The Mitsubishi Tredia is a 1983-88 front-drive compact sedan, the four-door sibling of the Cordia coupe, and in the U.S. it came with a 2.0-liter four or a 116-hp 1.8 turbo. As a used buy it's usually cheap to purchase and harder to keep, since parts for these early U.S. Mitsubishis are hard to find. Its recall history is short: two 1983 campaigns, and nothing listed by NHTSA for 1984 through 1988. If you want a practical, odd 1980s sedan, check rust, the engine paperwork and both 1983 recalls before you pay.
I looked up every Tredia year from 1983 to 1988 in NHTSA's recall API on Oct. 20, 2026, and read Old Motors, Curbside Classic and a 1983 Christian Science Monitor road report. The Tredia gets far less coverage than the Cordia, so expect some gaps.
A family sedan in Mitsubishi's first U.S. lineup
When Mitsubishi started selling cars under its own name here, it led with the Tredia, the Cordia, the Starion and the Mighty Max pickup. Old Motors says they went on sale Dec. 8, 1981, through 65 dealers in 22 states, and were sold as 1983 models. Mitsubishi hoped the Tredia would be its volume seller, pitched at the Corolla and the Datsun 510. It never got there, and the line ended after 1988 following a refresh for 1986.
Size-wise it sat between the Colt and the Galant. If you're cross-shopping, our Dodge Colt buying guide covers the smaller Chrysler-badged car, and the Mitsubishi Galant guide covers the bigger sedan.
Why it's the practical pick
The Tredia's case is that it's a sedan with real doors and a real trunk. The Christian Science Monitor wrote in January 1983 that it came with a standard five-speed manual and a 1.8-liter MCA-Jet four, and that the top trim had a switch on the trunk lock to limit access, a pass-through in the left rear seatback to the trunk, and two plastic bins under the front seats. Check that those still work and aren't broken off. A 40-year-old latch mechanism is a small thing until you can't open the trunk.
Old Motors says some early cars used Mitsubishi's twin-stick gearbox, later replaced by a regular five-speed, with a three-speed automatic as the other choice. The Wikipedia entry, citing a 1983 U.S. brochure, lists Base, L and LS trims with an 88-hp 2.0 and a Turbo with a 116-hp 1.8. Curbside Classic gives 82 hp for the first 1.8 and 88 hp for the 2.0 from 1984.
I also wanted to know whether a 4WD Tredia was ever sold here. Wikipedia says four-wheel drive was offered from October 1984 in Japan, paired with a 1.8 engine, and I found no source showing it was sold new in the U.S. Assume any 4WD Tredia here is a later import and check its title history and paperwork.
What to look at on a survivor
Start with rust: rockers, floors, the trunk floor and the wheel arches. Then the engine. Ask when the timing belt was last changed and get a receipt. With no record, budget for the belt before you drive it far. On a Turbo, look for oil in the intake and smoke on a cold start.
Price is mostly about condition and how badly you want one. Curbside Classic once spotted a 1984 Tredia Turbo on Los Angeles Craigslist asking $600 OBO. That post is years old, so don't treat it as today's price. The seller's ad called it a "classic and rare car." Rare, yes. That doesn't make a rusty one worth much.
Recalls: two, both 1983
NHTSA lists 82V109000 for the 1983 Tredia, filed in November 1982 and covering 1,849 cars. The fuel filler hose could break in a rear-end crash and leak fuel, which put the car out of compliance with FMVSS 301. The fix was a protector on the hose. The second, 83V057000, is shared with the Cordia: a snap pin could interfere with the throttle linkage and hold the throttle open if the pedal was pressed hard.
The API returned no Tredia recalls for 1984 through 1988. That includes the 1995 seat belt buckle campaign, 95V103004, which covers 1986-88 Cordias but doesn't list the Tredia. I'd still test both front buckles. Check the VIN with our Mitsubishi recall check, and look for the hose protector on a 1983 car.
VIN and history report
Every Tredia has a 17-character VIN, which our Mitsubishi VIN decoder guide breaks down. On a car this old, the history report is about title brands, odometer entries and how many owners it has gone through. I'd walk away from a Tredia with a salvage brand, since finding body parts to fix it properly is the hard part. Check NMVTIS as well.
CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller and is not affiliated with either. As of late October 2026 a single report ran about $5.50 for guests and $4.50 for members, about $6.75 for both, against roughly $39.99 to $44.99 retail. Confirm at checkout.
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