1998 Mitsubishi Carisma GLX 1.8 GDI from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Totally reliable, pain free motoring

Faults:

Nothing! The car has been totally reliable.

Only slight complaint is the car idles quite slowly when warm, and a slight hesitancy on part throttle when not fully warmed up. Believe this is a characteristic of the GDI engine.

Engine a bit tappety when cold.

General Comments:

Good sized family car, large boot. Performance is superb, car pulls strongly. MPG is excellent; averages 38 round town, and have seen near 50 on a run.

No rust anywhere, and the paint still gleams.

Light, precise gear change and progressive clutch.

Feels a bit under-braked for performance.

Ride OK, and the handling is safe but uninspiring.

Feels far better put-together than our previous Carisma, a 2003 car. All electrics still work, and the A/C still blows reasonably cold.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th November, 2010

1998 Mitsubishi Carisma GLX GDI 1.8 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

The perfect budget family car with some good refinements!

Faults:

One of the cogs on the central locking started spinning (still worked and was easily fixed by myself).

General Comments:

My Mitsubishi Carisma was in prestine condition and had very low mileage due to its 1st two owners being the car dealership (DEMO CAR) and a disabled lady.

I have had my car for just over two years, and apart from the above, have had no faults to report.

With the GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) my Carisma gives me optimum performance and minimum fuel consumption!

The interior is of the sturdy japanese specifications, however it sadly manages to obtain the blandness of the japanese interiors too.

All in all, I would describe this car as: The perfect budget family car with some good refinements!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th July, 2006

1998 Mitsubishi Carisma GLX 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A used car bargain with a lot of extras

Faults:

Absolutely nothing, the car has been totally reliable.

General Comments:

I had my doubts when purchasing a carisma because every review I read suggested it was boring to look at and drive.

I think it is a very stylish car, but I do agree the drive is uninspiring and hard.

Acceleration is good and the automatic gearbox is extremely smooth and responsive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th March, 2004

1998 Mitsubishi Carisma 1.8GDI GLX 1.8 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Economy is great, performance is good, but parts are dear

Faults:

Computer program had to be re-written, which the dealer did free of charge, although I had not bought the car from him. This fault appeared after I had an alarm fitted to the car, I think he must have caused a spike by disconnecting the battery with the ignition switch in the on position, but I could not prove it, so I said nothing!

One hydraulic valve lifter is slow to pump up in cold weather, i`m told this is a common fault.

Clutch center bearing gets noisy after a good run, which is another common fault, so i`m told!

General Comments:

Acceleration is OK to good, top speed for an 1.8 is great, I drove to Romania in it so I had a chance to test this.

Comfort is good, but suspension is a little soft for very hard cornering, but you don`t buy a car like this if you want to drive hard round twisty lanes all day.

I drove 7000 miles on holiday at very high speeds through Germany ETC, and you could not see any change in the oil level, very good engineering.

But parts can be very expensive £150 per side for front wheel bearings, fitted by main dealer, but so far mine are OK.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th January, 2003

28th Jun 2003, 10:59

Valve lifters started to get noisy when hot, £800 to fix.

Motor carbons up at 70000 to 80000 miles ££££ to fix, head off job.

Got rid of it at 59000 miles. Don`t buy one!!!

4th Nov 2005, 00:58

Just brought a 1998 Mitsubishi Carisma the best car I've owned handles beautiful very quiet recommend to any one, Mitsubishi best car every. A++

1998 Mitsubishi Carisma 1.9 diesel from Belgium

Summary:

Never again, even if I win one

Faults:

Not as well built as the Galant, noisy.

Changed dealer 3 times in search of better service. In Belgium service seems to get worse by the minute. I'm not isolated in my experiences with dealers, my father owns Lancer (they still have not found the source of the problem on his car after 2 years).

General Comments:

Galant was a very nice car.

Carisma is a bad car trying to live on a good reputation.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd April, 2001

12th May 2002, 13:41

But what exactly did go wrong?

Remember that _your_ experience can make the difference for someone - regarding whether or not they are going to purchase a car model :)

22nd Aug 2008, 19:44

The Carisma Diesel uses a Renault Megane diesel engine. Be warned. These are costly to service. Better off with a Toyota.

1998 Mitsubishi Carisma GL 1.6 from Israel

Faults:

Seats are VERY uncomfortable.

Not very good with turns in high speeds (reasonably high... not racing).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st August, 2000

1998 Mitsubishi Carisma GL Hatchback 1.9 turbo diesel from Netherlands

Faults:

Fire extinguisher on the loose, accelerator stuck at full throttle, (external) rear view mirrors could not be adjusted from the inside.

General Comments:

Nice car with acceptable performance for a turbodiesel. Good handling in all conditions. Lousy front seats, especially for people with long legs. Only one airbag as standard.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th December, 1999

1998 Mitsubishi Carisma GLX 1.6 petrol from Slovenia

Faults:

One insignificant little problem with plastic button for ventilation system, but it was replaced instantly by the dealer.

General Comments:

It's my first time I have owned a Japanese car and I have to say, I'm really satisfied with it.

I've had a used Alfa Romeo 155 1.8 before, a nice, sport looking car ...

Never have had so many troubles and expenses as with that car!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th January, 1999