.
Click to expand...

My Dad drove a Town and Country wagon with the fake wood for 250k miles before trading it off on another one. It was all mostly highway miles and he did you through a couple of CV joints, but it was a pretty reliable car for him.

Here's an interesting article written by member VOETOM about the turbo cars.

Tom's Turbo Article on Allpar.com
 
I had an '88 Aries that I put about 250,000 KMs on. That thing was incredibly reliable, and comfortable. Hell, I took it off jumps, through mud pits, drove it to work every morning for 2 years and it started up every single day and got me where I needed to go. I was a kid, I don't think I changed the oil more than a couple times..

I'd get another if I could find one!
 
I had the Dodge version at work. No frills, except a/c. It was pretty reliable. I bought a nicely optioned Plymouth "un-reliant". That SOB was in the shop more than we drove it, never ran right. Damn near got us killed one night when it just quit while driving down the interstate. Swapped it in for a new Buick. I shall forever remember that unreliant as being the worst car I have ever owned. Only kept it about a year, year and a half...

It was, though, very comfortable, and I liked the looks of it. In later years I toyed with the idea of getting one and slipping in a more modern fi engine.
C
 
Yea, but they have some catchy songs
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvz0J0WBZPE"]Relient K, Be my Escape - YouTube[/ame]
 
Cheap,simple and very easy to work on.
I have been playing with 92/93 daytona's(very similar)for a few years and if you can find a decent body and your willing to work on it?you'll have a great little gas sipper that can drive in the snow.
I am in the market right now for a nice late 80'searly 90's Lebaron vert to give my wife this spring (20th wedding anniversary)
Doug
 
THESE were Chryslers lifle line PERIOD !!!!!!!! should of changed C hrysler to K rysler.... i made SO MUCH money of these cars back in the 80's ....
Shocks,struts,ignition systems, leaking head gaskets,carbs,strut bearings,alingments etc..... chaghing ... my dad had one ... besides ongoing cold start issues with the 2 barrel holley ... this car ran to no end ...
 
Glad they existed to save the company, but I had an Aries and a New Yorker, and I think one other one, and they were all basically junk. My perception might be a little different if I had a "new" one today, since I was driving B-Body Chargers and the like at the time and was a bit of a "car snob" (hard to think since the Charger was like a $400 car at the time).
 
The two K's we had were a 80 Aries and a 82 Reliant wagon both low buck no option cars, very good daily drivers. In 84 went to the minivan.Bought alot of cars in the 80's.87 Shelby Lancer, 90 Shelby Daytona,All from the K platform. Enjoyed them all.
 
moparclown said:
Cheap,simple and very easy to work on.
I have been playing with 92/93 daytona's(very similar)for a few years and if you can find a decent body and your willing to work on it?you'll have a great little gas sipper that can drive in the snow.
I am in the market right now for a nice late 80'searly 90's Lebaron vert to give my wife this spring (20th wedding anniversary)
Doug
Click to expand...

I agree Doug,

Plus the performance versions like the turbo ll and turbo lll and shelby models could give a V8 a run for their money if built and tuned right. I still have 3 of these cars. All turbo models. 1987 lebaron turbo coupe turbo l automatic, 87 daytona shelby turbo ll 5 speed parts car, and a 1988 daytona shelby z turbo ll t top 5 speed, in middle of a restoration i kinda lost interest, but still am still collecting up NOS, and used parts for it.

Turbo ll shelbys came with roller cams after 1987, but all of them had forged steel cranks, and full floating forged steel connecting rods, that all but eliminated the piston slap so common to these cars when the mileage gets up there.

Easy to work on, parts are dirt cheap. How about a brand new water pump for $14. FWD wheel bearings for about $15.,each at your local bearing supply, if you want to take the time to press em into your original hubs.

Beware tho the turbo ll radiators for intercooled cars are made of unobtanium. I have 4 good ones i got when these cars littered the junkyards so i am set.

The turbo intercooled 5 speed ones are the granddaddys of the sport compact craze. It did not start in japan, they just perfected it.

Matt
 
love the k car
had a wagon 2.2
had a 4door 2.2
mite want 1 again some day
 

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moparmat2000 said:
I agree Doug,

Plus the performance versions like the turbo ll and turbo lll and shelby models could give a V8 a run for their money if built and tuned right. I still have 3 of these cars. All turbo models. 1987 lebaron turbo coupe turbo l automatic, 87 daytona shelby turbo ll 5 speed parts car, and a 1988 daytona shelby z turbo ll t top 5 speed, in middle of a restoration i kinda lost interest, but still am still collecting up NOS, and used parts for it.

Turbo ll shelbys came with roller cams after 1987, but all of them had forged steel cranks, and full floating forged steel connecting rods, that all but eliminated the piston slap so common to these cars when the mileage gets up there.

Easy to work on, parts are dirt cheap. How about a brand new water pump for $14. FWD wheel bearings for about $15.,each at your local bearing supply, if you want to take the time to press em into your original hubs.

Beware tho the turbo ll radiators for intercooled cars are made of unobtanium. I have 4 good ones i got when these cars littered the junkyards so i am set.

The turbo intercooled 5 speed ones are the granddaddys of the sport compact craze. It did not start in japan, they just perfected it.

Matt
Click to expand...

That last statement is awsome
I bought the 93 R/T with some money that was left to me and I didn't want to see it evaporate into just pay the bill money.I bought it as an investment as its a documented 1 of 17 white cars in 93.
I made the mistake of actually driving it on a couple of road trips and fell right in love with it.

To the OP
If you can get your hands on a low mileage/rot free K-car to use as a daily driver I say go for it as gas ain't gettin no cheaper.
Doug
 
My wife had several. She now has a Omni. and my son drives an Omni when its nice out. There are others here also.
 

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