Autotrader Find: 1989 Mitsubishi Precis for $2,475

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Here’s something extremely rare. It’s a 1989 Mitsubishi Precis. The Precis was a rebadged Hyundai Excel, which itself was the vehicle Hyundai used to launch its brand in the United States back in 1986. While the Excel was out of production by 1989, the Precis was sold from 1987 all the way through to 1994.

From a value perspective, the Excel and Precis were pretty good given that they started at just $4,995, or a little under $12,000 in 2020 dollars. But when it came to reliability, these two were pretty atrocious, which was the primary reason for Hyundai’s pitiful brand image during its early years here in the U.S., and the reason you basically never see them on the road today. Thin body panels, trouble starting and cheap plastics were all traits of the Excel/Precis twins.

Available body styles consisted of a 4-door sedan, a 5-door hatchback and a 3-door hatchback, although Mitsubishi-badged examples seem to have only been offered as hatchbacks. The Precis and Excel made use of a 1.5-liter Mitsubishi inline 4-cylinder putting out a meager 68 horsepower. Transmission options were a 3-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual.

The 1989 Mitsubishi Precis listed here is located in Batavia, Illinois. It’s a 3-door hatch and it comes in silver with a blue interior. While there are no photos of the interior, the ad states that the transmission is a 5-speed manual. While there’s hardly a practical application for a vehicle like this here in 2020, for just $2,475, this well-preserved Precis would make a pretty great conversation piece, and would certainly turn some heads at a Radwood event or any other 90s-themed car show.

Here’s a commercial I found online for the Precis, where I learned that it’s pronounced ‘Pree-sis’ — not ‘Prexis’ like I had assumed the entire time I was writing this. Find a Mitsubishi Precis for sale