Yes, I’m Really Making You Choose Between These: 1988 Pontiac Sunbird vs 1985 Plymouth Reliant

Good morning! Today’s Showdown is brought to you by the letters J and K. Why? Because I can. I don’t imagine I’m going to win over any converts among you – lord knows I’ve tried – but there’s nothing stopping me from subjecting you to them. These both come to us courtesy of the Underappreciated Survivors Facebook group.

We looked at two little egg-shaped economy cars yesterday, and I was afraid that if I made it a Toyota versus anything else, whatever the other car was wouldn’t stand a chance. And it looks like I was right. The little Hyundai Accent didn’t get even half as many votes.

I get it; Toyota looms large over the conversation whenever reliability and durability are brought up. But having owned a few old Toyotas, I can tell you they are not invincible. Neglect and deferred maintenance can do a number on them just like any other car. And this one comes from one of those fly-by-night dealerships along Southeast 82nd Avenue in Portland. I’ve had dealings with those hucksters before, and I’m not in any hurry to do so again. The Accent, on the other hand, has some maintenance records and comes from a private seller, which feels much safer to me.

Now then: The RADwood phenomenon, and 1980s nostalgia in general, is still going strong – to a combination of joy and horror to those of us who lived through that flashy decade. Sure, the music was great, and some of the movies were fun (though personally I prefer John Carpenter to John Hughes), but the fashions were appalling. But it’s the cars we’re here to talk about, and love them or hate them, two platforms were ubiquitous in mall parking lots throughout the ’80s: the General Motors J platform, and the Chrysler K platform. Against all odds, I found two that aren’t obscenely overpriced like so many are these days. Let’s take a look at them now (see what I did there?).

1988 Pontiac Sunbird GT Turbo Convertible – $1,500

Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 1.8-liter OHC inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Eau Claire, WI

Odometer reading: 76,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well, but needs a few little things

Throughout most of the 1980s, if you wanted to tell GM cars from different divisions apart, you had to look at the trim. Chevies, Pontiacs, Buicks, Oldsmobiles, and even Cadillacs all shared sheetmetal, so the differences were in the details. Each division did what it could to distinguish its models, and Pontiac was more successful than some of the others, with its trademark directional five-spoke wheel design (there’s a nickname for these, but I can’t remember what it is) and blacked-out trim. This Sunbird GT had another trick up its sleeve: a turbocharged engine.

The Sunbird’s 1.8-liter turbo engine came from Opel, was built in Brazil, and was shared only with Buick, for its Skyhawk T-Type. It makes 150 horsepower, quite a lot for a small car in the ’80s. This one feeds the front wheels through a TH125C three-speed automatic, which is a bit of a letdown, but it’s suitable for a convertible cruiser like this. As you might expect from a convertible in the upper Midwest, it doesn’t have many miles on it. This isn’t a winter car for Wisconsin. The seller says it runs fine, but it needs “a few little things.”

Like so many convertibles over the years, this Sunbird started out as a two-door coupe, and was beheaded and stiffened by ASC. You lose quite a lot of back seat room if you opt for the convertible, but hey, if you don’t call “shotgun” fast enough, that’s your problem. This one is in good condition outside, but the seller says it needs a new top. Or, I suppose, you could just leave it in the garage if it’s going to rain. The heater core started leaking recently and has been bypassed, but it’s actually very easy to get to on these old J-bodies, so there’s no reason not to replace it.

The upside of not having been driven in the winter is that it’s rust-free, something you can’t say about very many cars in Wisconsin. It’s not perfect; there is some paint flaking off the plastic front bumper, and a little wrinkle in the bottom of the driver’s side door, but it’s a $1,500 convertible that runs well. Ignore the flaws, and just go drive it.

1985 Plymouth Reliant – $2,000

Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter OHC inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Goshen, NY

Odometer reading: 92,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well, but needs a few little things

If there’s a more generic, stereotypical 1980s car than the Plymouth Reliant, I don’t know what it is. The savior of Chrysler Corporation along with its twin the Dodge Aries, the Reliant is a car nobody loved, but lots of people liked enough to buy. Chrysler sold two million of these things over its nine-year run, and a shocking number of them are still around today. Part of that could be due to their popularity with older drivers who didn’t put many miles on them, but survivor Reliants like this are a lot more common than you’d guess. This one is just a lot more reasonably priced than most.

One year after this car was built the Reliant’s standard 2.2-liter engine would receive throttle-body electronic fuel injection, which gave it a big improvement in drivability and a small horsepower bump, but these old carbureted 2.2s run well enough, certainly better than the optional Mitsubishi-built 2.6 liter. This one has received an elecric fuel pump to give the old mechanical pump a little help. It probably wasn’t necessary; my guess is that the mechanical pump was just worn, but whatever. It has a leaking valve cover gasket, but so does every other 2.2 I have ever seen. It’s easy enough to do; just don’t skimp on the RTV sealant, especially in the corners.

This is a base model K car, which means a one-piece bench seat, a column-mounted shifter, and no center console. The seller has compensated with one of those parts-store consoles with the spikes on the bottom to grip the carpet. Hey, it’s better than no cupholders at all. The interior is in good shape apart from a droopy headliner, but sadly, the air conditioning doesn’t work.

I have long believed that round Hella driving lights can improve the looks of any car, and I was pleased to see that this car advances that theory. I guess you could call this the “Rally Edition” Reliant. Actually, you could lean into that and put some Martini stripes on it. Why not? It’s a K car; have some fun with it.

Most of you scoff whenever I feature cars like these, but this time, they’re not stupidly overpriced. They’re not perfect, either, but what old car doesn’t need some tinkering? So what do you think – is it the drop-top Sunbird that needs a top, or the two-door Reliant with driving lights?