17th Mar 2006, 17:24

My parents bought an '84 Reliant station wagon with a manual in 1993 for $800. I was skeptical at first because they used to have full-sized station wagons that were pretty nice, and their previous compact station wagon, a Chevy Cavalier, was a real puddle jumper (although good, cheap transportation that got great mileage and lasted a long time). I was really impressed with the Reliant because it was the first small car I'd driven that had a comfortable "big car" ride. Even the interior seemed bigger and roomier than it should have been for such a small car. It always ran great, it got great mileage, and it really never had any problems that I can think of. My parents are not ones to take immaculate care of cars, either, in that they didn't change oil with any regularity or do tune-ups. They put well over 100,000 miles on it, even having bought it when 9 years old. It was definitely one of the best used cars my family ever had, and based on that experience, I wouldn't be afraid to buy one if I needed a cheap commuter.

18th Mar 2006, 11:17

When the K cars came out (Reliant, Aries, etc.) their real selling point for Americans is that the interiors were roomier than the Japanese competition and you could (sort of) fit six people in one with the front bench seat.

It also really introduced buyers of American cars to the concept of front wheel drive in that there was no transmission hump so more room on the floor as well. Although you can't 100% attribute this to the K cars, you can make a case that they helped set the trend that is still with us today - that "family" cars are front wheel drive instead of the traditional rear wheel drive.

Again, I'm talking for buyers of American cars, not Japanese.

11th Feb 2008, 14:18

Does anyone know where I could find a 1984 Plymouth Reliant hood? I need a replacement and I was told they don't make them anymore.

28th Sep 2008, 01:42

Hi America! This is Mario from Guadalajara, Mexico.

I just bought from my brother Diego his 1984 Reliant station wagon, and the first thing I did was to take it to the mechanic and have him replace the C.V. joints.

After that, I noticed that right next to the odometer, it has a series of three small square indicators, and one of them is now lit with a red light, and it says: gate; can anyone out there explain me what does that mean??

28th Sep 2008, 09:51

The "Gate" warning light means that the tailgate, or hatch, is not fully closed on the station wagon. It warns you because carbon monoxide exhaust can leak into the car through an open tailgate, and of course stuff can fall out if it pops open. Probably if you spray WD-40 on the latches and the spring-loaded light switch, it will go out.

2nd Oct 2008, 00:33

Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate your help with the "gate" red light deal.

The reason I didn't understand is because in Spanish the word "gate" means "bridge", so I was a little bit lost.

By the way, the red light turned off when my son Mario, incidentally managed to open the tailgate door, that was stuck until that moment, and had it close again.

Thanks and God bless.

Mario from Guadalajara.

21st Jun 2010, 18:56

My parents bought a blue 1984 Plymouth Reliant brand new back when I was a kid.

We had that car until it broke down in 1993. Sure, it needed fixing though the years, but it was the only car we had that did start on freezing cold mornings. :)