Page 1 of 1

Anyone ever bought a Reliant or Aries new??

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 9:39 pm
by 1of10K
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!

Re: Anyone ever bought a Reliant or Aries new??

PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 4:02 am
by Baron
I bought an '83 E class new. I was amazed how many people stopped and asked if it was a new Mercedes model (didn't hurt that the crystal pentastar hood ornament and color matching hubcaps, also with a chrome pentastar logo on them, did exactly what I think was Chrysler's intention- at first glance they really made you think of the Mercedes logo. Even when finding out it wasn't a Mercedes, people thought it was a good looking car- I got a lot of compliments on it, along with, "Huh, didn't even know Chrysler made that".

Re: Anyone ever bought a Reliant or Aries new??

PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 2:33 pm
by RichG
My mother-in-law bought an 83 Reliant new, the Chrysler light blue color with the base package. She had it a few years without problems, traded it in on something else. I recall thinking that the, how do I convey this, area of glass relative to the car was disproportionate, giving the appearance of a more "open" cabin. Does that make sense?

Re: Anyone ever bought a Reliant or Aries new??

PostPosted: Sun Dec 14, 2008 5:24 pm
by capev86
when i was a year old, my parents bought a 1981 Dodge Aries wagon. it was a white base model with blue vinyl interior and 4spd stick. it had no right mirror and it wasn't until later that they even drilled the A pillar (on the door) on all cars for the right side mirror. so my dad bought a mirror and bolted it on. he also had to replace a broken front spring among a few other things. we replaced it with an 86 aries wagon (the 2.5 auto fully loaded one i am still working on) in 88 but kept the 81 until the end of 93. by that time the floors had to be patched big time and the car was getting worn out. my dad was going to sell it, but in the meantime was teaching me how to drive a stick. my sister's 99 cavalier (bought in 2004) is the only manual tranny vehicle my dad has bought since. well anyway, i crashed it into the side of the garage and the left front corner was messed up. he decided to donate it after that. we had an 88 k sedan we bought used (had that car for ten years) and a 91 dynasty i drove for a couple years but the 81 was the only k car bought new (and in fact the last car my dad ever bought brand new - he buys only used vehicles now). the 86 wagon was replaced by a 97 sable wagon in 98 and then he got a '01 taurus wagon a year ago. the 97 has 196,000 miles on it and i plan to take it off his hands and use as a back up daily driver! but still working on the 86 k wagon!

Re: Anyone ever bought a Reliant or Aries new??

PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 1:07 pm
by 1of10K
I have to add this, after I bought my new '81 Reliant, my father liked it so much we drove to Lubbock Texas where he bought a new bright yellow Reliant wagon with a four speed manual, AC, and vinyl interior. But this car had a sad start. During the test drive, a hinge weld broke on the driver's door. The dealer was also shocked, but repaired it and made my Dad a good deal. On the day we picked it up, they filled the tank for us and away we went. But gas started pouring out from underneath and we had to go back, where the dealer replaced the gas tank with a bad seam. After only one more incident where the outside door handle broke away in his hand a few days later, the car ended up giving excellent service for many miles and several long trips. Eventually, he traded it in for a new talking '83 New Yorker, but that is another story!

Re: Anyone ever bought a Reliant or Aries new??

PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:01 pm
by ReliantLV
Great stories!

I too think of the 1980's Mercedes often when I look at the grille of mine. It looks like a sad Mercedes, LOL (sad "eyes").

I often wonder who bought my Reliant in the USA when it was new. It came to Latvia approximately in 1991, so was already 10 years old.

Re: Anyone ever bought a Reliant or Aries new??

PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:46 am
by 1986Kar
.