Originally Posted by
Putting Along
Hi from NC!
Hi Putting Along and welcome to the forum.
The Mirage has been derided by the majority of the automotive press. Here you will find owners who have decided against that and love the car. In today's car market, it is very affordable to purchase and operate. Many owners have logged thousands of trouble-free miles.
Regarding the Craigslist listing, I would pass. I think they are asking too much for a salvage title. I'm sure that car was bought for thousands less than what they are asking. Maybe the price will come down?
But keep looking. As has been said, there are others out there at a lower asking price. I would take a look at it with you if I were closer. Signs of water damage usually include some form of rust, easily spotted with a visual inspection. If you really want to pursue this, press the seller for details and proof of the water damage.
In your search, keep this in mind. The one recurring problem to look for is rear axle alignment. The Mirage originally shipped with Dunlop Enasave tires which make a big contribution to it's fuel economy numbers. The Enasaves could be expected to last 40,000 miles, give or take. Some forum members noted their rear tires wearing quick and found the rear axle is both misaligned and not adjustable. If caught early, Mitsubishi has been making warranty replacements under their 5 year 60,000 mile warranty. Read more about it here: Rear Wheel Misaligned?
All that to say check the tires. If it has two new tires at 15 thousand miles, I would suspect the owner (of any used Mirage) found a problem with alignment and didn't want to deal with it.
I bought mine new knowing about this problem, and was assured by my salesman that the car had no problems. When I brought it in for it's first free oil change, I mentioned the steering wheel was not centered. My dealer put it on their alignment rack, adjusted the front alignment and noted the rear axle was out of alignment. I got a new replacement rear axle installed free of charge under warranty.
Some dealerships are better than others on this, but it is fixable. Now, I enjoy driving a simple, reliable car that gets fuel economy on par with hybrid designs without all that complexity.
Take a look around the forum, and let us know if you have any other questions. We'll be glad to help.
Last edited by Eggman; 05-07-2017 at 12:20 PM.
__________________________________________
View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)