The early-1980s were such a funny era. I mean, not ha-ha funny although there’s an element of that, too. Funny in that those cars that we always thought would be around would be shown the door and new cars and entirely new ways of looking at how cars were designed, styled and used would enter the scene through that open door. This 1983 Dodge Aries is one of those cars. This one is listed on eBay with a buy it now price of $5,500! It’s located in Oakwood, Illinois.
I know, $5,500, that’s what this car would have cost new, give or take a few hundred bucks. The seller is short on the description and that’s being polite. This is their entire listing: “All Original including the tires. Factory Air Conditioning.” That’s it. Could you imagine Lee Iacocca ever using only eight words to describe how he wanted his eggs prepared let alone in describing a car?! Especially his car? I don’t know of too many people who think of Iacocca of the father of the Mustang from his years at Ford but almost everyone I know thinks of him as the father of the K-Car. Chrysler really saturated the market with advertising for the K-Cars, and they had to in order to save the company from bankruptcy.
This car will never sell for $5,500, of course, but it’s fun to think about. How many of us have squirreled away things for decades either by just forgetting about them or by purposely thinking that “it’ll be worth something someday”? I know that I have and some of my stuff is worth some relative serious money now. Unfortunately, that means that it’s hard to find a buyer for that stuff given its current value. Which means that it won’t sell for what it’s currently worth so it’ll go back to the closet under the stairs and when I’m gone my wife will sell that stuff for a fraction of what it’s worth or give it away. Fun to think about, eh!? I don’t know if the seller is really thinking that this 20,000-mile original Aries is worth $5,500 or not or if that’s a starting point for negotiation. They say to always buy the best example of anything that you can find and afford: car, guitar, house, grill tongs, whatever. I would argue that the best Aries currently available may be this example.
Enough depression and value speculation, back to this Aries. A lot of people say that Chrysler lost a lot of respect in their former engineering leadership with these cars, I think the exact opposite of that. The company put a lot of thought and design into making them simple, useful, easy to maintain, and cheap to own. They really did have room enough for six adults on the inside, at least on cars with a bench seat in front. And as you expected by the price, the interior on this one looks as close to new as possible. With only 20,000 miles on it, this car must have been stored indoors and rarely driven. With original tires that are now 35-years old, that should be the first thing on the next owners’ agenda.
Some of us don’t think about it now unless we’re working on one of our classic cars, but there was a time when engines were fairly easy to work on. Changing spark plugs didn’t always mean removing several layers of plastic covers. A transverse-mounted 2.2L inline-four maybe wasn’t as easy to change the belts on as an older engine was, but compared to cars today this one would be a snap – maybe not a good choice of terms for changing belts, but you know what I mean. For a “modern” drivetrain, the Aries and Reliant engines were about as easy to service as it got. A Mitsubishi-made balanced-shaft 2.6L four was also available. I’ve had three of those and thought they were great engines for me. So, the price of this example notwithstanding, does anyone have any memories of an Aries or Reliant?
This one looks deceptively roomy. at 6-2, I had to drive one for work with my knees on the dash… and that was with the front seat adjusted for as far back as possible.
No Way!
I’m 6’4 and put over 100,000 km onto one of those. As basic as could be even manual steering and no rear window defroster! But I drove the heck out of it, pretty well always flat out, and it just kept running. Eventually, it got Daytona suspension and a Charger computer. Still have fond memories of that little guy.
I agree with Erik. I’m 6’3″ and I didn’t have my “knees on the dash”. In fact I was comfortably able to drive without the front seat in the extreme furthest back. I believe I had it one or two clicks from the furthest back point.
There was either something terribly wrong with the K car that you drove 4504 (like the seat only had half of it’s travel), or you recall incorrectly.
It’s all about your inseam, not your overall height. I’m 6’0’ but Long waisted so my head hits the roof in many midsize cars that taller people fit into just fine
Amazed it still runs.
Weeniemobile
Ahh, I love it. Just keep Guy Coulombe away from it. Every one is the LAST ONE.
“Funny in that those cars that we always thought would be around would be shown the door and new cars and entirely new ways of looking at how cars were designed, styled and used would enter the scene through that open door.”
I read that 5 times and it hurt each time.
True these were what some would consider “throwaway cars” back in the day, but Chrysler Corp. would cease to exist today if not for them.
These cars did have a lot of room and were surprisingly wide on the inside. For those of you that have never driven a carbureted 2.2, you are in for surprises. These engines had vapor lock problems often going from hot summer air into a storm where the air temperature dropped dramatically. At least this was our experience with an ’83.
Aaron Crabtree I used to work on this kind of Car specialized in them & have seen many of the 2.2 & 2.5 Litre Engines & not once had any trouble with Vapor Locking & I worked on hundreds if not thousands of them & that is weird because I drive G.M. Cars but specialized in Chrysler Cars
I had an ’83-1/2 Dodge Shelby Charger with the non-turbo 2.2 high output engine. It too had vapor lock in hot temperatures that showed itself when taking turns from a dead stop… like at intersections! Chrysler knew about it as there was a TSB issued. Under warranty they installed a fuel accumulator just before the carb that was supposed to cool the fuel. It helped a little, but did not cure the problem. I cured the problem by installing an electric fuel pump. Problem disappeared after that.
I had the misfortune of finding it necessary to ride in one of these back when my friend (a Chrysler exec) had a brand new white two-door version. No headroom, no legroom, no shoulder room, vile in every sense of the word. To this day, I still grind my teeth when someone refers to the inaugural K-car, despite the fact that I later drove my wife’s Plymouth Acclaim LE (1990) and owned a Chrysler New Yorker Landau (also a 1990) and liked both of them considerably. Aires and Reliant may have saved Chrysler, but they did so by driving a stake into the heart of Chrysler’s reputation for designing a modicum of roominess into their midsize automobiles, which these clearly did not possess.
They were really good rental cars, but not much else.
I’m amazed that this one isn’t plagued with electrical issues like every single one I ever dealt with was – including my ex-wife’s car that ended up burning up completely in an elecrical fire. Definitely a time capsule, but I also think the ask is pretty optimistic.
My grandma had a blue one, just as clean. Sold it about 3 yrs ago i think around $1000
No tilt steering wheel and an AM radio. Did I miss Air Conditioning on the
window sticker? As I recall A/C could be put on by the dealer in the day.
This unit was likely a dealer’s “ad car”, meaning run an ad in the local paper
for a low price to bring the folks in. It is the reason it is red with a red bench seat interior, as it’s NOT a favorite color choice.
“Where’s the car you had advertised?”
“This it?! But it’s red!”
Ahhhh, we have others over here….a little more expensive….
It has air conditioning as mentioned in the article.
Since when has red not been “not a favorite color choice”.
Owned 3 of them, one of them being a wagon…one of a very few small cars with a bench seat…roomy inside, it wasn’t long before the 2.2 started to make noises…one never started in the rain, no matter how many new parts were thrown at it..
This still makes me laugh… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twkIdxgS0lo
A buddy of mine in L.A. owned one for years, primarily for the fact that he could service it, himself (and he was the last person I’d have ever imagined opening the hood of his car to whip the carb off for a DIY rebuild!).
When it finally got to the point where it wasn’t worth keeping on the road, he sold it and bought a Kia Sephia. He used to tell me how much he missed his K-Car Dodge.
I would have never considered one of these collectable, but I could say the same about my Ford Sierra wagon, which is only a year newer than the example posted…
My first new car was a 1982 Plymouth reliant. Red with red vinyl interior. 2.2 with a 4 speed stick, AM radio, no air. Out the door, tax, title, license for $6750. It was a great little car!
With a manual trans, the folks in the neighborhood thought I had the fastest car around. It would roast 2nd gear when properly driven. Had to find out the hard way that you shouldn’t do reverse doughnuts in a drive-in. I folded in the right front wheel after launching off one burm onto the other.
Congrats. First time I’ve ever heard “K-Car” and “roast” in the same sentence.
I’ve been attending MA state vehicle auctions since I was twelve years old. I won’t say how old I am now, but let’s just say that was a few decades or so ago.
The minimum opening bid is one dollar.
In all of that time, I can recall four vehicles that sold for a dollar. One of them was the Plymouth Reliant K, a cousin to the car pictured here. That was roughly 2004. Despite super low miles and a history of only being gently driven by the department of mental health, nobody wanted the darn thing. Ive seen bidding get high (and bidders too, perhaps) for junk, but sometimes even I am still surprised.
I guess on the bright side, I can think of few better vehicles for the Department of Mental Health than this one.
I had an 81 Wagon for a while, Black with Tan interior, with A/C and Power Steering if I remember correctly. The car was trouble free, not a hell of a lot
but reliable transport. No grunt either. I can’t remember what I paid for it new. I’m wondering of this Seller really wants to sell. Some of these guys need a real education about how to pitch the car to the unwashed. Try it at $3500.00 provided it needs nothing and you have a driver.
I know exactly how you feel about those prized possessions Scotty (hence the attached picture). I always refer to these things as “Adam’s superannuation that the government doesn’t know about.” By the time this car was released in the US, the entire Chrysler concern in Australia had been absorbed by Mitsubishi, so we never received the K-Code cars. I’ve always thought that this was a shame. Maybe they’re not the most inspiring cars on the planet, but as basic new car transport I honestly believe that they would probably have given the local products from Ford and Holden a bit of a shake.
These were my preferred cheap rental back in the day. Fairly comfortable, decent steering, easy on gas. I didn’t care for the carbs, but we had several used K cars and derivatives in the family with injected 2.2s and 2.5s. Not exactly Toyota quality, but not nearly as pricy for a decent one. They all ran up at least 150k miles without major repairs except for the Acclaim that caught fire under the dash and burned.
A nice Reliant automobile. (If you live north of the border you might understand.)
If I had a million dollars, I’d buy you a K car, a nice reliant automobile 🎶
With fancy dijon catsup and pre-wrapped bacon. (Buffalo was close enough to “North of the Border) Go Leafs!
I would buy you a K-Car….
If you had $1,000,000. =)
One of the kids I worked with bought an
’88 Aries as a used car back in ’94 or thereabouts. It was the first car he’d
ever bought on his own and as I recall,
he was grinning ear to ear. A couple of
weeks later, it backfired through the
carberator and the damned car burned
to the ground. I felt so bad for him as
he still had to pay off that charred hunk
of metal. About a week before this happened, I fixed his vapor locking issue
by attatching wooden clothespins from
the carbeurator along the fuel line as far
as I could reach. Problem solved. Used
that trick on my ’53 Ford 2-door sedan
when the flathead V-8 pulled the same
trick on me years before. Another annoying problem was excessive wear on
the front brake pads. I knew another
paper carrier who drove one and her
husband told me that they were replacing
these every 3 weeks!! Had a ’93 Dodge
Caravan with the same front drive setup
and had no brake problems at all. And as
for this car, the seller is testing Barnum’s
theory regarding a sucker being born every minute. This car is nice, but it’s
not all that. Sorry pal, 2K is as far as I’d
go on this one.
Ken Carney I know exactly what you are talking about the paper carrier I knew a woman that a paper carrier too & she had that car over here at my house about every other day or week I mean all day long I worked on that car all day due to the fact that she made a list of things that she did not like or needed fixed believe me you don’t have a thing on me as far as that goes I did not really say that the car was worth $5,500 it is definitely not worth that much it is a nice car for it’s age still no go as you say $2,000 $2500 maybe
Stan as you look back. Have you ever thought. Maybe she really wanted you to work on her? I had a couple of these and they were good little cars . Comfortable and easy on gas. Dad had a couple. His station wagon is still out back. I remeber when he passed away. A couple of weeks after his passing. I started to work and told mom to use my car instead of his. I caught a ride with a friend. That night when I came in. I noticed the car was pulled in backwards. Mom came out crying and apologizing and told me they had started to the cemetary and stopped at this gas station. As my sister went in.Mom ,niece and other sister stayed in the car and a little later on. They noticed smoke coming from the hood. They got out and called the fire department.Which was just down the road a little ways.They got it out and didn,t do much damage.Scorched the hood and burnt up some vaccum hoses and gas line. Looking at how and where the lines are–is dangereous. Who works–inspects the cars for saftey? It sure is not anyone with any common sence. Anyways I repaired everything and the car sits out back.
My wife and I bought a new 1985 Pontiac 6000. While it was in the shop getting the hood repainted, the Pontiac dealer lent us one of their used cars for about a week, an early 80s Dodge Aries. I believe it was in the spring time, so coolish mornings. But every morning I tried to crank that car about 10 or 12 times before I could ever get it running.
A side note about cars of this era being easy to work on, the 6000 was not. I had a 1978 Thunderbird at the time which I often changed the oil. Even with my smallish hands, I had a very difficult time getting the oil filter off the 6000. After one attempt at changing that oil, I said nevermore, and carried it to a repair shop each time after that to have it changed.
Another thought, I didn’t think Iacocca was considered the father of the K-car, but father of the K-car derived minivan.
You’re right. When Iacocca arrived at Chrysler the K car was being tooled for production. The go ahead already been given to produce it. It takes a couple of years from approval for production to when the assembly line actually starts building the car.
The minivan, though, was Iacocca’s baby all the way.
Johnny I have seen those CARS that have been on fire under the HOOD the one particular CAR I’m speaking of was an 89 PLYMOUTH HORIZON it just like KEN CARNEY stated it BACKFIRED through the what you call the FUEL INJECTION & caught all of the wiring right above the FUEL INJECTION a fire ane burned the FIREWALL wires about 6 to 8 inches DAD went in there & rewired it wire for wire & it did start & run also surprising everything on the CAR worked but I have seen many of the CHRYSLER CARS in that era have that trouble early 80 s to late 80 s
BFers- I need help! I have $5500 to spend. Should I buy the K-car or the 1984 Corvette?
Kidding!
I wonder if the tires are Firestone 500’s?
Haaaaaaa. Good one!
Brings back memories. My grandmother’s last new car was a light blue Dodge 400 K car…downsized from a 1977 Chrysler Newport sedan. Grandfather was a civil engineer and always owned Chryslers.
These were good in snow…..
Sold Reliants at a CP dealership in 1981; first year out. Don’t do neutral drops. They will smoke the tires 3 times, then the tranny does weird things, like go into drive & reverse at the same time.
I think they were base priced at just under $5500, basic, brand new. I had a 2 door with a floor mounted shifter and a center console. I had such disdain for these cars, that I went through 2 trannys in 2 separate demos. Got fired.
Odd thing I noticed on the Mulroney Sticker…why in the world would they need to “Counter-Balance” the hood?
Hi Stan! Along with the paper carrier
I mentioned, there was another carrier
that had the same problems with his
brand new ’88 Dodge Caravan. Seems
to me they layed out the chassis of the
Caravan the same way as they did the
cars. Any problems the cars had, the
minivans did as well. Got to the point
that if a carrier prospect came in with
one of these things, they weren’t hired
to do a route at all. Mrs. and I avoided
all the K car drama by running a ’73
Ford Maverick 4-door powered by a
235 HP 302 V-8 backed by a C-6 tranny.
Fastest hunk o’ junk in the district. We
had it up to 115 MPH before my wife
got scared and backed out of it. Could
have hit 120 or better as she still had
about 31/2 inches of pedal left. Think
that someone out there will buy this car
at that rediculous price and think they got
a bargain. Take the 5K, look around for a
good servicable Model A, and buy that
instead.
KEN CARNEY you are exactly right all CHRYSLER did to the VANS & the CARS is put a VAN body on one & a CAR body on the other I used to work on the FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CHRYSLER CARS & VANS from the late 80,s to the MID 90,s I specialized in them to be a matter of fact
For 20 years I would go tho the New York City surplus vehicle auctions buying ex police cars for the car service industry. Started out with Diplomats and ended with Impalas. In the ’90s when my wife needed a car to run around Brooklyn with, I would buy a K-Car from some agency like health dept or whatever. Usually an ’86 or ’87 fuel injected with under 50,000 miles. The bids started at $100 and that is what we got them for. They were perfect for her use and after a few months she’d sell it for $500 and get another one
My parents bought an Aries identical to the one listed here, brand new. When they got it home, they said it was shifting funny. Turns out there wasn’t a drop of transmission fluid in it.
Did that stop them from buying Chryslers? No. They did, all the way up until they could no longer drive.
P.S.: I own a Charger, so I guess I didn’t learn anything either.
I bought Chrysler stock at $5 a share and sold it for $35 a share, thanks to these cars.
My first car was a 1983 dodge aries dark brown w/ 2.2L. Loved that beast.
I was supposed to get either a 89/90 in 1994 for my first car. My dad worked for Chrysler at the time. The car had a new engine. My mom and I left a deposit. My dad threw a fit because he wasn’t willing to pay what he said until he did his taxes. I ended up not getting the car and he got a tax refund to boot. Ended up with a 85 Duster/Turismo. It had a little more pep but was junk. My friend had a 4 door 84 Reliant and I had a 89 Daytona at the time. He had to go pick up his dads car and I drove his reliant to his house and I remember hitting the accelerator to the floor to make it move. I don’t think I got past 60mph. It was sluggish. I let him drive my Daytona after and even at a 4 cylinder it was too responsive for him. No wonder 3 years of his car would do that. I finally gave up on Chrysler products in 2013 when my 7 year old Stratus died at 90,000. Love my Accord. It’s now 7 years old with 55,000 and never had a single issue other than battery and tires. In 8 more I’ll get another.
I bought an 83 Plymouth Reliant SE, when it was about a year old – from Best Chrysler-Plymouth in El Cajon, CA. I drove it for quite a while, then I sold it to my mom as she really liked it, she thought it was like a small Chrysler. To me, this car is probably easily worth the money if it is in good shape – it looks good, and you don’t get much car for that much money with the car market right now. I also had a New Yorker E-class with the optional 2.6 Mitsubishi engine, that engine is a dog – had it blow once up a grade as the cat converter supposedly clogged up, had it rebuilt, expensive job, turns out that engine is hard to rebuild correctly, had to junk it when it blew the 2nd time. The 2.2 liter 4 (as my mom’s car had) is Chrysler built, and overall a great engine, and transmission. She quit driving when the car had about 160,000 miles or so, it had one expensive repair early on which turned out to be bad gas (dealership changed about every sensor to no avail, if you stomped on the gas the car took off like a 747, when you let off the gas it died) – and later on the engine had to have a kinda expensive repair in the valve train, I think – but these problems never surfaced again. Very comfortable, attractive inside and out, great a/c – I still miss that car –