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Hello, am looking at purchasing a Mitsi Colt 2004 with very low kms. Was imported in 2005. Don't know much about this type of car thus far. What are your thoughts on reliability? I presume it's chain driven. Is it a CVT? It's not the Colt + as far as I know. Obviously it's good on gas 5/6 stars which is a bonus.
I'm tossing up between this and a 1998 Corolla with only 40k on the clock, NZ New, 1 owner. They are around the same price. Only problem is the 98 Corolla is 1.8 which I am assuming would chew through the petrol. I can average 200km+ per week so want something semi-economical. Thanks so much.

Reliability wise both vehicles shouldn’t cause too many issues provided they have had regular past servicing.

I don’t believe the Corolla would be that excessive on fuel to be honest in comparison to the Colt however a lot would depend on the engine size of the Mitsubishi.

My information suggests there was a change point from belt to chain around 2003 for the Colt so you may need to get this particular vehicle checked to confirm either way.

The Corolla has a lot going for it apart from its age. If you want simple A to B transport it would definitely do the job however it is 6 years older than the Mitsubishi.

We have heard a few stories of expensive repairs on the early Colt transmissions (CVT’s) so I would be a little cautious on that front alone.

In theory, the later the vehicle the safer the vehicle but I would also check the number of safety features on each vehicle (airbags, anti locking brakes, lap and diagonal rear seat belts).

I would always tend to lean towards a later model vehicle but in this case I’m not so sure.