K cars

old yellow 78

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On another thread here "Replacement Faux Wood Trim" Replacement faux wood trim... I had made a case for the possibilities of the K platform and it's variants becoming collectible in the future. So, to avoid hijacking that thread, here is that post:

On Hemmings Daily there is an '85 Chrysler T&C for sale (see pics below). Although it looks like it's in really nice shape, it is pricey @ $11,000 OBO, with 42K miles. But, as I looked at it, I started to think that the K's (Aries and Reliant) as well as the L's (Omni and Horizon) may actually become collectible in the not too distant future. The reasons for this prediction are:
1. They are actually nice little cars. I had an '87 Aries LE sedan, and I liked it. It was comfortable, fairly quick, nice looking, economical, and inexpensive. No problems with it.
2. They are little. They don't take up much garage space. Easier to store.
3. They are economical. As gas likely fades away in the coming decades, it will undoubtedly become more expensive. I wouldn't want a Hemi in 20 years.
4. They are not difficult to work on. I suspect plenty of parts are still around, although they are seldom seen in junkyards. My Aries was one of the last of my newer cars that I could still work on.
5. They have a huge variety of styles (wagons, sedans, hatchbacks, coupes, convertibles, pickup, limo - even the original minivan if you want to include that).
6. They made them in actual colors other than white, black and silver. Lots of color combos and options available. They could be quite cushy and optioned out.
7. They are fairly cheap and you can still find them if you look.
8. I'm sure that some will roll their eyes at this idea, but ten or twenty years ago who would have thought that a F, M, or J would have any kind of a following. I actually wouldn't mind having one. I'll take an '88 Aries LE wagon with a 5 speed in yellow and no faux wood.

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I think they were pretty remarkable little cars, and I just found a YT video on them that is quite good and gives a great history on the K platform. They credit the K with saving Chrysler, which it did, without bashing the F's that came right before them. They correctly state that the F's were rushed into market way too early, just like the '57 Mopars were, only in the '70's "the buying public wasn't so forgiving" as they were in the '50's. Even though most of the problems of the F's were solved by '78, their image was damaged. Just like the Corvair which was trashed by Ralph Nader, the Volare and Aspen suffered from bad publicity and people that love to hate. I still much prefer an F (or M) to a K, but I do think the K's have a lot going for them.

 

Aspen500

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I see what you're saying and you may be right about them. Being a person that doesn't care for FWD cars, not for me though. Nothing against FWD, I just prefer RWD 2 door vehicles (which all 3 of mine are). If the K's hadn't come about, would Chrysler even be in business anymore (such as it is these days)? Most likely not.

Not paying attention to K's, are there many of them left? Being in this part of the country, I haven't seen an Aries/Reliant or any of the hundred variations, or Omni/Horizon for eons now. Probably at LEAST 20 years, maybe longer.

I remember working on them with the 2.2L and, I wasn't overly impressed with that engine, especially the carbureted versions. Oil leaks, head gaskets, valve train problems, oil burning, etc..........Anyways, that's was my experience. Briefly had an '81 (?) Omni 024 in the early '90's with the 1.7L VW engine and, well,,,,,,,,,,it was a fine example of German engineering, sarcasm intended.:D 70 hp coupled with a 3 speed auto, 0-60 was measured with an hour glass and could barely crack 20 mpg average, but I digress.

That said, for most any car make, model and years, there's people that want them, restore them, hot rod them, etc., even cars like Pacer's and the ultimate redneck car, the mid '80's IROC-Z Camaro and that's the way it should be!
 

droptop

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By the mid 90's the K car had become very refined. We still have a LeBaron GTS convertible that we drive in the summer months.
 

old yellow 78

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Well, it was just a thought. A quick look around EB and CL found very few of them for sale. Here is a nice one out in Toledo OH. 1983 Dodge Aries Wagon-36,000 Miles
It's an '83 2.2L with 36K miles for $1950. It looks nice but would be much nicer with the 5 speed on the floor instead of the automatic. This would be a good driver that would probably last for years. It would also be nice to just keep as a collector and take to shows. Probably would be the only one there. I like it.
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old yellow 78

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Not sure why I'm stuck on K cars tonight but, looking on YT, I found this Retro Review by MotorWeek. They review a new '85 Aries wagon and it's interesting. Not a bad car at all. I like this one in the yellow, but would take it without the woodgrain and with a five speed. I like the newer style better than the older more squared off style. It's got me thinking about my old '87 Aries LE sedan. That was actually a very nice car and never gave me any trouble.

 

Opticon77

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K/L and all the EEK cars are like Legos. Nearly everything is interchangeable. From 1978 1.7L Omnis to Turbo 8 valve Minivans to 16v Lotus-head 1993 Daytona R/Ts. From drag-built 3 speed autos to the bulletproof A555 and A568. Hell you can even swap SRT4 Neon/GT Cruiser parts in without too much trouble.

Meet... Pat Culkin's Dodge Scaries.

Meet the ScAries | Articles | Grassroots Motorsports

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Duke5A

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I just don't see the collectible thing happening with these cars, or very many cars from the 80's or even 90's. When I hear collectible my mind immediately thinks Muscle. It just wasn't the nameplates that are considered to be actual Muscle either, but a lot of models that were produced in that era. The 80's just doesn't have that allure to the era. You're never going to be able to open up a Year One catalog and order parts for your K or even an M.

Maybe we'll see it with this current era we're in since the horsepower wars are raging once again and there is immense interest in pony cars. Then again, by the time we look back at where we are now ICE might be all but dead. Who knows...
 

Oldiron440

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My wife had a couple of the late nineties k cars the first was a 88 Chrysler Lebaron Coupe she had it for 12 months and put 36k on it, from the start it used a quart of oil every 1500 miles or so but was a nice car next she got a 89 Spirit with a turbo 2.5 no issues with that one but she traded for a 90 Cougar in the spring of 90, that was a nice car. We also bought a 80 Volare wagon with 40k on it for her to drive for work.
 

Dr Lebaron

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2036 we won't be able to drive a car on the roads anymore.
Government will ban all non self driving cars.
Going have to take them to a track.
 

Dr Lebaron

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I got a news story from 2064 I sent back using a future wayback machine.
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A Toronto man has become the first Canadian in nearly 20 years to be charged with reckless driving, after a police drone spotted him manually controlling his own vehicle on Highway 401.

According to the GTA PD, 23-year-old James Lauda hacked the autopilot and drove for nearly seven kilometres, with his hands on the drive stick.

Police were alerted to Lauda after numerous witnesses reported seeing a vehicle travelling erratically on the highway Thursday evening. The aerial drone was dispatched and disabled the vehicle with an electromagnetic pulse.

“It was quite a shock,” said Nikki Sanders, who spotted Lauda near the GTA Hover Port. “He was speeding up and slowing down, and changing lanes at random. It’s a miracle no one was hurt.”

After being taken into custody, surveillance footage of Lauda’s reckless joyride was uploaded to the federal system’s traffic court division. A justice algorithm took nine milliseconds to find him guilty on two counts of vehicular tampering and one count of reckless driving. Const. Jim Ellesmere of the GTA PD checked with Central Control and said he’s certain Lauda is the first Canadian to be charged with driving since the federal government mandated all cars be automated in 2036.
 

Darth-Car

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I have a friend who is very involved with the expensive end of the antique classic car hobby, think mint 57 Porsche. So last summer the big bucks antique car owners decided to have an opinion pull at one of their meets. The question was, "What modern era car will be the collectable dream car in the next 50 years?" The unanimous answer was the PT Cruiser. It was the last car I purchased new for my beautiful bride, and she rolled up 120k before we parted with it. It was a fun little wonderful car.

I see a real attraction to the K platforms becoming sought after based on all of the above information. I think they were great fun little cars. Chrysler tried real hard to build them well enough to lure the old full size C, and F owners to give them a try, and it worked. They were comfortable, priced well, and people purchased them. Dealers would rarely deal on them. They acted like they had gold on the lot. At the time you could get a better deal on a Dodge truck then you could on a K car. :)
 

Aspen500

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Let's all not forget, at one time muscle cars (with a very few exceptions) were just used cars, not collectors items. Roadrunner, GTX, 'Cuda, Charger, etc. and all the brand X versions went for a few hundred dollars. Paid $700 for my first car in 1981, a '70 Barracuda Gran Coupe as an example. I could have bought a complete, "numbers matching", original unmolested A12 Superbee with not too much rust for $2,500 back around 1985. Problem was, at that time $2,500 may as well have been $250,000. I know a guy who did have the money, and bought a '70 Hemi 'Cuda for the unheard of sum of $4,500. Basically only needed new lower 1/4's, small patches on the front fenders and a drivers front floor pan. Ran like a champ, everything worked, drove and stopped good. My point is, what's collectible and what isn't changes over time. I mean, how many collect Model T's or '49 DeSoto's (or whatever) now compared to 40 years ago?
 

old yellow 78

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When I hear collectible my mind immediately thinks Muscle.
To me, that is only one part of a broad field of "collectable" cars. I like muscle and at one time many years ago, I had a beautiful '70 Challenger RT. But I like lots of other different types of cars too. Not so interested in going fast anymore. :cool:
We still have a LeBaron GTS convertible that we drive in the summer months.
I had a '98 Chrysler Sebring JX convertible for a couple years a few years back. I had never had a convertible before so I bought it from a person I knew who bought it new. It was ok, but I fell out of love with it before too long. Discovered I don't really like convertibles. :( I'm more of a station wagon guy. ;)

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Opticon77

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AJ/FormS

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I was kidding,lol.
but now you pressed my button, lol.
Ima thinking; mid-engine woody wagon , don't want no buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzbomb, must be V8-RWD or nothing. Make mine a manual. Shoot, an SBM is only a couple of pounds heavier than my wife........'s mother.
Ima thinking my aluminum headed SBM is about same as the FWD set-up. My trans is down to 85#, so that's practically weightless. So all I need is to back-half it, and I'm all set. Well except for steering; I might have a bit of annoyance with fitting that.
Lessee 2400/367= 6.5pounds per cube; hyup I can make that boogy. And, probably easier to find a decent K-wagon than an early-A wagon. And they're better looking than a lotta other wagons; F's excepted
Oh wait, wasn't there a Chrysler F-wagon at one time? Did those come with leather?,lol .
 
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Oldiron440

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Chrysler at one time sold a kit to mount a sbm in a K car, I'm thinking it was for a 90 Labaron coupe, you still had to back half the car but they had the mounts pan and rack for ya.
 

Oldiron440

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When I had the 88 Labaron Coupe I liked the car and thought it would be a great race car. My buddy that raced a 64 300k and I talked at length about building the car. But the car was still only a year old at the time.
I have a friend who put a viper v10 in one, you can see half of it with the hood open.
 
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