Low Mileage K-Car: 1988 Dodge Aries America
The second half of the 1970s wasn’t particularly kind to Chrysler in terms of sales. The OPEC oil embargo had caught them off-guard as they continued to peddle large gas guzzlers. And the Dodge Aspen/ Plymouth Volare compacts had been fraught with recalls. So, the K-Car was introduced in 1981, Chrysler’s foray into smaller, fuel-efficient cars with front-wheel drive. The Aries was the Dodge version of the K-Car, and the Aries America was supposed to be the budget model. This 1988 Aries America is a super clean station wagon with under 25,000 miles, surely making it one of the nicest ones left. Located with a dealer in Phoenix, Arizona, this Mopar is available here on craigslist for $6,995, Another vintage tip from Tony Primo!
K-Car sales would be Chrysler’s first success of the 1980s. The minivan would soon be its second and the company finished the decade in better shape than when it entered it. From 1981 to 1988, the Dodge Aries, Plymouth Reliant, and Chrysler LeBaron would rack up sales of more than two million units. Looking to further capitalize on their good fortune at the time, Dodge added the America edition of the Aries lineup as the years wore on. The primary appeal was a lower price tag.
We don’t know how the selling dealer got hold of this sharp-looking Aries, but it has those so-called “time capsule” qualities. If the 25,000 miles are legit, that means the little wagon was gently and seldom used over the past 35+ years. The Dodge is powered by Chrysler’s 2.5-liter SOHC inline-4 that delivered good gas mileage for the day (mid-20s) but would be a lightweight in today’s hybrid world. The body, paint, and interior look as nice as a new car.
The seller offers a clean CARFAX report which should answer some of the questions a buyer might have about the past three decades. The goal of these cars was to be cheap transportation for the 1980s and the sales numbers suggest they succeeded. But that also meant they would be disposable. When was the last time you saw a running K-Car station wagon?
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Comments
Pass. Even for free.
They were relatively cheap and sold well to people seeking
family haulers, grocery getters, or go to work transportation.
The 2.5 4-cyl. engine was a good one with the automatic transmission
and the best sellers ended with these basics. Chrysler offered
a 7 year or 70,000 mile warranty and stood behind it.
It was a Model T type philosophy that brought Chrysler back
I bought a 1986 in brown as a family car. Got 3 years of reliable use out of it before trading in on the first of 2 mini vans. Decent low price transportation at the time.
Took drivers ed in one of these, instructor in the drinkers side had his own service brake and two more students in the back going up a steep hill in Everett Washington the instructor is saying more power more power and I’m I have it floored we finally crest the hill and the car bottoms out crossing the intersection
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
It’s useful as a museum piece. They were junk on the showroom floor.
Here in Sun City and Sun City West the old folks die and their kids or grandkids don’t want these low mileage cars so they listed on Craigslist .
The last time I saw one running I was selling them in 1986. Never liked them. I preferred the Chrysler Conquest, better known as the Mitsubishi Starion.
a K-Car is a K-Car is a K-Car……Need I say anymore?
Say no more! I had one as a company car, my com pany was a big city fire dept, to remain nameless. However mine had an option that made it workable, a radio. Dispatcher this is unit K 54 broke down at intersection of 1st and main send mechanic,
Say no more! I had one as a company car, my company was a big city fire dept, to remain nameless. However mine had an option that made it workable, a radio. “Dispatcher this is unit K 54 broke down at intersection of 1st and main, send mechanic”
Hey – with only 25,000 miles you can’t go wrong ! Yeah I know, it’s a K-car BUT – these cars CAN GO over a 100k miles IF YOU PAMPER THEM. We had a first year, 1981 Plymouth Reliant. My dad did all of the maintenance and oil changes religiously. Changed out the struts, and generally babied the thing. That Reliant made it to 182k miles. Then he donated it to the Salvation Army. This car WOULD make a good little runner and if you pamper it – it’ll last you at least 100k. As a COLLECTOR CAR? Who knows these days – times are a changing. Nice article.
K cars may? have worked for sales at the time, but for the most part were POS. The RWD 82 through 88 Fifth Avenues were the last real Chrysler luxury vehicles. One of the best revisions on existing platforms. Had 83 and 85 Fifth Avenues. Easily held their own with other upscale vehicles in formal styling, luxury, comfort,and reliability. Transferring New Yorker, Fifth Avenue and Imperial names to Kcars was inexcusable. And the Kcar Executive Limo? 😄 😁 🤣.
Agree strongly, Rick. I currently own a 1987 Fifth Avenue with about 42K original miles as I bought it from the family of the original owner. This car is amazing; it drives better than most new cars! Smooth, quiet, stable (it does NOT float) and enjoyable to drive. What’s not to like?
John, you are one Lucky guy! I wish I had never let my 85 Fifth go. They are few and far between. Enjoy yours. I actually had an Imperial hood ornament on mine as I
considered it the Flagship of Chrysler. 🏆
Seriously. Where are you going to find an affordable station wagon that you can fix with a Chilton’s manual and $100 worth of Harbor Freight tools? This thing isn’t going to be fun to drive, except to drive to Cars & Coffee. But that’s not it’s POINT.
It’s an appliance. It’s to get you where you need to go for an affordable price. Reliably; with relatively little fuel use.
Only 25k miles, means its best years are ahead. Just remember it’s not rugged – change the oil RELIGIOUSLY. See to other issues.
Drive it in snow – we forget what a blessing FWD was, back 40 years ago.
And remember: The time of the K-Car, was in many ways similar to today’s times. High unemployment, high interest rates; unaffordably-high car prices. I remember how outraged people were that the $2999 (1975) VW Rabbit became $5799 by 1982. Where is the value in that, people said. I’ll just buy an old Nova and pay more for gas.
Well, now we have such work cars occasionally popping up…and affordable…and inviting people to try the inexpensive transportation of a different era.
K cars saved Chrysler. They need to do it again!
K cars may? have worked for sales at the time, but for the most part were POS. The RWD 82 through 88 Fifth Avenues were the last real Chrysler luxury vehicles. One of the best revisions on existing platforms. Had 83 and 85 Fifth Avenues. Easily held their own with other upscale vehicles in formal styling, luxury, comfort,and reliability. Transferring New Yorker, Fifth Avenue and Imperial names to Kcars was inexcusable. And the Kcar Executive Limo? 😄 😁 🤣.
Sorry. Junk then, junk now.
Always great to see a car like this in such nice condition. Sure it’s not exciting, but it’s very utilitarian, isn’t huge like today’s ridiculous SUVs, and it would certainly draw a crowd at the car shows. (Probably more than yet another Corvette or GTO!) How can you lose at that price. And like someone else said, you can work on it yourself!
When I was in the Air Force in the mid 1980’s, the base I was stationed at had a whole fleet of those as “staff cars”. All of them were dark blue. Being 6 ft tall I could barely fit in the back seat. Rear leg room was nonexistent!😄😄
The perfect car for grandma, then and now.
My Grandmother, God rest her soul, wouldn’t be caught dead in one of these. Now at grandpa age, per my instructions, my cremains will be carried to my grave in my Town Car. Nothing currently available is a suitable funeral vehicle.
Can’t think of a better use for a Town Car :-)
To the Pedestrian. 😉 you may be truly Luckless, if I bump into you with My Town Car! LOL😂. 👍
The K car saved Chrysler’s butt. They sold over 2 million…where are they now?
Back in 1998 I bought one of these used (an ’87) for one of my kids as a first car. It had 140,000 miles on it. No rust, beautiful interior, the A/C worked, ran great and it had 5 brand new tires, even the spare was new and matched the other 4. 1100 bucks well spent. I also knew somebody that had one as a company car, he hated it and it had 200,000 miles on it. He tried everything he knew to kill it, but it wouldn’t die.
I’d have this as my daily errand machine… no question… and on Saturday morning, I’d take it to cars-n-coffee…
I used a have an 1989 Dodge Aries LE 2-door coupe,2.2 liter 5-speed manual. Bought it used at the time(2004) for $700 off of eBay. I was getting 22 mpg out of it. For what it was, was decent basic transportation. Somebody knew a good thing when they saw it,because it was stolen when I moved to Hammond,Indiana in 2005. It was later found stripped/cannibalized of all useful parts (engine,transmission,interior parts-even the WIRING HARNESS)! And at that time there were plenty of K-cars roaming around that city(even saw a Plymouth Caravelle) so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone used those parts to keep their own K-car running!
My wife’s ‘89 Lebaron Convert has the same motor, 172,000 miles on the original motor/trans. It hibernates in the back of the garage all winter with a battery tender, and every spring it fires right up. Like Mr Levins said…pamper em, change the oil regular, they’ll last forever.
Oh yeah…my local Mopar club has a couple of new members…guess what the have?? K-cars. One of the guys used to have a bunch of high-end early 60s cars; gradually sold em off and now he buys K-cars! Go figure…but they sure get attention at the car shows, even if it’s just “my grandma used to drive one just like that…”
Neat car at a good price IMO.
An Aries wagon exactly like this one, including colour, is the worst car my parents ever owned and reduced my mother to tears when it failed catastrophically two weeks after we got it. I swore off Chrysler for life that day; I finally broke that promise to myself when I bought my Magnum.
Have an originally sold southern car from Missouri, an 83 2 dr. bought w/ 61.5k on it out of Illinois in pristine shape. Not much of a chrysler officiando. Has 2 others products of theirs over the years, but $1,350 was hard to pass up. Given the price of transport putting this into shape and decent parts availability this will be worth the time & effort. To have an inexpensive everyday beater.
This isn’t an Aries America, it’s an LE (note the fender badges). Not everyone’s idea of a collectible but for one who’s getting into the hobby, this car may be an ideal starting point. Looking at the condition of the interior and engine compartment, I’m inclined to believe the mileage of this car over the mileage on that Cutlass. And wagons are starting to become the next must-have collectibles because nobody in America is making them anymore.
I wonder if you can stuff a 3.3 engine and transmission out of a Caravan in it, and would it be worth the trouble?
Sorry but this piece of junk doesn’t belong on this site.
🤣👍
Great minds drive the same roads! LOL! 👍. Always enjoy making a Marjorie POST. Now guess it’s time to feed ORANGE a TAN! 😉
GONE.
Someone disagreed with several of you here.
This car is absolutely amazing.
Roll down windows. Check.
Ash trays embedded in rear armrests. Check.
Room for 6 plus 3 dogs in the back. Check.
Flat floor pans via FWD. Check.
What a car!
Iacocca for President!
I and my Lady Friend ran a couple of 200+ customer home delivery newspaper routes in Sarasota, Florida back in the 1990s. We used mid 1980s Km car wagons. One Dodge 2.2L Auto FWD and one Plymouth 2.5L auto FWD. We drove nearly 100 miles a night/ early morning each 7days A week 365 days a year for nearly a decade and the only maintenience was oil changes, flat tires and timing belts!!! Tough little wagons. Plymouth was navy blue and the Dodge was off white with faux wood triumph on the sides. Most reliable vehicles I ever owned in 70+ years!!!
Like it or not, this got 2x the comments of any other car today.