2001 Mitsubishi Carisma thread

[MaxFsa]

So I have this weird obsession with Carismas, probably because I had one as my first car.
I think its an attractive car (well at least the Facelift), one of the cheapest cars you can buy used in Germany and it does get half-decent gas mileage, at least with the GDI engine.

I bought my current (and second) Carisma in 2019 and it has been pretty reliable for the past 50000km. Unfortunately it developed transmission issues which is why I've been on the lookout for a proper replacement.

About two weeks ago I found a listing for a Carisma Dynamics, a limited edition with a special Fondmetal body kit, rear spoiler, wing mirrors and 17 inch wheels instead of the usual 15 inch wheels. It wasn't exactly near me but I always wanted one, so I called the guy and two days later I drove there to take a look. It wasn't without issues but overall in good shape. I just had to buy this.

Here it is next to my current Carisma, which I still have to sell.

Next up, I'll have to deal with the yellowing headlights and the valve cover seals, as it is leaking oil into the spark plug shafts, but this should be an easy fix. Overall I'm very happy with this one. They seem to get increasingly rare to find and I would have regretted not owning one.

[MaxFsa]

Small update

I deregistered my old Carisma and it's already sold. But before that, I decided to swap the headlights due to excessive yellowing on the new one.

Looks much better now and definitely worth the effort.

I then decided to polish the other headlights, thinking it would make a difference when trying to sell the car. The guy who bought it though just wanted to make sure that the a/c was working. Pretty sure it will live on somewhere in Africa.

Still a bit sad to let that car go, it was great for what it was and I will miss what was arguably the worst upholstery fabric of any Carisma, along with the blue interior trim.

[grogee]

I like everything about this thread especially the seat trim material. 

Pretty sure there was a dealer offering the Carisma as 'buy one, get one free'. It was at the time when there was a glut of new cars going mouldy in airfields and the manufacturers couldn't shift them. 

I can't imagine many people needed two cars instead of one, but I think the point they were making is that it was half list price - £7999 or something like that. 

I was briefly interested in the GDi engine until I learned that it actually didn't make any difference and it would get 35mpg like the rest of the range. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Aw heck this makes me want a Carisma.

[ProgRocker]

Nice Carisma! Love the jazzy seat trim. 

I follow a chap on flickr photo website called "WB304“ who owns one or two Carismas in the UK. 

[barefoot]

https://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/mitsubishi-carisma-hatchback-2001-manual-1597-cc-5-doors/1431553167?utm_source=newsnow.co.uk

 

[Wibble]

Sorry folks, I had a Carisma GDi company car back in the day and thought it a dismal bloody thing. Which probably makes it fucking ace for here! Was so pleased when it was replaced with my brand new Y reg Mondeo Mk3 Zetec, bloody loved that!

[MaxFsa]

9 hours ago, Wibble said:

Sorry folks, I had a Carisma GDi company car back in the day and thought it a dismal bloody thing. Which probably makes it fucking ace for here! Was so pleased when it was replaced with my brand new Y reg Mondeo Mk3 Zetec, bloody loved that!

I've read that these were really mediocre when new. Such a shame because they really had a lot of potential. What didn't you like about it?

[MaxFsa]

10 hours ago, ProgRocker said:

Nice Carisma! Love the jazzy seat trim. 

I follow a chap on flickr photo website called "WB304“ who owns one or two Carismas in the UK. 

I'm pretty sure that's the same guy I follow on Instagram. He currently owns 4 Carismas and I kind of admire him 😁

[Wibble]

11 hours ago, MaxFsa said:

I've read that these were really mediocre when new. Such a shame because they really had a lot of potential. What didn't you like about it?

Hmm, where shall I start? I thought it looked crap, drove crap, rattly GDi engine and very plasticky inside. Also, as @grogee mentioned, not great on fuel. Shame, as I always liked Mitsubishis. I kept it longer than I had to purely to ensure my order for a Mondeo would be the Mk3 and not a late Mk2. A colleague wasn’t so patient and got a Mk2 for the sake of waiting a few months 🤦‍♂️

[GregZX]

22 hours ago, barefoot said:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/mitsubishi-carisma-hatchback-2001-manual-1597-cc-5-doors/1431553167?utm_source=newsnow.co.uk

 

The interior on that is staggering. 

[bangernomics]

I quite liked my company charisma 99T plate, did silly mpgees too for a petrol at the time.

I did get out of a 96 P Mondeo Verona though.


Could it get any worse?

[Wibble]

Mine was a 98 S and was well kitted out compared to a Verona for sure but the Mondeo was so much a better drive. Took a Verona from Reading to Glasgow to be interviewed for the job that came with the Carisma, no contest.

[barefoot]

My only experience of a Carisma was as a passenger in the badge engineered, or very similar Volvo S40. It was OK. Even at £700, low mileage & just up the road, I really couldn’t be arsed unless I was desperate for a reliable, yet incredibly dull motor car.

[Heikin Matsuda]

On 5/4/2022 at 8:48 PM, MaxFsa said:

So I have this weird obsession with Carismas, probably because I had one as my first car.
I think its an attractive car (well at least the Facelift), one of the cheapest cars you can buy used in Germany and it does get half-decent gas mileage, at least with the GDI engine.

I bought my current (and second) Carisma in 2019 and it has been pretty reliable for the past 50000km. Unfortunately it developed transmission issues which is why I've been on the lookout for a proper replacement.

About two weeks ago I found a listing for a Carisma Dynamics, a limited edition with a special Fondmetal body kit, rear spoiler, wing mirrors and 17 inch wheels instead of the usual 15 inch wheels. It wasn't exactly near me but I always wanted one, so I called the guy and two days later I drove there to take a look. It wasn't without issues but overall in good shape. I just had to buy this.

Here it is next to my current Carisma, which I still have to sell.

Next up, I'll have to deal with the yellowing headlights and the valve cover seals, as it is leaking oil into the spark plug shafts, but this should be an easy fix. Overall I'm very happy with this one. They seem to get increasingly rare to find and I would have regretted not owning one.

What a beaut! Im getting some touring car vibes and i like it. Ive just recently been given a 1.9 D-ID Carisma on an 03 plate and ive been running about in it the last week or so and first impressions are not bad at all.  I spend most of my daily commute in traffic but its not a bad place to be other than the leather seats are more like rhino hide and rock hard. Its definitely growing on me though and i think im officially now a carisma fan.

[High Jetter]

I borrowed a Galant from work, sometime in the 90's. Solid, reliable kit. Yours should be too.

[Lord Sterling]

Ja ja! Das sind sehr zuverlässige Autos. Viel Glück.

By the way, I don't speak Deutsch, just trying the very little (and cheating) I know.

I actually have a 1.43 model Carisma like this:

And 3 x wheel trims like this I think:

[Split_Pin]

There's a burgundy Carisma around the corner from me that the guy has had for years. Y266 GFB. 

It's days are definitely numbered judging by the holes in the wheelarch and MOT history but I'm really glad it exists.

[AnnoyingPentium]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

It's days are definitely numbered judging by the holes in the wheelarch and MOT history but I'm really glad it exists.

I can sense that @GingerNuttz is panicking already in case you buy the bloody thing.

[Split_Pin]

Eehhh, the Vitesse model is enough for me!

[GingerNuttz]