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  1. #1
    Senior Member festiboi's Avatar
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    Coming To The Defense Of The Mirage

    During my rental of the Mirage this past weekend, I met up with my best friend and had him drive the car. To put it briefly, he hated it and said there's no way I could buy that car. An Accent or Fit would be better, he stated, and to be honest, I like them too and would consider buying one. It was hard to defend the Mirage at the time, but I decided to put words into action. Interestingly, my friend is an equally interesting fella and loved Ford Aerostars and Mercury Lynxs back in the day. Below is a letter I sent defending the Mirage. I think it is how many of us have felt in one form or another about this little car:

    "It's been a strange obsession. One that goes down in history with Chevy Luminas, Ford Aerostars, Ford Aspires, and Mercury Lynxs. One for what many would consider an unremarkable car that really doesn't do anything well and would be punishment to be seen in, let alone own and drive.

    It's been hard to justify beyond boring explanations like fuel economy when asked "why would you want this car?" Yes, the infatuation over a Mirage is bizarre and eccentric.

    When it came time to think about it, I can't even explain it easily. Here we have a slow, frumpy, tiny car built for third world countries and built to a price. There's nothing glamorous. Nothing not seen before. And there will probably never be a poster of one on any teenage boy's room.

    But that's when the light bulb hit; the utter simplicity of the car is its appeal. In a world when we have economy cars posing as something that they are not, ala Scion, it's refreshing to see a car that knows it's an economy car, behaves like an economy car, and doesn't give a s**t if you don't like it. It's one of the rare cars that has no aspirations. That in itself makes it a unique car that stands out from the crowd.

    I even like the styling. It's back to basics. There's nothing silly. Nothing overdone. Although it may look 90's, it's clean and uncluttered. Look at the new Fit for example and my question is why are there swoops and creases where they don't need to be, and why are there two huge holes punched out in the back bumper? They're pointless and just scream desperation from the designers to do fill in the gap. To be fair, the Fit isn't the only culprit. To me, the Mirage looks downright attractive and simple by comparison, and adorable. In ten years, it won't look gimmicky and so 2014!

    For many, driving the Mirage is dreadful. It leans, it's slow, and noisy. But I like that. It's performance is fine; it's much faster than Ally and Yoshi (my old Ford Aspire and Daihatsu, we have a habit of naming cars), and more like the 88hp that Estella (my old '95 Escort) churned out. It'll get over hills with minimal fuss. And once you get used to the quirks of cornering, it was actually a fun little car on twisty roads. I was able to have fun and keep up with much faster cars. In an age when cars separate the driver from the road, the Mirage demands your attention and skill. It demands involvement. It's interactive. But it's also refined enough, unlike the older cars, to get to and cruise comfortably at 65mpg and take it easy; plus get great mpg. It may not match modern car standards of noise and performance, but it is eons ahead of many other cars we've driven long distance. It's always funny how many car fanatics dwell on driving simpler, more involved, cars, and here we have one.

    I've enjoyed all the three-cylinder cars I've owned in the past, and regret that I've always owned them when they are older. I always wish I could've gone back in time to buy them new, and now here is a chance. This Mirage, in comparison to the others, is a luxury car. It may have the same number of cylinders and wheels, but that's where the comparison ends. It has features that were not even available on any car back then, and has stuff I've never had on any of my own cars.

    I'm fully aware that it's not perfect and an Accent, or a Fit, are more modern and advanced. Maybe that's not what I'm looking for. But then again, those other cars could be easier to live with over the years? Who knows? I'm not your average buyer and have lived with much worse for years in day-to-day life. The Accent and Fit are good in their own ways and are excellent cars; they are continually acknowledged for it. It was only fair to give the Mirage some justification and love too."
    Last edited by festiboi; 05-14-2014 at 12:43 PM.

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    Good post! I agree - my wife and I are minimalists and appreciate straightforward, unpretentious simplicity ... and the Mirage is exactly that.

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    We are probably the opposite of minimalists, as our Mirage is the ES with Navigation.

    Simplicity is there in the car, supplemented by the creature comforts we've been accustomed to and find pleasurable in a vehicle. Both my wife and I find the car comfortable and fun to drive. The fun factor has been missing in most of the cars we have either owned or rented. The Mirage brings it back in spades for us.

    While reviewers don't seem to like the styling of the Mirage, that was exactly attracted us to the vehicle. My wife loved the look of the vehicle and the bright colors that were available. I liked that the Mirage was available with the features I wanted at a reasonable price.

    Neither of us are "drivers". We use the car for around town errands and short hops. The steering feel and turning radius alone make the Mirage a pleasure to drive in these circumstances.

    While the Mirage will probably sell well internationally, due to the price and feature set, in the US I suspect it will become more of a cult car, for people who can appreciate what the car offers and the fact that it doesn't pretend to be more than it is.

    Should gasoline hit $5 a gallon, there will be many more people who appreciate the Mirage.

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    Senior Member kerc's Avatar
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    I remember reading a review somewhere, I think it was by Murilee Martin, who mentioned that the Mirage was probably the most honest car in the market right now. It is what it is, without false pretentions, and it's good at what it does.

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    Member MyNewMirage's Avatar
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    My thoughts......

    Leaning-Swaying......

    I don't have a problem with it leaning, then again I don't take turns fast, no sense in eating up the tires.
    Oversteer ?
    Again not for me, I think it depends a lot on your driving style , keep the steering wheel straight and pay attention to it, drifting off the road is the worst thing you can do, if for some reason you begin to drift off slowly steer it back on the road.
    C.V.T noise? What noise do some of you talking about?, I mean I hear the engine on take off but once I'm cruising I don't find it loud, in fact I have to look at the tach to see how hard I'm pushing it.
    The ride....OK so I bought a 13k car,what should I expect?
    Well it may not be the quietest car I ever bought but for the most part it's fine with me, maybe a little tire noise but nothing to upset me.
    The seats......I had two back surgeries in the past six months and must say I have no back pain on a 50 mile trip to work, in fact much better compared to my GMC pickup.
    Leg room, most of the time I'm all alone in the car , I can put my seat as far back as I wish, good back lumbar support.
    The body style....again I only payed 13k for it, I love the look after adding a few graphics on the hood and below the front doors, what a difference it made, people at work love it and tell me how cool it looks, I even turn a few heads while on the interstate , maybe it's due to not knowing what the hell I'm driving. Lol

    Sound system or lack of.....OK so it's not the best I've ever had but it's fine because I use my phone and listen to Pandora, will I upgrade the system?, if I do I'll only change out the speakers, the 140 watt radio is more than enough for me needs.

    0-60 in 12 seconds, so it's not a Charger but I knew that when I test drove the car, I'm in no hurry, once I'm up to speed I find I fine I have plenty to stay up with the traffic, sometimes I have to pass the slow drivers and it can handle that task.
    I Don't have cruise control , at times I'm doing 85 MPH in a 70 MPH speed zone, it can get away from you, that should tell you the ride isn't at all bad.

    Breaking.....

    It breaks very well, the other day some dude pulled out right in front of me, I hit the breaks and the car stopped quickly, the good breaking really surprised me, sure it has to do with the car only weighing in at around 2000 pounds.

    Bottom line for me...

    Small yet roomy.
    I avg. 48.5 MPG
    Fun to drive
    Great warranty.
    You can spruce it up just by using your imagination
    I have the DE model but still have a lot of nice features.


    What more can you expect from a car that cost less than 13k.
    I'm really enjoying my new 2014 Mirage with the C.V.T.


    Kevin

    When you begin to complain about anything about the car just tell yourself what a bargain you made and that it comes with a 10 year, 100k warranty.

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    I love my mirage. I came from a 1999 dodge cummins. Biggest truck you can buy to damn near the smallest.

    WOULD NEVER GO BACK

    I drove the truck the otherday and what a hassle. Its long bulky and clumbersome. The mirage is small agile and a blast to drive.

    I have a es (need cruise) and i think this car will be a keeper...

    And lets face it...gas will only go up...

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    Member Yttrium's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheTransporter View Post
    I love my mirage. I came from a 1999 dodge cummins. Biggest truck you can buy to damn near the smallest. WOULD NEVER GO BACK I drove the truck the otherday and what a hassle. Its long bulky and clumbersome. The mirage is small agile and a blast to drive.
    My last vehicle before the Mirage was a truck as well. The only thing I miss is being able to haul bricks, lumber, and IBC totes in the bed...

    Sigh, if only there was a truck version of the Mirage...upgrade the brakes and rear suspension, add wider rear tires, and then cut off the back half of the passenger compartment to put in the bed. My old 94 hp S10 was able to haul close to 1800 lbs in the bed, so the no need to upgrade the engine.

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    Senior Member Ares's Avatar
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    I really need to find time to read these posts... posts.are.just.so.long

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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Great post. Truth be told, the Mirage is simply the latest in a long line of basic, functional cars...

    In the 1920s, a Mirage buyer would have bought a Ford Model T.

    In the 1930s, a Mirage buyer would have bought a Ford Model A.

    In the 1940s, a Mirage buyer would have bought a Chevrolet Master Deluxe.

    In the 1950s, a Mirage buyer would have bought a Nash Metro.

    In the 1960s, a Mirage buyer would have bought a VW Beetle.

    In the 1970s, a Mirage buyer would have bought a Honda CVCC.

    In the 1980s, a Mirage buyer would have bought a Toyota Tercel.

    In the 1990s, a Mirage buyer would have bought a Geo Metro.

    In the 2000s, a Mirage buyer would have bought a Kia Rio.

    Basic, inexpensive, economical, A-to-B transportation has not been obsoleted in the 21st century, despite the automotive punditry's desire to see that happen. If you had a time machine, you could go back to each of these decades and find people who hated each of these cars. Does that make them BAD cars? Of course not.

    They all sold by the thousands!

    I don't think anyone here would claim that the Mirage is the right car for everyone. But neither were the Model A, Model T, Master Deluxe, Nash Metro, Beetle, CVCC, Tercel, Geo Metro, or Rio.

    And I bet a lot of people would have problems with a Lotus Elise if they were handed one as well.

  11. #10
    Senior Member Ares's Avatar
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    It leans, it's slow, and noisy.
    It's not a 13 second car, but I don't think it's slow. Especially since some of the drivers I come across with are behind my rear view mirror before we hit the straights.

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