Guess I shouldn't be surprised that there are some BITOG members who are gushing over one of the worst cars ever made!
The K-Car - One of the cars that helped save Chrysler
- Thread starter StevieC
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My parents had an 84 reliant when I was a kid. They bought it a year old. They always called it a Monday morning car because it broke down a lot even when it was still new. By 93 it was complete junk and had a piece of road sign sealing the head gasket. We had a 77 Corolla at the same time which was also a terrible car. When the rear suspension started to fall out of the trunk it was replaced by an $800 79 impala from a used car lot which was the most reliable old beater my parents ever had. It went 6 years with only minor repairs in the driveway.
I had the 2.2 with manual shift, piece of junk. Dealer could never tune it so that it did not buck in 4th gear while slowing down, the second you let off the gas it would buck in 4th, no power just junk. Owned an Omni as well, have never owned or looked at a Chrysler product since, never will!!!! Omni had a VW engine with carburetor in lieu of FI.
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I remember seeing them knocking and smoking all the time. I always thought of K cars as the cars that ruined Chrysler.
Not sure what manual a/c is. Isn't that like manual heat? As in, rotate the knob to full until it's about the right temperature, then back down so you don't roast/freeze?
My 2000 Saturn was loaded up with two options: a/c and a passenger mirror. In 2000 that was still an "option".
My mother had the successor of the K car, an Acclaim I think. 2.5/3AT. Not a bad car.
My 2000 Saturn was loaded up with two options: a/c and a passenger mirror. In 2000 that was still an "option".
My mother had the successor of the K car, an Acclaim I think. 2.5/3AT. Not a bad car.
I enjoyed a few AA body (evolution of the K car) rentals back in the 1990s. They seemed to be solid cars.
Once the Neon came out, I had them a number of times and liked them well enough to buy one.
Once the Neon came out, I had them a number of times and liked them well enough to buy one.
Originally Posted by Miller88
The neighbor across the street had an Omnirizon. It would stall no less than 10 times backing out of the driveway. People seem to love them, though. There's a few of them (somhow) still running around and they are a cult classic.
The K platform definitely saved Chrysler. I can still hear the horrific piston slap as an Aries or Caravan drives by in my memories.
That wasn't piston slap that you would hear. That's the chain for the oil pump that was always loose on them and would knock back and forth on these 2.2/2.5's.
The neighbor across the street had an Omnirizon. It would stall no less than 10 times backing out of the driveway. People seem to love them, though. There's a few of them (somhow) still running around and they are a cult classic.
The K platform definitely saved Chrysler. I can still hear the horrific piston slap as an Aries or Caravan drives by in my memories.
That wasn't piston slap that you would hear. That's the chain for the oil pump that was always loose on them and would knock back and forth on these 2.2/2.5's.
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Originally Posted by 4WD
My late mother in law had one ... drove it forever.
As the car got older and needed minor things - lifetime Mopar mechanic (from our church) retired and opened a little shop next to his home.
A friend of mine has his grandfather's which only has about 100K KM (60K KM) on it. It's loaded with the silver cluster/console and nice seats. He keeps it garaged and drives it only on nice days. It's funny to have a K-Car as a garage car but the thing is in mint shape. I keep trying to buy it off him for nostalgia.
My late mother in law had one ... drove it forever.
As the car got older and needed minor things - lifetime Mopar mechanic (from our church) retired and opened a little shop next to his home.
A friend of mine has his grandfather's which only has about 100K KM (60K KM) on it. It's loaded with the silver cluster/console and nice seats. He keeps it garaged and drives it only on nice days. It's funny to have a K-Car as a garage car but the thing is in mint shape. I keep trying to buy it off him for nostalgia.
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GON
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Great video to watch, nice to see how one platform saved a auto manufacturer. Ahead of their American peer manufacturers at the time by using one platform to address so many different categories. Friend had the Shelby Charger, I think MY 1986, was a unique car for the time..
Originally Posted by StevieC
Originally Posted by Miller88
The neighbor across the street had an Omnirizon. It would stall no less than 10 times backing out of the driveway. People seem to love them, though. There's a few of them (somhow) still running around and they are a cult classic.
The K platform definitely saved Chrysler. I can still hear the horrific piston slap as an Aries or Caravan drives by in my memories.
That wasn't piston slap that you would hear. That's the chain for the oil pump that was always loose on them and would knock back and forth on these 2.2/2.5's.
TIL
Never knew that. Definitely was distinct. I remember you could always tell there was a 2.2 or 2.5 powered vehicle nearby by that awful knock.
Originally Posted by Miller88
The neighbor across the street had an Omnirizon. It would stall no less than 10 times backing out of the driveway. People seem to love them, though. There's a few of them (somhow) still running around and they are a cult classic.
The K platform definitely saved Chrysler. I can still hear the horrific piston slap as an Aries or Caravan drives by in my memories.
That wasn't piston slap that you would hear. That's the chain for the oil pump that was always loose on them and would knock back and forth on these 2.2/2.5's.
TIL
Never knew that. Definitely was distinct. I remember you could always tell there was a 2.2 or 2.5 powered vehicle nearby by that awful knock.
Yeah it was a common trait with those engines and it never got worse or caused a problem but it would let you know a 2.2/2.5 was nearby as you said... As I'm typing this I can recall the sound in my head.
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Originally Posted by john_pifer
Guess I shouldn't be surprised that there are some BITOG members who are gushing over one of the worst cars ever made!
Those cars didn't sell themselves, it was Lee Iacocca who was a master salesman. The streets were filled with these Lean Burn cars that pinged everywhere they went.
Guess I shouldn't be surprised that there are some BITOG members who are gushing over one of the worst cars ever made!
Those cars didn't sell themselves, it was Lee Iacocca who was a master salesman. The streets were filled with these Lean Burn cars that pinged everywhere they went.
Everything I learned about auto repair was from an '81 Plymouth Reliant with the 2.6 Mitsu 'Hemi'.
Originally Posted by road_rascal
Everything I learned about auto repair was from an '81 Plymouth Reliant with the 2.6 Mitsu 'Hemi'.
I couldn't remember it had a 'hemi' chamber, and the word on the outside badge.
My first new car was an '81 Omni base version. Cars were awful back then. We worked with what we had, and they WERE better than cars before them in some respects after all.
I think it was all a struggle to use CAD CAM back in the day. It was new. Computers were very annoying yet they made them do something useful !!! Its a complicated historical picture of why cars were crap back then, having to do with lazy factory workers, complacent fat-cat cigar-smoking rich car executives, and increasing consumer demands..... Could fill a book.
Want technical Red Meat? Tired of just marketing? Tired of only "wow, that's a neat-o color!" ?
Then .........Here is an engineering video that shows some of what I'm talking about.
Everything I learned about auto repair was from an '81 Plymouth Reliant with the 2.6 Mitsu 'Hemi'.
I couldn't remember it had a 'hemi' chamber, and the word on the outside badge.
My first new car was an '81 Omni base version. Cars were awful back then. We worked with what we had, and they WERE better than cars before them in some respects after all.
I think it was all a struggle to use CAD CAM back in the day. It was new. Computers were very annoying yet they made them do something useful !!! Its a complicated historical picture of why cars were crap back then, having to do with lazy factory workers, complacent fat-cat cigar-smoking rich car executives, and increasing consumer demands..... Could fill a book.
Want technical Red Meat? Tired of just marketing? Tired of only "wow, that's a neat-o color!" ?
Then .........Here is an engineering video that shows some of what I'm talking about.
I worked for Chrysler in the 80s and I'd agree that within the context ( or PR ) of "better" rather than craptastic cars, combined with the cult of personality around Iaccoca, these cars helped save Chrysler. K cars definitely weren't dynamic in being some kind of real differentiator with the competition. For every owner that was happy with the vehicle there'd be four extolling the virtues of an American car with "a man like Iaccoca at the helm". When he paid back the government loan early it just solidified that sentiment. Back in those days, Iaccoca did an acting bit on Miami Vice which was then one of the biggest shows on TV. I can't imagine Marchionne or an anonymous Ford CEO appearing on something like that...
Originally Posted by Vuflanovsky
I worked for Chrysler in the 80s and I'd agree that within the context ( or PR ) of "better" rather than craptastic cars, combined with the cult of personality around Iaccoca, ..
True, within the context of the times, they weren't too awful. By today's standards, well, they were junk.... Also, at the time, the Accord and Camry was beginning to pick up steam rapidly, although Chrysler correctly noted they were Japanese products, and WWII was still a recent memory in the minds of patriots.
I worked for Chrysler in the 80s and I'd agree that within the context ( or PR ) of "better" rather than craptastic cars, combined with the cult of personality around Iaccoca, ..
True, within the context of the times, they weren't too awful. By today's standards, well, they were junk.... Also, at the time, the Accord and Camry was beginning to pick up steam rapidly, although Chrysler correctly noted they were Japanese products, and WWII was still a recent memory in the minds of patriots.
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