What exactly is a "K" car?

[s2man]

Booya!

[H4MM3R]

Funny video thanks for making me laugh. I drove an '81 K-Car.

[Big Dave]

The K-Cars outlasted the contemporaneous X-Cars of GM (Citation, etc). Both were the corporations' first tries at front wheel drive.

My niece still drives a K-Car. A 1983 Dodge 600.

[RH77]

Ben -- that was freakin' hilarious! Red Green is such an inspiration Fixes anything with duct tape.

That "Aries Driver" vid -- also funny. I remember seeing it too, a while back. At the time I had to watch it 10 times it was so funny (way before YouTube).

The K-Car -- what a ride. A German exchange teacher/student friend at college bought one that was well taken care-of. In the course of the year, it blew a head gasket and was later worth considerably less at the wrecking yard. 'Reliant' my arse. Back when 100,000 miles was the give-up point.

It's rumored for having saved Chrysler from Bankruptcy -- and the Government bought a load of them to help bail them out. I recall one reminiscing of one, "We bailed Chrysler out, and this is the thanks we get?"

I guess some of them worked out for buyers. Definitely smaller and more efficient than predecessors.

RH77

[zjrog]

So very much more than just K, though a lot of interchangability.

Original K Reliant and Aries and the Lebaron K. Engines were 2.2 Chrysler built motor and 2.6 Mitsubishi motor. Produced through 90.
84 brought turbocharging to the 2.2.
84 also brought the S bodied minivans with 2.2 and 2.6, but no turbo.
Also, a stretched K or "E" Class was added and an even more stretched K base Limo...
Daytonas were added in 84 or 85 as a G body. A very refined version of the K car.
85 introduced the 4 door H body Lancer/Lebaron GTS, basically a stretched G body. Ended in 89.
87 brought the extended length minivan, as well as the 3.0 V6 Mitsu motor.
87 brought the Shadow/Sundance as a P body. Depending on year, 2.2, 2.2 turbo, 2.5, 2.5 turbo, 3.0 V6. Last year was 94
87 also brought the J body Lebaron Coupe and ragtop. Add the 2.5 turbo and 3.0 V6 too.
88 saw the A body Spirit and Acclaim, with 2.5, 2.5 turbo and 3.0 V6.
89 and 90, the short wheelbase minivans got the 2.5 turbo as an option. (Ever see a minivan dragrace?)
91 saw the minivans get a facelift, through 95. 96 saw them turn into to overweight jellybeans...
93 saw the end of the Daytona and the A bodied cars. Also, 93 saw the last of the turbo cars.
I won't even discuss the Shelby cars of the era... Yes, Shelby worked with Dodges too.

Does this help?
94 saw the end of the P bodies.
Some 95 Lebarons were produced, all were convertibles.

[RH77]

Originally Posted by zjrog

87 brought the extended length minivan, as well as the 3.0 V6 Mitsu motor.

Around '93 we inherited a company van with 200K miles:

'88 Plymouth Voyager SE, V-6. First vehicle I drove regularly and yes, I was in high school. (way cool). But it was a car and I was allowed to drive it!

The odo/speedo quit at 260K (had to remember RPM to speed ), so my guess is 280K when it was sold.

It was a great driving vehicle -- VERY durable, smooth, powerful -- and it handled well. It was OK on gas, but back then, I didn't do a whole lot of driving.

I guess a distant relative of the K, good stuff...

RH77