Originally Posted by
Mark
As I have gotten older, I have learned to be more content with what I already have. Vehicles are money pits & surely not investments. I hope to keep my 2017 Mirage ES (manual) for 10+ years. Having said that, the Mirage can't do everything that I need a vehicle to do. AWD/4WD vehicles have become more expensive to replace. One of the main reasons that I bought a Mirage was to extend the life of my 2011 Subaru Forester. I don't want to replace either vehicle any time soon. My Forester has two sets of wheels (one set being newer snow tires). I have the bars & attachments to haul kayaks, & I use my tow hitch/small trailer a lot. Now that Subaru replaced the short block of my Forester's engine for free last fall, I feel this vehicle @ 91,500 miles has a lot of life left in it. Not using the Forester as my daily driver (thanks to my Mirage) should make this vehicle last me a long time.
I am very content with what I presently have. Since Subaru has dropped the manual transmissions in 2019, I wouldn't be buying another Forester anyways. Quite frankly, there isn't anything out there that I like better than what I have. Paid off vehicles are great!
My first 4WD vehicle was a 1988 Isuzu Trooper (5 speed manual). I bought a demo model that was sold as a new vehicle with a couple thousand miles on it for $13,500. Basic, affordable, 4WD vehicles like the Trooper are long gone. Outside of some Jeep offerings, you can't buy a manual 4WD vehicle today. Thus, I don't see myself replacing what I have any time soon!