Back in 1987, I bought almost this exact same car, except mine was a silver convertible with leather and it didn’t have plastic woodgrain on the sides… other than that, it was the same.. This little red wagon can be found here on craigslist in the Lakewood area of Dallas, Texas. The seller is asking what seems like a very reasonable $3,400 for this one. Thanks to Pat L. for sending in this tip!
You can’t get much for $3,400 anymore in the car world, let alone what would have been towards the top of the heap as far as luxury and features went back in the mid-1980s. Frankly, I can’t believe that this car is still for sale at this price, even though according to NADA it’s right on the money. They list a perfect car as being $3,400.
There is no Mark Cross leather in this car like I had in my LeBaron convertible, that was nice stuff, but red velour is hard to beat – warm in summer and cool in winter. The back seat looks as nice or nicer than the front seat does and the rear cargo area follows suit – it also looks perfect. I’m smitten with this car, as if you haven’t noticed. Did I mention the underside photos in the listing? It’s hard to beat how clean and dry it looks under this beauty, unlike anything that we’d have in the upper-Midwest or Northeast for sure, unless it was in storage most of its life and never driven in the snow.
The seller says that they drive this car, it isn’t left in a garage or barn and it has 91,000 miles on it. The engine should be Mitsubishi’s 2.6L inline-four with 100 hp, which my LeBaron also had and it was a great engine. I have one in a little Mitsubishi/Dodge pickup now and it’s just as nice of an engine in that as it was 30 years ago in my LeBaron. This one drips a bit but it has a new exhaust, starter, and tires. There is no question that a car like this is a future collectible, but whether one with 91,000 miles would be is up for debate. Have any of you owned a LeBaron of this era?
Good one Scotty. Betting you really liked the movie Twins with DeVito & Schwarzenegger.
What’s black & white, and malaise all over?
Sweet car for running errands around town…would be a tad nicer with the turbo engine, but I’d take it as it sits. Picking up the kids from school, blasting Def Leppard with the windows down…I’d be the coolest dad ever.
Hellcat / RWD transplant.
A tarted-up K-Car just isn’t something I’d want…but then again, I have no recollection of ever having seen one of these. The buyer will have the only one on his block, or maybe his county!
I have this same year and model but in white; 40k original miles, Mark Cross leather, 2 owner car. And yes, that’s what they’re worth.
Wha….? “There is no question that a car like this is a future collectible”.
There are plenty of reasons that is simply not going to be the case. Zero performance (I know, as I drove one back in college as a hand-me-down when these were just a few years old), poor build quality, cheap materials, unmemorable square box design (the sedan version of the K car was worse than the wagon). Terrible steering with no feedback. Terrible jostling ride experience. Typical malaise era utility appliance.
I suppose a person could collect just about anything. But if the implication is these will be valuable automobiles coveted by collectors as the best of the 1980s, I beg to differ with you.
The same could be said of many early cars too, yet they are collectible – For example, everything you said could also be said of the Studebaker Lark ( and I like them ! )
A K-Car is a K-Car is a K-Car……JUNK!
no our K-car was awesome had 275,000 miles when my dad sold it awesome on gas never broke down
I knew I’ve seen one of these in a movie. I thought it was red too, but it was beige. Ferris Bueller’s Day off, Ferris’ sister drives their mother’s as he races home through the back yards.
My daughter and her husband had a silver Mark Cross convertible too! I didn’t think much of it until I spent a week with it while they went to the Bahamas. I don’t mind saying, I fell a little in love with it!
Ah…an original minivan! Remember: Chrysler was save by the K-car platform and Mitsubishi. The oil could be remedy by a complete seal job. I’ll probably go check it out since it’s about 3 hrs. from my house.
In 1997, I bought a white 1987 Plymouth Reliant K car wagon (2.2 with AT) with 73k, which originally came from Minnesota. Yet surprisingly, it had no rust on it that I can remember. The body was near perfectly straight on it and the interior was in nice shape. It had a great AM/FM stereo and working AC. Also, It had an engine heater with grill-mounted plug-in, but I never needed it here in western Washington. But it had piston slap that made it sound like a diesel, though it appeared to be benign. To tell you the truth, this was definitely not one of the better cars I have owned. But to be fair, I did use it to deliver papers. Paper delivery is ALWAYS very rough on cars. I remember I had the radiator replaced in it, as well as the shocks, and I can’t remember what else. The old shocks made such a rattling noise that it rattled my nerves to listen to it! It had 115,000 miles on it when it started blowing steam out the exhaust pipe. I wound up donating it in 1999. I later found out from a junkyard employee that failure to be religious with changing the coolant is often what killed K cars. I guess I was not religious 🙏 enough. Therefore I got damned.👹
K cars are not jink.
I owned several and all were very good performers.
This 2.6 must be the Mitsu Hemi I believe ?
Yes, I do remember they called the 2.6 a hemi. Funny how this car would soon evolve into a minivan.
It did that same year.
I worked in Chrysler parts and service many years in the 1990’s. The K platform was bland and boring to be certain, but the cars were quite reliable if moderately maintained. Very easy to diagnose and repair for common folk.
Im picturing a commercial of the day… That pitch-man in the suit, clamoring “If you can find a better car for the price, buy it” …RIP Lee Iacocca
The 2.6 Mitsubishi engine was anything but a “good engine” they fouled plugs and burned oil like nobody’s business :(
“…Have any of you owned a LeBaron of this era?…”
I drove its ‘father’, 2 slanties (both 170s) close to 300,000 mi.
Drove these commercially (fleet of 5 or 6) a few yrs later.
All wagons, all perfect…