Welcome back! This week’s finds all come from the Underappreciated Survivors group on Facebook. I haven’t gone through there in a while, and I found some fun stuff for us to check out, starting with these two late-K-era Mopars.
I admit it: on Thursday before the holiday break, I was messing with you, putting that Pontiac Phoenix up against a classic Mercedes. It was just too funny of a juxtaposition to pass up. Of course the Mercedes won, by a country mile, even with the price difference. You’d have to be nuts to prefer a malaise-era GM box to a finely-tuned German machine from back when they really knew how to build ’em.
But I will say this: if you leave the Benz out of the equation, the Phoenix is nowhere near as bad of a car as some of you make it out to be. It’s old enough to be exempt from emissions nearly everywhere, so you can make it run properly without having to worry about testing – and plenty of parts exist to wake up those old 2.8s. It’s a manual, which makes it orders of magnitude more interesting than the same car with an automatic. And it has that dogged never-say-die toughness that 80s GM products are known for. If you want a cheap car that’s more fun to own than Oh Look Another Camry, you could do a lot worse.
Even a Chrysler fanboy like me has to admit that the earliest iterations of the K-car platform were pretty much crap. They were light-years ahead of the old Aspen and Volare, but that’s a very low standard. A company running on fumes, asking for a loan from the government and using those funds to completely reinvent itself, is laudable, but that doesn’t mean the cars were all that hot. By the early 90s, however, all those early bugs were worked out, and by the end of the run, the K derivatives were actually really good cars – if you chose your options wisely. Let’s see how these two compare.
1992 Plymouth Acclaim – $2,200
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter OHC inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Asheville, NC
Odometer reading: 120,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Sometimes, you can tell a car’s demographic just by looking at it. A minivan isn’t likely to attract young single men as buyers, nor is a small, rough-riding sports car going to appeal to single moms. But a Plymouth Acclaim? That’s Grandma’s car, no doubt about it. It’s comfortable, but not luxurious or extravagant. It’s sturdy, economical, and has a perfect shelf on the back window to hold a tissue box. And it’s domestic, so the neighborhood mechanic won’t be scared off by it.
The AA-body Acclaim, and its sister model the Dodge Spirit, replaced the original K-body Reliant and Aries in 1989. The changes were evolutionary, though; this is still pretty much a K-car underneath. It’s powered by an updated 2.5-liter version of the old K-car four, and the same old three-speed Torqueflite automatic. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This one has 120,000 miles on it, and the seller says it’s in great condition.
The AA body came in a few cool variants, like the fiery Dodge Spirit R/T and the cushy Chrysler LeBaron sedan, but the Plymouth Acclaim pretty much only came in one flavor: Plain. Yeah, there was an LE model, but it just had some more stuff on it. Most Acclaims looked just like this one on the inside – a split bench seat, a column-mounted gearshift, and not a whole lot else. It does have air conditioning, and the seller says it works fine.
Outside, it’s missing some clearcoat on the horizontal surfaces, but that’s to be expected. It’s rust-free, and doesn’t have any damage, not even any garage door scrapes. I always liked this shade of blue, too. It’s never going to be an interesting car on its own merits, but the fact that there aren’t many of them left makes it a conversation piece. Show up to a car meet with this thing, and you’re guaranteed at least an “oh, wow.”
1993 Dodge Grand Caravan LE – $1,700
Engine/drivetrain: 3.3-liter OHV V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Yadkinville, NC
Odometer reading: 234,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The K car wasn’t the only savior for Chrysler in the 80s, of course. A whole new type of vehicle, the car-based minivan, took the market by storm in 1984, and it took a long time for other manufacturers to keep up. Chrysler didn’t rest on its laurels while the rest of the industry played catch-up; it made constant improvements throughout the first generation. This second generation is mostly an evolution, with the sharp corners rounded off for aerodynamics.
Drivetrain options carried over for the second generation, except no turbocharged option was available. Two V6s were offered, though: a 3.0 liter from Mitsubishi, and Chrysler’s own 3.3 liter, which is what this van has. It drives the front wheels through Chrysler’s four-speed Ultradrive transmission, which had a rocky start, but was much improved by 1993. Most of the troubles were caused by mechanics using the wrong fluid to top it up. This one was owned by a mechanic and has nearly a quarter-million miles on it, so it seems like it got the good stuff.
The second generation Caravan got a new interior, too. Features like “stow-n-go” seats and rear-mounted video players were still years away, but at least this generation ditched the fake woodgrain on the dash. This is the long-wheelbase Grand Caravan, with seating for seven, though the rear two rows of seats barely look used. The front seats are pretty worn, as are the door panels, but nothing looks damaged or torn up.
It’s showing its age and mileage outside. The paint is coming off the bumpers, and flaking off the window trim as well. And it looks like the tailgate was replaced – see the red rectangles around the badges? Someone painted a used tailgate to match and just masked around the badges. Quality workmanship, there. Hey, at least it isn’t rusty.
The most serious charge you can really level against either of these is that they’re boring. But when it comes to cheap cars, if you really just need something to get around, excitement is overrated. You can still get parts for these everywhere, they’re easy to work on, and you should be able to get a couple of years out of either one. And for the price, that’s about all you can ask for. So which one will it be?
If the minivan were nicer, I’d probably take it. But it’s pretty ragged out, and the Acclaim’s bench seat and working AC will make for comfy cruising.
No car.
Looking at the interior of that van brings back memories of riding to high school in a neighbor’s first gen Caravan, albeit with the fake woodgrain. I have more fond memories of the beautiful girl who drove it than the van itself, so I am going with the Acclaim because it is lower miles and in better shape. In reality, I neither car appeals to me in the slightest.
Went with the Acclaim, as it’s in an actual color and a nice color at that.
The minivan has what looks like FOP stickers on both front and rear which gives one pause (you know, ACAB and all that.) Also, the parking brake doesn’t look to be engaged so who knows if the owners are in the habit of ever using the parking brake. It’s just a pet peeve when people rely *only* on the automatic transmission P function for parking.
Hey, I did the same tailgate paint treatment on my XJ. But I made the extra effort to mask off ovals around “Jeep” and “4.0L”
I originally thought I’d vote minivan, but I can’t stand working on a transverse V6. Maybe the van’s utility would overcome that, but then I realized I could not give a rat fart in a high wind about keeping the Acclaim nice, so anything I couldn’t fit in the trunk, I’d just pile it on top and strap it down.
I’ll take the Granny-Magnet
An Acclaim/Spirit/Dynasty is a surprisingly great highway car if you don’t feel the need to utilize the cargo capacity of a Caravan. I’ve ridden in/driven several iterations and they were, for the time, economical and always rather comfortable.
Got to go with the feels on this one and that’s the Plymouth. My mom had a 94, I remember it being a good yet boring car. We put lots of miles until the inevitable failure of the transmission.
Either one would be a hit at your local Rad show. In this case I have to narrowly choose the Acclaim because it’s such a rare piece of Regular Car royalty. I still occasionally see 2G Caravans soldiering on as work trucks around this area where rust isn’t a big factor. But I haven’t seen an Acclaim in forever. The closest thing I’ve seen on the last year was a well-preserved Spirit R/T, but that’s a car you expect someone to save.
The 2.5 sucks but at least parts are easy to get. My grandfather had an Acclaim LE with a pretty white over silver 2-tone paint job with matching silver alloy wheels. It was handsome and comfortable. His had the ubiquitous Mitsubishi 3.0. Back the. Chrysler dropped that engine in nearly everything they sold. Kind of like the Pentastar now.
Minivan.
Chrysler’s 60 degree V6’s of the era were pretty decent, actually, (except the 2.7).
Minivan simply because it has utility no current car in my home has.
But the Acclaim would make a nice practice guinea pig for learning how to spray clear-coat.
I keep clear of vehicles with bumper stickers on the road, and I’ll keep clear of them when shopping.
Nothing screams “I do the bare minimum maintenance to be able to keep rolling” than a stack of stickers on the back (and front).
Nothing screams “I do the bare minimum maintenance to be able to keep rolling”
Pretty sure those screams are: “It wasn’t broken so I didn’t fix it.”
“signals broken, watch for finger”
The 2.5 is not a good engine. Given that the 3.3L is still alive today means they worked out the A604 issues and perhaps upgraded it to the 41TE. This is peak Chrysler minivan era. the minivan all the way.
I would have chosen the minivan, but the condition of these two examples sends me to the Acclaim.
That Acclaim is so anonymous and invisible, it would make a great getaway car. Plus, you can tell it was used very gently. I’d bet it rides and drives a lot better than the van with way more miles.
Maybe 15-20 years ago. In today’s world of jellybean aero, the straight lines and relatively vertical windshield and backlight would stand out. Additionally, it’s not black, white, or one of the 20 shades of gray that today’s innocuous car wear.
The Acclaim with the 2.5L/3-speed auto combination would be the slowest getaway car since OJ’s Bronco or maybe the Postal LLV featured a few days ago.
If it was a hopped-up 2.5 turbo/Spirit R/T DOHC turbo, now you’re talking.
I guess I’ll take the Chrysler.
Take the seats out of the van and toss them. Bolt a ladder rack through the roof and you’ve got the perfect starter vehicle for your gutter cleaning service.
That van deserves better than that.
Nope. Walking away from both.
My mom had a few years newer acclaim and it handled like a barge. The minivan will handle better.
I can just see Granny in the Dodge/Plymouth showroom back in 1992:
“That Dodge Dynasty is so nice – but I don’t want to spend all that.”
“Well Ma’am – Here’s a Plymouth Acclaim which is just a shorter Dynasty. It’s a couple thousand dollars less – and it’s a pretty blue color”
“I’ll take it.”
The 3.3 is the “better” motor than the 3.0 mitzu motor that burned more oil and made more blue smoke than a 2 stroke. I owned one it was terrible. Something about valve guides??
Hmmm, tough choice, you got the low rank FBI agent in the Acclaim, or some poor pussywhipped sap who has a few crotch goblins in the Minivan.
Weird how David Tracy bought one of these minivans in Germany of his own free will as a kidless bachelor
Yeah, but everybody loves that one weirdo.
People love me and my microvan too. Especially when I can park it in my garage or on my driveway instead of taking up street parking on trash day.
I can also open the rear doors in tight parking spaces with no danger of the door slamming into the car in the next stall over. And I never *forget* a trailer ball, lurking just under sight, waiting to slam into your shins.
Try that with a brodozer.
Thing is anybody who buys a car out of concern of what others think is whipped way, WAY worse than your minivan driver.
Low rank? I’m pretty sure Mulder and Scully used this exact car in this color, in at least one episode. The X-Files was pretty good at putting them in realistic GSA motor pool cars instead of giving them a distinctive, toyetic Xmobile.
I think my Army recruiter drove me around in an Acclaim or something similar back in ’89.
Many government fleet Acclaims & Spirits were flex fuel.
At least the minivan could be used for Home Depot runs.
I’ll take the utility of the van, but that car is in nice shape.
Perfect for going to the Bingo hall, or those weekly tips to Tuesday Morning.
Tuesday Morning went out of business.
Well yeah, the customers with Plymouth Acclaims died off.