A Ride in a 1982 Dodge Aries

[@reglook1]

My mother drove one of the to teach Sunday school for twenty years. It only had 30 thousand miles on it when she went to the nursing home. It drove like a top!

[@technogeek1219]

Wow, for being a 35 year old car, it sounds great, the interior looks fantastic, it drives like a dream, the paint is in really decent shape. You own a piece of Dodge history.

[@handzus19]

On the rare occasion that I do see 80s/90s vehicles still on the road, it is really endearing and reminds one of great times.

[@STO_1601]

R.I.P. Lee Iacocca! Thanks for saving Chrysler with this model! You were the best!

[@johrons]

My mom had one it was gold I didn't even know why I liked this car

[@mollari2261]

And subsequent begging for bailouts in the 1990s and 2010. How'd that work for Chrysler Corp.? Oh right, they don't exist any more.

[@cosminogloocosy1154]

Not just a very beautiful classic car, it's a jewel on wheels, respect sir.

[@robertswedo1027]

I got goosebumps when you got onto the freeway and stepped on the gas. I drove a number of Chrysler products with that exact engine back in the day and I recognized the sound immediately. Thanks for the flashback.

[@psychedout1028]

What a really nice find! This little Aries is a rolling piece of history that reflects ingenuity and creativity from an automaker during very difficult times. Chrysler pulled itself out of trouble with this K platform which was used for a very wide assortment of vehicles for years! It was an attractive, simple, reliable, durable vehicle that served many people very well. It's amazing to think of how old it is now. I remember when they first came out in the dealerships! You are fortunate to have this Aries - take good care of it!

[@BigBrownPimpsta]

Hearing the start up and seeing interior bringing back memories of the first car I remember my dad driving me in.

[@MAGNUM05]

Very nice car. You don't see too many Early 80s Dodge Aries/Plymouth Reliants on the roads much anymore. This is definitely a rare car.

[@chrismc410]

I've owned an 88 Dodge Omni, 86 Dodge Daytona, 91 Plymouth Sundance and 94 Dodge Shadown. They all had that 2.2 engine. I loved them all. I've only had two throw rods and they both limped me home. Replacing the engines in a K-variant is easy and decent replacements from the junkyard are plentiful and inexpensive and not expensive to have professionally replaced. I'd recommend a K-variant car to anyone. If taken care of properly, they're built simple. Very little that can go wrong. I've never drove or owned a true K car like an Aries or a Reliant but as stated, I've owned many of the variants it spawned. I'm looking at a 87 Reliant, four door, floor shifter, 89k miles AC and heat work perfectly. Paint leaves something to be desired, as do the tires They want $1100 i think can negotiate that down.

[@Channel-cm7yc]

Very good example of how they road and drove at the time. They got more refinement and were quite a comfortable by the end of their production run in 89. That's where the more modern appointed Spirit and Acclaim took over as the modern K car of the early and mid 90's. Drove the heck out of then not having issues or the stigma that followed them.

[@pastormatthew4362]

In 1985, you sure didn't see ANY 1950 (then, 35 years old) model year cars on the road, but you still see an occasional K-car today. They were not "throw-away cars" as people called them. If gas had remained expensive in the mid- and late-80s, Chrysler would have sold even more of them. In their various brands (Plymouth, Dodge, and Chrysler), and amid cheap gas in the remainder of the '80s, they were still selling a quarter of a million of them every year! Thanks for posting.

[@Lesrevesdhiver]

in 1992 during high school I bought a white 1981 Aries with the 2.6 engine. I owned it for seven years. It developed it's fair share of problems but it got me around and made a few 1100 mile trips without problems. Of all the cars I have owned, I miss it the most. So many good times, memories, and my first lessons in car repair.

[@johnmaki3046]

The second year of the "K-car"! I hope this was MUCH better than the first! I started with a VERY GOOD (beaten, but CHEAP) '83 Reliant wagon! From this, I went to an '81 Aries (HORRIBLE front-end/driveline), to an '83 LeBaron (a Reliant with trim), an '84 Reliant wagon (okay), an '86 Aries 4-door (okay), a '91 Dodge Spirit (SLOW, but DEPENDABLE), and a '91 Acclaim (with V-6, this MOVED!) that I ENJOYED! These cars were "mixed-bags", but PRETTY GREAT, overall!

[@Snake-ms7sj]

I had a 1984 Dodge Aries wagon. Very simple car, easy to work on. The fuel filter, oil filter, and distributor are right at the front of the engine. The timing belt can be changed easily with a couple tools. The K cars were probably one of the easiest cars for a backyard mechanic to work on. I later had a 1986 Dodge Omni GLH (non-turbo) which bumped the power of the 2.2L up to 110hp up from the initial 2.2L's which had 84hp. My GLH still had a 2bbl Holley carb, no fuel injection. Only transmission you could get on the GLH's was a 5 speed manual.

[@johnmaki3046]

The "K cars" were OWNER FRIENDLY!

[@Sarasdad91]

I bought a 1981 Aries K in xlnt condition in 2001 for 80 dollars.. Friend at work inherited it and hated it. I loved it. Went through front break pads like crazy but had a great 2.2 engine that was bullet proof

[@Snake-ms7sj]

I'm guessing the rear brake adjusters weren't working properly so the rear brakes weren't providing as much stopping power as they should have, making the front pads do more work.

[@Channel-cm7yc]

Snake1989 other actually had issues at the time with the brakes on early models. But that was cleared up very quickly.

[@nickhadoulis3659]

I love it ! I have a 1986 LeBaron convertible that I bought 5 months ago. Keep the K car alive.

[@johnmaki3046]

The convertibles were COOL! I never owned one, just "steel topped" variations! These were VERY "okay"!

[@nickhadoulis3659]

@johnmaki3046 Yes I love my convertible and everywhere I go people comment about it.

[@johnmaki3046]

These were VERY GOOD cars! MUCH better than they were given credit for being! I LIKED the styling!@@nickhadoulis3659

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

Nice car. Brings back memories. Had new in '81 and also 1987. Both was good cars. Thank you

[@MyerShift7]

Love the sound of the 2.2 in all its iterations from 2bbl to Turbo III!

[@johnmaki3046]

okay. NOTHING compared to the OLD MoPar "flathead "6" and the '60s V8s! It was "a sound", though.

[@johnprice8201]

I had one of those. I also had an 87. Two of my favorite cars I have owned.

[@robertwhite9898]

That’s a very clean looking car for its age ! Definitely a keeper 😊 that’s the car that saved Chrysler.

[@chryslerelectronicleanburn1676]

Love that buzzer! 2:15-2:24! Remind me of my uncles and my grandparents Plymouth Reliant I love that it came with a factory 8-track

[@BriyPatterson]

As a long time K car guy, as drivers, you know your stuff pretty good. To start you press's the pedal all the way gently, hold for a few seconds then start without pressing gas, as long as you don't give it swift and release on the gas after a few seconds you can gently drive it to warm it up, btw first 2.2 engine has 84hp, Mitsubishi 2.6 has 96, up to 101until replacement by lengthened stroke 2.2, 100 hp later 2.2s had 96,97, then 93 hp

[@PatrickMersinger]

My 83 didn’t the vent windows. Had an AM radio that a friend installed a FM converter to. I liked the car, but my friends didn’t. Wouldn’t win any races but it got to work a lot. My car would occasionally stall too. It turned out to be a thing beside the carb. You disconnect the wires and unbolt the two bolts , and pull it out. It has something to do with the fuel/idle. I rarely used my A/C. It stole too much power lol. Watch out for the timing belt, it went out at 62000. Thanks for this . Great memories. Ride on, …but stay in the slow lane. P.S. I remember now. Check out the electric feedback control system. That and the electronic spark timing control. Those two and the electric choke pretty much control the combustion system. Good luck.

[@danielminikus3183]

Very cool car sir. Thanks for presenting this great piece of history

[@Crx018]

my dad had own 2 of these K-cars, he had a 88 Reliant and Aries, back in the early 90s, , they were cheap and easy to work on ,and were pretty tough against our Canadian winters, your's runs great, you should invest on a full paint job

[@dustyroads834]

My wife had one of these cars in 1989. it wasn't bad. I was amazed because it was our first front wheel drive and seemed it would go anywhere in the snow. One day the alternator light came on at idle. So I went to the auto parts store to buy a voltage regulator. To my dismay I was told the regulator was built into the computer and that was big bucks. Soo I turned up the idle speed and sold it to some lucky guy. Never owned a Chrysler product since. Lol.

[@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL]

That's very odd, since both Summit Racing and Advance Auto Parts carry voltage regulators for both the 2.2 liter, and the 2.5 liter.

[@johne6081]

We really liked our 1988 Aries wagon, which had a wide enough liftgate to accommodate a 4x8 sheet of plywood, something one can't do with most wagons.

[@robertmcdonald5592]

The engine sounds great!

[@scottross617]

I agree! I remember these engines after about 60k sounding like marbles were in the crankcase......

[@Channel-cm7yc]

scott Ross nah the uncared for cars that problem was a given with the early valve train. Took one of these engines well over 150k as a youngster and with regular oil changes you had nothing to worry about it was as solid and reliable as you’d want if things were looked after even with the carbureted models. These really weren’t trashy engines like most think they were. They had the same engineer that designed the slant 6 engine. Though not as robust as a slant 6 the slant trans 4 which was 2.2 was technically known as was pretty damn tough. Of course fuel injection later on just wiped out any drivability issues. Cost cutting cheapened this engine and wasn’t originally improved on what it actually was designed to be in these cars. It was supposed to be a 2.0L originally, but more power was wanted for the K car and also these engines were supposed to have timing chain and not belt and ultimately the belt it wound up having and other goodies like a better lifter setup which eventually got put into play later on. All that got ax’ed by the powers that be to keep costs down.

[@sneakerfreak2002]

Sweet car. I just bought an 89 dodge Aries !

[@rvborgh]

you must get lots of looks in this thing :) people probably remembering their teen and childhood years :)

[@1977jed]

Great car! I have an 1981 Reliant two door, as well as a 1984 Dodge 600 ES Turbo Vert....

[@adamtrombino106]

1 of my best friends had an 83 SE coupe. Silver on red. She got rear ended and to this day, she swears that the car saved her life. I mean that car was totalled beyond recognition. And she walked away. Tuff little cars, simple to drive, simple to work on.

[@MyerShift7]

The 2.2 and 2.5 are relatively torquey down low, so even though they are slow, they are still satisfying (at least to me) but make a modern Corolla feel like a sports sedan!

[@Tammy-v6e]

She is in great shape for an 82 😮 a gem 😮

[@redpilled3569]

I had a 1982 k car in high school it was a 4 speed. It was a beast

[@Trance88]

I had an 82 Aries Wagon for all of 3 months. It had around 110k miles on it and Transmission started having issues within a week of owning it. It had the same fast idle characteristics as yours! I would push the gas pedal and it would slow the idle down. I really wish I could've kept it but it was becoming a huge money pit.

[@PinoyCanadian017]

Hi Trance88, i just want to ask my '86 Reliant also has a high or fast idle.. literally did you just pushed down your gas pedal for a second and the idling will be back to normal? I missed how Low End Mopar did it in this video, but did he just simply stepped on the gas? He is saying something about the "choke" while he's doing that so i dont know if he pressed something on the dash before he stepped on the gas to normalize the idling. Any response will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

[@PNWJMc]

Like the inlay on the steering wheel. Nice little touch on a very basic car. I had an 81 years ago. They have their own charms.

[@mattmaverick703]

Heck ya bet you got head and laid in yours they were quite roomy

[@MyerShift7]

Runs fantastically!

[@meanyist]

they were actually quite powerful I loved the styling

[@johnmaki3046]

Well, they were NOT awful.

[@christopherlaflam6383]

loved my 83 Dodge 600. perfect size

[@scrambler69-xk3kv]

Mine blew a head gasket which cracked the head. I also had to replace the distributer. My three slant six powered Chrysler products were so much more reliable.1970 Dodge Dart Swinger, 1977 Plymouth Volare', and a 1980 Dodge Diplomat. All were just such good cars, never had a problem with any of them. We also had a 1987 Chrysler Lebaron, but my wife hit a deer with it and it was totaled so I do not know how good of a car it would have been.

[@craiggowsell8798]

These cars were actually pretty decent for what they were at the time. They were simple, relatively reliable and comfortable, good on fuel, and they were actually not all that bad for performance. No it wasn’t fast or powerful by any stretch however they got out of their way pretty good. Much better than say a diesel Topaz or Chevette of this time. Biggest thing that killed these cars were corrosion (typical as lots of other vehicles met their fate this way as well). This car and the minivan saved Chrysler.

[@johnssonsmixed8303]

I'm baffeld how similar the K series are to my '81 Buick Century

[@domlimited1264]

it would be fun to take a test drive in one of thoses cars

[@Mark-eu4ds]

You know? I always liked the dashboard on these. 2.2 really wasn't a bad engine, just those lousy head gaskets. When they came out with the 2.5 in 1986, they had rod knock issues. I like your car, though. Never thought I'd love a K car, I guess I now do.

[@Snake-ms7sj]

I had 2 Chryslers with the 2.2L and never had a head gasket issue.

[@MyerShift7]

I've read that the 2.5 will piston slap too

[@HarborLockRoad]

Id heard about the head gasket issues, supposedly every 65k miles theyd go, regular as clockwork. Thats one of the reasons they became known as a disposeable cheap car. Ive heard the engine is a direct license built copy of the vw rabbit engine, which was also known for head gasket issues. Anybody know if thats true?

[@67marlins]

Neat! Thanks for posting, and I wish you luck and many happy travels! Ask Santa Claus to give your little car a paint job!

[@johnclyne6350]

Nice car! A little oil in all the hinges & a nice compound with wax would do it nicely.

[@therondavis82]

Will it run good on Premium and mid grade gas

[@therondavis82]

I wish I have 1981 or 1982 dodge

[@eighteenin78]

And here we are in 2024 with more and more people who would love to own anything that got them from A to B even if it was slow and "unsexy".

[@jorgehuerta9593]

These cars are gorgeous I'm not gonna lie....

[@erichkohl9317]

We had a light blue Reliant when I was a kid. Ah the ‘80s.

[@Analog_smog]

Such a beautiful car. I love the look of the early K cars!

[@johnhenke6475]

I have an 89 and it's rough. Who ever had the car before me ran the hell out of it and ran the engine out of oil. I bought it for $150.00 and overhauled it in my driveway. 19 years and 170,000 miles later it still runs and drives great. ( 116,000 miles when I bought it ) But I'm looking for a parts car. I need a lot of interior parts.

[@thefinalroman]

Had a 82 Reliant and over 50 K based cars. My 82 had a red interior and 4 roll down windows..

[@hadleymanmusic]

My first dodge was a 84 fury. I learned dodge from that car.

[@valiant1968]

I had no idea that the rear windows didn't roll down in these! :O

[@aubreyjohnson2882]

Fill it with premium and add injector or octaine booster, it will run like a champ.

[@PinoyCanadian017]

Hi Aubrey.. i just want to ask if your 2.5L engine has no fast or high idling issue? I missed what Low End Mopar did on his Aries on this video to remove his fast idling. He was saying about the choke but what i just saw was him stepping on the gas. Thank you so much!

[@DigitalDissident]

Please explain where & how you obtain this sort of classic rare vehicle. I saw one much nicer the other day, I knocked on the owners door, they said they recently bought it for a few thousand with only 21 hundred miles on it!!

[@LAEXMA]

A neighbor of mine had it. She sold it to me for cheap because she wasn’t driving anymore.

[@steveshattah]

My dad had one of those. Wow that thing was slow. It lasted a long time but wouldn't have if we had ever punched it even a little bit.

[@aubreyjohnson2882]

I had a 2.5 in my 86 dodge 600 es conv.

[@juanpabloarena2724]

Iconic car.

[@thomasgee6820]

Where do u buy these cars? They are awesome 💖❣💕

[@trr5291]

My step-dad had a K car. His was a Plymouth Reliant.

[@nityking1]

Should have gone with the 89 Regal , love the look of the aries though, they can make good sleepers

[@charlespalavros5908]

Drove them as beaters even had 1 with a stick

[@fuffoon]

I had the Aries wagon. Metallic brown, 5 speed manual. I eventually beat it to death.

[@postaltraining]

handsomest year for K car

[@wx4newengland]

Dodge needs another honest car. They won't make one, FCA is all about low volume high margins

[@josephjames259]

wx4newengland I looked at the new Challengers. I decided to keep my 68 Plymouth. FCA can go to hell.

[@AiOinc1]

How does this thing cruise at 70 with the 3 speed auto? 7:05 Don't worry, you think that traffic is bad, I actively pass people in my Yugo which mind you does not currently have the use of it's full throttle

[@LAEXMA]

They’re happiest between 55 - 65. They’re ok at 70, but anything above that for any length of time they aren’t too happy about.

[@jakeballard7999]

The Epitome of an Econobox

[@raymondhardwick6151]

This one runs 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@maxmowers1434]

how does the factory am/fm/8 track stereo perform? I have that exact stereo in my 1982 Dodge Ram D150 daily driver, i play 8 tracks in it every day and it works awesome

[@lovebumperknows]

i love this 1

[@Tammy-v6e]

I had 3 k cars 2 sadans and a wagon 2 88 and a 86 the wagon had turbo she was fast.😮

[@bilalahmed2123]

Please tell me, these had air conditioning as standard. I’d feel suffocated and claustrophobic with the rear window not able to open, only that little flap for fresh air.

[@LAEXMA]

A/C wasn’t standard equipment on them, no.

[@bilalahmed2123]

@ my goodness, at least this example came with it. Bet many on the road at them. How much did you get for this at the end ? My had the exact same colour like this back in the early 90’s, it was Plymouth Reliant though. It must have been a 82 model with 150,000km. My dad paid like $1000 for it and drove back and forth from the train station everyday for about a year, until it got involved in a small front end accident, the front left headlight and the hood misaligned. Still managed to get $300 for it. My dad still managed to put 20,000km on it.

[@sheamileto6473]

Low End Mopar I saw a Caravan in your used car video, what year is/was that Caravan?

[@therondavis82]

What type of gas does it use

[@LAEXMA]

Regular Unleaded, preferably ethanol free.

[@nityking1]

Sounds like it idles high

[@sheamileto6473]

Low End Mopar do you have any owners manual on the 1990 Caravan turbo? Was yours an SE Or LE? , what’s is the minivan that you parked your 1989 Plymouth Accliam behind in your used car video?

[@LAEXMA]

Shea Mileto No, do don’t have the manuals for that one. It wasn’t an SE or LE, it was a base Caravan. The silver one you’re referring to was a 94 Plymouth Voyager. That was the one that initially replaced the turbo one after it was stolen. It’s A604 Ultradrive transmission failed and it was junked as a result.

[@xLuiKangx007]

Perfect Car

[@theofficialseanodonnell7498]

B R O W W W N N !,

[@johnlloyd4967]

Not a bad looking car but my mom had an 81 5 speed manual and the back door windows did roll down. Maybe the 82s didn't?

[@LAEXMA]

81s and very early 82s didn't have roll down windows. A lot of people replaced the rear doors on their 81s and 82s in order to have roll down windows. However, I think your Mom may have had a 1983, because the 81 and 82 only had 4-Speed manual or a 3-Speed Automatic as options. 1983 was the first model year for the 5-Speed.

[@andrewps84]

My dad had a Dodge Aspen that was a true POS; he said it must’ve been in an accident because it ran so poorly; he also had a 79 Plymouth Volare, probably one of my personal favorites of the cars he owned, and that thing was a tank. Guess it just depends on the car and the circumstances.

[@JackVegetables18]

May i test drive your dodge aries ?

[@noway5590]

Stellantis is making the dodge attitude in china for sale in mexico and canada, the US does not get a small sedan anymore, we miss you dodge aries K

[@MondayNightRAWsRKO2024-xk9ew]

Is the rumors true that the current Chrysler Pacifica minivan is still on this K Car platform? If so no wonder those are bulletproof vans!

[@jorgehuerta9593]

Dude your k kar is fukkin dope DON'T GET Rid of it!!!!

[@sheamileto6473]

Low End Mopar You should add a 1990 Dodge Grand Caravan LE to your collection

[@LAEXMA]

Shea Mileto Years ago I had a ‘90 Dodge Caravan Turbo. Unfortunately it was stolen and totaled.

[@about10ninjas]

So this was what Aesop Rock saw

[@lovebumperknows]

did you discover the stalling issue? i missed it,?

[@LAEXMA]

Yes. It seems that it on hot days it was vapor locking due to the Ethanol in the gas. I managed to find a gas station with Ethanol free gas, and I haven't had any issues since I started using it.

[@realgone222]

This is the last dashboard you see as a hitchhiker as the driver hits you over the head and dumps your naked body in a ravine.

[@gajda1984]

That is a baby dehyoukin.

[@briq4409]

The amount of gas in the tank is worth more than the whole car!

[@rubbersoul3723]

These cars were confusing blend of shame and pride.

[@savagenomad5731]

The color is very malaise, what's the paint called?

[@jfrey1]

Metallic Malaise

[@cliffthelightning]

Faded

[@Mario_N64]

That would be Carter Brown. Hostage Burgundy is also nice.

[@psychedout1028]

I hate that word used to disrespect an entire generation of cars which are actually very interesting. I like the color on this little Aries very much. Today you can only get white, black, or gray - so boring.

[@danielcamacho6123]

you should change spark plug

[@jalenjose3905]

i had Aries K, with the Mitsubishi engine.

[@BriyPatterson]

Have you broken any engine mounts yet lol

[@LAEXMA]

@BriyPatterson No, but I haven’t owned the car in almost 2 years.

[@BriyPatterson]

@@LAEXMA yes my apologies for the rushed response, they were so peppy off the line, if you hammered it, after awhile the engine and transmission would break loose, I used a coat hanger for a shifter until I reinforced it with heavy welding

[@kipbrown1549]

Nice //////

[@auro1986]

tasty chocolate bar