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Thread: Not One but Two Mirage Purchases!

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by foama View Post
    Jim, I agree proper maintenance is definitely very important.
    Get a FSM if you haven't already, there is a link somewhere in this forum.
    You may want to look underneath and de-rust, undercoat and paint the axle bodies if it's not too late.
    Also make sure you always have more than two keys.
    I will definitely be getting a FSM, and will also continue to follow this forum as it seems like pretty much every question that could be asked about our simple Mirages has been answered here at one point or another.

    As far as rustproofing: The amazing rust resistance of these cars is another reason why I decided on this purchase. The pictures posted by Fopeano of his 2014 (oldest possible in the U.S.) with 145K miles (very high) that is from upstate NY (rust belt) showed a car that looked almost like new. Very impressive!

    But I have also followed the other rust threads indicating the spot on the rear fender and the license plate hardware that will rust eventually, so I do plan on doing some rustproofing. Based on the YouTube video series on rustproofing materials done by Repair geek, I think I'm going to go with Blaster Surface Sheild. Repair Geek claims that it's the best of all he's tested.

    Quote Originally Posted by rohoGames View Post
    I don't think you could have done any better in 2023 for essentially brand-new cars. The prices are what they are now. [...] Also I really respect your hustle in making those deals happen: hopping on a plan to nab a good car buy, that's a boss move! [...] I'm going to back in the car market in about 8-10 months for my daughter.
    Thanks! And good luck on your search. I find that it's just a matter of being patient and looking at as broad of a market as you can. For me, direct flights to Chicago, Minneapolis, and Denver are very cheap and fast since there are airlines that have hubs in those cities. Being able to broaden one's search really increases the chances that you'll find what you want. It's also nice that all the search sites (Facebook Marketplace, Autotrader, CarGurus, iSeeCars, Edmunds, etc., etc.) allow me to set a 500 mile search radius, so all those markets are included.

    So, I just set the search on each of those places for 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage with under 30K miles, bookmark them all, and then every day open all the bookmarks is hope for a hit. It takes some time, but eventually you'll find what you want.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    [...]For those old enough to remember cars with carburetors, fuel injection was a huge step forward. My first car had a hand choke that you had to pull out on the dash when cold starting the car. Any car I owned with a carburetor had somewhat expensive carburetor issues. I don't miss carburetors on cars!
    Yes, as a kid in the '70's, every weekend my dad and I would work on some carburetor issue on one of our cars. Poor starting, hesitation, misfire, too rich/lean-- there was always some problem. We'd put a kit in it and it might help for a couple of weeks, but then the same (or other) problems would return. Total PITA! So, I do prefer FI.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    Although I would recommend used over new, there have been times when buying new was an easy decision. [...] I miss base model cars that were somewhat cheaper to purchase.
    I grew up driving/owning cars from the 80's and early 90's. 79 Plymouth Horizon, 81 Plymouth Reliant, 85 and 87 Chevy Cavaliers, 1990 Dodge Daytona Shelby (that I still own today!). I really like (and miss) the simplicity of those cars.

    For some reason, I really have an aversion to screens in cars. That was much of the appeal of the 17 Mirage-- any earlier year and I had to accept auto climate control. Any later year, I had to accept a screen.

    Here is my current fleet of vehicles:

    1990 Dodge Daytona Shelby: Bought new. Love these '80's Mopars, and the VNT (that I have) is a rare car. Less than 700 of them made. OHC, but still easy to work on. Unfortunately, it looks that I'll be selling it soon to make room for the second Mirage.

    2x1985 Corvettes: Bought both in 2011; one with 56K miles, the other with 29K miles and both completely stock and like-new condition. (The story of how I got two of them is very similar to how I just got two Mirages!) 1985 is a very special year as the is the only year Corvette that has no tech (e.g., air bag, ABS, traction control, security system, auto climate control, pre-cats, electronically controlled transmission, etc., etc.), but does have FI. Has the last Gen I SBC (L98) engine-- the engine (and the whole car) is a marvel of performance and simplicity that is easy to work on.

    2002 F150: Bought new for really cheap (huge promotional savings at the dealership I bought it at). Base XL with not one single option other than 4WD. 4.2l pushrod V6.

    2009 Dodge Grand Caravan C/V: Just bought last summer, using the same method I bought the Mirages and Corvettes. Total stripper, and it's the second to last year of the venerable pushrod 3.3l V6 (another throwback to the late '80s, early '90's). Only 42K miles on it; it was owned by the federal government (FBI) and it is in absolute pristine, like-new condition.

    As you can see, I have a strong preference for low tech, simple cars with no screens and compact, easy to work on pushrod engines. Every vehicle I own was carefully selected for these features, and I really enjoy them. Some were bought new, most were bought used. But these days, it seems easier than ever to find pristine used cars of almost any era.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    If I was shopping for a car today, I would be back to what you did recently. I would be looking for a slightly used vehicle, and I would be willing to fly somewhere & drive it back home if the deal was right. I totally get where you are coming from!
    Yes-- as you can see above, this approach has worked out great for me many times. It takes some time and patience, but the search (for me, anyway!) is half the fun!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    It's nice to have multiple Mirage owners on the forum! They are some of the nicest souls on here! You are in good company!
    I agree- this is a great forum, and I'm happy to be part of it and also to finally be a Mirage owner!



  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Rogers View Post
    For some reason, I really have an aversion to screens in cars. That was much of the appeal of the 17 Mirage-- any earlier year and I had to accept auto climate control. Any later year, I had to accept a screen.
    I am a retired middle school science teacher & basketball coach. I still do driving lessons part-time. Thus, I drive with 15-16 year old students all the time.

    I don't believe cars should have screens on their dashes. I actually think it should be illegal to have one. A person's attention needs to be focused on driving & not looking at a screen. I actually think lane departure warning, emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and other features are being added to vehicles to counter the distraction of the car's interior. People are free to think otherwise, but I would yank screens out of all vehicles (yet they are mandated to some degree).

    Having said all that, I am not opposed to backup cameras. If a backup camera saves the life of one child in a driveway or somewhere else, I am for that. I realize other safety features may be saving lives, but I am also concerned about the false security some features may give some drivers.

    My personal vehicles have been a mix of slightly used & new over the past 30+ years.

    1990 Ford Festiva L (5-speed manual) = $5,300 new

    2000 Honda CR-V LX AWD 5-speed manual with 20,000 miles purchased in 2004 for $12,000 (private party). I would say this was the best vehicle purchase I ever made. This was a very nice vehicle for the price I paid. I wish that I still had my CR-V (a rear end collision ended its life in 2013). Which leads to the next purchase -

    2011 Subura Forester 2.5X AWD 5-speed manual with 15,000 miles purchased in 2013 for $17,000 (Subaru dealership used) *

    2017 Mitsubishi Mirage ES manual = $9,299 new *

    * currently own

    I have a daughter & son-in-law that live in Finland. If they visit the States, my Mirage is a vehicle they can borrow. I used that excuse to buy a 2nd vehicle at the time. My Mirage is really extending the life of my Forester, & it's doing it quite reliably & economically.
    Last edited by Mark; 03-26-2023 at 03:40 PM.

  3. #13
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    I agree that backup cameras work well and are convenient. My 09 Grand Caravan doesn't have one, and given the size of that vehicle, it would be better if it had one. But it's not a huge deal to me-- I'm just careful to back slowly and carefully and monitor all mirrors like crazy.

    To me, the biggest problem with backup cameras these days they mean you also get a big-ass screen (like in the 18+ Mirages). The Mirage is so small, I really don't think a backup camera is all that necessary and have no problem not having one.

    As this car is my throwback to the '80's, having no camera really fits the vibe!

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    Senior Member Ares's Avatar
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    It looks like a welcome to the forum is not needed since you mentioned this site being part of your research process.

    Congratulations!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    I would always recommend buying a slightly used, low mileage vehicle over a new one.
    I feel like some vehicles are worth buying used, but not all.

    If not paying cash, the interest rate differences of used/new plus potential value at time of (potentially) selling the vehicle can account for a new vehicle purchase being more ideal. Also, some vehicles retain value well. Needless to say, do the research and math per vehicle/purchase to find out which is better.



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