How long do you plan to keep your Mirage and why?

I nearly bought an older Honda Fit 5 MT figuring it could go another 10 years as there's no way I'll buy a CVT Mirage at current prices.

10 years $5K Fit, sell $2k = $300/yr. deprec+$3k maint.=$6k total. Car 25 yr. Honda or not, too old.
15 years my $11.6K Mirage, sell for $5k when done = $440/yr deprec + maint. = $8,100. Car is 15
6 years from my $11.6 Mirage, sell for $12k = 0/yr deprec + $750 maint. = $750 TCO.
15 years my $1500 Mirage, sell for $1500 at end= $0 /deprec + $3000 maint = $3000. Car is 19 yr.
10 years new $22K Mirage, sell for $12K at end = $1000/yr deprec+maint. = $11.500. Car is 10 yr.
10 years new $12K Mirage, sell for $12k at end = $0 /yr + maint = $1,500 total. Car is 10. (as if)

I guessed at maintenance costs, allowing $3000 total for the older (2014 Mirage/Fit) and $1500 for 2017 and newer.

As much as I have an obsession with clean dark blue 5 MT Honda Fits, my best bet is to gamble my 2014 Mirage has another 90,000km left (it has 239,000) which likely takes me to the end of my driving, or close to it. It's in the middle age wise at 19 when I'm done. It would be like driving a 2004 today. The TCO is $4500. Pretty cheap for owning a car for close to 17-18 years. My Saturn is an '06 in great shape, probably has 10 more years to go, maybe more. I suspect ICE engines will cost a fortune to run in 10 years, gas at perhaps $15/g up here, if not more.

The more practical approach is to drive my 2017 (42,000 miles currently.) or sell it right now at a near zero loss and buy a new 2022 loaded. I don't know if that makes any sense. I suppose I can advertise my 2017 in the spring and see what happens. Even if I sold the 2022 in 10 years and lost $10k the TCO is only a couple $K more than keeping my 2017.

Well everything changed finding new ES 5 MT for $13,299 + rubbish for about $16k OTD.

10 years new $16K Mirage, sell for $11K at end = $500/yr deprec+maint. = $8,000. Car is 10 yr.

I guess I'm going shopping for a new Mirage in the next week or so.

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Originally Posted by Wallythacker

I nearly bought an older Honda Fit 5 MT figuring it could go another 10 years as there's no way I'll buy a CVT Mirage at current prices.

10 years $5K Fit, sell $2k = $300/yr. deprec+$3k maint.=$6k total. Car 25 yr. Honda or not, too old.
15 years my $11.6K Mirage, sell for $5k when done = $440/yr deprec + maint. = $8,100. Car is 15
6 years from my $11.6 Mirage, sell for $12k = 0/yr deprec + $750 maint. = $750 TCO.
15 years my $1500 Mirage, sell for $1500 at end= $0 /deprec + $3000 maint = $3000. Car is 19 yr.
10 years new $22K Mirage, sell for $12K at end = $1000/yr deprec+maint. = $11.500. Car is 10 yr.
10 years new $12K Mirage, sell for $12k at end = $0 /yr + maint = $1,500 total. Car is 10. (as if)

I guessed at maintenance costs, allowing $3000 total for the older (2014 Mirage/Fit) and $1500 for 2017 and newer.

As much as I have an obsession with clean dark blue 5 MT Honda Fits, my best bet is to gamble my 2014 Mirage has another 90,000km left (it has 239,000) which likely takes me to the end of my driving, or close to it. It's in the middle age wise at 19 when I'm done. It would be like driving a 2004 today. The TCO is $4500. Pretty cheap for owning a car for close to 17-18 years. My Saturn is an '06 in great shape, probably has 10 more years to go, maybe more. I suspect ICE engines will cost a fortune to run in 10 years, gas at perhaps $15/g up here, if not more.

The more practical approach is to drive my 2017 (42,000 miles currently.) or sell it right now at a near zero loss and buy a new 2022 loaded. I don't know if that makes any sense. I suppose I can advertise my 2017 in the spring and see what happens. Even if I sold the 2022 in 10 years and lost $10k the TCO is only a couple $K more than keeping my 2017.

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Whenever someone would ask me why I drove a 1990 pop yellow Ford Festiva for 14 years, my response would be that "it can't depreciate more than what I paid for it" ($5,300 brand new). Even though it had a few small rust spots, I regret selling that car. I should have kept it as a daily driver until it died.

At the time, however, my daughters were getting older. I picked up a 2000 Honda CR-V LX AWD manual with 20,000 miles in 2004 for $12,000 (private party & vehicle was extremely well taken care of), & I sold my Festiva to a teacher's aide for cheap. Liability insurance for the Festiva was cheap ($99 for 6-months or a year sort of forgot which) back then. Rather than rack up miles on my CR-V, I had wished that I still had my Festiva. I even searched for ones in southern states at times.

I feel my current Mirage is extending the life of my 2011 Forester. A Mirage will never be my primary vehicle, but it's the perfect vehicle for my needs. I would have been content buying a used Mirage, but I was drawn to the updated 2017 models at the time. Since WB was selling brand new ES manuals for $7,500-9,500 most of 2017, buying a used 2014-15 Mirage manual didn't make sense.

Unless my Mirage starts giving me issues or it gets totaled in an accident, I see no reason to sell it until it rusts away! I'm not selling any more vehicles & regretting it later ever again!

I have no idea how long I'll keep mine for. It's helped me save a lot of moneys over the years but I'm always looking for something better.
I've been sorta interested in a bunch of other random vehicles over the years, Volt(overpriced for a used one lately), Ioniq(7milesout convinced me that kia/hyundai=bad), Maverick(it's ford) and probably a bunch of others...
Lately, I've been interested in the newest Prius: Awd, 50mpg, almost 200hp and it doesn't look goofy like the older Prius. If the price is right I may be in the market for one later this year. But probably not cause I'm cheap and am trying to pay off my mortgage before I'm too old or stupid to work.

I haven't decided yet. The little thing does all that I ask, but wow it's tiny and tinny and not terribly comfortable or a lot of fun on my commute, especially in inclement weather. Before you put me on blast, I did not buy the car it was inherited.I might have to try to trade it in for something a little bigger. Unfortunately anything close to the value of the Mirage in a larger vehicle is much older and has lots higher miles. It is actually a hard choice for me.

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Originally Posted by Fummins

Ioniq(7milesout convinced me that kia/hyundai=bad)

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I know I have bad to say about Hyundai-Kia. But to be a bit more accurate, it's not that they're bad (but they are), but they're NOT the level of a Toyota. However, I'd take a Hyundai-Kia (depending which one) over the equivalent BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW, and most other Euro-trash vehicles. Except Porsche. Well, no. I guess I'd just walk, or find me a horse to ride...

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Originally Posted by ylekot

Before you put me on blast, I did not buy the car it was inherited.I might have to try to trade it in for something a little bigger.

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I wouldn't put you on blast ... unless you do actually TRADE-IN a vehicle. That's just asking and inviting to be stolen from. Sell your vehicle privately, you'll have a lot more money for hookers & blackjack. To be honest, I don't think bad of anyone who trades in. It's just a shame, because they are absolutely stealing from you. Years ago (2005 timing) my mother-in-law traded-in a really nice Ford Ranger V6 with a 5MT. It was in great shape. The dealer gave her like $800 or so, and charged her about $4,500 more for the Honda Odyssey she bought than she should have paid. Her Ranger could have been sold private party for no less than $4,500. So, they stole roughly $8,500 to $9,000 from her. Yet she was in blissful ignorance about it. Irked me to no end, but I didn't tell her.

The whole auto industry has been predated on "never give an honest guy a decent break" concept. I ran my 2017 past a trade-in estimator and several dealers would allow me $7000-8000 against a new Mirage. Probably allow me more against a $40K Mitsu but that's not today's topic.

If they will allow me $7-8K I can bet they will sell it for $10-12K. Meaning I can sell it for perhaps $11k. That's $4 in my pocket against a new 2023 ES. That means I'm only scrounging $4K for a new 2023 ES.

The most egregious theft I saw was in a Ford Lincoln dealership where a little old guy was trading in his 2011 Ranger (loaded, extra cab, 4x4) which he paid $11.7K brand new in 2011 when Ford cleared them out. The dealer told the old guy his Ranger was worth $3K tops (it had 45,000kms and was 6 years old when this went down.) because, hey, how could it be worth more as it was only $11K new? Little did the old guy realize they had a near exact spec Ranger on the used lot, asking price? $17,999, with twice the miles.

The little old guy was there to buy a $8750 Fiesta, the same car I was after. I also heard the dealer quite the Fiesta as "a $9,999 special you'll never see repeated." Which was funny because on the front lawn sat the Fiesta model in question with huge lettering that said, "$8750, + taxes, no hidden fees". So they decided to skim another $1250 off him on top of stealing $15k on his trade. Those crooks must have danced around the fire like demons that night.

I was in the adjacent cubicle waiting for a sales guy I had an apptmt. with to finish with another client.

I know someone who traded in a clean 05 dodge diesel 1 ton with 200k km in 2014 or 15. I didn't have the money at the time otherwise I would have offered to buy it.... They ended up with a new loaded dodge 1 ton diesel. Why I have no idea, it was used strictly as a commuter car/grocery then traded it off in 2021 or 2022 on something else. They were thrilled that the dealer gave them $40k for the truck cause they paid around 50k new so didn't lose much money.....

Were they ever pissed when I showed them their old truck listed on kijiji a few days later for $56k. It was gone pretty fast.

If you want top dollar for you car you could always just crash it, we just had a 17 written off and got paid out more than the car cost new in 2016 or 17. Though can't buy a new one for that price anymore.

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Originally Posted by Fummins

If you want top dollar for you car you could always just crash it, we just had a 17 written off and got paid out more than the car cost new in 2016 or 17. Though can't buy a new one for that price anymore.

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Slightly too much fraud for my above-board mindset. Though, I'm not too uppity to do such a thing. And, there's no guarantee others may get such a payout from their insurance company.

I never did respond to the intent of this thread. It is an excellent topic. My answer: I really don't know. I have to believe I'll have it until a female destroys it. I say that because, of late, I only have traffic and or parking issues with females.

We had such a conversation back in 2001 about our Dodge Ram Cummins. My answer then was, that I'd have my truck for 10 years, after that, if it's still a good truck, I'd keep it out to 15 years. 23 years later, it is still in the stable, and I still love the truck. Less issues than the 2003 GMC Sierra (half the miles too) I inherited when my dad passed.

It's my 2010 Lexus LS 460L that will go away, soon as I find an idiot that wants to over-pay for it.:o Helluva car, but so unnecessary and a tremendous waste of money.

I am aware of car dealer shadyness. I HATE dealing with car salespeople, or any sales people for that matter. I have had instances in car dealer showrooms where they have misjudged me or insulted my intelligence to the point of nearly tossing their desk. As for selling it privately, that has it's own drawbacks, the hassle and the fact that you have no car until you pick up another one which may or may not be easy to do. The wreck it deal will probably happen in less than a year. However I am terrified to think what a 200 pound whitetail buck is going to do to ME when I blast it at 65 miles per hour. I am not comfortable with a CVT on anything larger than a go kart and that had better have easily replaceable belts and servicing. It flat out sucks on snow and ice and gets blown around in the wind BAD!

Perhaps with a set of winter tires it will handle better. I intend to get an armrest and a remote start and upgrade the stereo as time goes on so that should help the comfort and entertainment side of things.

I just don't feel planted when I'm driving it on bad roads or windy days and you can't pass the erratic or stupid driver, and some farmer is always dragging a derelict piece of farm equipment down the road spreading mud and manure. And the Amish buggies YIKES! I actually felt safer and more in control on a motorcycle in the wind and rain, I have only ever ridden a street bike in the snow once so can't comment on that.

Maybe I'll get used to it.