Back when I created the Nice Price or Crack Pipe series for Jalopnik, my favorite subjects were super-original cars that most people don’t even remember having existed; the point was to present the readers with a dilemma. Señor Emslie aka Graverobber has done a fine job carrying the NPOCP torch, but I’ve decided to keep this most agonizing of all low-mile dilemmas for my own use: an 18,630-mile Mitsubishi Cordia L.
I’ve lately become fascinated by the Cordia (and its sedan sibling, the Tredia). From the standpoint of the automotive historian, the first generation of non-Chrysler-badged Mitsubishi cars in North America is of some interest, particularly when considering that the only triple-diamond-badged car of the mid-80s that anybody recalls today is the flaky-yet-gorgeous Starion. Very few Cordias were sold in the United States, and those that developed costly problems (i.e., damn near every one) weren’t valuable enough to be worth saving; I haven’t seen one on the street for a decade, and even junked examples are about as commonplace as Aston Martin Lagondas. So here’s this showroom-condition ’85 in Florida for a mere— or is it an exorbitant?— four grand. An ’85 Celica or Maxima with this few miles on the clock and a mid-roller price tag would have dudes cold blasting each other with TEC-9s (remember, are talking about Florida here) to be the first in line to buy the thing, but a Cordia? Bundle it with a low-mile I-Mark for six grand and I’ll be on the next flight to Miami!
Find Reviews by Make:
Read all comments
Mitsu produced the Cordia and the Tredia. Where were the Beadia and the Rimia, enquiring minds want to know?
Well, Murilee, it makes more sense than the Russian cars you want. At least the Mitsubishi was sold in the U.S. I’m wondering about the types of engine swaps that could be done if everything goes to heck. You’d likey want to keep it Mitsubishi but I don’t know which Mitsu engines would work for a swap into a RWD chassis like that.
I think Russian cars would be more reliable than 80s Mitsus.
I think you answered your own question. Don’t go near the Mitsubishi, if you know what’s good for you!
My Plymouth Champ was fairly reliable, though there was an electrical glitch caused by a bad ground wire.
I think you don’t know what you are saying.Actually,I own a Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo and I’m very proud of it!!!!
The Cordia and Tredia were front wheel drive cars. They probably had a lot in common mechanically with the base 1.8 liter DSMs.
FWD, but i think overseas it could be had with 4WD and turbo. That could be amusing
The Cordia used 4G- and 4D- engines. Which, of course, means it’s conceivable to drop a 4G63 (i.e. Galant VR-4/Eclipse Turbo/Lancer Evolution) engine into it. If one could port the entire drivetrain from a Lancer into this thing, and leave the 14″ wheelcovers on, it’d be one hell of a sleeper! I ver much enjoy the thought of that!
Not to mention the kitsch factor of driving a Mitsubishi Cordia.
Just think of the insurance premiums! $14/year for full coverage! Does State Farm have a value “below $0?”
Any clue if this one has the Super Shift (8-speed!!) transmission?
Ahh, good old Cordial. Sportia! Roomia!
Ah yes, the Cordia: the reason I will never own a Mitsubishi automobile.
Oh yeah…!!I own a cordia turbo and is absolutelly mad!!!Is a pleasure to drive it every day.
Crusher Food. It’d have to be a Turbo 5-speed with alloy wheels and power everything (if such a model existed) to even think about it. Add to that the obsolescence of parts like door handles, switches involing windows, ignition, turnsignals or wipers and not to mention all the seals in the engine and trans are old and brittle. Forget about having functioning AC and yeah I’d deal with those things for an original low mi IROC or SVO but for this, no thanks! ‘Course those would be more than twice the price but still.
CRACK PIPE….BIIIIGGG crack pipe
I actually remember exactly what it was like to drive these cars, even though I only did it a few time. The automatic is absolutely a deal killer. There just wasn’t enough torque for a slush box, even one that shifts like a kick in the kidneys. That being said, I really dig the Recaro knock-off seats. They’re very 1979 though.
@CJ: It’s funny you should mention knock off Recaros. I had the real things in my Mercury Capri Turbo. What I remember now is that they were rock hard compared to anything else I’d ever had. Even then when I was 70 lbs lighter, they squeezed my buns like a drunken sorority girl.
My Dodge Lancer Turbo had some very Recaro-like seats. IIRC, they were either built by Mitsubishi or their supplier, but they were Japanese sourced for sure. They held up very well over 11 years and 160+K miles. And they seemed to fit my butt for the whole time I owned the car.
I remember the early Fox Recaros. They were exactly what I was thinking of. My dad had an ’85 Lancer ES Turbo with seats that looked like aggressive sports seats, but they were actually softer and less supportive under lateral G loads than many bolstered bucket seats. They were very comfortable, but their bolsters didn’t have much structure under the foam.
That has to be the most generic car ever.
I don’t know who would buy it. Perhaps a bank robber? It would make the perfect getaway car, since nobody would be able to identify it…
I will say that this era was the high water mark for Mitsubishi design. The sharp lines made the cars look more expensive and upscale than they were.
I know used car value are high, but $4000 for this?? I’m going to quit my day job and become a high-rolling automotive writer ;)
Like a Hyundai Excell 3 dr just a bit larger with sharper lines.
No, that was the Precis!
My mother bought a brand new 1984 Tredia LS, it was the first car she bought new and it was actually the car she had when my parents got married. She remembers it fondly, my father, not so much. To this day I have never seen one, and the way he describes it that’s a good thing. To this day he refuses to buy anything Mitsubishi related simply because of that car.
I will never buy a Mitsu simply because of the Zero…those who forget history are bound to repeat it. I however, will take two low mileage I-Marks, and an Impulse Turbo
Give it another 20 years and someone will want to collect it.
That is a great find. Not far from my last home there was a guy who owned a 1983 Cordia that had been converted to electric drive. He also had a first generation VW Rabbit converted to electric power.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8490341@N04/5272166019/
Don’t know about the car, but I would never buy anything that had been parked on grass for any amount of time.
See if you can talk him down to 2500, then drive it happily until something no longer replaceable breaks, and then simply move on. With any luck, you’d get a couple years of “What the hell is THAT?” out of people.
After it breaks, turn it into an art installation. Then you’ll get 10+ years of “What the hell is THAT?”
“So here’s this showroom-condition ’85 in Florida for a mere— or is it an exorbitant?— four grand.”
Let’s see. 700 miles a year. Potential rust and ‘storm’ issues. Parts that are easy to find at a junkyard as a Ford Tempo Diesel.
Half that price would be a kind offer.
If Mitsubishi had a future they could buy this for their museum.
They should buy it anyway. After they leave the car business they can leave behind a legacy collection like the Studebaker National Museum.
Mitsubishi sawed the Tredia in half widened it mounted a Astron and called it the Magna it was crap Lido called it the K car.
Nope, not even close. The former Ford guys who defected to Chrysler before Lido downsized the square panthers and gave us the K-car.
So being identical to the Mitsi Magna Debonaire and V2000 V3000 is because Chrysler designed it nah it came from Japan in Lido disguise he was a guy who never speny money developing a car he just badge engineered other peoples efforts.
No, it was the Galant that was widened to become the Magna.
Sad that this was an evolutionary step from my much-loved Arrow…at least the Arrow (especially in 1979 true “Fire Arrow” guise had attitude and personality). This? Not so much. I did like the Starion much better…
Wasn’t the Arrow RWD? The Cordia is FWD, so I don’t think they’re very related.
Reminds me of a watered down Delorean.
Gorgeous Starion? Well, it was designed by the same studio who did the DeLorean…and the Scirocco, even the Isuzu Impulse. Funny how all the lines seem to be very similar on those cars…but the Cordia? Looks like a “poor man’s” version…and yes I drove one when I worked at the car wash in high school…the owner even said it was a P.O.S..
It might be worth $500
It’s funny, over the weekend, Hooniverse featured several early Korean cars sold in the US. This got me in a loop of Wikipedia entries for old Korean cars I had not heard of (now I want a Daewoo Imperial for unknown reasons).
Reading Hyundai’s story, it seems that Mitsubishi’s assistance is what transformed their cars from horrible to acceptable, and that’s when Hyundai started their exports to the US and other countries. I found that pretty funny as Hyundai (and Kia) are both doing great here with cars that are receiving many accolades and selling well, whereas Mitsubishi is…. not. The student has become the master!
Hey that is my uncle’s car. Garage kept its entire life. I remember when he bought it, he was looking at the Celica and 2 door 626 as well. Too bad he didn’t choose one of those cars instead as he would have a desirable classic.
I just bought an 87 Corida Turbo 5 speed – We’re going to Lemonize it and race it in North Carolina in March 2012.