Selling an old Plymouth Reliant

The Reliant was one of Chrysler's K-cars. Wikipedia says the first K-cars came off Detroit's Jefferson Avenue line in late 1980, after Congress approved the bailout. If yours is now parked for good, we buy whole non-running and junk cars, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

Carbureted years and fuel-injected years

Wikipedia lists three engines: a 2.2-liter K four, a 2.5-liter K four and a 2.6-liter Mitsubishi G54B four. The base 2.2 used an electronic two-barrel carburetor until fuel injection replaced it in 1986. That change makes a natural split for the EPA years, 1984 to 1989.

1984-1985

Six complaints. For these Reliant years, recall 84V147000 covers fuel that can seep where the fuel reservoir joins its hoses. The reservoir is a silver can mounted on the air cleaner. Dealers replace the hoses and the metal tube. The campaign lists 340,000 vehicles. That figure may count more than Reliants.

1986-1989

Thirty-seven complaints. Engine and engine cooling is the part named most across the Reliant's whole record, 14 times. Vehicle speed control is next with 7, including 3 on the 1988 and 2 on the 1989. The 1988 tops the Reliant's list at 16 complaints, with 5 crashes among them.

• 86V053000 (1986): plastic flashing can block the battery cap vents. Gas can build up inside and burst the case, most often after a charge. The campaign covers 32,149 vehicles.
• 89V237000 (1989): the valve cover gasket can slip and leak oil. The dealer fix swaps the gasket for a redesigned cover sealed with RTV. 634,000 vehicles in the campaign, which also covers the Horizon.

Wikipedia dates the end of production to December 1988 and says the Acclaim replaced the Reliant for 1989. EPA and NHTSA still list 1989 Reliants, and one complaint is filed under 1990.

By model year

Our Reliant count includes every NHTSA owner complaint on file through October 10, 2026. It is not a reliability rating, and the final Reliant years spent less time on the road to pick them up.

Worth fixing?

• Oil on the valve cover of a 1989? Run the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether 89V237000 is still open.
• Smell fuel under the hood of a 1984 or 1985? Don't drive it. That's the reservoir recall's territory.
• Been sitting for years? Old fuel, seals and tires add up. Sitting for years lays out what usually needs doing.

If the quote passes what a running Reliant sells for, sell it as it sits. Old or high mileage helps with that call.

Selling the Reliant whole

1. Write down the VIN, the body style and what's wrong.
2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where it sits, whether a driveway, a backyard or a garage, and whether the tires hold air. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
4. When the Reliant leaves, its title goes too, and our driver looks at a photo ID. Missing the title? Try selling with no title.

Also on the site: the Acclaim, Caravelle and Gran Fury, or every Plymouth.