New Mirage Owner, or the story of how one Kia Soul driver became a Mirage enthusiast

[rohoGames]

Hi everyone!

Happy to be here and have discovered this car and its community.

In 2011 I purchased a Kia Soul new. I thought it might be the only brand new car I would ever buy (I am more of a "buy used and let others take the deprecation hit, and avoid car payments at all cost" type). That vehicle began its life as my family car as it was big enough to handle that. Eventually, though, we got a used van and the Kia Soul became my daily work commuter. Before that I drove a 2003 Hyundai accent which in retrospect probably prepared me for Mirage ownership.

Well, some time ago the Kia died and I had to look for another ride for my work commute. I had a limited budget, at least in our wonderful inflated world of 2022-2023.

I was mainly looking at used small crossover SUVs. Dreading dealerships I tried Carvana. Well, that was a disaster. They could never get me a car delivered to me. They did get me my money back fast when I finally gave up, so there's that.

That experience basically sent me to cars . com with reset expectations. I was always considering hatchbacks, since the higher roof usually means I have good headroom inside. Plus I like the look of them. But I was still mostly considered crossover SUVs.

The issue I was having was that anything in my budget was usually somewhere around 60k mileage and at least five years old. But all of a sudden I saw this weird car showing up as brand new under 20k: the 2023 Mirage Black Edition in red. I hadn't considered Mitsubishi *at all.* I do remember the mirage showing up in "cheapest cars of 2023" lists, but the models used in such articles didn't make an impression. Plus you don't see them often in my neck of the woods.

But the more I looked at this one, the more I liked the look of it. "Let's email the dealer and see if they are easy to work with," I thought (I tried Carvana because I can't stand car dealers). Happily, this one was great- quickly got me the out the door price, fully itemized. Was lacking any B.S extras except for a 200 paint protection thing, which I thought was fine. Basically the car was the MSRP of 18,500 with the usual tax and title fees.

Having read many of your forum posts, I know that 18,500 is quite high compared to what many of you got your rides for. Alas, the market now is so bad that 18,500 for an upper trim was and is a great deal in my view.

I was nervous due to all the usual horrible reviews (my new nemesis is Doug DeMuro, LOL). But one thing I noticed: *real owners love this car.* My test drive was good- you'd think from the edmunds review that the car would stall out on the freeway or take minutes to execute a pass on the freeway. Absurd. The car drives FINE.

In fact, the car is SUPER FUN to drive around, especially in town when the small car zippiness thing comes into play. Loving the gas mileage as well!

One last thing: I note that the Black Edition styling is a little divisive in the forums. Well I love it. The BE styling is what actually sold me on this. I like funky styling (remember I drove a Kia Soul) and the BE edition stuff for me takes the Mirage from generic hatch to "what the heck is that" territory, which I love in a car. I've made a garage entry for it, I call it (to the annoyance of my kids) the "Hanshin Tiger," after the famous Japanese baseball team.

That's it! Thanks for all the really informative posts.

-rohoGames

[Mark]

Welcome to the forum! Your story was an interesting read! The Mirage catching someone's attention while shopping for a used vehicle is a common theme on the forum.

Since the 2017 update, all Mirage trim levels (with a CVT) have been within a $2,000 MSRP range. 2023 trim levels are no different ($16,245 - $18,145). If someone loves the BE, I say go for it!

I always liked the KIA Soul, because it's a bit unique. I test drove a new 2013 base model with the 1.6 L engine & manual transmission. My 2000 Honda CR-V had been rear ended/totaled at the time, & I needed a vehicle asap. I really like the KIA Soul, & they still catch my eye to this day.

In the end, I felt that I needed the AWD (winter ridge roads) & towing capacity (use a 4' x 8' small trailer to haul my compact tractor, riding lawnmower, UTV, ATV, gravel, & firewood of my former CR-V. Thus, I decided to buy a used 2011 Forester with 15,000 miles for $17,000 instead of the Soul.

When I decided to buy a 2nd vehicle/daily driver years later, the fuel economy of the Mirage trumped the Soul. I'd rather be driving around in a Soul, but it's not going to get 40-50 mpg like my Mirage does. My search for a daily driver was always a manual hatchback, low miles, for under $10,000. When brand new Mirage started appearing within those search criteria, I went through the same exploration as you.

Doug DeMuro is an idiot! KBB customer reviews, this forum, and European Space Star reviews eliminated any doubt I had.

I still like the KIA Soul. If it could tow like Forester & it got the fuel economy of my Mirage, I would most definitely own one!!!!

You sound like a practical person who likes the flare of the BE. I think you'll be quite happy with your Mirage, too!

[rohoGames]

Yes, I think you nailed it when it comes to my car preferences. As I put it to someone else recently, I need a practical car that can fool me just a little bit

I did consider another Soul as those weren’t too far out of my budget, but there was also a desire to do something different since I drove the previous Soul for a long time.

Incidentally I live near Subaru’s American factory, so I see a ton of those on the streets!

[Fummins]

Welcome! Good call not buying a fiat/chrysler product instead. Why would you consider another Soul after getting only 12-13 years from a brand new one before it died?

It seems most of the bad owner reviews of these Mirage's are from people that are forced to drive one because of bad credit(or job), or they got handed one for free. The ones who don't completely hate these cars are the people who choose to drive one to save time and money in the long run(and short).

The internet car reviewers seem to hate any car that can't do 0-60 in under 6 seconds. But I'm sure if the Mirage could it'd still be hated because "cheap plastic".

[rohoGames]

The Soul died as a result of an accident, not mechanical failure! Sorry, wasn’t super clear on that. It was a great car.

[Fummins]

My bad... I thought that seemed a little premature, I thought the Soul was one of the good ones.

[Top_Fuel]

...one thing I noticed: *real owners love this car.*
...The car drives FINE.

If someone's research only includes magazine articles and YouTube 'experts' then nobody would ever buy a Mirage.

But read reviews from people who actually have one and it's a completely different story.

[7milesout]

rohoGames - You're already set to fit in well here. I really don't think you overpaid, or at least not by much, for that particular trim and in today's financial climate. However, we demand a picture of your ride, or it never happened!

Funny your nemesis is, who I refer to as Dog Decrapo. His scathing youtube video of the Mirage is what SOLD ME on buying a Mirage. As I watched it, and as he complained, I fell further and further in love with the Mirage. I tried to buy an SE 5-speed back in 2017. I couldn't get Ed Zachery what I wanted, combined with a low enough price. I didn't know about White Bear back then or I'm betting I'd be in an SE now. So I gave up. Came back and noticed that they'd made cruise control standard on the ES (entry level). That's all I really wanted on the SE anyway. The ES (or the bottom trim of that time) had no cruise control. I cannot live without cruise control. I found a 2020 in racecar blue and negotiated a good deal on a 2020 and snatched it up.

Don't be offended by me and my anti-Hyundai-Kia rants. I was a design engineer for Toyota, then changed and went to Hyundai-Kia. I've endured years of shock-therapy and barrels of liquor to get over Hyundai-Kia. And even Hyundai-Kia is not as bad as every European trash maker (except Porsche, they're not quite as horrible) because H-K just tries to copy Toyota from top to bottom.

you'd think from the edmunds review that the car would stall out on the freeway or take minutes to execute a pass on the freeway. Absurd. The car drives FINE.

That quote of yours is SPOT ON. I just did Top Speed Research on the Mirage. The 5 speed's "official" top speed is 110 mph. It has zero issues pulling steep hills even at interstate speeds. One reviewer made the statement that, "The Mirage is so slow, it is not appropriate for American roads." That reviewer lost all respect with that statement, and I just stopped reading it there.

I raced sportbikes back in the late 90's. And I would absolutely LOVE to run my Mirage at Road Atlanta, or even Roebling Road. I've been checking on possibly joining a group that has track days. The problem is, that yes, it would be really slow on a road course. Really fun, but really slow. The lack of power is one thing. But the suspension, while I have a lot of respect for Mitsubishi to keep every aspect of the car inexpensive, the suspension is just enough to make the ride decent. But pushing it through the corners of a road course, it's just going to struggle. Lack of corner speed and lack of acceleration, unfortunately, all the groups I've looked at would probably reject me being out there with a Mirage. I would love to find a group of slow cars. I don't even think the Mirage would be ALL THAT SLOW. But it's just too dangerous and frustrating (to other drivers) to be out there with a bunch of Porsche turbos and the like. Maybe eventually I'll find some slow cars to join up with.


7milesout

[rohoGames]

I’m glad I fit in with this community! Lurking these forums was definitely something that helped me in my buying decision. I did make a garage entry but for convenience, here is the Hanshin Tiger:



Yeah I did see that review you were talking about. Pretty laughable! As far as Hyundai and Kia, I’ve had positive experiences, but of course I’m not privy to the internal dealings (or would understand it). I do admire how the Soul has outlasted all of its funky boxy car rivals.

[Wallythacker]

I’m glad I fit in with this community! Lurking these forums was definitely something that helped me in my buying decision. I did make a garage entry but for convenience, here is the Hanshin Tiger:



Yeah I did see that review you were talking about. Pretty laughable! As far as Hyundai and Kia, I’ve had positive experiences, but of course I’m not privy to the internal dealings (or would understand it). I do admire how the Soul has outlasted all of its funky boxy car rivals.

Welcome friend! That's a beautiful car. I have decided I like the look of the trim on the red. It complements. These are amazing little cars, I bought 2 brand new, over the telephone. I'm reluctant to buy a pizza over the phone so that speaks volumes.

I plan on ending my driving career in a Mirage. I'm not sure how many years of driving I have in me, but my aspiration is to have a Mirage in my garage until I can't drive. I have never felt an attachment to a car like the Mirages. They are as close to perfect for me as can be. There's always something you want to change about your car but since my Mirage was so inexpensive from the start I don't feel the fool for paying $80,000 for example, for a truck and I hate the grab handles it comes with. Or the color of the instruments. When my brand new car cost me ~$12,000 or so what's not to love? Especially as I know it will last and last and require very little over the years.