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OK, following advice on here (relating to Honda Jazz) I also looked at other cars. Found a Mitsubishi Colt 1.3 Equippe '05 Reg with 18K miles at £5295... seems to be a good price? What do you experts reckon, sound worthy of further investigation?
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Don't get a 1.3 the 1.1 is a better engine, has plenty of power (as small engines go) and the MPG is great. Boot space isn't the greatest, but there is a reason for this, cabin space is brilliant The older cars have a problem where the drivers seat sinks, this may not effect an 05 but its fixed when they brought out the new spec ranges CZ1,CZ2 &CZ3; not much of a problem as you can raise it again, but a pain.
If you go for a test drive, check for rattles from the dashboard and that the panel gaps around the dash look right. I haven't heard of anyone else suffering from rattles but mine does and the dashboard isn't fitted quite correctly.
Motorpoint are doing 5Dr 06 CZ1's with 7k on the clock, metalic and aircon for £5700. There WILL be a dealer with a better price than this.
Overall they are a great car, I'd still buy another tomorrow.
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I drive a 2005 smart forfour 1.1 (the same as the colt underneath I believe), drives very well around town with quite a pleasant engine noise. A little underpowered on the motorway but did not find the 1.3 that much better on test drive. A little more expensive second hand (although should be able to pick up an 05 black spec for around £5.2k. Overall very pleased and something a bit different from all the fiestas,clios and corsas on the road. The back seat slides as well (don't know if this is the same for the Colt so can choose between luggage/ leg room.
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Actually I'd say the Smart was cheaper than the Colt for the spec:
www.motorpoint.co.uk/(S(u2y0ne45lzlmlgb5r3e5sh55))/Search/VehicleDetails.aspx?vehicle=143866
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Not an expert but had one while my car was in the body shop for a couple of weeks. I was really impressed with it - it was only the CZ1 with air con and was brand new so may have been a little tight, but I was surprised how nippy it was. By the trip comp it was returning about 48mpg during my 25 mile comute.
Felt very solid, and the interior although a little plasicky felt very solid and durable - it felt to me like a car that would last a long time.
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I think it was me that mentioned Colt, my wife has a 53 plate Jazz that?s done 26K and my daughter recently bought Colt CZ1 5dr with a/c.
Comparing the two, I?m pretty impressed with the Colt *but* I do think you have to bear in mind that it costs about £3500 less than a new Jazz would. I?m most impressed by its value, but it?s just not as ?engineered? as the Jazz, which is remarkably well put together. I will be interested to see how the Colt stands up to use.
That said, there?s nothing wrong with Colt. The 3cyl engine seems just fine (we also have a Seat Ibiza 1.2 with VW 3 cyl engine and that?s horrible at low speeds). We did a run in it the other day with 4 adults on a mixture of roads including a motorway standard A road and it never gave me a moment?s concern. The gear change (into first, and first to second) is a bit baulky ? I understand that this is a Mitsubishi ?feature? so would be worth checking for. On ours, the rear seat does slide (so I imagine it does on them all) so you can vary the rear legroom to boot space ratio.
I got servicing quotes before we bought the Colt and the 2 yr service seemed a bit on high side, but they included the brake fluid change in the price, so not too bad.
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Suzuki Swift is a nicer car.
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Suzuki Swift is a nicer car.
Maybe, but I wouldn't get a car without a/c - on Swift that means getting the 1500 engine and that's group 6 insurance - not what you want for a youngster.
We also had problems selling a 1.6 Clio a few years ago (also group 6) - people looking for a supermini expect it to have a little engine.
As they're still pretty new, it's also going to be miles above the OP's £5K is budget.
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The gear change (into first and first to second) is a bit baulky ? I understand that this is a Mitsubishi ?feature? so would be worth checking for.
Can't say I've got that feature, mine is wonderfully smooth in first and into second. The reverse though gives a loud crunch if you don't put it into first and then reverse.
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>> The gear change (into first and first to second) is a bit baulky >> ? I understand that this is a Mitsubishi ?feature? so would be worth checking for. Can't say I've got that feature mine is wonderfully smooth in first and into second.
That's interesting - thanks. I do intend to get them to look at it, but was waiting so see if it eased up, or for something else to go wrong. I'm not a fan of taking cars back unless I absolutely have to - I'd rather it was left alone!
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I ntended to get one of these for the wife, but it was sold and she got a Getz instead. She's happy with the Getz, but I wish I'd waited. I think the Colt looks so much better.
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Concerning faults listed above these are all recognised by Mitsubishi on the earlier 04/05 cars and mostly can be rectified FOC under the 3 year warranty. The drivers seat that lowers itself is remedied by fitting a redesigned lever mechanism. At the same time the dealer may also carry out checks on the front seat covers that get worn through by the frame very easily on the bolsters due to missing foam inserts (they put inserts in if missing or replace any worn covers). The obstructive gearbox is well documented and mainly affects going into reverse. Mistubishi try to change the gearbox oil for a higher viscous type but it does not seem to work and it is easiest to just put it into a forward gear first, then reverse engages without a problem. My wife has a 1.5 Sport and I cannot understand why Mitsubishi doesn't sell thousands of Colts in general, it is so versatile and good value for money. Seems to be very poorly promoted though and almost a case of "throw it out and see if it sticks" approach.
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I cannot understand why Mitsubishi doesn't sell thousands of Colts in general it is so versatile and good value for money. Seems to be very poorly promoted though and almost a case of "throw it out and see if it sticks" approach.
I haven't counted them, but it seems to me that there aren't many dealers.
Similarly, we also have a Seat Ibiza. There is no Seat dealer in our immediate area (Chester) and it's rare to see another Seat.
On the other hand, we seem to be swamped with Honda Dealers around here, including a good one in the middle of Chester, and another just outside. We're therefore swamped by Jazzii - there are absolutely loads of them.
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Likewise, cars like Suzukis and Hyundais/Kias seem to be clumped together in areas.
There are three Hyundai dealers within 10 miles of where I live, and as a result there are loads of Hyundais about. This also has an effect on parts costs, so it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Amazingly, there are no Honda dealers within a 20 mile radius, and as a result fewer Hondas. Bit of a bind when looking for a second-hand car, as Honda would normally be one of my favoured brands.
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Amazingly there are no Honda dealers within a 20 mile radius and as a result fewer Hondas.
I knew there were a lot, but I just checked the Honda site and we have 6 within 20 miles (the furthest of those 6 is 16 miles away in fact). And there are several more a bit further away but still in easily reachable local towns.
We sometimes drive into town in little Jazz convoys!
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The gears 1st to 2nd is a recall notice. Wifes car was done, as was her daughters. Apart from that, brilliant car, great value and as a bloke, I don't mind being seen driving it, especially in 3 door dark metalic, alloy wheels guise. Get one, you won't be dissappointed.
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The gears 1st to 2nd is a recall notice.
What is the fault then? Every Mitsi I have ever driven (and the Volvo S40 with the Mitsi gearbox) has had notchy gears. I've found the (partial) cure is to drop to a thinner gearbox oil - something like SMX-S, Redline MTL or a 'GM Synchromesh' equivalent.
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>> The gears 1st to 2nd is a recall notice. What is the fault then? Every Mitsi I have ever driven (and the Volvo S40 with the Mitsi gearbox) has had notchy gears. I've found the (partial) cure is to drop to a thinner gearbox oil - something like SMX-S Redline MTL or a 'GM Synchromesh' equivalent.
Are we absolutely sure it's not a linkage issue? I know that every Hyundai I've driven has a similar graunchy 1st-2nd change, and no amount of different box oil made any difference. Finally I realised that the sound was coming from the cable and not the box itself -- they're two distinctly different noises.
I've heard Colts make exactly the same noise from outside, and it's definitely a more "tinny" sound than a simple dog-tooth clash.
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Are we absolutely sure it's not a linkage issue?
That what I was hoping, however Aprilia's explanation certainly fits the problem.
There's no clashing of gears, simply that the shift 'baulks' (ie it requires a bit of force) to get into first from rest. With practice, it will pop into first gear seamlessly, if done just at the instant the car comes to rest, which would seem to confirm a synchro problem.
First to second I would describe as 'clunky'.
I find it's a bit of an issue for the girls driving, as they tend to feel it's necessary to down shift to first if the car drops below about 10MPH - so approaching a give way that could in fact be rolled around in second, they'' ram the car into first. Even our Jazz doesn't like that! I'm slowly getting them to realise that it's not necessary.
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There's no clashing of gears simply that the shift 'baulks' (ie it requires a bit of force) to get into first from rest. With practice it will pop into first gear seamlessly if done just at the instant the car comes to rest which would seem to confirm a synchro problem. First to second I would describe as 'clunky'.
Funnily enough I was driving a Mitsi last week (not a Colt) and, typically, it would not go into first unless the car was at a dead stop - it baulked at even a small amount of forward speed. This is common in my experience, and also on the older Hyundai's and Kia's which have Mitsi-derived gearboxes. I've also found that the first one or two changes of the day 1-2 are 'awkward' but after even a short distance then things improve. I'm sure that if you do a websearch you will find this is a common problem on Mitsi's and related cars like the Hyundai Couple (Tiburon).
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>>1st to 2nd = recall notice>>>>
Sorry my mistake.....the recall related to selecting reverse. Especially from cold.
I think I need recall on my brain.
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We do have a Mitsubishi dealer in the Reading/Wokingham area (which supplies the local bodyshop with excellent Colt vourtesy cars) but I'm amazed that there isn't a Skoda dealer within 20 miles. There are plent of new-car buyers in this reas and someone is missing a chance to make money.
Strangely, Newbury is very well served, by just about everybody, mostly all together on an estate just east of the town. Much less crowded than a motor show, and free.
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Why do people say 1.1 CZ1 is better than 1.3 CZ2? The later has more torque and power [125 Nm compared to 100 Nm] and 3-cyl engine must need to work very hard on Motorways.
How about the parts? Heard that Mitsubishi parts are very expensive?
In Autotrader, looks like nearly new used Colts are good value for money. Similar spec and aged Suzuki Swift used are more expensive!
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How about the parts? Heard that Mitsubishi parts are very expensive?
Yes, that one of the downsides of Mitsi's - the parts can be incredibly expensive. We have a dealer near to where I live, so there are quite a few Mitsi's about and I often do some minor repair or other. In fact I picked up some parts yesterday afternoon. Small parts are relatively dear, but larger parts can be incredibly expensive. For example I needed a door card for one car (Galant I think) and it was £600. Idle valves are £450, bottom wishbone on the old Colt was about £200. The FTO alternators are priced at £900! I know that's an import, but even so.....! Fortunately there are many specialist suppliers for 'import' Mitsi's which keeps prices down - ironically it can be the UK supplied cars which are more expensive for parts because you almost always have to go to the dealer.
Mitsi parts prices overseas are far more reasonable and I have purchased parts from Aus and NZ dealers at massive savings - works well for small items - obviously not for larger items!
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Huh, so the bottom line of buying a Mitubishi is to sell it before warranty expires!
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Mitsi parts prices overseas are far more reasonable and I have purchased parts from Aus and NZ dealers at massive savings - works well for small items - obviously not for larger items!
Is it you impression that Mitsubishi UK (or whoever the importer is) have set the prices in the UK too high, or are the dealers making *huge* margins?
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3-cyl engine must need to work very hard on Motorways.
I've driven our 1.1 with 4 adults (inc driver) and it copes very well on the motorway.
In Autotrader looks like nearly new used Colts are good value for money. Similar spec and aged Suzuki Swift used are more expensive!
I think the Swift's are quite a lot more expensive new, and there are only a couple of trim levels, so there's no cheap entry level model.
Second-hand cars tend to all gravitate towards the price of the lowest model - it's probably tough to sell a used Colt CZ3 for more than the price of a new CZ1.
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>>I've driven our 1.1 with 4 adults (inc driver) and it copes very well on the motorway.
At what speed? Can it achieve 90 mph without too much wear on engine?
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At what speed? Can it achieve 90 mph without too much wear on engine?
Of course. :roll eyes smilie:
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I have a 2005 Colt 1.1 Attivo which I bought direct from Mitsi'. Overall it's a good car but it's not without it's problems. The cheap plastic interior does end up letting you down. I have the usual dropping glovebox issue which I sorted with some grease and at tighter spring, no biggy there.
My main issue is being a 3 door car and having kids I need to gain access to the rear of the vehicle. Ok access isn't great but I can handle that, it's the damn seat release levers that keep breaking! After having it repared once and seeing how easy it is, I did it myself at later times. Theres a silly little plastic roller that supports the cable in the back of the seat that keeps falling off. I've clipped them back on, I've even tried gluing them in place, but no joy. This has happenned at least 12-15 times on both front seats in the time I've had the car! Now I'm in a situation where the access zip on the back of the seat has now broken leaving an ugly hole in the back of the driver seat!!!
Surely this must be a design issue with Mitsi'. Cant take it lightly because this is a safety issue and comes under the current MoT test. Surely I haven't got to relpace the front seats, not at the prices of Mitsi's parts!!! I've written to them with this issue, just waiting to hear back. La-de-da......Hmmm.
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If I have a choice I'll always go for a 5-door rather than 3: as well as the problems well documents above, there's the stretch for the seat belt and the difficulty of opening the wide door enough to get out in car parks designed some time ago for narrower cars than are usual nowadays.
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The interior is cheap but its better quality than the new fiesta which I sat in today or similar cars. Your 2005 3dr is one of the first 3dr kind and I suspect that's why you're suffering the problems. My CZ1 3dr hasn't suffered the dropping glovebox or the seat release leaver problem so I imagine the latest parts are better.
The clutch and interior rattles are problems on my Colt and the exhaust has a little blowing but only under harder acceleration. They're okay cars but I won't be buying another, Mitsubishi UK are dreadful I'd try getting the dealer to sort your problems gratis or get new parts fitted and small claims court them as really they should be fit for purpose and aren't.
Edited by carl_a on 18/07/2010 at 17:31
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