I’m not sure if a K-car is on anyone’s must-have list, but there were some interesting models. A two-door body style helps bring this one out of the “Two too many doors!!” category, if nothing else. This 1988 Plymouth Reliant is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in East Setauket, NY, and the seller is asking $2,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Zen for the tip!
Even for a $2,500 car, it’s unfortunate that the photos aren’t better, but it isn’t surprising given the history of craigslist ads. I don’t know what the seller was asking for this car, but their description says that they originally had it listed for sale earlier this summer and got 150 responses, “because I didn’t realize what I had!” Since that listing, they put in a new battery and adjusted the asking price. I’m assuming they raised the price, but $2,500 doesn’t buy much anymore. I wonder what they were asking originally? This one is wearing optional (standard on the wagon) 14″ sport wheel covers. Is this a real listing? $2,500?
You can see many areas of worn Radiant Silver paint, nicks, scratches, and other cosmetic issues, and they say the paint is faded and there is minimal rust. I don’t see any visible body rust, or very much. There may be some on the rocker panels, but I’m not sure. We don’t get to see inside the trunk or underneath. And… drumroll: there are no engine photos. Sigh, thanks, 2026. Just when I had hopes for good things happening with listings. Here is a 1988 Plymouth Reliant brochure.
Chrysler offered the K-car in a Dodge Aries version and the Plymouth Reliant. This interior looks incredibly nice, doesn’t it? I don’t see a flaw inside really at all. These cars were made from the fall of 1980 for the 1981 model year until the end of 1989. After that, the Plymouth Acclaim and Dodge Spirit took over. 8,543 two-door coupe versions were made in the 1988 model year, so they’re fairly rare to see today.
Here is the engine… er… dang. Well, the engine isn’t listed by the seller, so I’m guessing it’s the 2.2-liter SOHC inline-four version. A 2.5-liter four was also offered. The 2.2-liter had 93 horsepower and 122 lb-ft of torque, and this one has a three-speed Torqueflite automatic sending power to the front wheels. The seller says it has new tires, the AC is cold, and it runs and drives perfectly. For $2,500, you could do much worse than this good-looking two-door Reliant with cold AC. That seems like a no-brainer to me; what do you think?
Like you said, $2,500 doesn’t buy you much. The problem is the seller spent more time talking about raising the price the describing the car. These aren’t very desirable and it has issue, he might have been better letting it go with the prior ad, even if it was at a lower price.
Steve R