Here's how the Aries and Reliant K-cars brought Chrysler back from the dead

In this episode I provide the history of the Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant, the first cars sold by Chrysler under their K-car platform. Chrysler nearly went bankrupt in 1978, but with new CEO Lee Iacocca's plea to the U.S. government for a bailout, they had enough money to release their K-car line, a very basic set of coupes, sedans, and wagons that were very cheap and simple in design, yet proved to be a hit with the public, and allowed Chrysler to pay back their government loan 7 years early. The same K-car platform had used the existing Omni/Horizon subcompact as a starting point, and would also be used as the starting point for many other models of the 80s and 90s, including the famous minivans.

[@davidp2888]

And yet, Chrysler is still teetering at the edge of extinction.

[@williamegler8771]

Chrysler periodically teeters between extinction and prosperity and always has. Whenever they're on the edge of bankruptcy they usually come up with a product that saves them and then they get too comfortable and rely on that model for too long.

[@andrewdonohue1853]

Decades of terrible management after iacocca

[@BELCAN57]

And Lido Iacocca is nowhere to be found.

[@averyparticularsetofskills]

Currently?? They absolutely aren't

[@benbrown2119]

Actually, Chrysler Corp. has experienced a roller coaster existence practically its entire life. In between the K-car era and now, they have had ups and downs.

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

When I was a little kid K Cars and Chrysler mini vans were everywhere

[@philiphatfield5666]

These were decent, competent cars. They weren't fancy, but they got the job done. They provided a lot of value for the money, and it was ingenious the way Chrysler was able to churn out so many 'different' models from the same parts.

[@michaeltutty1540]

Funny, that. In 1981, when comparably equipped, a Volvo 240DL automatic wagon was $50 LESS than a Plymouth Reliant. Guess which we bought.

[@michaelriebandt6754]

I had one of those knock off. 1987 Dodge Shadow ES Turbo, I factory ordered car with Sunroof. I got 250,000 miles out of that car never had issue with 2.2 liter turbo engine, had 5-speed Manual transmission. Still is best car I ever owned.

[@scottysgarage4393]

Terrible trash with bad handling, bad brakes, sloppy ride, laughable interiors, paint that fell off in 4 years and rust issues that weren't even worth fixing.

[@davinp]

The K Car platform made several models including the Dodge Caravan which Lee Iacocca introduced 40 years ago for the 1984 model year

[@WC_Beer_Reviews]

It's wild how such a mundane car had such an impact on a company

[@timothykeith1367]

Gasoline was expensive

[@digitalfootballer9032]

And the cars were cheap

[@Evillt1]

People love Cheap

[@Trance88]

People underestimate the power of "mundane."

[@Dwigt_Rortugal]

Everybody needs reliable transportation, and most people need to do that affordably. If a company can master that, they'll be very successful.

[@David-nx2vm]

‘89 Reliant was our first car; wife learned to drive in it. Roomy, super efficient and trouble free. We shipped it to both Europe and Asia on military moves.

[@patrickmcgoldrick8234]

I remember working at an auto salvage yard in the early eighties,and with every 2.6,and K-Kar automatic transaxle we sold we would say a little prayer that they would make to the end of the 90 day warranty.

[@jamesmyers9285]

what a bunch of crap! Many companies had these cars as company cars and they were dependable.

[@patrickmcgoldrick8234]

@@jamesmyers9285 To be fair,I didn't mention the 2.2,or 2.5,they were good engines.I still stand on the 2.6 Mitshuexplody,and the weak automatic transaxles.

[@scottysgarage4393]

Junkyards filled up with these heaps by the mid-80's. Then there was a burst of parts sales as people tried to keep theirs alive. By 93 there were almost none left other than the minivans, in the yards or on the road.

[@jerryhoogeveen]

Had a 600 for a while. Loved that car! The seats were like sitting on a comfy couch. Sadly, got t boned by a dump truck and the car was totaled.

[@drfalcon4102]

I had a 1983 Reliant beat the heck out of it,, was a GREAT car.. Id buy another one,, but now own a 2019 300 and a 2018 Ram,,, love them.

[@manthony225]

Nicely done video! Ford and GM were selling badge engineered cars long before the K car arrived.

[@davinp]

GM was famous for rebadging a model as a Chevy, Olds, Pontiac or Buick meaning one model had 3 or 4 badge brands

[@madmike2624]

And they still do!!!

[@pinpointism]

while chrysler sold garbage on purpose like gm and ford.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

The Lincoln Town Car was distinctive though.

[@viktorakhmedov3442]

They were the car of choice for suburban high school principals for sure.

[@jasonhsu4711]

It usually is. So far this semester he has been absent nine times. :)

[@patrickracer43]

Safe to say that Chrysler improved upon the hemi engine since the days of the K car

[@jameslockard6956]

I owned a 80s model Aries. Best car ever.

[@naturekid1335]

Thank you for reminding me yakoof smirnov was a thing

[@Dwigt_Rortugal]

I thought that's who that was... It took me a second to realize it.

[@TheREALOC1972]

I live out in the Southwest Triangle and the kids it here are scooping up these K cars, especially the wagons and building budget JDM style cars out them.

[@Imnotyourdoormat]

*I liked Iacocca's Mini-Van commercials when he said **_"Buy American."_** While his Vans were built in Canada with Mitsubishi Engines shipped in crates from Japan. His Omni/Horizon utilized German VW crate motors.*

[@chuckselvage3157]

Yep. WW2 never ended.

[@LionWithTheLamb]

I was told that they were actually Volkswagen engines.

[@TheJetJONES]

Also: The Omnis/Horizons were basically French 🤣

[@bryantint1339]

First was Canada near Detroit. Second is Babylon USA in Fenton, Missouri. First was Windsor, Ontario, Canada. They hired American commuters. Near Detroit.

[@albear972]

@@TheJetJONES SIMCA, Ooooh la la!

[@OLDS98]

Good video. I was waiting for you to mention the 1990's Imperial and New Yorker and New Yorker Fifth Avenue. You did at the end. Chrysler lived on the K car chassis for years and did it successfully too. They had a bunch of cars off that platform. The US Government bought a lot of those K cars too. I used to see them parked at the recruiting office and near government places. They were used in a lot of films as you shared. Things changed with LH cars which got its chassis from the Eagle/AMC Premier and the rear drive Chrysler 300 and Charger and Challenger which got its platform from Mercedes Benz.

[@joshuagibson2520]

CAFE standards and cash for clunkers are 2 of the worst things to ever happen to the auto market.

[@Dwigt_Rortugal]

Cash for clunkers just felt really wasteful. The engine had to be permanently disabled (destroyed internally). Okay, we're supposed to be saving the environment, but we're doing so by making people buy new things that require resources to manufacture and filling up lots with deliberately destroyed vehicles. Bravo.

[@mikeweizer3149]

​@Dwigt_Rortugal Cash for Clunkers a forerunner to Obamacare!!!!!!.

[@landonbenford8369]

@@Dwigt_Rortugal If we only knew then what we know now.

[@ilovetotri23]

Thanks for the Ferris Bueller clip!

[@borandolph1267]

How about the gm w bodies? Olds Cutlass Supreme and Chevrolet Lumina, etc.

[@G0ZERIAN]

Here for John Voight 👀

[@a.person7825]

I have his pencil.

[@chewybunz]

????

[@a.person7825]

@@chewybunz It’s a Seinfeld thing. 🤣

[@MyFriendlyPup]

I love her.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

​@@a.person7825Costanza got mad at Jerry and made him walk! 😅

[@chewybunz]

Chrysler was actually pushing Dodge as its performance division since the early 1980s. I recall the "America's Driving Machines" ad campaign from those days.

[@Planag7]

That last clip is very timely with the new one coming out soon! C:

[@ravipeiris4388]

These cars were an essential part for middle class folks to afford, so good on Chrysler ❤.

[@chrislemaster2695]

Can you do a video on the 1987-1993 Dodge Dynasty. I had 3 Dynasty a 1988 1992 1993 and all were cheap and easy to fix and peppy as well.

[@peter455sd]

The K cars were nice drivers and incredibly comfortable

[@pinpointism]

constantly being repaired

[@user-tl6xl5ks1l]

I had a 1985 dodge omni with 2.2 mis engine w/5sp trans. Put 300k w/1 clutch change. 1st new car i ever bought. Would do it all over again.😊

[@aguerra1381]

Great cars. I had 6 of them over a period of about 33 years in 2 different countries. Put well over 230,000 on 2 of them with the 2.2 engine. The great flaw on those cars were the outside door handles.

[@kaymoorridge2059]

I miss the music

[@mdmarko]

Remember seeing Omnis and Horizons in the fall of 78 as 79 models. Looked pretty good, saw many of them. The Omni 024 had some very sharp styling for its' day. Have you done one on the Ford Fairmont? Sure would like to see one. Thanks!

[@radudeATL]

I guess I’ll have to sing the music to myself… 😗

[@chrisglenn2096]

I’ll sing backup

[@jelanimclean6326]

I Love K-Cars Since Before I Was Born In ‘96 NY! 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@negativeindustrial]

You also capitalize every word, so there’s that.

[@user-yy9hk9od9u]

It looks like a car designed in Minecraft.

[@Dwigt_Rortugal]

They all did. Most cars were boxy in that era.

[@kevinbarry71]

For more than a decade all of their front wheel drive vehicles were based on the same platform, yes that includes the minivan

[@RADIUMGLASS]

6:49 GM did that with the windows on Malibu.

[@OLDS98]

You are correct. It was all the G Body sedans in the 1980's: Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac Grand LeMans and Bonneville, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Buick Century and Regal.

[@tayljordan]

Thank you for the great content.

[@a.person7825]

Nice BNL sound bite!

[@turbo1gts]

Really good video as always. The Plymouth Caravelle is actually on the "E" platform. Along with the Dodge 600 and Chrysler E Class and New Yorker. Also, the replacement for the Mitsubishi 2.6 was the Chrysler 2.5, which was a stroked 2.2 liter. The 2.4 came later, in the Stratus, Cirrus, Breeze, Caravan, and Voyager.

[@stevenpdx89]

All the E platform was, was just a stretched K platform. Zero difference otherwise.

[@RADIUMGLASS]

Havent seen a Oldsmobile Firenza in maybe 30 years. A relative of mine had one new and what a piece of s*** it was. Got rid of it at less than 50,000 miles. If there isn't a video on that I'd like to see one.

[@paulsheehan5010]

I had a 1981 Plymouth Reliant and a 1985 Dodge Aries.

[@weegeemike]

These cars are often nothing more than punch lines nowadays, but as a Chrysler fan/loyalist/historian, I really appreciate them. Without Iacocca, the K, and the minivans, Chrysler would have been dead by '81. These were instrumental in the successful reinvention of Chrysler Corporation. So many of these were seen as throwaway cars and trashed and beat on as a result. A true staple of American roads in the 80s, as common as the Camry is today, it's crazy to realize there aren't that many left, and even fewer in any sort of above average or even average condition. I've always wanted a 2 door or a wagon with the 2.5 Chrysler K engine. If I could ever find a clean one, which is next to impossible, I'd buy it on the spot. Great video as always.

[@kifhurlbut]

You missed that George Costanza had a K car that he bought because he was told that it belonged to Jon Voight.

[@kirkericson2722]

the bite marks on the pencil in the glove box could prove it.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

​@@kirkericson2722But the owner card read "JOHN Voight". Jerry pointed that out. AHAHAHAHAHA! 😆😆😆😆😆

[@vicp8772]

Every k car at the time I saw, brand new. Had the rear suspension down for some reason, as if there was 400lb in the trunk

[@joshuagibson2520]

I remember the same.

[@1985toyotacamry]

Do they have air suspension or the tail end isn't so strong

[@Project_Low_Expectations]

They were just built that way. A lot of the front wheel drive cars were.

[@pinpointism]

they were intentonally made garbage

[@WinkelManBearPig]

It had soft suspension to hide the beam axle

[@LaGaspa]

At timestamp 5:33 It was also known as the "Semi-Hemi"!!

[@GLHS592]

You mentioned a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder. It was actually a 2.5 liter.

[@bkthompson877]

If it's good enough for Bill Devane and Tina Turner, I'm onboard.🤪

[@BeeABaw]

I miss the music. ☹️

[@peterelliott7333]

Knew someone with 440 in Reliant Wagon. Had a Gremlin as well. With a 426

[@steventeleky3350]

DEAR LORD YES. IVE BEEN WAITIN YEARS

[@harrysatin5110]

It was the K Minivan the real hero.

[@RipRoaringGarage]

I gotta watch Beverly Hills Cop again... The 80s. Great music, great movies....cars....eh...

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Good video 🥰

[@Dwigt_Rortugal]

2:45 f*** wheel drive? That's a new one. Sounds innovative.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Actually, it was a thing in the early 80s, especially for Detroit. And Japan. The Corolla, in fact, was still rear wheel drive when the K Car launched.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Hey! Where is Jon Voight's car that George Costanza bought? 😅

[@American_Voyager101]

can you do a video about the malaise era explaining the effects on the big three and AMC during the oil crisis of the 70s

[@ginog5037]

Lee saved Chrysler, who will save them today. Here's a blast from the past how about a video on the 1981 BMW 320i?

[@kevinbarry71]

I remember that carnival Barker CEO of Chrysler in the 80s talking about how America is this or America is that; meanwhile he was selling an entire line of cars made by Mitsubishi badged as Colts

[@MisterMikeTexas]

"Isn't it ironic? Don'tcha think?"

[@jamesziegler2763]

Interesting

[@danneilson7768]

Can you do something on the Plymouth arrow with the rotary engine I can remember the commercial

[@clydeferguson519]

The 84 Caravan was the last, best Chrysler I owned.

[@Alan-lv9rw]

The K car looks like a Ford Fairmont.

[@bretsteinmetz3342]

I swear growing up I thought the K Car was meant only for Mary Kay cosmetics sales people 😂😂😂

[@ShowMeWhatINeedToKnow]

We had a Reliant and an Aries. They were both pretty "meh".

[@a.person7825]

Ha! Edward Rooney!

[@GeeEm1313]

Graaaaace!

[@RepairMan2x]

The 2.5L replaced the Mitsubishi 2.6.

[@YungColonCancer]

Can you cover the 1990 Buick Regal?

[@danielknepper6884]

Seems like the two-door sedans were rare, I saw tons and tons and tons of the four-door K cars. Wagons must have been rare also

[@digitalfootballer9032]

I knew a girl in high school that had a K series wagon with the faux wood panels. That was a rare one, never saw another like it. The ultimate grocery getter car 😂

[@user-iu9pf7tp6p]

First car was an 83 Reliant... That thing was a piece....

[@wesleyclark947]

Can you do a video on the Nissan sx cars?

[@markhaley100]

The Dodge Omni was a Talbot Horizon from England

[@cormacbeats]

i am begging you to make a video on the volkswagen fox please

[@TheBrowncoat2112]

Nice Barenaked Ladies insert.

[@1mzfe]

Thank You

[@BobMar1964]

Dad drove Chryslers for 30+ years. 86 LeBaron GTS was the final straw before getting a Honda.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

I grew up across the street from a Mopar family. They deviated one time, with a Volvo wagon. That failed experiment resulted in a replacement with one of the last Plymouth Valiant sedans before the Volare/Aspen twins took over.

[@samuelchandler7612]

A blue Reliant Aries was used in the movie I know what you did last Summer 1997

[@gumonmyshu]

The door is ajar! The door is ajar! The door is ajar! The door is ajar! The door is ajar! The door is ajar! The door is ajar! The door is ajar! The door is ajar! When the door pin malfunctioned in the Le Baron.

[@kennethswain6313]

How about the Geo Metro? It has got to be on somebody’s “Worst List” three cylinder and cheap materials Metro was a poor choice

[@michaelgriffith5747]

Reliant k the band

[@PrydeWater901]

Look at all the model lines that only lasted one generation. That’s proof positive that American automakers never put much effort into compacts.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

Nissan Sentra next

[@pdennis93]

🎶if i had a million dollars, i'd buy you a K-car, a nice Reliant automobile🎶

[@GeeEm1313]

Thanks.

[@Dwigt_Rortugal]

BNL, and Reliant K is also a band.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Would you eat Kraft food every night?

[@analogidc1394]

You could soak the fenders in salt water and it wouldn't rust. Weatherman forecasts rain, and paint on the rear quarter panels begins to bubble.

[@waggitnshaggit6592]

Good stuff Ol Lido was the savior 😊. You might covered it but amc Jeep wagoneer or Eagle wagon

[@Ka9radio_Mobile9]

🥰

[@aa64912]

I had an airies. Great car

[@spiffysrq]

Mitsubishi Diamante???

[@otakubancho6655]

The K car,just slightly better than a Yugo!😂😂😂

[@tedcorey3054]

A friend had a Ply. Horizon , great car .

[@darrellasmith77]

Still holding out for the CRX episode

[@garylee171]

Where’s the music?!😒

[@kc0lif]

k cars were cool. lee iacocca still doing a great job.

[@stevenpdx89]

He's dead

[@Haulinbassracing]

If i had a million dollars

[@ningho]

hi

[@deanstevenson6527]

🥝✔️

[@kingpin7666]

If you ever wondered how US auto makers dug their own grave, just look at the sheer volume of crappy K cars that they put out one after another the exact same car over and over again

[@jasonhsu4711]

Sadly, the K cars were a high water mark for Chrysler. Chrysler quality and reliability dropped in the 1990s and then really fell off a cliff when Fiat took over.

[@negativeindustrial]

The Chrysler cars were already a running joke for their lack of reliability. See the contemporary show “Married With Children” for multiple examples.

[@Henry_Jones]

Chrysler has always been known for great style and function with poor reliability, from the 30s to today. Its like its in their dna.

[@Henry_Jones]

Ive been reading articles that the russians are easily taking out the abrams tanks in ukraine. Now I know why. Its a 1970s chrysler 🤣

[@richardbullwood5941]

Chrysler was going under. The k-car stopped the bleeding, the minivan made them profitable again

[@MichaelSellers5691]

That looks like Eddie Murphy punching that gas pump.

[@Dwigt_Rortugal]

Some bloody knuckles and a sore fist for a few days

[@howebrad4601]

The Plymouth caravelle came out in 85. For the 83 and 84 years dodge sold the 600 which was on a stretched K platform.with wheelbase of 103.1 inches. Chryslers version of the stretch was sold as the Chrysler E Class for 83 and 84, then Chrysler dropped it and Plymouth came out with the caravelle to follow. The E Class was essentially a New Yorker without the formal padded rear roof.

[@dubvuchyea502]

ITS A LEBARON!

[@Dwigt_Rortugal]

Et voila! Le baron. It sounds so sophisticated with a "le" in front of it. But une voiture is feminine? Maybe le baron is driving la voiture.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Isn't that what George Costanza said? 😁

[@dubvuchyea502]

@@MisterMikeTexas Freddy Got Fingered reference

[@scottysgarage4393]

They were such horrible cars and yet people bought them. As a kid it was baffling to look at the cars of the 50's, 60's and even 70's I grew up with and then see this tasteless, rattling, under-powered garbage tooling around. It was one of the most obvious aspects of how low the US sank during the 70's and especially during the Carter regime.