by 1of10K » Sat Dec 13, 2008 9:39 pm
It would be interesting to hear stories about those of us who actually bought one of these cars new. I bought a 1981 Reliant, which was my first new car. It had a-at-the-time wonderful option of an AM/FM/CB radio, as well as the neat factory optional wider whitewall tires . I took this car on a cross country trip and where ever I stopped, people were asking me questions about it. At one gas station, the K car drew a crowd of about 25 people, many who wanted to sit behind the wheel of this "amazing" new car. Don't forget, this car was new and revolutionary in 1981 and had been extremely hyped up for a long time as the car that would save Chrysler. On the CB, I heard truckers wondering it if was a new type of cop car, some thought the grill resembled a Mercedes (it did) and wondered what type is was. Unfortunately, the car had a mysterious transmission defect that the Dealer couldn't, wouldn't, or was clueless about how to fix. After 13 visits to the Dealer repair shop, 25,000 miles and about 1 1/2 years it was time to part ways. After all these years, I now have another '81. After everyone stops laughing about my newest choice for a collector car, many actually start liking this car, as there just aren't many early ones left!