1980 Mitsubishi Colt 1400 GLX review from UK and Ireland

Nothing went wrong mechanically with this car.

However, this car was a real rust bucket. It was a total nightmare trying to keep this car on the road because it rusted so rampantly.

This car was reliable, but suffered from rust like no other car I have ever encountered. The problems started when the Colt was only one year old. Rust started bubbling up along the leading edge of the bonnet and along the bottoms of the doors and tailgate. This was despite the fact I washed the car regularly and it was garaged. I can only imagine it was due to poor quality steel used in the factory and inadequate rust-proofing. I tried every thing with this car including having every seam and box section on the car Wax-injected. It didn't worked. It was welded and patch repaired over the years I owned it more times than I can remember. When it was nine years old it was a real shed and I sold it minus an MOT for beer money. It was beyond saving.

The engine was incredibly good though. It was certainly a typically Japanese reliable car.

The gearbox was incredible. It was effectively and eight-speed gear box! It has two modes: Performance and economy, and four gears for each mode with two gear levers!

The Colt was great to drive with good handling and great performance and economy.

It the end though it had to go as it was too small for our needs and was rusting away.