Mitsubishi Colt 1.3 GLX - good deal?

greyster

I passed my test recently and been looking for a first car. My old driving instructor has offered to sell me his old car. I know he takes good care of his cars...

1997 R registration
2 owners from new (including the instructor)
Power steering
6 months road tax - approx
11 months MOT - approx
Very good condition & reliable
2 x sets of keys
Up-to-date registration certificate
75,000 on speedometer

Is £1400 a good deal and does anyone recommend this car as a good first car for me?

I have heard they are a good brand and very reliable but perhaps parts are relatively expensive because they are not popular?

Pic of actual car below.

[now removed to save bandwidth on my site]

Threepints

Parkers guide states £1560

http://www.parkers.co.uk/pricing/used_car/valuation.aspx?deriv=11423&model=539&plate=56&pay=false&buyorsell=buy

Also check at autotrader.co.uk search for the vehicle and see what its being sold for.

blue_haddock

The price itself is about right for the age having looked at autotrader but i personally would be wary of buying an ex-driving school car - they will of had a fairly hard life with learners slipping the lcutch, grinding the gears etc

gringo2

Hi This should be a exellant first car ,check if cam belt has been changed .as the belt will be ready for changing soon .Also check radiator condition and exhaust.Price is a little high ,try to get £200 off .

greyster

I just quoted 'what car?' and parkers prices to him for this car and he was suprised but accepted the quotes. He's willing to sell for £1000-£1200 now.

With regard to radiater, cam belt etc, he said his car is as good as the day it was made. He has never needed to do anything with them. The car is regularly serviced by himself and never had a breakdown (with any car he has owned).

He said I'm welcome to have the car checked by the AA and RAC.

The car is at exactly 80,000 miles and has a small cut on the drivers seat where his keys cut it by accident.

He's even willing to show me how to service it lol.

Sounds better deal now?

greyster

is 80k a lot of mileage? Should I be concerned buying a car that old, even based on it being well cared for?

gringo2

for a car well maintained this mileage is no problem ,as long has cam belt as been changed ,should be good for another 50.000 miles.

greyster

he says he has not been changed but had no problems with it (or anything else in car) at all. How much does it cost to change?

gringo2

estimate around £100 pound to change cam belt.

Wig

You are not understanding the importance of the cambelt, it is not something you wait for to fail, It HAS to be changed every 40,000miles.

This car WILL require it to be changed unless he can prove when it was last changed (which by the sounds of it he can't).

Insist on hearing the car start from cold on a cold January morning at around 8 - 9am. Check the engine and exhaust manifold for any residual heat to try and be sure he didn't just start it up 20 mins before you arrived. These cars are renowned for cold starting problems which cannot be easily fixed, and garages will change lots of expensive items trying to cure it. I haven't heard of anyone curing one yet, but I think it is related to blocked oilways and deflated hydraulic lifters.

A back street garage will change the clutch for around 110 pounds labour plus the cost of the clutch kit, which will be around 80 pounds. Check the clutch travel is not too high before biting point.

Offer a grand, if he wants more 1100 -1200 say ok if you get the cambelt changed.

Also look at the battery see if it is original if so it will soon need replacing ask if battery was ever changed. Check the exhaust for rust at the mid section/rear section join just behind the rear passenger side wheel, check for rust along the top side of the mid section pipe from the rear wheel towards the front they rust on this top edge along a section of about 2 feet of pipe, down to where the pipe bends.

P.s. in todays world the mileage on the car means nothing, mileages can be reset in about 5 mins for 50 - 100 quid

There is no haynes manual for these cars but you can get a mitsubishi manual from ebay. Parts are expensive from mitsubishi, some parts can be bought from other sources, but they will still be twice the price they should be.

Distributor cap 60 quid mitsu! 45 quid OEM
Rotor arm 25 quid Mitsu 17quid OEM

Compare with a Volkswagen Polo
Dist cap VW price unknown? OEM 15 quid
ROtor arm VW price unknown OEM 5 quid

greyster

i don't mind those price differences at the bottom but kinda worried about the cost of replacing a clutch