Chrysler K Car - Chrysler's Saviour | A Far Too Brief History of...

[@AllCarswithJon]

The K-Car single-handedly saved Chriysler in the 80s, and went on to underpin almost everything they did for 14 years! Do you remember the K-car? Have a good (or bad) story to share of your memories?

[@andregonsalvez9244]

They certainly did save Chrysler back in the day .

[@joshuajacome8803]

I don't have a K car story, but a K car derivative story. My dad owned a 93 2.5 turbo II J body Lebaron coupe that was 10 years ahead of its time in Mexico. I was fascinated by its technology back then and got into cars due to this car and my dad. Today, I'm about to buy a 93 Lebaron coupe to restore it like my dad's old car...

[@kamX-rz4uy]

Since I grew up in the 80's I have a lot of first hand experience with K cars. I learned to drive in a Plymouth Caravelle in Drivers Ed and at the time my parents owned a Reliant. Later that got traded in for an Aries and over the years they also owned a Shadow and Caravan. My first car was a turbocharged Dodge Lancer, my brother's was a Shadow and my sister owned a Spirit. Other friends and relatives also drove K cars. For the most part they were simple cars with comfortable interiors that were easy to drive. They were a great value and had decent reliability as long as the odometer didn't get too close to 100k.

[@member57]

The only thing that saved Chrysler was the government buying hundreds of thousands of these rolling nightmares and forcing military personnel to endure using those crap boxes. God they were terrible.

[@rickloera9468]

A friend of mine had a Plymouth Reliant,.actually it was his mom's car. Plain Jane and small but did its job with no complaints and served her well till she bought another K platform car Dodge Shadow. My friend is 6 foot seven and had no problems driving the car. He said he had plenty of room. Not bad for a car that today would look miniscule compared to the vehicles of today.

[@jdgimpa]

I spent 45 years working for Chrysler Corporation dealers service and parts departments, starting in 1969. In the late 70s we didn't know if we were going to have a product to sell the next year. The change in the company when Iacocca took over was like night and day. If you had worked for a Chrysler dealer and left for a few years returning in the early 80s you would have thought it was a different company. The K Car platform was fairly easy to service and the advantage to sharing across several models was that when working on the powertrain they were pretty much all the same. As the engineers said they had several bodes all on the same platform. I was fortunate enough to meet Iacocca several times. I have a award that he presented to me for superior customer satisfaction when I had the highest fix it right score in my zone for 5 years running.

[@boisegameshowguy]

Everything I’m sure Stellantis doesn’t do.

[@jdgimpa]

@@boisegameshowguy The jury is still out on Stellantis.

[@whereman1199]

That is awesome, I think Iaccoca was a legend in the car industry. I would have loved to have met him and picked his brain. That speech to Congress was awesome, saving your job.

[@MoparTech]

When Warranty Actually cared enough to Acnowlege and Properly Pay The Techs. Now they Treat Us like Assholes,Warranty Times are a joke and they do every thing thay can to deny dealer warranty repair claims.

[@Channel-cm7yc]

@@boisegameshowguythey’ve not done anything since Eaton and then Daimler took over. Eaton was the one who took Chrysler back down this road in the first place.

[@Clarkecars]

Chrysler did NOT get those loans from the government, however, the federal government guaranteed the loans as a co-signer and they were paid back in FULL and EARLY!

[@chiprommell4822]

So, govt got loans, chrysler was the paper bitch

[@larrymcsorley9899]

That is correct. What Chrysler got from the Federal government were loan “guarantees” not loans. Banks provided the funding. The government would only have to pay the banks if Chrysler defaulted on the loans...which they didn't. It cost the government absolutely nothing!

[@RADIUMGLASS]

The only way Jimmy Carter was going to allow Chrysler to get the loan was if the entire board of directors was replaced. Carter agreed to give the loan on one condition, Chrysler had to have new management. In the seventies, it was old men who were set in their ways who didn't want to change with the times.

[@bactanite]

In 1994 I bought a five year old '89 Shadow. I drove it for fifteen years. It had all the options and was the most reliable car I ever had.

[@familycarshow9009]

My Dad had a 1983 Dodge 400. Four doors, dark blue. It was our family's first car with cloth seats instead of vinyl. I loved that car!

[@ababbit7461]

familycarshow, I had the exact same car. It has the 4 cylinder "Iron Duke" motor. Great car. I sold it and to this day, I go to bed with tears in my eyes (well maybe not, but it makes the story more powerful)....

[@PearComputingDevices]

I know this might anger people by saying this but Donald Trump always reminded me of a more flamboyant Lee Iacoca. I am an admirer of Iacoca because of how he could sell. I mean, look at the guy. Amazing skillset and when he came in everything was a mess. He knew what he had to do to fix it, unlike Donald Trump he didn't have a bunch of backstabbing politicians ready to screw him at every turn. Trump as a business man thought hey I'll just make deals and they'll want to work with me because I am me. Yeah, Washington doesn't work that way. Ironically that was life for Lee Iacoca at Ford. Even a good idea won't be heard if the people that are listening refuse to listen. That was Henry. The best thing he ever did for Chrysler was to fire Lee Iacoca. The only thing that would have put a better spin on his story was if he refused to fire Hal then got fired himself. From my understanding it was going to happen anyway. Might as well go out with a bang. That's the story of America right there.

[@ChrisHsuCars]

We had a 1982 Plymouth Reliant Wagon. It had the Mitsubishi 2.6 and 3 speed auto. It was my parents first new car in 10 years, and the first with AC and an FM radio. We loved the car and I would eventually have handed down to me. It was retired at 447k kms (yes, with an engine rebuild and tranny). I went everywhere in that car. It took me and my friends everywhere too. It was a POS but it had a ton of space and it was very comfy, and started up even when it was really cold.

[@BullittHilts]

I have fond memories of the 1983 (or ‘84) Dodge Aries wagon we had when I was a kid. Those blue velour bench seats were so comfortable! It was a base model with 4-on-the-floor. As a kid I remember riding home from church in the front middle seat, getting to “shift” the gears with my Dad’s massive hand over mine on the shifter. It was the perfect car for our family because it was only a few years old and was very well maintained when they purchased it; we ended up having it for 15 years! There’s so many great memories in that car. They’re certainly not “classics” but because of the nostalgia, I will always miss that Gray Dodge Aries with the powder blue interior.

[@RADIUMGLASS]

My uncle was a fairly wealthy aerospace executive on the west coast. In 1992, he bought a 4-year-old K car at an auction as his primary and only driver. He was a big and tall guy so it must have been funny for people to see him getting in and out of that small car. But anyways he kept it until the year 2005. It was a 1988 model and it was being driven for 17 years total. He ended up getting rid of it after the head gasket blew. He always said it was a good little car. The next car he bought was a used Chevrolet Impala.

[@attcenter]

My aunt owned a Dodge Aries, she had it for 17 years before she had to get a new car. She said it paid for itself 3 times over lol

[@johne6081]

Our 1988 K wagon lasted 22 years. We gave it to needy relatives and then to a neighbor, who happily drove it until some clown ripped off the front bumper assembly by hooking the front bumper. I loved the 51" tailgate width, which made hauling plywood and drywall easy -- just hang it over the rear bumper and tie down the tailgate.

[@attcenter]

@@wescam2958 True, but she bought a Hyundai after that and it was a piece of crap so she got a Camry lol

[@johne6081]

@@wescam2958 Several of the K derivatives, including the minivans and the Spirit/Acclaim, extended the success for a few more years past 1988, when K-car production ended, except for limited wind-down sales of coupes and sedans (no more wagons regrettably) in 1989. You are correct that Chrysler was unable to grow beyond that, and rapidly got passed by foreign and domestic competition. The first 4-speed automatic was a disaster, as were the transverse-mounted V-6 engine and the turbocharged 4-cylinder. I never had any problems with my basic 2.5L engines and old-fashioned 3-speed automatics, but acceleration was poor by modern standards.

[@attcenter]

@@wescam2958 She keeps saying it’s the last car she’s ever going to buy and if she does buy another one it’s going to be another Camry 🤣

[@davinp]

While Lea Iaccoca was working at Ford, he had the idea for the minivan, but Ford wasn't interested in it and so he took his minivan plans to Chrysler

[@dillonh321]

The Minivan is what saved Chrysler. Even to this day it’s their saving grace. If you want an minivan from an American company Chrysler is your only option. I’ve rented Chrysler Pacificas before band they are nice.

[@davinp]

@@dillonh321 yes I know. My father had a 1986 Dodge Caravan. Today the Toyota Sienna is the most reliable minivan on the market and Chrysler is the only American automaker that makes a minivan but Chrysler is not known for their reliablity

[@billyjoejimbob56]

@@davinp Is that the Chrysler division of Stellantis you referring to? The European conglomerate run by French managers, that builds minivans in Ontario, Canada? Toyota and Honda have built their minivans in the US for decades and probably have as much investment in the US as Stelantis. Be careful, its global out there!

[@aaronwilliams6989]

@@billyjoejimbob56 MAN! AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH!

[@daviduliana9950]

Dude. I was around when K-Cars were new. They were of marginal build quality , substandard durability, fair reliability, and seriously substandard styling. You don't wish you could have one. They were entirely forgettable and would not be remembered but for the fact that they saved Chrysler from death and they spun off the even more deficient minivans. .

[@misterenergy959]

Dude. Some of the K cars had a 2.5L Mitsubishi..way!

[@timothykeith1367]

More than 3-1/2 million K-cars were sold in its original form through 1989, the k spinoffs continued until 1995. The later varients had few problems. The '81 Ks were a bit light because Chrysler was still scared of bankruptcy, but running changes improved them. Chrysler nameplate versions have become a nostalgia collector car. Compared to the GM X-car or the Ford Tempo, the K-car has its fans today.

[@Jack_Stafford]

But the formula remains something that's missing today, a basic car with minimal gizmos that is comfortable and reliable reliable enough to be driven around with less emphasis on weird styling and fake luxury and more on basic (but not tiny) transportation. There used to be even very large cars that used to this formula like the Biscayne that basically was like a civilian police car but you still got the size and comfort of a large car. Like an accountant's car. These cars used to exist in every make, often based on other cars in their company's but stripped down to the basics so that the average person could still buy a good-sized car with reasonable comfort but was willing to crank their own windows and do without fabric seats, cruise, etc. Not every car has to be outfitted like a luxury car or an expensive sports car. It adds so much money to the cost. There are so few cars being made at all today, but I do think that a car with the basic formula of the k car with of course more modern safety features that are required but with just the essential items that most people need and little else would be a huge seller. Kind of like a Volkswagen for the 21st century, or indeed, a K-car for the 21st century. Just give me air conditioning and automatic, and I can crank my own windows and lock my own doors, close my own trunk, don't need over 200 horsepower, and don't need a computer in order to change radio stations or turn on the defroster. I have other cars for those luxury needs but there'd certainly is a market segment for a bare-bones basic but reliable and reasonably comfortable utility car for basic transportation.

[@timothykeith1367]

@@Jack_Stafford Tesla's are plain, the interiors are austere with hard plastic. I agree with what you said about the basic car. My Valiants were popular in their day, the Reliant was focused at the same buyer. it will be difficult to restore the less popular late model car when most have gone to the scrapyard, but a Falcon or Nova, or even a BMW e30 from the '80s will be relatively easy to restore.

[@Jack_Stafford]

@@timothykeith1367 agreed, I didn't mean pla8n as in a design aesthetic, I mean plaon as in cheap durable and easy to care for as a second or third car. And without being a penalty box. We also had a Nova and other less expensive cars while the family car was normally a Caprice, Buick, Mercury or other large comfortable car for road trips, with all the gizmos. But for doing errands or driving to work in bad weather when you don't want to take the nice car out I think there is definitely a place for a very basic although still midsize type car that is just a workhorse for when you don't want to use your pickup or luxury car. Or as a beginning car to hand down to a teenager that is bound to get into a few fender-benders lol If Ford had continued to make the Crown Victoria Police model, offered it with their very adequate 3.8 V6, giving it crank windows and just the basic things, that would have fit the bill perfectly for a car that could do just about everything but still be very inexpensive to buy and maintain. Call it the Fairlane and limit it to just a handful of colors and one neutral interior color and let all the accountants retirees taxi companies and people wanting a cheap 2nd car have a decent-sized option that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

[@timewellwasted3341]

The K -Car was the ultimate utilitarian car. Up in Ontario Canada, In the early 1980's, my retired neighbour bought one. It was a Dodge Aires, and I think it still had a bench seat. Remarkably for such a cheap car you could fit 6 passengers in the car in a pinch. It had a 2.2 liter 4 cylinder engine with a 3 speed transmission. Shortly after that I bought a Plymouth Sundance for my wife, which was a derivative of the K Car platform but offered buckets seats, a hatchback and better styling. We were so impressed with the car, I later purchased a Dodge Shadow with the optional 2.5 liter Mitsubishi engine and it was pretty fast for a K-Car type vehicle! Other friends bought The Dodge Omni, The New Yorker, another Shadow, and many more. In those days we had huge mortgages and these cars offered reliable transportation on a tight budget. I drove my Shadow for almost 15 years. Those days are gone but still fondly remembered. Today I drive a 2021 C8 Corvette, that in my humble opinion is more stylish than the Dodge Aires, but taste is subjective I suppose....Great Video! Cheers

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks for the comment. It was fun to read how your life went from a Sundance (always thought they were good looking) to a C8!

[@RJ-vb7gh]

i have a 1981 Reliant Hemi Wagon... one of 85 left... It is really a marginal car, but very useful and it gets up to 45 MPG. It has survived, because no one ever wanted to drive it back in the day. Oddly, when I take it out, I can't go anywhere without turning heads and listening to everyone's K car stories. For a very mundane car, it's amazingly well received now.

[@gunsaway1]

I had an Aries wagon and taught two kids to drive with it. We loved it.

[@nancyericson4263]

I took my drivers' license test in a Dodge Aries in Seattle in 1983.

[@davinp]

The K car platform is the one platform that spanned the most models in car history

[@jermf35]

I just found your channel today. And I really like it . This is my 3rd or 5th video I have watched today lol I love automotive history

[@AllCarswithJon]

Welcome aboard!

[@thomasmize7444]

Dear sir, I’m 50 years old and have grown up in the Chrysler K car era. My father worked at Chrysler and built them from 1981 to 1988. H( he worked at the Newark, Delaware assembly plant) I have owned them and most of my family has owned them from new. I currently own 4, they are my toys. I show them at car shows and by doing so they draw a lot of attention. I you are interested in learning more I can assist in that from personal experience.

[@glennso47]

Some people I knew worked at Belvidere, Illinois Assembly where they made the Omni/Horizons. Belvidere now makes the Jeep Cherokee.

[@rbd9846]

My first company car was a 2 door Plymouth Reliant SE 2d door with a vinyl roof plus the larger Mitsubishi 4 cylinder engine. It was great road car, my fellow colleagues could not believe how smooth it was on the highway plus had very comfortable front seats. Drove this car for 2 yrs / over 50K miles. My next company car was a Chevy Celebrity, the Plymouth Reliant had a much better/smoother engine and the quality was on par for the cars at the time.

[@glennso47]

Sometime after these cars were introduced, K-Mart had a promotion where they were giving some of these cars away. As a drawing. Our local K-Marts had one on display in front of their stores with a box where you could fill out your name etc.

[@billyjoejimbob56]

I live two miles from the former K-Mart headquarters. Empty for 20 years now... no one willing to buy it and no one who can afford to tear it down to reuse the land. Six miles north, the former Chrysler Corporation headquarters soldiers on, now as the Chrysler Division of euro auto conglomerate Stellantis. Imperfect as they were, K cars were one of several Hail Mary long shots that kept the organization alive to fight another day. The local economy is certainly thankful for that!

[@RickLatta61]

Had a 92 Caravan when my kids were little. Loved it!

[@johnnymason3265]

So basically my mother use to own a K car variant. She had a 1993 Dodge Dynasty. She kept that car until it broke down. It was very reliable.

[@ababbit7461]

I had the Dodge 400 (1983) and it had the 4 cylinder (Iron Duke) motor. Cloth interior and very nice (as nice as my 1973 Cadillac Coupe Deville). That Dodge Omni should have looked into the AMC Gremlin mirror, it would have seen that it would fail. My Dodge 400 was one car (I have owned over 40 of them) that I would buy again in a minute. I liked that car a lot.

[@Moparornocar1989]

My parents had a Plymouth Reliant station wagon with a stick shift and a Plymouth Acclaim. Funny Part about the Acclaim. My great grandmother also had one. Her keys would start our car but, wouldn't work on the door locks. Our keys would unlock her car but, wouldn't start it. In later years we had a 1998 Plymouth Voyager expresso

[@anthonytripp2251]

I had an OMNI and it was great!!! Best rain/snow driver ever. Put 600k miles on it.

[@johnnyyuen809]

I had to gas up my Mustang every day and forget about the gas needed to drive to Boston. To my surprise, the Ares took me to Boston with gas to spare. I even drove all over the city and didn't have to worry about a gas station. What memories!

[@proofbox]

The K-car was the competitor to the Chevy Citation when it came out . In comparison the Citation was a more costly piece of crap , and a couple of years later the Ford Tempo was not much better than the Chevy . All things considered and Chrysler was the leader in the compact car market and in 1984 the Caravan like the 65 Mustang created a new class of vehicle and owned the market . The two door Le Barron sold well as it was a personal luxury car on the cheap that got good mileage . In 1987 I got my mom a 84 New Yorker and she loved that car for its easy to drive compact dimensions , and well equipped with luxury features .The only issue I had with that car was the electronic carburetor causing drive ability issues on the 2.6 Mitsubishi engine and rebuilds were stupid expensive . A little research indicated one of the three solenoids attached to the carb was not actuating , so a little testing found a open coil on one of the solenoids . At NAPA I got a new solenoid for $ 27.00 and the car ran great . All in all this was a great line of cars at the right time .

[@seanplace8192]

My parents bought a Plymouth Voyager back when it was on the K-platform. It was a pretty decent van until the transmission died. Fortunately it was still under warranty, so they got it fixed and then sold it right after.

[@crusinscamp]

Nice video. A Mopar fan here. I've had a Dart, Duster, Demon ('71), a couple Plymouth Scamps ('83 Horizon pickup), a Neon and a couple PT Cruisers. Enjoyed them all. I am concerned where Chrysler is going with the gyrations of the last years...

[@davinp]

In the late '70s, Chrysler rushed a new car to production that had many quality issues causing them to almost go bankrupt. After being fired from Ford, Lee Iaccoca came in and saved them with the K car platform and the minivan

[@jtem9313]

I actually thought many times that a rebooted K Car would be an awesome idea. A basic bar, good economy and a bench seat? It's aesthetic back then was "This car is safe. It's what you're used to. It's what you know and want." Today, to our eyes it says "Utilitarian" and "I've got things to do and don't have the time to waste trying to impress you." I want a car that doesn't stop working if a light bulb burn out on the dash...

[@dj33036]

The only new car I ever bought was an '88 Plymouth Horizon. I think if you had ever owned one you would have a different opinion of them. Probably the best car I've ever owned.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks for the comment! Love to hear positive thoughts about these old(er) cars!

[@warmstrong5612]

My folks had a 88 Grand Voyager for 11 years and almost 500k Km's. Miss that thing.

[@rafaelm.2056]

I recall I was 16 at the time and my friends rented one. For an domestic car it was very high quality. It was relatively quiet, and had no squeaks and rattles when going over rail road tracks. Just dull thuds you would experience in a big car, and similar to what you would experience in a Japanese import. The relative quiet and low road noise was a huge deal for a small domestic car. The fit and finish was on par with Honda and Toyota. Acceleration was halfway decent for a car of the era and handling was very nimble and responsive. At the time it seemed like everyone had some kind of variant.

[@timothykeith1367]

The first Toyota Camry in 1983 was a similar design to the K car.. I'm sure the Camry was in development before the K was first produced two years earlier. Toyota was thinking much the same as Chrysler.

[@agostinodibella9939]

My dad had an ‘85 Reliant wagon he got used. I don’t remember it having many problems. A stuck parking brake cable, a bad brake booster check valve, nothing really bad. It was okay.

[@gregkendrick3286]

My uncle was a millionaire and a businessman and every morning he drove to work in a Reliant K car he had a Mercedes 4-door beautiful 500 class and he loved his Reliant K car it was as daily driver that's how good a car that car was one day I hope to drive one if I can find one

[@porcelainthunder2213]

My family had a bunch of the derivatives over the years. They were great vehicles for the time.

[@knowyourvoice4484]

I owned a 1981 Reliant K 2 door. We loved that car, other than with the 4 cylinder engine, it was a little gutless going up hills. It was nice looking and we got a lot of compliments on it. Sadly my wife was involved in a crash and the car was totaled, but it saved her life.

[@misterenergy959]

We had a Reliant Kay wagon with a 2.5 L Mitsubishi engine and it had a lot more zip than the 2.2 L that I previously owned in a Horisont TC three

[@naylorbroughton1159]

I had a K Car. My parents gave me the 1981 Plymouth Reliant. A four door sedan (family car) when they bought a new one in 1984. I drove it until 1994 (when I bought a Plymouth Neon). The car was a dog on hills (like a VW bus). I took good care of, even as a high schooler and college kid. It finally became unsafe to drive when I moved to California, and also it could not take the faster freeways in California (the rust from the New York State wiinters finally ate up the unibody). I had that car through the end of high school. It went to college with me. Grad school, came with me when I moved to California. It handled excellent in the northeast winters on the ice and snow. Chrysler products back then: you had to do the maitenance EXACTLY as the owners manual said. Change the oil every 3000 miles. Get the salt off the undercarriage from the winter. Flush the radiator........stuff like that. It was a good car, and holds some very happy memories. I wish I had one one now. They are just about GONE. I remember a time (late 1980's) when they seemed to be EVERYWHERE on the roads. Great video!!! Iaccoa (RIP). It was a good car. No, not flashy but it did its job. Really miss it now. Must have had almost 300K miles by the time I bought the Neon in 1994.

[@andregonsalvez9244]

Great review and video John ! My parents owned a Dodge Aspen sedan way back in the 70s and short part of the 80s , which served us fairly well . The K cars did do a great job getting Chrysler out of the dark days @ the time . My parents almost bought a 1983 Plymouth Reliant wagon but ended up getting a 1983 Pontiac Parisienne wagon .

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks for the kind words! I would love to do a review and have a chance to drive today one of those first K-cars. It's easy to pick on them, but they were the right car at the right time and saved a company. How's that Pontiac work out for your family?

[@captaindew3106]

my lil brother had a few K-cars after grad High School in 2008 he still got 2 Plymouth Reliant 1 2dr and 1 4dr he had a total of 8 K-Cars in the past.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Awesome!

[@Well_hello_there_]

I learned to drive in my mom's 1985 Dodge Aries K station wagon. It was plain white but at least my mom had the good taste to not get the fake wood paneling.

[@russelljohnson1303]

The wood was sweet

[@seanmcgivney7631]

My brother bought a new 84 Aries wagon, plain Jane. It had a digital AM radio, which I thought was cool. I figured it would be a piece of junk. I was wrong, he put that roomy, sweet little car through hell and got over 200,000 miles out of it!

[@marklittle8805]

The K Car was a product of it's time. It needed more refinement but it was simple and reliable and not bad. It was better than the Citation and other x cars. It wasn't however as good as the Taurus but it was first

[@glennso47]

I think just about anything would be better than the GM Citation and its variants.

[@aaronwilliams6989]

Fascinating story, even though they weren't the best designed cars.

[@DSGNflorian]

Chrysler did NOT get a "government loan" in 1979. It received a federal loan GUARANTEE to enable Chrysler to borrow 1.5 billion Dollars from private banks. That's an important difference.

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

My family owned two K-car variants in the late 1980's and 1990's--I would call them below average cars, overall. Three things saved Chrysler from oblivion coming from the K-car and loan guarantees up to today. First, as noted, was the K-car-based minivan. Second, the Dodge truck line was saved by the 1989 introduction of the Cummins diesel engine to the Dodge heavy duty pickups. At that time, the Dodge pickup was essentially a 1972 design with a junk body, but truck buyers would put up with that to get the Cummins diesel engine. Third, was Chrysler's acquisition of the Jeep brand, along with the AMC-designed Jeep Cherokee. Without all three of those things, Chrysler as a company would have been a museum piece three times over. Today, Ram trucks and Jeep are all that keep Chrysler, such as it is, in business.

[@AllCarswithJon]

All great points. Thanks!

[@zendoargos4988]

We had a Reliant wagon growing up...wish I still had it.

[@mikem4432]

The K-Car was nicknamed the Kmart Car.. cheaply made, horrible quality control, and just horrible looking.. but Americans did buy lots of them, abroad nobody wanted them, and although it was the best American auto makers could do at the time.. which is really sad... considering there was import TAXES on Japanese cars..

[@AllCarswithJon]

A couple of comments. First, I LIKE the look of the K-Cars. They're simple, functional, and purpose-built, but still managed to be more attractive than much of what was offered by Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, etc. at the time. They really appealed to me. As for the build quality... I've always considered them "Flimsy". Not the most rugged or over-engineered vehicles (as you could say with most Japanese cars), and you certainly hear horror stories of head gaskets, etc., but you also hear of these things chugging along happily for many years.

[@kyshtym]

had a 1983 aries. maybe the aries line was good, but we had a total lemon. often wouldn't start. you'd turn the key and it sounded like you'd stepped on a cat's tail. we'd take it in, pay to get it fixed, and it would work for awhile but then we'd have the same problem. we'd be out at the store or wherever and have to get it towed.

[@Kirktalon]

The Mitsubishi Eclipse and its sister car the Eagle Talon were good cars. I owned a second-generation 1995 Eagle Talon ESi model. I put 140000 miles and 20 years on that car.

[@aceroadholder2185]

I bought a 1984 K-Car Reliant wagon in 1993 for $1,000 with supposedly 120K on the clock. I drove it for another 400,000 miles before I sold it for $500. It was simple and easy to work on. It did have several weaknesses that would show up every 100,000 miles or so. The electronically controlled Holly carburetor was fine... until it failed. A Weber conversion carburetor kit fixed that. Head gaskets would blow about every 175,000 miles even with the larger 11mm head bolts that were installed after the first couple of years on the 2.2L engine. You could replace it on a Saturday afternoon in the driveway. The electric in tank fuel pump could be replaced with an external pump for $25 and I carried a spare to boot. The 3 speed automatic was bullet proof but there was a hard to fix design fault. The driver's side CV shaft inboard support was just the spider gear in the differential. With very high mileage the CV joint would wobble from wear in the spider gear and wipe out the oil seal. In short order the transaxle ATF would be leaking badly. I was on the road then and was paid mileage. After expenses the car earned about $5,000 for all the miles I drove. Lastly the car always got 30+ mpg with the A/C running. Had tons of interior room. Was a very comfortable car to drive all day and was good in the snow up to the point where the car high-centered on the snow... about a foot and a half deep. If I could buy a new one I would... and the wagon with the woody side panels was a very nice looking car.. It looked better as a wagon than it did as a sedan.

[@timothykeith1367]

Yeah, I'd like a K wagon

[@malcolmschenot6352]

I agree the wagons looked better than the sedans.

[@mikenodine6713]

There is a rumor that Chrysler had to agree to not place a V8 engine in any newly designed passenger cars for 30 years as part of the loan agreements needed to produce the K-Car and this is why the Viper was a V10 engine and the Prowler was a V6 engine to get around the V8 passenger car ban agreement. If the Prowler would have had a traditional "Hot Rod" V8 engine, I think it would have been even more successful than it already was. And with the V8 engine prohibition finally expired, Dodge was able to reintroduce the V8 in its Charger in 2006. I don't know how true this rumor is, but the circumstantial evidence for it is compelling.

[@AllCarswithJon]

I haven't heard that rumor.... very interesting

[@johnnymason3265]

@@AllCarswithJon I've never heard of that rumor either. I guess trucks were exempt from that agreement (if there was any agreement). I don't think that agreement existed but Chrysler probably tried to be the American Honda by offering mostly four cylinder engines.

[@arieljones4595]

I see all the positive K car stories here so I thought I should post a K car story. Back in the late 90s my buddies dad had a 1988(?. Ish) Dodge Aries wagon. It was in relatively good physical shape. However, it was ALWAYS broken. That poor guy was in the garage every effing weekend with greasy hands, messing with that thing. The only funny thing he ever said was that with all the parts he had changed it was now essentially a '98 model. His financial fortunes got a little better and he immediately got rid of it and got a new Honda CRV and NEVER looked back.

[@Blippa-v4x]

You make some very nice and enjoyable car videos. I had the 88 Dodge Aries, and If I could, I'd like to have one again.

[@AllCarswithJon]

Thanks 👍

[@cabforwardooo9983]

I was a recently hired designer for Chrysler and was assigned to work on the interior of the K Car. I was there when Sperlich and Iacocca joined the company. Sperlich was a great product guy with lots of great ideas. He loved to come into the design studios and check out the sketch proposals that filled the walls. He was the key person who inspired the K Car platform and all its derivatives. It was a surprise and caused a bit of confusion when Iacocca brought in Bob Lutz who took away some of Sperlich's responsibilities. Lutz became primarily responsible for the truck side of the business which led to the revolutionary design changes to the Dodge Truck lineup, and sales jumped dramatically. Another surprising development was when Lutz later took responsibility for all products and Hal Sperlich left the company. It was hard to believe, but Iacocca didn't let personal relationships keep him from making tough decisions. Lutz was instrumental in introducing products like the LH cars and Viper along with the second generation minivans. Believe me when I say those were the good days! Chrysler was getting one design award after another and sales were solid. But all good things must end and eventually Chrysler was taken over by Daimler-Benz!

[@BrianPatterson-tl8xc]

First car I drove was a Dodge Aries (1984) it was a navy blue with light blue interior, sunroof, top of the line (for that time) stereo, durable as hell, my mom got a new 1990 Civic and handed me the keys. Boy, was I proud, 16 years old with a shiny, flawless, roomy car, if not fast it was adequate, I get the feeling you'd have loved it as I did. Besides being easily servicable it was more than affordable to operate. Then, of course, I got bit by the horsepower bug and sold it. If I could get it back as it was, I'd do so without a second thought

[@JimmyShields-z2h]

Interesting, for GM K car revolution it was Holden VT platform with Australian head man Peter Hanenberger n GM boss Bob Lutz. Commodore came in sedan, wagon, coupe, long wheel base sedan, ute with full body or tray n this was ply to 4 door ute version plus AWD version. Finally AWD wagon this was similar what Ford Australia was doing. But 2008 GFC, change in market, jealous GM execs put end to Holden future plans as VE platform was repeat VT platform but shortage of money n GM to produce efficient powertrains or offer diesel reduced sale numbers.

[@dr.eisenhauer8922]

I own a 1984 LeBaron Convertible with the 2.2L Turbo. Its a beautiful and well kept car with only 52k miles. Recently i also got my hands on a Rare Chrysler Executive Limousine. Needs a bit of work but runs well.

[@johnnymason2460]

What were the K-car derivatives? The K-body(Dodge Aries, Plymouth Reliant, Chrysler Lebaron, Dodge 400), the E-body(Chrysler E-class/New Yorker, Dodge 600, Plymouth Caravelle), the G-body(Dodge Daytona, Chrysler Laser), the H-body(Chrysler Lebaron GTS, Dodge Lancer), the J-body Chrysler Lebaron Coupe & Convertible, the C-body(Chrysler New Yorker/Fifth Avenue, Dodge Dynasty), the A-body(Dodge Spirit, Plymouth Acclaim, Chrysler Lebaron), the P-body(Dodge Shadow, Plymouth Sundance), the Q-body Chrysler TC by Maserati, and the minivans(Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan, Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager, Chrysler Town & Country). The E-body Chrysler Executive sedan and limousine would also count as well. Can't forget about the last Chrysler Imperial(1990-1993). Would love to have that car right now. Lots of derivatives of a platform that basically kept Chrysler afloat for so many years. My mother had one: a 1993 Dodge Dynasty. It was very good to her for so many years. I loved it.

[@Usernamegoeshere84]

My mom drive a Dynasty for about ten years.

[@psychedout1028]

Addendum: Thanks #All Cars for not trashing the immediate predecessor of the K car, the F-body Volare/Aspen twins, which is so common online because so many trolls want to blame Chryslers financial woes exclusively on them. I sort of expected it but was pleased that you didn't. The F body was quite innovative in it's own way even with the harsh Federal demands of the day, and the concurrent existential crisis that Chrysler found itself in at the time they were introduced in 1976. Indeed, such was the pressure within Chrysler for a savior, that the F's were rushed into production far too fast, and resulted in abysmal quality and design flaws initially in the '76 and many '77 models. By the time the '78's came out, Chrysler had resolved many if not most of the initial problems, and although the damage to the Volare/Aspen twins reputation had already been done, the descendants of the F body (renamed the M body) lived on for many years afterwards and were very successful. My personal interest in this issue is that I have owned about 7 to 8 F bodies and always had very good luck with them. I still own a survivor '78 Aspen wagon with the slant Super Six and four speed transmission and only about 30K miles. I love it! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3PYm6mOgtiXqrM

[@glennso47]

The Rockford, Illinois Police Department had interceptors that were Dodge Aspens.

[@timothykeith1367]

It would have been nice had the F body adapted to a larger car as Chrysler needed a larger sedan, or maybe it could have but Iacocca didn't want to build it. The M body had the same interior volume as a Volare.

[@bryanmontello5702]

This will sound unbelievable, and in today's world it is! It must have been right before the year 2000....let's say 1997. I think it was actually before that but close enough. So I was about 22 yo at the time. I was very broke and living in a room. I didn't have a car. I saw there was a car with a tow away sticker stuck to it. It wasn't exactly my first pick, but maybe I could get it cheap. So I find out who it belongs to. Knock on the door, chat with the person. I don't remember if it was a guy or girl. I'm guessing it was a guy, they end up giving me the keys to it! 😊 Didn't pay a dime for it. And it ended up being one of the best cars I ever had. Btw it was also low miles and very clean

[@mikehager4070]

We had a 1985 Plymouth Reliant with a 2.2 carbureted engine. It was terrible! Constant vapor lock and drivability issues. Got such a good deal on a 1988 Plymouth Reliant that I couldn't refuse it. 2.5 fuel injected. MUCH better service out of it. We put 273,000 mile on it! Went through 3 transmissions. Got them cheap through a friend. We next bought a 1993 Subaru. A Much better car!

[@johnmaki3046]

As an owner/driver of SIX "K-cars", and MANY BETTER, OLDER MoPars; The "K-cars" were BETTER than G.M./FoMoCo offerings! They were FAR FROM "great"!

[@bryantint1339]

We had a 1984 Dodge Caravan. Should have installed a high stall torque converter with an auxiliary transmission oil cooler. My uncle had a 1984 Dodge 600 ES with a Chrysler Turbo 4 cylinder.

[@TiberiusMaximus]

I had one of these in Germany when I was a driver for a Commander, it was reliable and the engine was powerful enuf for the autobahn 1984 85

[@Mr6384]

I think this is really well done. I thought the K car was a good car. I know that in the Fort Lauderdale area where I lived, these were very popular with both the public and several utilities companies. I’m pretty sure my dad looked at one in 1982 but ended up with a Toyota Corolla mainly because he leased space in the shopping mall he managed to the local dealer. The things that you mentioned about Ford not wanting anything to do with smaller front wheel drive cars makes me wonder how they really felt about the Fairmont behind closed doors. Excellent video

[@malcolmschenot6352]

They were everywhere in the 80s. Always acknowledged as plain and ugly, and you could clearly see the vertical expansion of platforms, and all the early ones looked alike. But they were cheap and reliable and people snapped them up. As used cars they were dead cheap. Or you could buy a used fleet car for nothing and run it for years. Then the minivan came out and that changed everything. People were astonished they could get a van that drove like a car. They sold like hotcakes and it took a while for the other manufacturers to put out their own versions. Chrysler had that market (which didn't exist before) cornered. Now almost all cars are derived from that first minivan--the SUVs. I agree with you on this being a hugely influential platform. No one from that time (except maybe Iacocca himself) would have predicted it.

[@stickshiftdriver1832]

The K Car started a trend of cars in the 80s.The front wheeled roomy compact basic car. Engineers at Ford had always been on the cutting edge in design but also kept away from very trendy styles such as fins of the 1950s. The K Car was like the Ford Falcon of 1960. Consumers in the 1950s were looking for smaller more fuel efficient cars. Studebaker came out with the Lark in 59. Ford came out with the Falcon for 60. A basic point a to b car that McNamara wanted Ford to design. The K Car was really the same. You really cant go wrong with that concept.

[@29madmangaud29]

I owned an '85 Dodge Lancer back in '87. That car was "GREAT",,,,,, right up until 70K miles,,,, got 44mpg on the freeway,,,, and little creature comforts all over. At 70K miles,,,, it started falling apart. Engine oil pan began to leak.... they didn't have a gasket, it was just some silicone sealant... the valve cover began to leak, the power steering hose exploded while driving,,, and then the timing belt broke,,,,, thankfully it wasn't a interference engine........and then the throttle positioning sensor.......wow, headaches , after 70,000 miles!

[@slicksebring]

You make a persuasive argument and I think that you are right. The platform saved the company and spawned dozens of pretty decent models. My uncle had a K-car and it was economical to drive and gave him 12-13 years of reliable, comfortable service.

[@chriswright2250]

In 1993 we a bought a nerw dodge caravan. 6 cylinder and 3 speed automatic, dark blue and blue interior. Never had a problem except when the interior trim panels would come lose. Had to have a Philips screwdriver in the glovebox.

[@curtwuollet2912]

Owned a few (used) Ks, a new Colt, new Omni and Horizon, a used Spirit, 3 well loved Neons, and I'm still on my third PT Cruiser. I was a Chevy guy, but every time for decades, I needed a car, the best option was from Chrysler. But now, I'm not sure what my next car will be. Nothing from Chrysler attracts me and meets my requirements. I'd buy a new Neon or cloud car if I could, but nothing current fits. I should add that my favorite was a 1st gen Neon. Great car.

[@moonbeamskies3346]

Excellent analysis. I like them. We had bad luck with our 1984 New Yorker but I think the later ones were better once they worked the bugs out and maybe we just got a bad one. They were nice looking, had good outward visibility and were comfortable.

[@TPIR_Fan_1972]

Good video. A couple of notes: Chrysler paid off their loans 7 years early (1983). The note was due in 1990. Also, the $1.5 billion was a loan guarantee. The actual loans came from various banks with the government acting as the guarantor in the event that Chrysler went under.

[@shanewatts9143]

Rolling garbage cans. You could not run the A.C. and pull into traffic. Or you would die. I had two. Only because they were cheap. One caught fire and the other. I just gave away. They were both turds. Nothing more...

[@kodyschmautz7799]

Funny, you don't ever see reliants, or Aries or any k cars on the roads but you still see late 70s models Hondas and Toyotas occasionally and more 80s and plenty of late 80s early 90s Hondas Toyotas Nissans and Subarus but it's a rare spectacle to see any early 90s American stuff with the exception of muscle cars or collector cars. Simply put, the Japanese always have and still manufacture a superior automobile as far as reliability goes.

[@jokerzwild00]

Oh man do I agree with you in that I'd love to have a very cheap, very reliable, no frills new car. With a good warranty. Get me from A to B with no trouble for a few years, that's all I want. I don't care about anything else in a work car. Everything today is either cheap unreliable garbage or expensive, maybe reliable if you're lucky, with tons of extra crap on the car that I don't need. Give me manual everything, analog dash, no stupid "infotainment" garbage, and about 100-150 horsepower. Just let me drive to and from work in peace.

[@gillesjacques1022]

Had a 77 Cordoba, really luxurious car, which sold well for chrysler. When they downsized it, it did not have the appeal anymore, was a big mistake. Chrysler had some nice cars in the 70s and 80s, I owned a LeBaron with the fake woody on it, in the 80s and was a nice daily driver as well.

[@jhundley2009]

I remember the Imperial/Cordoba commercials and possibly the beginning of "creative" marketing when they used took a brand name for leather and had Ricardo Montalban introduce the world to Corithian Leather. I can remember people talking about how much better it was and then on one of the late night shows Montalban admitted it was just a marketing ploy. Ole Lee had some genius marketing teams in the 80s.

[@nellof1244]

I inherited my father's 81 Plymouth reliant K station wagon. Powered by a 2.6 l mitsubishi hemi engine. It was rather peppy it was the workcourse of the family. Age was not good to it as many of these stamped steel suspension parts started too fatigue and brake as well as axle shafts and differential. The engine continued to run very well until I sold it In 1992

[@scottbiddle3967]

I absolutely loved the Chrysler New Yorker/Fifth Avenue. I was never sure why it had both markers on it but had one badge on the trunk and the other on the sides. I never cared i just loved it. My second favorite was the Dynasty obviously. Lol 😂

[@ericbitzer5247]

I remember when I was 13 with my father looking at new cars on the Chrysler/ Plymouth lot. He ended up with an 84 Reliant and had it for 9 years mostly trouble free. After that he bought nothing but but Toyota Corollas.

[@adityarao8729]

From what I understand, K cars turned out to be terribly unreliable and rusted piles of junk that only strengthened the case for not buying American compact cars and convinced more consumers to turn to the japanese cars of the era. My dad's family had a k car, and the thing was constantly broken and they had to throw it away after 6 years when the block cracked. Not exactly reliable.

[@HamiltonMechanical]

They tried really hard, that's for darn sure. My mom had a 1990 daytona, got 250k miles out of her before she traded her in 9 years later for an echo. Grew up with a family full of caravans and grand caravans, all eventually suffered transmission problems. Our 1989 had 3 LOL and it wasn't even the a604, it was just a 3 speed. Several friends had K cars, lebarrons, new yorkers, we even had a fifth avenue once with some of the strangest computer issues. All were very comfortable cars. First car I ever needed female torx sockets for. But, but most epic variant of the platform I ever saw... A FIVE SPEED CARAVAN! It had the 4 cylinder, so it couldn't even get out of it's own way, but MAN, how cool! I've only ever seen two in my whole life and I grew up in the caravan era haha

[@AllCarswithJon]

I love your comment. They tried really hard.... at the time, Chrysler had a "swagger" and constantly swung for the fences. They didn't always get it perfect, but at least they were trying with some bravado.

[@HamiltonMechanical]

@@AllCarswithJon I have to agree. And this is coming from someone who has always been a diehard toyota guy haha ;)

[@delscoville]

I had an 88 Chrysler La Baron with the digital dash. But in 1999 the steering locked while going around a corner. It required too much body work to remove and replace the steering column. So I ended up just getting another car.

[@jimwoodward69]

I had several k cars and they were very unreliable. I had engine and transmission problems at 40000 miles. They were so unreliable that Chrysler had to offer a 7/70 warranty to sell them.

[@gregkendrick3286]

I had a roommate who had a LeBaron convertible with leather white beautiful car the car had plenty of power handled great got good mileage and looked great

[@George-wc1hb]

Jon we got a 81 K car wagon it was good and we got a 85 citation it was good but it had orange peel and GM did not fix it 3 weeks after we got the Plymouth while it rained the wiper motor fell out but it was fixed right away George Dietlein

[@michaeljohn7405]

Pretty good analysis I hope stalantis does this with the Peugeot 5009s we’re getting a new Chrysler airflow maybe we’ll get a Chrysler lebaron or New Yorker or how about a imperial?

[@jameswoods4406]

I own at the moment a 85 Chrysler Laser XE , 85 Dodge Daytona Z and a 92 Dodge Daytona es. There all great cars easy to work on and part are not to hard to find. My dad had a 87 dodge aries he drove the hell out of that car never had any trouble with it. I love them all

[@russelldolter]

Chrysler Dodge Plymouth are all junk and have always been junk. I have been an automotive enthusiast for more than 30 years and i don't hear anything good about them now nor have i ever.

[@Censoredbyfscists]

My father in law has an 85 k car convertible with about 20 000 miles. Even the original light blue paint. Comes out once a year. Mint and original.

[@thefinalroman]

10:29 having owned over 100 80's cars the K car is right there with Honda Toyota etc in reliability and as of 2022 the only 80's car I can find cheap that still runs...

[@johnwrobel8445]

Had 3. An '82 2-door, an '87 4-door and an '87 wagon. I went from RWD to the '82 with all season tires. Unstoppable in the snow! (Not bad off-road either.). The 2.2 was reliable and on the rare occasion that did manage to break something, it was easy enough to work on. I buy another if I could find one. I have a '95 LeBaron convertible in my garage waiting for spring.

[@psychedout1028]

I've owned two, and possibly three K cars. The first was an '81 Reliant four door sedan - reliable, inexpensive, simple. The second was an '87 Aries LX four door sedan - still reliable, inexpensive and simple, but a bit more plush and more stylish. Neither were fantastic, but neither were bad. They were simply nice small cars. I also had an '98 Sebring JX convertible, which I think might have had K car underpinnings - very nicely styled, but only average quality. It was ok. The Chrysler that I really loved was the '94 Chrysler LHS. Such a beautiful roofline and the rest of the car was so tastefully understated I thought it rivaled the '61 Lincoln for understated elegance. Proved to not have the top-notch quality that I would have expected, but ultimately a very good car. I miss Chrysler Corp. of the past. I wouldn't touch one now.

[@ernielaw]

Go for the last Chrysler 300 before they're all gone.

[@stevenfoon2194]

Drove many K cars and their derivatives. They worked. Not class leading. One thing that happened is that the engineers finally were happy when Chrysler finally ended using just the K car platform to build everything else. Also, the size of the car was dictated by how many they could fit into a train car transport. Iacocca did a lot and was a unique individual. I recall an interview he did where his hand picked successor, Bob Eaton, really disappointed him by selling out. Back to the story... if I recall, the $1.5B was not a loan in terms of Uncle Sam writing him a check, it was a $1.5B Loan Guarantee that Chrysler received.

[@Channel-cm7yc]

I’ve always loveed how Lee made Ford eat their words. He coulda made them big bucks with the minivan.

[@hotelworker812]

Chrysler fascinates me but with that being said, it baffles me how they are still in business. They have the reputation of being fabulously unreliable.