The Dodge Shadow Knows: 1987 Shelby CSX #27 of 750

Something must have been in the electrons at the May 2020 Barrett-Jackson online auction that closed the other day because somebody paid a scandalous $20,350.00 for an '84 Dodge Daytona Turbo.  It wasn't even a Shelbyfied version and the trunk wasn't full of Breitling watches, so I don't know what to say.  I thought that this coronavirus thing would have caused some of the stupidity in the used/classic car market to calm down just due to general anxiety around what the next year will look like fiscally to most people...but the guy who dropped twenty large for an 84 Daytona probably isn't living paycheck to paycheck or concerned about his job...but maybe paying too much at auction is the latest symptom of COVID19?  It all seems so batty to me....but if I'm gonna drop a whole bunch of money on a used front-drive K-car variant Dodge, it's gonna be a Shelby. Find this 1987 Shelby CSX offered here on eBay for $11,900 or best-offer located in Grand Rapids, MI.

OG Minivan: 1989 Dodge Grand Caravan SE

The daddy of the modern minivan was built on a modified version of Chrysler's K-Car platform with which it shared engines and much running gear, but the backbone was something that Lee Iacocca and Hal Sperlich called the T-115 platform...which was just a beefy version of the K-car. The Chrysler minivan was billed as an alternative to the station wagon and many years later we know that it completely replaced the wagon (and is now being superceded by the 3-row SUV...but that is a story for another time) and today's example is shockingly well preserved. Find this 1989 Dodge Grand Caravan SE offered for $5500 via facebrockyates massageplace. Originally found on Jalopnik.

Only in Florida: 1980 Buick Skylark Limited

I'm not ashamed of my love of the Buick Skylark. It is such a piece of automotive history -- from the beginning when it shared a platform with the Pontiac Tempest and Olds F-85, and then when it was another piece of the GM A-body arsenal -- it has always been such a badass piece of American iron...except...wait.  What sort of unholy beast have we summoned from the depths of the 10th circle of X-body haides have we found?  Why...just why...did the post fuel crisis corporate bean counters at GM try and convince a single Buick buyer that this was a Skylark?  They may have well put a Corvette badge on a Chevette and lipstick on an anteater. Find this 1980 Buick Skylark Limited offered for $1000 in Port Charlotte, FL via craiglsist. Tip from Dascpcu. 

Ugly Car, Low Miles: 1987 Dodge 600 SE

The Dodge 600 was yet another K-Car from those wacky Chrysler product planners who somehow thought that if you didn't want an Aries or a Diplomat, you might accidentally buy one of these.  How much drugs did people take in the 1980s anyway?!?! Find this 1987 Dodge 600 SE offered for $1750 located in Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Turbo Trio: 1998 Eclipse GST, 1992 MR2, 1985 Dodge K-Car 600 Ragtop

Who doesn't want a turbocharged car that is a few decades old and dirt cheap?  Modern cars might get better fuel economy and last longer between rebuilds...but nothing beats a simple boosted 4-banger for cheap fun and today, tipper Matt C sent in the following trio of turbocharged terrors.  

What's Your Spirit Animal? 1994 Dodge Spirit

If cars had spirit Animals, there are a few that are easy.  The Dodge Viper is a poisonous snake, the Ford Mustang is a wild pony, any Lamborghini is an angry bull.  But what about cars where the make/model name doesn't make it so easy; Mazda MX-5 Miata is a domesticated house cat, the Ford F-150 is a cow, and the Dodge Spirit is a squirrel.  Find this 1994 Dodge Spirit offered for $1,400 in Ft Myers, FL via craigslist.  Tip from Dascpcu.

King of the K: 1991 Dodge Spirit R/T

You probably won't impress your neighbors or country club members driving the fastest four door sedan sold in the USA for 1991.  The Spirit R/T also has the distinction of being the quickest K-car ever produced by Chrysler which is akin to being the valedictorian of summer school.  The Spirit doesn't have sexy bodywork, but on the bright side it does have the 2.2 Series 3 turbo engine.  The Lotus designed four valve head that produced a 224 hp and 210 lbs of torque at only 2800 rpm.  The only available transmission was the A-568 5 speed which helped the car pull off 14.5 1/4 mile times.  Dodge only sold 1,208 of these for 1991 so they are near extinct twenty five years later.  Find this 1991 Dodge Spirit R/T for sale in Stratford, CT for $3,500 via craigslist.

The Kollector: 22 Chyrlser LeBarons & Town 'N' Country

Owning one Chrysler LeBaron can be easily described as an accident.  Owning two...well, it is simple to do maintenance on your cars when you just order two of everything. Sure, it's the automotive equivalent of having twins.  Three LeBarons and you are starting to get into from "paint your eyelids with little open eyeballs" levels of freakishness, BUT 22 different Chrysler LeBaroni in convertible only?  That is a whole new ball game of celebrity toenail clipping collections and hairdolls levels of insanity.  Find this collection of 22 Chyrlser LeBaron convertibles 1983-1986 offered for $500 to $2000 depending on condition.  Tip from Matt C.

K-Carma: 1986 Dodge Aries

Irony is a clear consciousness of an eternal agility, of the infinitely abundant chaos.  -- Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829).  Regular readers of this website will remember K-Cargate -- which started when someone here compared driving a K-Car to purgatory, continued when the president of the Chrysler K-Car Club defended K-cardom in the comments, and wrapped up with an eloquent treatise on the Thin Line Between Hate and Meh by Kaibeezy.  It was a distant memory until today when I opened up the tips box and found this thing looking at me.  Find this 1986 Dodge Aries offered for $800 in Alameda, CA via craigslist.

K-Carmageddon Survivor: 1988 Dodge Aries LE Wagon

The K-car was an instant sales success for Chrysler when first introduced, and by the end of the third year of production over a million Ks had been sold in Chrysler LeBaron, Dodge 400/Aries, and Plymouth Reliant flavors.  Although marketed as having European flair, the K was distinctly American in execution, with a small overhead cam equipped 4-banger mated to the front wheels and a solid beam axle out back. The Aries/Reliant/LeBaron/400 was tuned for American roads and featured a comfortable ride uncommon with 2500 lb compact cars from the same era, just don't expect anything sporty from the K and you'll be fine.  Find this 1988 Dodge Aries Wagon here on eBay bidding for $1,975 located in Norwalk, CT with 1 day to go.

The Magic Wagon: 1987 Dodge Caravan

In the late 1970s, it didn't look good for the future of Chrysler, but two guys (Lee Iacocca and Hal Sperlich) pushed something they initially called "Magic-wagons" to the consumer.  The concept was simple, make a van out of an economy compact platform (GM did this with the Corvans a few decades earlier, Ford with the Falcon Club Wagon) but avoid the pitfalls of making them too complex or too truck-like.  Soccer moms around the word rejoiced as the minivan was born.  Find this 1987 Dodge Caravan offered for $2,600 in Columbus, OH via craigslist.  Tip from Justin.

1k: K For Krap: 1985 Plymouth Reliant

I know you were hoping for the USS Reliant assigned to Project Genesis in 2285, the one that would go on to re-discover Khan in the Star Trek movie with the earworm - sorry, not that one. Or at least a Robin Reliant would have been interesting, but no, they were on hiatus from 81 to 89.  Here on craiglist is just a plain old 1985 Plymouth Reliant, albeit with just 55k miles, for a measly $1250.  Tip and intro by Kaibeezy,

K is for Krap: 1985 Dodge Aries K-Car

K is, regrettably, for K-car.  The K-word.  Konstantly konfounding kar kooks with krappy kuality and kausing konsiderable kursing from knormally kind Kentuckians.  The K-car is an easy target for journalists and pundits alike - but beware! The little K has a rabid fan base and if you compare driving the K to the limitless horrors of purgatory, someone identifying himself as the president of the Chrysler K-Car Club (say that three times fast) might chime in the comments.  Of course, DT fielded a thoroughly transcendent rebuttal by none other than DT's own logo guru Kaibeezy...but that is ancient history, let's get on to today's K-car.  Find this 1985 Dodge Aries K-Car currently bidding for $1,500 reserve-not-met in Los Angeles, CA via ebay.

The Left-Handed Spanner: A Thin Line Between Meh and Hate

The recent K-car feature got a good number of comments, and they continue to trickle in. This morning, in a major development, we heard from none other than the illustrious president and founder of the Chrysler K-Car Club, Guy V.Coulombe! Standing up for the K, with a stiff upper lip:

To the writer of this article, I saved that car from the junkyard last year, and it used to be in the Chrysler K-Car Club, at www.chryslerkcar.com. It is a classic car, and should be respected as such. It sold this morning by the way. 

I'm sure I speak for all DT-ers when I say, the K has our respect. Full stop.  The Left-Handed Spanner is a special feature column written by DT contributor Kaibeezy.

Image used for illustrative purposes from chryslerkcar.com.

1k: Automotive Purgatory: 1985 Plymouth Reliant

In the second cantica of the Divine Comedy written by Italian Poet Dante Alighieri, the author describes in great detail a trip through the seven terraces of Purgatory (Purgatorio).  Mid way through the 5th Terrace the poem's hero finds himself surrounded by the souls of the covetous, folks who have sinned through embracing things in an unhealthy way.  Here, owners of Porsches, BMWs, Alfas who have neglected their families and friends, are stuck in slushbox equipped Plymouth Reliants on freeway on-ramps. The on-ramps are equipped with traffic metering systems that seem to be functioning, but nobody ever merges onto the freeway.  This is one of those rides.  Find this 1985 Plymouth Reliant in impeccable shape offered for $1,499 in Woodland Hills, CA via craigslist.

1k: 6 Seat Taxi: 1988 Dodge Aries

The Dodge Aries was a version of  the infamous Chrysler K-car platform shared with the Plymouth Reliant and sold from 1981 to 1989.  The Aries and Reliant were introduced as compact cars, but were much closer to mid-sized and were surprisingly popular when new..  Today the K-car is more likely to be the punchline of a joke than a daily driver, but a grandpa owned/driven version can be a surprisingly affordable 6 passenger vehicle.  Find this 1988 Dodge Aries, with 54k miles on the odometer, offered for $1,650 in Burlingame, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

2k: For Reals? 1988 Plymouth Reliant Wagon, Turbo 2.4 Swap

The Plymouth Reliant was called the Reliant-K because it was based on the K-car platform, K being short for ye olde English spelling of krappe.  It was poorly assembled, ugly, slow...and can only be redeemed by life as a rusted out winter beater or having a proper engine swap.  Find this 1988 Plymouth Reliant Wagon with Turbo 2.4 swap for $2,100 via craigslist.