Another old Mitsu rescue, this has been a quick and dirty “resto” project. I made a goal to make it run by a certain date for a cerain event and made it happen. Barely.
Purchased in July of 2025. Minor work done in November of '25, just interior cleaning and getting the tape residue off the side. Full work started in February of '26 for a three day driving event 1000 miles away the last day of April. Smart choice. No. But hey, I got it done.
So here goes the story…
Long time Gearheaders will remember an episode of the gearbox podcast “Viking Starion Funerals”
Well, its been 6 years and the funeral date has arrived. Since I moved to AZ in 2019, Ive been on the hunt for a solid south west flat body Starion shell to swap the near mint interior and mechanical parts from my VERY rusty, but beloved New England '84 Starion ES. I’ve almost bought a few, but they were never exactly what i wanted. Automatic chassis, or Conquest bagded vs. Starion, wrong colors, collision damage, etc.
So imagine my excitement when this car popped upnon FB marketplace about an hour and a half away in Globe AZ.
Thats it. These four pics. I was leaving for Boston three days after this listing was shared with me (thanks Josh!!), so i had to act fast. Asking price was $2500, there was no real info, no mileage, not sure what trans, no idea when it last ran or even how complete it was. But…it was an '84, Starion not Conquest, seemed solid and it was white. My old car was white, this would make the whole process easier. Also, the price? In 2025, thats parts car pricing. How bad could it be.
By the second day I had it all lined up, Naomi was on board and supportive and my good friend Ron is always up for a car rescue mission.
Once i got the address I was shocked to learn it was the same address that three years earlier I was sent by a podcast listener telling me to go knock on the door as there was a flat side Starion sitting in a yard that hadnt moved in at least a decade! I probably should have!!!
The scene was something else. Story goes the owner passed a few years ago and that the son had possession of all of the dads things, but he had some possible addiction and mental health issues so I was dealing with a go between family friend to facilitate the purchase.
Here was what we pulled up on.
The anchor in the pic? That was fun…it was hanging as decor at the sellers house…we used it as a chain extension. Hey…we lived.
Got it home about mid night. Super stoked but still unsure what I had really bought?
