The long-standing relationship between Chrysler Corporation and Mitsubishi has yielded some desirable sport compact cars over the years. Obviously, for those of us of a certain age, the Chrysler Conquest and Mitsubishi Starion is the pairing that immediately comes to mind, a sport compact with box flares and turbocharged engines, and conventional front-engined, rear-drive layout. Going into the 90s, this partnership continued with the arrival of the Mitsubishi Eclipse and the Eagle Talon. This 1992 Talon ES shown here on Facebook Marketplace is a nicely-preserved survivor with the preferred manual gearbox for $4,500.

Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the find.d The seller refers to the Talon as a “DSM” in his listing, which is the acronym for Diamond Star Motors and represented the joint venture partnership manufacturing facility where cars like this were made. It’s also a bit of a dog whistle for anyone of a certain age who grew up on a steady diet of Sport Compact Car magazine and Fast & The Furious viewings in theaters. These hot hatches could be modified to your heart’s content, but it wasn’t this trim that would get customized with myriad aftermarket parts – that was reserved for the turbocharged versions with factory all-wheel drive.

Of course, the saving grace for naturally-aspirated cars like this one is that they weren’t targets for modification, which meant finding a survivor like this was more of a real possibility. Anytime you introduce a sport compact with factory turbocharging is a recipe for modifications that can vary greatly in quality. And while the horsepower gains were very real in those boosted models, so were the consequences of “balling on a budget” as many young drivers often were. This Talon has clearly been enjoyed by an older owner, as the period-correct faux woodgrain trim seems to suggest; in the hands of a teenager, this panel would have been spray painted to match the color of the car by now.

This Talon came with the mid-range 4G63 engine, which is effectively the naturally-aspirated mill that came in the desirable TSi and TSi AWD models with factory turbocharging. Good for about 135 b.h.p., this would be a fun runabout with the potential for making it better with some subtle suspension modifications, fatter sway bars, and better tires. The mileage is just under 100K and the seller notes that the transmission was previously replaced with a rebuilt unit. For the money, this looks like a fun 90s-era ride with perfect colors for the period and a pleasingly stock appearance.