Is this the end of the Mirage?

[ylekot]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/rese...Q1a?li=BBnb7Kz

[cleadus_fetus]

I don't think you are going to see the mirage go anywhere in North America.
If anything that car is becoming more popular. My dealership had more than 7 other mirages on order when I got mine.

[Mark]

I don't think you are going to see the mirage go anywhere in North America.
If anything that car is becoming more popular. My dealership had more than 7 other mirages on order when I got mine.

White Bear used to carry 50+ Mirages & G4 in the past. They have 15 today. The largest dealership (of various brands) in Wisconsin has one new Mirage in stock. This is the first one I have seen in stock this past year. They had a few G4 cars for sale, however. Mirages are around, but I wouldn't associate the word popular with them.

Now that they dropped the Mirage ES manual in 2023, I feel the Mirage is already gone in the States!

I don't see the Mirage becoming all that more popular, but its competition has surely disappeared. Sales were up in Canada & down in the States for 2022.

Canada's increase in Mirage sales doesn't overcome the Mirage's drop in sales 22,743 (2021) - 15,814 (2022) = 6,928 less cars sold in the States.

Lots of factors are most likely in play. Huge discounts are gone & inventory has not been good. On a personal level, I would rather buy a used car over a new Mirage that is near or above MSRP.

I do think the Mirage has become more accepted in North America in recent years. High gas prices, economic recession, shut downs, & other factors have probably made some reconsider how much they spend on a vehicle. At the same time, the average new vehicle costs have climbed to $48,681 (that's a chunk of money).

In 2015, KIA sold over 147,000 of one model (Soul). In recent years, KIA Soul sales are about half that. Even popular cars are dwindling in sales despite the fact some competitors aren't even selling cars any more. I don't consider Ford a car company any more, but they do still sell the Mustang I guess.

[ylekot]

As fuel prices and car prices rise the need for an inexpensive and fuel efficient should only increase as well. However, what the market needs and what the companies provide for sale can be 2 completely different things. And with the government trying to shove electric cars down our throats I wouldn't be surprised if small pure gas cars get outlawed.

[Fopeano]

I haven't heard anything about the mirage going away yet, and I generally hear the internal rumors at least a year before anything actually happens with models going away or being launched. The gears of change move slowly in such a large corporation. Remember that Mitsubishi Motors is a very small slice of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

We did just get a Black Edition with a black roof and big textured black plastic fender flares, which was sold immediately.

[88coltturbo]

Mark, in 2017,I could have bought 2 bags of Doritos for $4. Now, that same $4 only gets me ONE BAG.
OMG, call the waaaaaahmbulance!!!!!!!!
Get over it, and MOVE ON!

[Mark]

Mark, in 2017,I could have bought 2 bags of Doritos for $4. Now, that same $4 only gets me ONE BAG.
OMG, call the waaaaaahmbulance!!!!!!!!
Get over it, and MOVE ON!

I get your point, but that really wasn't my point. A Mirage today is priced at a point where I would consider a used car over it, & I wouldn't bash others that would feel the same way. These cars were still selling for about $11,000-12,000 OTD in early 2021, & that made used cars less appealing.

Even Doritos become less appealing at some price point!

[88coltturbo]

I get your point, but that really wasn't my point. A Mirage today is priced at a point where I would consider a used car over it, & I wouldn't bash others that would feel the same way. These cars were still selling for about $11,000-12,000 OTD in early 2021, & that made used cars less appealing.

Even Doritos become less appealing at some price point!

We all know how you feel - your rant is present in pretty much every thread on this forum.
Your constant posts about how expensive things have gotten is tired.
THAT'S INFLATION. THAT'S THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS. THAT'S LIFE.
Only an IDIOT with more money than brains would buy neglected used car over a new Mirage for the same money.
And, let's face it, almost everyone who buys a Honda/Toyota/fill-in-the-blank doesn't maintain it, and passes on the neglect to the poor unsuspecting buyer who thinks it's a better value than buying a new car.
We've all been down that road, and that's why we're here.
If I were in the market today for a car, I'd still buy a new Mirage at sticker price, than any used car for the same money.

[Mark]

We all know how you feel - your rant is present in pretty much every thread on this forum.
Your constant posts about how expensive things have gotten is tired.
THAT'S INFLATION. THAT'S THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS. THAT'S LIFE.
Only an IDIOT with more money than brains would buy neglected used car over a new Mirage for the same money.
And, let's face it, almost everyone who buys a Honda/Toyota/fill-in-the-blank doesn't maintain it, and passes on the neglect to the poor unsuspecting buyer who thinks it's a better value than buying a new car.
We've all been down that road, and that's why we're here.
If I were in the market today for a car, I'd still buy a new Mirage at sticker price, than any used car for the same money.

I am really sorry if my posts are that offensive to you. I don't share your opinion that most used vehicles are abused, especially lower mileage ones.

I would say my 2000 Honda CR-V LX AWD manual with 20,000 miles bought in 2004 for $12,000 was one of my best vehicle purchases of all time. The couple was from where I grew up, & they took extremely good care of the vehicle. It was the wife's winter vehicle, and she used a convertible during the summer months. They even shared how they stored it properly.

Those prices would be much higher in today's market. Any idiot would know that, even me!

In a typical economy, vehicles depreciate a lot the first couple years. I'd rather invest in more land, buy a newer tractor, or several other things before throwing a lot of money at an economy car. We may all look at this differently, & I get that! Once again, I am sorry if my views don't align with your views on vehicles.

I hope you have a great day just the same!

[rohoGames]

We all know how you feel - your rant is present in pretty much every thread on this forum.
Your constant posts about how expensive things have gotten is tired.
THAT'S INFLATION. THAT'S THE COST OF DOING BUSINESS. THAT'S LIFE.
Only an IDIOT with more money than brains would buy neglected used car over a new Mirage for the same money.
And, let's face it, almost everyone who buys a Honda/Toyota/fill-in-the-blank doesn't maintain it, and passes on the neglect to the poor unsuspecting buyer who thinks it's a better value than buying a new car.
We've all been down that road, and that's why we're here.
If I were in the market today for a car, I'd still buy a new Mirage at sticker price, than any used car for the same money.

Yes, 100% agree and of course this is exactly what I just did. Having just spent every waking hour on cars . com for weeks I can confirm that you can’t just grab a used vehicle for 15-16k under 60k miles and do the tidy “move up in class and features” gambit that used to be available.

I was looking at things like Chevy Trax from 2017 with over 60k miles that were stickered at 18k. They were fully loaded, yes (but not always). If you tried to stay in the same subcompact econobox class you ran into the issue that many gently used models (Chevy Spark, Kia Rio) were priced right at the Mirage MSRP. Even for nicer Mirage trims.

So absolutely yes the current new Mirages still represent maximum value in 2023 and are a great choice - I’m still amazed that I managed to buy, in 2023, a brand new car pretty loaded with great features under 20k.

But, unfortunately I do agree with others that the marketplace isn’t always served perfectly by the makers of product. It looks to me like the American auto industry is moving towards more expensive cars with higher profit margins per car, which puts the squeeze on reasonably priced cars. So many cars that I really liked last time I was in the market for a small car over ten years ago simply don’t exist anymore as new vehicles.

And like many others here, I’m deeply suspicious and skeptical of the forced movement to EVs. I’m a marketplace kinda guy. I always worry when the thumb of government gets put on the scale in any marketplace. It was such a pain filtering out all the used EVs when searching: I’m just not interested in spending thousands on a replacement battery someday or having range anxiety. I like Tesla because I think they are engineering marvels, but they are still laughably out of my price range for cars. However, I think the government essentially wants to make thinks so hard for ICE engine production that pretty much all cars might someday start at 35k :/

Anyway here’s hoping that Mitsu continues to see the value in producing affordable, fun small cars.