1989 Dodge Colt E 1.5 from North America

Summary:

Take care of your car and it will take care of you!

Faults:

Dash board has become cracked after only 19 years...

Front seats tore after only 19 years...

Have had to do "Preventative Maintenance" for 19 years...

General Comments:

I just got this car from my father, who bought it brand new. My father is a big believer in taking care of your vehicles, and this car shows it works. After 19 years, the original engine and transmission still run great and still get almost 40 miles to the gallon. We've found that if you do regular oil changes, tune-ups and just generally take car of a car it should serve you well. Obviously, there are going to be cases where all the preventative maintenance in the world can't keep certain things from happening. However, we've never had any severe problems with this car at all. It still runs like a champ! I can't believe this car still runs as good as it does... especially with chrysler products being the POS's that they are. If you can find one that's been well taken care of, pick it up! You'll thank me.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 20th July, 2008

23rd Jul 2008, 05:13

Your Colt was built by Mitsubishi (I think probably in Japan), not by Chrysler. They were just 're-badged' by Chrysler.

19th Nov 2009, 16:48

And I have always known Mitsubishi to be very reliable, so yes, if taken care of, the Colt will take care of you. Mine has 117,960 and still runs strong.

13th Jan 2010, 08:37

Mine has 1,174,000 km on it, and is starting to hurt. Takes a while to start, shift fork for 2nd gear in the 5 spd bent over the years. I think my slave cylinder is leaking in my clutch, and it's gotten rather gutless. Original engine, however once it starts to knock I will change it. Does great off-road though, for a compact car.

16th Feb 2012, 22:24

Mine is a 1989 model built in Japan by Mitsubishi. Bought it in 2005 when it had about 230500 km on the odometer. Today it has 320000 km, and is still going strong. Love it.

Colt DL.

1989 Dodge Colt DX from North America

Summary:

Good, reliable car

Faults:

Head gasket blew at 140,000.

General Comments:

Despite the fact that this car has a bad reputation, it has been great to me. I've had it for over 5 years, and the head gasket is the only major problem that I've had. it has never stranded me, still gets great gas mileage, and plows in the snow! roomy and comfortable. I've heard horror stories about these cars, though... I may have gotten lucky.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 18th December, 2006

1989 Dodge Colt DL 1.8L from North America

Summary:

Great car for the poor student

Faults:

When I bought the car, the windshield cracked cleanly along the bottom of the shield the next morning. It's not obstructing my line-of-sight, so I don't worry about it. Also, some battery wiring was loose, but I took tare of that with a pigtail.

The multi point injection relay went out about at around 110000 miles. Luckily, I knew the mechanic, and he rewired my car as well as fixed the problem for $100!

The half-shafts went out around 122000 miles and I just got those replaced.

I replaced the alternator belt and replaced the valve cover gaskets as well as adjusted the timing at 123000 miles and now she purrs like a kitten.

Right now I'm getting the driver side head lamp replaced due to a rock chip which turned it into a fish bowl.

The rear axle drum brakes need to be replaced and machined soon, and that is my next project.

General Comments:

Generally, this has been a really good car to me. It gets decent gas mileage and great performance on the streets and highway. I've been able to beat a hotrod in a drag with this car just because of its power in low gear.

A big plus is that the engine is relatively young. The engine is a rebuilt Mitsubishi engine with about 55-65000 miles on it.

The seats are a little uncomfortable and the ride a little rough, but I will fix that soon. I wouldn't take this car on a cross-country trip purely based on comfort issues.

The only thing I am disappointed with is that there is no room to install an air-conditioning unit under the hood, so I bake in the summer. Other than that I would recommend this car to anyone!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd April, 2004

9th May 2010, 13:04

I have a Colt DL 1989 model 1.5L engine. It has an air conditioning unit installed. Works good, though messes up the mileage.

It has done 289500 km and now requires a tune up, which I will be doing. Bought it in 2005 used at 234000 km. Has not given any problems. Most expensive repair; replacement of the clutch at 276300 km.