Whether you love it or hate it, the K-car is one of those automobiles that changed the course of automotive history. With their uncommon for-the-time front-wheel drive, 4-cylinder power, compact exterior dimensions, spacious interiors, and fuel efficiency, the K-cars were a total 180 for Chrysler. Their instant success saved Chrysler from certain death, and made front-wheel drive popular in the mainstream family sedan class.
The basic K-platform would soon be adapted to underpin a number of different vehicles sold throughout Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth lineups. In fact, nearly every new Chrysler car from the K’s 1981 introduction through the early 1990s would be based on the humble K-platform. Some of these K-spawned platforms would even be replaced by new K-based ones over the course of its run.
Eleven in total, they included the E-body mid-size sedans (New Yorker/600/Caravelle), the G-body sports coupes (Laser/Daytona), the S-body minivans, the H-body mid-size hatchbacks (LeBaron/Lancer), the P-body compact hatchbacks (Shadow/Sundance), the J-body LeBaron coupe and convertible, the C-body mid-size sedans (New Yorker/Dynasty), the AA-body mid-size sedans (LeBaron/Spirit/Acclaim), the Q-body TC by Maserati grand tourer, the Y-body luxury sedans (Fifth Avenue/Imperial), and the AS-body minivans. In addition to their basic underpinnings, numerous other components were shared across the board.
The K-cars may not have been class-leading in terms of style, quality, or performance, but they had numerous merits that made them one of the most defining cars of the 1980s. While some of our international readers might not have ever experienced a K-car in the metal, I think it’s safe to say that most North American readers have at the very least, personally known someone who owned a K-based car. My best K-car memory is of a dark red Dodge Aries sedan, owned well into the late-’90s by my elderly next door neighbor, Mrs. Sorensen.
So on to the Question Of The Day: What’s your favorite K-car variant? This of course can be a regular K-car, or one from any of the aforementioned K-based platforms. I personally have several favorites, such as the K-body LeBaron convertible, E-body New Yorker and Caravelle, the Sundance, and the Imperial. My all-time favorite though, is a tie between the G-body Daytona and Laser, and the J-body LeBaron, particularly the 1987-1992 years, with the concealed headlights. So, what’s your’s?
It was too late for me to hide my love for TC’s via edit nor delete. Any member who thinks I should face psych work or resignation, I submit. I know how wrong I am to love such a Pile.
Keith, with apologies.
Well, I owned a 1989 Plymouth Sundance “Highline” (a Canadian trim model) 5-door hatchback in metallic aqua-blue with a chrome trunk rack and white wall tires. It had the “large” 2.5 L engine with the auto. I loved it’s “hidden-hatchback” trunk design. I preferred the chrome trim the Sundance had, over the black trim of its’ Dodge Shadow twin. However, my ULTIMATE favourite K-car variant is the 1990-1993 Imperial.
Yes to Imperial-I owned a 1992 for 12 years. That’s what got me started on my love of all-things Imperial. It was “posh” for its time, cruise in it all day long and not get tired. Remarkably capable in Michigan winters too.
Maintenance-wise, I loved how so many parts were interchangeable in the K-car variants-I believe that 6 Imperials, 3 New Yorker 5th Avenues, 2 Dynastys, and one Town and Country van contributed parts to my Imperial from the local U-Pick yard.
My favorite k-car would be one that has been crushed into a cube, as that is its highest and best purpose: scrap metal. I speak from experience- owned an 83 Reliant 5 speed wagon almost 20 years ago and still vividly remember its many problems. I gave it away and it caught on fire for the next owner.
G-body, please, followed by an Aries/Reliant wagon with a stick.
Favorite K Variant would be an 1987-89 Lebaron Convertible. Was high on my list for a new car in 88-89. Ended up buying the used 86 Trans Am w/T Tops I still have. Helped my sister buy an 87 Lebaron Coupe which was a pretty nice ride. We special ordered it in Gunmetal Blue 2.5 5 Speed Manual with all the power accessories. She kept till it had about 150000 miles on it. Do not remember it giving her many problems, particularly after 2 major accidents which probably should have totaled it.
The Plymouth Caravelle got no love in these comments, but it’s my favorite K car.
I like the oft forgotten Caravelle as well. The grille (which was on every other Plymouth) looked really good on it, and the roofline on the E-bodies was a bit more interesting than the typical squared rooflines of most other sedans of the time.
I will admit to some Caravelle love. I always thought it was a nice model name.
If the 81-83 Imperial is not an option, then either the Town & Country wagon, or the first generation Plymouth Reliant with the square profile, coupe.
Even though they’re totally the opposite of my big boat favorites, I like the K-cars and what they represent: honest practicality. Yes, today’s compacts are safer but they look like they’ve been taking steroids. These are when an econobox was just that, a box with mechanical equipment to get you from A to B. No frills, if you want fresh air, crank down the windows. Today, we demand econoblobs tricked out with every option. Somewhere I suspect there is a connection between this new standard and overspending/debt, and why the person who 30 years ago would purchase a K car and move into a 3-bedroom Cape Cod house with 4 children without batting an eye now requires 2 “hybrid” vans and a huge mortgage on some big barn with individual bathrooms for each child. You have to wonder if traffic and pollution would be as bad. But that’s for some politically-charged discussion I really don’t want to have; better to speculate from the armchair and enjoy the clean simplicity of K-cars.
And those crossovers better have 22-inch rims!
CC Effect strikes again. Within 30 MINUTES this afternoon of noting in the comments to the Reliant capsule from the other day that I hadn’t seen many K cars around Connecticut in the last 15 years, I was out driving around my hometown and passed a white Dodge 400 convertible, possibly one of the rarer K-cars.
Dodge Spirit R/T.
My parents’ 1984 Voyager and 1988 Reliant K were the Ks in our family. They were both excellent for what they were and even after my father sold off the Voyager (the engine died), it soldiered on for a few more years with a new owner and engine. I learned to drive in the Reliant K.
I forgot to add, I also owned a ’94 Spirit with a V6.
It wasn’t bad but once the transmission went, we had a hell of a hard time finding another one locally. There just weren’t many of these cars left at the time (about 10 years ago when I had the Spirit).
The G24 model, which was the Chrysler Laser/Dodge Daytona. I liked the looks of them when pictures were released in late 1982 and early 1983. I wanted one when they were new. Got a clean, like-new base-model, 5-speed 1986 Laser in 1990 which I kept 10 years and put well over 100K enjoyable miles on. Bought a low-mileage (60K) 1986 Laser XT turbo, with T-tops, Mark Cross leather and 5-speed in 1999, which I still own. Been sitting undriven for over 12 years.
There was one other one I liked and really wanted. The Shelby Dodge Lancer. In bright red with a 5-speed manual. When new, it was definitely out of my price range, though. Still would love to own one, too.
1984 E-Class. A wonderful car and very comfortable. We owned ours from 1986 to 1994.
I have posted a photo on previous articles.
If we’re not strictly staying with the original K platform, I can’t forget our beloved 1990 Acclaim!
One of these days I’ll locate a photo of it to post. Owned it for 10½ years.
Wow! You’re the first person I’ve even known to have owned a Chrysler E-Class. I’ve always wanted to see one in person, but there aren’t many left, especially considering there short production run. As I commented earlier about the Caravelle, I really liked the look of the E-body sedans. Especially with their roofline and 4-windows, they stood out among more conventional 3-box sedans with more upright rooflines.
I like the E-Class/600/Caravelle sedans, too – especially the facelifted ones from ’86-’87 when they lost the pointy beak. It’s too bad Chrysler didn’t offer a New Yorker without the stupid Landau roof after dropping the E-Class, but a fully loaded 600/Caravelle was basically the same thing.
Brendan, here is a photo of the E-Class we owned.
In March, 1985, I was out walking the dog as I did every Saturday afternoon with the kids, and Florissant Dodge was right up the street from where we used to live.
By that time, the sales team knew us and always petted our dog, Suzy, while our son and daughter “cleaned” up the lot and deposited all the junk they found – old wiper blades, nuts, bolts, etc. – usually on my workbench or in their rooms, and as I walked up the front row of the used car aisle, I came across this baby – a very classy car, mostly due to the paint job!
I went home, told Wifey about the car, drove back to the dealer, looked at the car, took a test drive, picked up Wifey, drove around, stopped at the house, and she said: “Dear, we have GOT to find a way to buy this car”!
We did, and the rest was history. One beautiful and comfy ride for the next 8 years!
Thing is, I had to sell my 1976 Dart Lite. I missed that car, affectionately known by the kids as the “race car”, although it was as slow as your average VW Beetle!
I then re-took possession of our 1981 Reliant as MY car.
All these replies, and no mention of the ’89 Shelby CSX? Color me surprised… VERY capable machine.
These had a unique “composite” wheel that was a first for any car as I recall, there is one that shows up at car shows down here every once in a while.
I think my favorite K-car variants were the Dodge Lancer and Chrysler LeBaron GTS, hatchback sedans that didn’t look like hatchbacks. I thought they were really good looking…fairly aerodynamic and modern looking, but not homely like a Tempo or Topaz.
I also liked the LeBaron coupe/convertible, from 1987 until 1993 or whenever they got rid of the hidden headlights. I had one for a couple years, an ’88 turbo coupe. My uncle had bought it in 1990, used, but then never really liked it, because he’s more of a truck guy. He sold it to me when I got married and I let her have it in the divorce. Our other car at the time was a 1968 Dodge Dart 270 with about 300,000 miles on it. Some friends and family members told me I should have let her have that and kept the LeBaron, but I knew what I was doing. That LeBaron was dead about a year and a half later, with around 115,000 miles on it, and had some pretty expensive repairs along the way. While not exactly trouble-free, the Dart went on for a few more years, and was cheaper to fix when it did break.
Wasn’t it a K-car variant that told us that a door is a jar?
I believe it was an 82 LeBaron that was first to scold its driver audibly.
Yup, my dad had a K-car New Yorker when I was a kid and I thought its robot brain’s insistence that “a door is a jar” was the funniest thing in the world:
Having read the previous 134 comments, I see many who have rather positive comments and a few detestable comments. I for one am a MOPAR guy and from the standpoint of practicality and longevity have only positive comments for the ‘K’ platform cars and all that came from it. True enough, I can fix and maintain them better than most and starting off with an October 1980 built ’81 Aries, I have currently a 1985 Plymouth Voyager ‘S’ body van with a 3.0L, a 1985 Chrysler ‘G’ body Laser with a turbo intercooled 2.5L, a 1989 ‘Q’ body Chrysler TC by Maserati 2.2L 8v engine, all of which have over 250,000 miles on them. They are my only cars, so they are driven regularly as the need dictates. My wife drives our newest ‘K’ car variant, a 1994 Dodge ‘P’ body Shadow with the 3.0L engine and a 5 speed transaxle. I often wonder why people have the need to buy new cars and then lament having disposed of those they loved so much. I can drive any one of these cars cross country (USA) without a worry. You can read about my cars on the Allpar site. Both the TC and the Voyager are featured there.
I agree with Hemi Anderson. I sometimes think those who call various models “crap,” etc. never actually had them, but are repeating what they heard. During those years, our police department, being experimenters, bought 12 K-cars with the Mistubishi 2.6s, beefed them up a bit underneath, and they proved quite capable as city police cars. (They went next to 12 Chevrolet Celebrities, and soon ended up with 9 of 12 out of service!) I oversaw the meter reading and utility billing operation and acquired two of the old Ks for the meter department. They were pretty much trouble-free.
For no real solid reason, I like most of the K-cars, including the originals, the Reliant and Aries. I don’t know why as they were all before my time, and I’ve never driven them or owned one. But I’m like that with most Mopars anyway. We’re Mopar diehards in our family, for the most part, so it runs in the blood.
My most favorite of the K-cars and their derivatives are the Lancer GTS/LeBaron GTS sedan, then of course the other various LeBarons and the New Yorkers through the years. An aunt of mine had a GTS LeBaron sedan when I was younger. Around the same time, my grandparents had the newer K-car New Yorker (1990-ish), and in retrospect, it was a nice, small luxury car. Growing up, I went in many long trips in that car and it was comfortable and roomy. I like those too. Even though they were FWD, they didn’t look the part and they were nice for what you got.
As for the Shadow/Sundance, the LeBaron/Lancer GTS could have filled its gap until the Neon came along, in my opinion. With some minor updates, like airbags, subtle changes to the exterior and a new dashboard, these cars could have been brought into the ’90s.
Speaking of the LeBaron, why didn’t Chrysler revive the name for the Sebring/200? I would have been a perfect fit. I sometimes think of my 2011 200 Limited sedan as a modern-day LeBaron, a perfect fit for the name. Buick brought back the Regal, why can’t Chrysler bring back LeBaron (and while we’re at it, Intrepid and Concorde?).
A _great_ thread ! .
I wasn’t aware of all the K Car variants out there , I just remember the stodgy looking first series , folks either loved of hated them on sight , I am well pleased to see all the love being shown here now .
Truly a car for it’s time , like it or hate it .
-Nate
Here is a photo of my ’85 Laser. Powered by a 2.5L Turbo engine, backed up by a Getrag 5 speed trans. Stopped by 4 wheel disc brakes from a Daytona IROC.
A very quick car and fun to drive. It is my daily driver.
Definitely a CC My 1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati. I have owned this car since ’95 and have made several cross country trips in it. On the open road, it feels as though I am cruising in an airplane, the feel and handling is so smooth. It has been a trouble free car the entire time I have owned it. A few personal modifications have been the conversion from the 3 speed automatic to a 5 speed manual trans and the removal of the ABS brake system for a conventional vacuum booster system. The most complex maintenance has been a head gasket at the time I bought the car and 2 timing belts. All done prior to any failure. Like any car, now with over 275 thousand miles, preventive maintenance is a must to keep it alive and well.
Very awesome!!
Sorry guys this is the only way I would ever consider owning one of those steaming piles
I still have fond memories of my ’87 Reliant which I owned in the early 1990s. A solid, reliable, honest little car. I really liked the ease of maintenance, the nice comfy gray velour interior and the swiveling map light that flipped out of the passengers sun visor (it still would be a great idea today). Not so nice were the crappy cheapo plastic hubcaps and the rear bottoming out with three passengers in the back seat.
I personally like all the loaded up Broughamy versions, and, the Lazer XT!
My parents had a 1982 Dodge Aries in 1984. It seemed to be the right car for us, but my Dad hated it, said it made a funny “popping” noise in the front, so it was traded after eight months for a new Buick.
Fast-forward to today, I have in my garage, a “garage chair” I made from the front seat of a 1987 New Yorker…it makes for a nice place to sit when I am tinkering on something out there 🙂
They were the right cars for the era. My parents had 5 and I had one:
1981 Reliant Custom wagon, 4 speed stick, no AC, manual steering (40 mpg highway!)
1985 Voyager SE 2.6L
1988 Reliant LE sedan 2.5L
1989 Dynasty 2.5L
1990 Dynasty LE 3.3L (Sunroof, ABS, memory seats) –> mine, bought at age 22, MSRP ~$22K, according to the dealer it was the most expensive Dodge car ever produced to-date
1992 Dynasty 3.0L
At various times I was infatuated with: Dodge 600 ES turbo, Dodge Lancer ES, Lebaron GTS, Daytona Pacifica.
Both parents and I all had Dynastys at the same time. The 1990 Ultradrive failed twice, so I sold it. The ’92 still had the original transmission when it was totaled at 120K.
’81 Reliant wagon 4-speed, no AC, manual steering. My expert parking job. Roughly 6 inches clearance in front and in back!
For me the choice would be between the H-bodies (Lebaron GTS, Lancer ES), the G-bodies (early Daytona Turbo Z to be specific) and the J-bodies (LeBaron convertible, with hidden lamps). Make mine a Turbo on any of the 3; no need for a V6 in a K-derivative.
sorry they’re such poor quality shots, but this vast thing has just turned up locally, in seemingly very good condition…
and another
Aries wagon,which I currently still drive.But I have always liked the GTS/Lancer cars,thought they should have done better in the market than they did.In actuality,I wouldn’t turn away any 80s Chrysler vehicle.Except maybe the convertibles.Never cared for a drop top.An L body Rampage/Scamp is great too.I worked at a Chrysler dealership back in the day,and was a big supporter of Chrysler surviving during their near death experience.I think a lot of people back then wanted to see them survive,and they got a lot of sales due to the “helping hand” factor.Ordinary people couldn’t help them with money,but they could buy a car or 2.I did whatever I could to spread the word,and support the mighty 2.2 (and discourage the awful 2.6 Mitsu)..