Hot Wheels Dodge Aires K Wagon and Pontiac J-2000

Back in the 1980's Hot Wheels was starting to get back in the groove with some interesting castings, new wheels (white walls and rubber tires), and some cool castings that some still continue service today.  So who has forgotten about these two fuel misers cars?  Well, they're out there but obtaining one isn't as easy as you'd think, especially one that is in mint condition or a special Mexico model or something.  Here is two of Detroit's 1980's compact cars from Chrysler and Pontiac.

Dodge Aries K wagon

With Chrysler in dire needs at the end of the 1970's Lee Iacocca came in to save the day with a government loan to keep the company afloat, but even with things back to normal the vehicle line was ancient and still to heavily dependant on big V8 cars and trucks.  The solution was a simple two-box (or three with wagon) front-wheel drive car that would be very simple to use and reliable.  Those cars would become the Chrysler K-cars: the Dodge Aries, Plymouth Reliant, and Chrysler LeBaron and Town and Country.  While not as sophisticated as the Eurpoean cars from Germany or top-notch reliable as the Japan cars the K-cars did their job offering a simple car that was reliable.  The shape is boxy, but useful with the offer of a two-door, four door sedan, and five-door wagon.  For the Chrysler version the wagon offered wood trim, while the convertible brought back the first American convertible since the 1976 Cadillac demise, and yes the convertible was also offered with wood trim to reflect the 1948 Town and Country cars.  The platform got more use as it was extended to the sporty hatchbacks, the Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Laser, and eventually the start of the Minivan with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager.  The engine is a 2.2L SOHC I-4 that produced 68 horsepower through a 4-speed manual transmission to the front wheels.  Eventually the K-cars would move up to an upgraded Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance by the end of the 1980's.  The success of the K-cars would pull Chrysler out of the debt and pay off the government loan in 1986.

Unfortunately this Hot Wheels Aries wagon does not get much use ouside of the yellow with wood grain along the sides.  Even as a second vehicle to a Steering Rig set it still uses the same outfit.  The look of the wagon is boxy, as usual, but with a more compact size that is more manuverable than the bigger wagons of the day.  The front has square headlights with inner signal lights and a grille and front bumper that is part of the metal base.  The sides show off the wood trim and upright wagon roofline, while the rear has rectangular taillights and an K Car license plate.  The metal base shows off the engine details up front while the rear uses leaf springs on a solid axle instead of a torsion bar used in the passenger cars.  Even so the interior has plenty of room for six people with plenty of cargo space in the rear.  There is some detailed gear in the cargo area that appears to be camping gear.  The dashboard has a flat-faced look with simple and logical control layout.  I rescued this car from a soiled blisterpack so the car looks pretty much mint.  Might not be cool back then but now this is a desirable car and a different offshot for the Hot Wheels brand.

Pontiac J-2000

On the other side at General Motors the new J-car platform was released as a new smaller car line below the Citation: the Chevy Cavalier, Pontiac J-2000, Buick Skyhawk, Oldsmobile Firenza, and the Cadillac Cimarron.  The line was built to take on the Japan import cars and today still do battle with the likes of Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, albet at a much smaller family line.  The J-2000 has a more sportier look thanks to a beaked front-end that resembled the 1977-1978 Pontiac Firebird, while out back it gets a sleek fastback look with 1983 Firebird taillights.  The interior also has a sporter look with supportive front seats, three-spoke steering wheel, and driver-oriented gauge layout.  The engine is a 2.0L OHV I-4 that produces an estimated 75 hp. through a 4-speed manual transmission.  Unfortunately the J-car platform suffered the same reliability problems as the Chevy Citation and would take years to recoup from the first mess; speaking of which the J-2000 would become the 2000 in 1984 and by 1986 the Sunbird name reappeared.

Unlike the Aries wagon the J-2000 comes in a few colors with a small and large sunroof variation, but the most common and easier to get color is the yellow shown here.  The front beak is nicely done and has quad headlights that are part of the metal base.  To add some sport to the car the orange arrow graphics cross the hood and roof, while side stripes with J-2000 adorn the doors.  At the rear the louvered rear windows give this car a sporty look, though the taillights are barely visible here (I added black to make the taillight bar stand out.)  The license plate is part of the metal base and is cut out of the rear bumper.  Now despite the sporty nature both the J-2000 and the Aries wagon have taller stances so handling, which is pretty good for both small cars, do come at the cost of body roll.  The metal base shows off the front engine detailing and then leads to the rear via exhaust system.  The interior is shown off in red with detailed front seats, rear seats, and a dashboard with detailed steering wheel.

Both are unexciting cars that no one wants to see today, but as Hot Wheels models their limited life is bringing interest back thanks to the resurgence of JDM cars of recent.