If you're shopping for a Conquest, the one most people want is the 1987-89 Chrysler Conquest TSi: the widebody, intercooled version of the Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R with a turbocharged 2.6-liter four. The earlier 1984-86 Dodge and Plymouth Conquests are mostly narrow-body cars with less power. The biggest risks on any of them now are rust, past modifications and a turbo engine that has been rebuilt by who knows whom. Recall history is thin, and NHTSA's database lists nothing under Chrysler Conquest at all.
I read MotorTrend's 2024 Starion and Conquest history, Hagerty's buyer profile and the Wikipedia entry on the Starion on Oct. 20, 2026, and ran Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth and Mitsubishi Conquest and Starion through NHTSA's recall API for 1983 through 1989. The sources disagree on a couple of details, and I'll say where.
Four badges, one car
The Starion and Conquest were the same Mitsubishi-built, rear-drive 2+2 hatchback. Enthusiasts call them all "Starquests." MotorTrend says Dodge and Plymouth versions arrived for 1984, and Chrysler took over the Conquest badge for 1987 through 1989. The Wikipedia entry gives the same split. Hagerty's profile says the car became the Chrysler Conquest in 1986. I'd trust the title and the badge on the car over either one, but most references put the Chrysler name at 1987.
All U.S. cars used the same engine: a single-cam, turbocharged 2.6-liter four, the G54B, with Mitsubishi's balance shafts, the same idea it licensed to Porsche for the 944. Early cars made 145 hp and 185 lb-ft, according to both MotorTrend and Hagerty. A five-speed manual was standard and a four-speed automatic was optional.
Narrow body versus widebody
This is the split that drives prices. Wikipedia says only the narrow body was sold through the 1985.5 model year, and widebody cars were offered for 1986 through 1989 in the U.S. The widebody, badged Conquest TSi or Starion ESI-R, added box flares, staggered 16-inch wheels and an intercooler. MotorTrend puts the intercooled engine at 176 hp, rising to 188 hp for 1988 with a revised ECU. Hagerty says 178 hp, then 10 more for 1988. Either way, the 1988-89 cars are the strongest stock versions.
Hagerty lists a limited-slip differential and four-wheel disc brakes as standard on the widebodies, with 205/55VR16 tires up front and 225/50VR16 at the rear. For 1988 there was a Sport Handling package with eight-way adjustable shocks and wheels an inch wider. Wikipedia adds that 1987 brought motorized automatic shoulder belts, which stayed through 1989. Make sure they still run the full track and latch, because a 35-year-old motor and guide rail can wear out.
Numbers are small. MotorTrend says fewer than 75,000 Starquests were exported to the U.S. across the whole run, and the rarest is the 1989 Mitsubishi Starion, with just 159 sold. Conquests are generally easier to find.
What goes wrong on a Starquest today
Most of these cars have had a lot of owners, and Hagerty says modifications are common: lowered suspensions, bigger wheels, turned-up boost, aftermarket internals and LS V8 swaps. It also notes that balance shafts are often deleted during engine rebuilds. None of that is automatically bad, but it means you need receipts. A Conquest with more boost and no record of who built the engine is a gamble on an engine you may end up paying to sort out.
Check the turbo for shaft play and oil in the intake, look for blue smoke on startup, and listen for vibration at speed that a balance shaft delete would explain. Then get underneath. Check the floors, rocker panels, rear hatch area and strut towers first, since a car this old has had decades to rot from the inside out. Hagerty's honest note from an owner is worth remembering too: he tried some aftermarket parts, they broke, and he put the factory pieces back on.
On price, the best number I found is old. Hagerty wrote in 2019 that good stock drivers could still be found under $10,000 and rusty projects around $2,500, while a 40,000-mile 1988 Conquest TSi with the Sport Handling package sold for $27,000 on Bring a Trailer. Treat those as a floor. Values for '80s Japanese cars have moved since then.
Recalls and history reports
NHTSA lists one recall for the 1986 Dodge and Plymouth Conquest, 95V103003, filed in May 1995. The red front seat belt buckle release buttons marked "PRESS" can break, and pieces can jam the buckle. The same campaign covered the Dodge Raider, Colt and Ram 50, and the 1986 Starion has a matching Mitsubishi campaign, 95V103004. Our Dodge Raider buying guide covers that recall on a Montero-based truck. The API returned nothing for the 1984-85 Conquests or for any Chrysler Conquest year. Run the VIN through our Chrysler recall check guide or the Mitsubishi recall check anyway, and test both buckles by hand.
These cars all carry 17-character VINs, so a decoder will read them. Our Mitsubishi VIN decoder guide walks through what each position means. A history report on a 35-year-old car is mostly about title brands, odometer entries and how many times it was sold. Check the title on NMVTIS, and be blunt with the seller if the mileage looks too good.
CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller and isn't affiliated with either company. As of late October 2026 one report was about $5.50 as a guest or $4.50 as a member, both for about $6.75, against roughly $39.99 to $44.99 at retail. Confirm at checkout.
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