Dirk bait (P0841, shuddering, and failure)

I did some shuffling to reduce debt and took advantage of the stupid used car price bubble selling my 2019 Mirage SE to Carvana. Bought a 2015 Mirage ES with factory navigation from a Subaru dealer in Schaumburg... 103K on it one owner car. Anyway, pulled out of the dealer and the car shook like crazy and wouldn't ratio down. So they called Mitsu, checked the codes (P0841 indicating low fluid pressure), and Mitsu told them to change the fluid. They did, it didn't fix it, so they're going to unwind the deal and refund me. Dammit, I was hoping they would install a reman trans into the thing. The service manager told me when they dropped the pan that it wasn't full of metal shavings or anything so he was surprised with how it was acting. It was crazy how the car would buck and shake, eventually bouncing off the rev limiter if you kept your foot on the gas, and emitting a weird burnt smell hahaha. I tried to see if the dealer would sell me the thing extra cheap since the trans is toast but they want to send it to auction. Stupid.

But yeah, a one owner not beat to hell CVT trans totally pooched at 103K. From what I could tell calling the various places it went for service and having someone check Mitsu records to see if dealer service was performed, the car never had a trans fluid change in it's life. CHANGE THE DAMN FLUID OR IT WILL DIE.

Thanks for sending me into anxiety/buyer remorse attack :)

Did you test drive the car before making the purchase? Seems crazy that the dealer did not test the car for problems. Good thing it happened right when you pulled out and not a month later!

I got mine at 63k miles. According to Carfax, transmission fluid was changed once at 28k miles. I got it changed again right after I bought the car. I still get anxiety about what if the fluid wasn’t changed at the shop, just because when I came back to pick up the car, the owner asked a mechanic if the car was serviced and he said he didn’t know, then the owner told me to wait and disappeared for a few minutes, then came back and said it was done. It was at Aamco so I don’t think they would have lied, but anxiety is anxiety :)

Just curious, did you make good profit from selling your 2019 and getting a 2015? I’ve never sold through Carvana but it doesn’t seem to me that they give good prices.

With limited numbers of the Mitsubishi Mirage sold in North America, the junkyard market is going to dry up quick. Which will affect us all.

Too bad.

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Originally Posted by newtomit

Seems crazy that the dealer did not test the car for problems.

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A 2015 Mirage with over 100K miles is basically worth nothing to a new car dealer. The original owner probably got $1,000 trade-in value for it. A dealer won't spend much (if any) time evaluating a car like that. If it looks decent, they may try to sell it on their own lot for a few weeks. If that doesn't work, it goes to auction.

Being a Subaru dealer, they have probably seen their fair share of CVT problems. I'm not surprised they just gave up on it and sent it to auction.

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...did you make good profit from selling your 2019...

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I'm also curious to know what Carvana would pay for a used 2019. I just read a story about how Carvana had run low on vehicle stock (due to Covid) and they were now over-paying for cars at auction just to get something in their inventory.

Well, Carvana bought the 2019 (which had 4800 miles on it) for $11,413. Odd number but it's computer generated. As for profit, no... I lost money selling it which is normal for a new car to used car but it was basically just the value of the 07 Tacoma I traded in (which was junk) so I don't feel I got screwed too hard. But with everything going on, things got tight and I wasn't doing Uber anymore so it wasn't worth the ~$250 a month for the payment/insurance/license plate divided up for the car that basically sat most of the time.

Anyway, yes I did test drive the car a bit. It performs fine at first. It's only after it was running for a while that it would act up. Something the dealer wouldn't notice (and I didn't either on my not very long test drive) but the previous owner probably knew about when they traded it in. Shame too, I bet he could have got a new trans for free from Mitsu if he would have brought it in since it was so close to 100,000 miles. It's been difficult to find a used Mirage that isn't either overpriced or just straight up trash. I looked at a 2014 es in that cool green with 59K and it was absolutely piss beat, cig burn deluxe, and the engine was clacking. Also looked at a 2015 es with 102k in the near pink/purple color that was absolutely trashed... Keyed, dinged, seat fabrics destroyed by overzealous detail department scrubbing the soft stuff off of them. Then there was a 17 SE near me with 58k that was cig burn deluxe as well... That one would be okay with new seats and a LOT of cleaning but I didn't even bother to drive it because it was out of my price range especially considering that it was straight up gross and I'm 99% sure it was repoed from the first low credit idiot owner based on the condition and that it was originally from mad city mitsu.

And yes, I wish I kept my red car and sold the blue one first... Then I would have been good. This virus garbage has been a nightmare... My loser tenant has been working but because evictions are on hold and because I asked him to find a new place since my dad wants to live close to us he decided that paying rent isn't required now and owes me several thousand dollars at this point. That's why I decided to reduce debt and sell my Mirages... But I goofed up and sold them in the wrong order lol.

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Originally Posted by Dodge Aries K

...Carvana bought the 2019 (which had 4800 miles on it) for $11,413.

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That's a pretty strong number! If I just wanted to walk away from my car, I would take that and run!

I sold a used performance car to Vroom last year. I got quotes from Carmax, Carvanna and Vroom. Vroom was the highest offer...but they seem to like performance cars.

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...the previous owner probably knew about when they traded it in.
...bet he could have got a new trans for free from Mitsu

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No doubt this guy dumped it on the dealer. Unfortunately for the original owner, if he didn't maintain the car, they can deny the warranty work. It's possible that he may have been denied a new trans if he never changed the fluid.

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It's been difficult to find a used Mirage that isn't either overpriced or just straight up trash.

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I don't envy anyone trying to find a clean used Mirage! :(

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Originally Posted by Top_Fuel

I don't envy anyone trying to find a clean used Mirage! :(

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For real. They were cheap new and get absolutely destroyed. It's crazy. I mean, I get that it's inexpensive, but why are people such garbage where they just destroy their car? The green one I wanted had cigarette burns literally everywhere. Radio, climate control, gauge cluster, seats, door panels, headliner, carpeting, console, etc. It was absolutely disgusting. I hate that nasty smell, too. They bought aftermarket wheels for the car but didn't take care of anything else. Pathetic.

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Originally Posted by Dodge Aries K

I did some shuffling to reduce debt and took advantage of the stupid used car price bubble selling my 2019 Mirage SE to Carvana. Bought a 2015 Mirage ES with factory navigation from a Subaru dealer in Schaumburg... 103K on it one owner car. Anyway, pulled out of the dealer and the car shook like crazy and wouldn't ratio down. So they called Mitsu, checked the codes (P0841 indicating low fluid pressure), and Mitsu told them to change the fluid. They did, it didn't fix it, so they're going to unwind the deal and refund me. Dammit, I was hoping they would install a reman trans into the thing. The service manager told me when they dropped the pan that it wasn't full of metal shavings or anything so he was surprised with how it was acting. It was crazy how the car would buck and shake, eventually bouncing off the rev limiter if you kept your foot on the gas, and emitting a weird burnt smell hahaha. I tried to see if the dealer would sell me the thing extra cheap since the trans is toast but they want to send it to auction. Stupid.

But yeah, a one owner not beat to hell CVT trans totally pooched at 103K. From what I could tell calling the various places it went for service and having someone check Mitsu records to see if dealer service was performed, the car never had a trans fluid change in it's life. CHANGE THE DAMN FLUID OR IT WILL DIE.

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That sucks! So nothing definitive on why it failed? Maybe leaked cvt fluid and burnt out? Strange no shavings on the pan magnets?

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Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler

That sucks! So nothing definitive on why it failed?

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Because Covid

Well, I checked the CVT juice before I bought it and it was relatively clean looking and didn't smell bad. So I'm not really sure. It almost seems like it would have been oil pump failure for the trans. But I'll never know, unfortunately.

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Originally Posted by Top_Fuel

. I don't envy anyone trying to find a clean used Mirage! :(

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Pryme's two 2017 Mirage SE manuals are still for sale. SE manuals were a one-year wonder.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...6586/overview/

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...0486/overview/

43,635 miles @ $8681
or
27,302 miles @ $9,988

If I could buy a new 2019 or 2020 Mirage ES manual for $9,500 after loyalty rebate, I would pass on the used ones myself. I would value the new car warranty over items like alloy wheels & push-button start.

Who knows how much they would negotiate on the used Mirages, however?

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Originally Posted by Mark

Pryme's two 2017 Mirage SE manuals are still for sale. SE manuals were a one-year wonder.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...6586/overview/

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...0486/overview/

43,635 miles @ $8681
or
27,302 miles @ $9,988

If I could buy a new 2019 or 2020 Mirage ES manual for $9,500 after loyalty rebate, I would pass on the used ones myself. I would value the new car warranty over items like alloy wheels & push-button start.

Who knows how much they would negotiate on the used Mirages, however?

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MAN I wish i had money for either one of those. They're so nice! And a manual SE? Yes please.

Yeah, I feel ya. I was looking at used cars for weeks, and many of them were just in terrible shape. But they were also the ones that would fit my budget. If my budget was higher, it definitely would have broadened my options. The car I decided to go with had a few scratches and paint chips, but the inside was very clean and in good shape so I took it as a good sign. After the purchase, I continue finding new scratches that I didn't notice before lol I have to keep telling myself that's expected when buying a used car :)

Oddly enough, as much as I would like to have one of those manual SE's (and would have rather bought it from the guy instead of paying the crap dealer some ridiculous markup) I'm actually looking for an automatic one.

Two more used Mirages today, two more that were garbage. The first was a 2017 SE with 70,000 miles that I wanted pretty bad. But the engine was making a noise and started overheating. Second was a 15 ES in the hot pink color with 87?k or so. Get to the dealer and they tell me there actually going to wholesale it because the trans is bad. So that's six used Mirages I've looked at now for $6000 or less that have been garbage. Sheesh.

You looking in Chicago? I imagine there's Mirages up there that didnt get sold off for drivetrain failure, but repo'ed instead. Its how we got 1 of our Mirages I believe, the other G4 was a loaner car from a Mitsu dealership.

Well, kinda sorta. These have been in Indiana (somewhat near Chicago though...), southern Illinois when I was there for something else, south suburbs of Chicago, and one close to home which I'm 99% sure was a repo judging by the numerous cig burns all over the seats...