1983 Plymouth Reliant

$900.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/4834505313.html

 

More from the ad:

"1983 Plymouth Reliant Wagon odometer: 108000 paint color : brown size : mid-size type : wagon drive : fwd fuel : gas transmission : automatic title status : clean cylinders : 4 cylinders

condition: good

Here we have an extremely rare, one owner, 1983 Plymouth Reliant Classic K-Car Wagon. It has the original Chrysler 2.2 engine with only 108,000 miles on it. Perfect for cruising to the beach, car shows, and even hauling a family. It has some exterior wear, but the interior is in great shape, and just needs a cleaning. This is a 31 year old classic that needs a real owner that will appreciate the car for what it is, a real wagon and classic cruiser. It does have some needs, but any old car worth preserving and restoring does, but nothing major. It needs a fuel line fixed, as fuel does drips under the hood near
the radiator. It also needs a transmission rebuild for $950. It needs a freeze plug replaced, as it lost coolant. It may have overheated a little, not sure, but don't let that scare you. The Chrysler K-Car Club knows how to keep this car on the road for cheap. The car is a midsize that can hold five people, and all the luggage and groceries you can spare. Unlimited visibility and great gas mileage. The gas gauge does not work. The biggest plus, the engine runs smooth, passed smog, and no knocking. Do not let the video scare you, yes we had to jumpstart it do to sitting from the funky transmission. Buy this car.
Contact me and I will connect you to the owner.

And remember, if you buy this car, join the Chrysler K-Car Club at www.chryslerkcar.com. We know the secrets to prevent these cars from overheating. Overheating was a problem back in the 1980s. They are cheap fixes, like drill the thermostat Mr. Mechanic.

MORE PICS:
https://plus.google.com/b/112764241...764241910148395431/albums/6083334939069840689

VIDEOS:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1514646018816328&set=o.498776016858970&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1514647322149531&set=o.498776016858970&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1514647445482852&set=o.498776016858970&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1514648345482762&set=o.498776016858970&type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1514648805482716&set=o.498776016858970&type=3&theater

DISCLAIMER: The Chrysler K-Car Club is assisting the seller but takes zero responsibility and liability for the advertised condition of the car or the transaction itself. If you buy this car, join the club that will help you keep it running at www.chryslerkcar.com."

For some reason this seller sure took every picture as a close-up. We don't have one photo in the whole ad that's a distance away and there are no photos of the exterior on the driver's side.



















Interior photos; I removed some as they felt redundant to me:

 

It has a fuel leak under the hood, nah lets not fix it.

 

You gotta give the guy credit for photos, although there are none of the engine and none of the front end of the car. It's priced about right. The Old Cars Price guide lists the value of one of these in showroom condition at only $2,800. In the condition this one is in, just under $1,000 is about right.

As nice as it might be, the "K-cars" were known as vehicles for the everyman and are what saved Chrysler after the first government bailout in 1979. They are, however, in my opinion, among the dullest vehicles ever produced. There is just nothing going for them. Dull to look at, dull to drive, dull to own.

 

I guess that's why my Dad had one...

 

I drove one of the first GM X-cars, in 1980, a '80 Pontiac Phoenix. In 1986, when I switched employers, I was given a '86 Dodge Aries to drive.

The Pontiac was equipped with the V6, PS, PB, and a 'heavy duty' suspension that I specified. The Aries had the 2.5 4-cylinder, PS, PB, and the deluxe interior. (I didn't get to order this one)

Out of the box, the Aries seemed like the suspension was about 3 notches too soft, and was not comfortable to drive at all. Taken side-by-side in 1986, I would have driven the now 6-yr old Phoenix over the new Aries.

 

They were a cheap disposable car and when they were used up they were disposed of. Millions were sold but now you rarely see them.

 

The Non adjustable front end parts always scared me, I took a tourof the K-car assembly plant in 1981 and the onlything I really remember about that tour was the way they adjusted the fron end alignment, can't remember if it was caster or camber that was fixed, but I I remember the front end testing station if everything was in spec, the car moved on, if it was out of spec 4 hydrolic hooks came out of the floor and "adjusted" the frame of the car, max of 2 times, if it still wasn't in spec the car went the fleet sales (rent a car sales) if ok it went to the dealers.
And even though this one has low miles, at about 80,000 miles all the accessories started wearing out, and the cars were usually scrapped by 110,000 miles.
I agree boring cars, but they were cheap to purchase, and for the 1st 80-90,000 miles they were usually trouble free, good on gas for the era. But I always hated driving them. Even the sportier Lancer's and Lebaron Turbo's werenot great driving cars. But I did have a co worker who inherited a 88 Reliant and it served him well for a work car for over 250,000 miles and most issues he had with it were the resault of him driving it into things! It was finally scrapped when the rear suspension mounts rusted out.
So they can be good cars, just not for me.

 

Ditto the "boring" comments. Used to have to drive one of these at the research facility I worked at many years ago and the stupid thing always used to get hot in the west Texas sun and heat at traffic lights. Don't even get me started on the overheating it did when stopped waiting for a tar truck to finish its run.

As said, the biggest issue with cars like these is they were cheap and designed to be junked at the first sign of major issues and since it wasn't too expensive to buy it didn't hurt too much to junk it. These cars were the high school commuter car for many people I knew then and lived hard lives.

 

Yup, EPIC photo.......



Maybe this photo will make "Station Wagon Of The Day", some day

 

I do, they help too. I was just pointing out how close they all were.

 

I got stuck with a Dodge Aries rental car in 1988. My insurance company forced me to go to a certain rental company while my car was in the body shop after I got hit by a drunk driver late one night in my 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix LE. When I got to the rental company, they asked what kind of car I had and I told them. They said they didn't have anything like that ( no kidding). My choice was the Aries or a Pontiac T1000 (Chevette clone). I'm still not sure I made the right choice. The Aries went from point A to B and that was about it.

 

My first car I bought was a 1989 Dodge Aries K sedan, purchased in July 1996 (if I remember rightly, it was on July 17 that year, the day of the TWA flight 800 tragedy).

It was very well cared for by its previous owner, an elderly lady. It was in near showroom condition.

It served me well for the next three years I had it, through two accidents. The third accident, in November 1999, a collision with a deer one night near Fort Wayne, IN, totaled it.