Long distance commute - need a work horse car, is the mirage a good choice?

[montisqu]

I commute to work about 3 days from WV to DC (about 160 miles both ways, or about 500 miles a week). In the WV side, there are a lot of steep hills and curves. On the DC side, there are crater sized potholes and sometimes 20-30mins of rush hour traffic. Speed is usually around 70-80mph in WV.

Currently I drive a 2000 corolla that has about 75k, I have to fill up about 1.5 times a week.

Is the mirage a good choice? I don't really care about luxury, just want a good workhorse car.

Also, the base mirage with automatic transmission is DE? Does that include bluetooth audio?

[cyclopathic]

Yes with a couple footnotes.

2015 in stock form isn't good for curves but great for steep grades and definitely DC potholes. It will be very good on interstate I-70/270. Great commuter for the money, real lif MPG is about 15% worse than Prius C.

2017 supposed to have revised springs and shocks. No one here yet testdrove and confirmed it.

[montisqu]

I just read about the rear axle alignment/design issue......is that still an issue? Is that something that can be fixed by replacing the cv axle?

[Daox]

It seems like they fixed the issue on the newer 2015s. I haven't seen anyone that has bought recently that has the issue. However, before buying I'd still get it checked.

BTW, welcome to the site.

[deleted user]

If your goal is lowest cost per mile and you're going to pile the miles on a car, the Corolla would be the better choice since it only has 75k miles right now.

Not saying the Mirage is not a good option, because it is, but if you keep driving the Corolla, even with 50k more miles the resale value will not change much at all.

Assuming you can write the mileage off your taxes, I would be hesitant to get rid of a low mileage Corolla, considering property taxes, and higher insurance on the newer car.

The other side of the coin is I think there are still some leftover 2015s which Mitsu is discounting to around $9k which is a fantastic deal. Just consider your situation before jumping into the payment trap,again assuming you would have to make payments.

regards
mech

[MetroMPG]

Currently I drive a 2000 corolla that has about 75k, I have to fill up about 1.5 times a week.

What's your motivation for getting rid of the Corolla?

[montisqu]

What's your motivation for getting rid of the Corolla?

The car is more than 16 years old...I may need to replace the CV axles and maybe struts this year. I'm not getting rid of it, just delegating it to short trips.

The repairs to the corolla will probably be around $2500. I can get a new 2015 mirage for $8000. I cant decide whether to wait 2-3 years or buy the mirage now, may never get the $8k deal again.

My parents on the other hand dont want me to buy a subcompact. Their worry is that if it gets rearended, it will go flying because of the low weight versus the corolla.

[Daox]

Just an FYI, but you can't get an automatic Mirage for $8k.

Also, there are a bunch of used ones out there for even cheaper if you do decide to buy later.

The main reason to buy new IMO is the factory 10 year warranty.

[montisqu]

Are you sure? I found a dealership that is selling the automatic for 11900-3500 rebate for around 8000 (give or take a few 100 for processing and taxes)

[MetroMPG]

may never get the $8k deal again

I'm pretty sure we'll see similar discounts when the next generation Mirage comes around. Maybe mid/late 2018. Just a guess.