If the Mirage had been marketed better, I really do think it would have been more popular. I found dealerships all over the place with pricing when I first became interested in the Mirage.
Car critics didn't help matters either. Everyone should have been shouting out that these cars can be had for dirt cheap if you do some shopping around. Yet, no one was doing that. Instead the car came across as an overpriced cheap economy car, and I blame Mitsubishi for that somewhat. My local Mitsubishi dealership sucked. I mean really sucked! They were so bad that the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicle eventually shut them down to investigate them. How often does that happen? I'm actually surprised Mitsubishi exists with the dealership network they have.
How many forum members are singing praises for any service done at a Mitsubishi dealership? I realize many dealership brands could be the same, but I have big reservations for the one in my area (even after new ownership).
If the general public knew these cars could be had for a relatively low price, I think they may have been somewhat more popular. I don't think the Nissan Micra took much abuse from car critics, because they realized it was an affordable car alternative. It had a base model that was priced right. I realize it didn't survive. That same message was somewhat lost with the Mirage, however, and it deserved some backlash for that.
We all know these are great little economy cars, but it's a car that has to come across as affordable, reliable, and economical. If you remove one of those 3 elements, it loses its charm real fast in my opinion. Some of us may have a different view of what is affordable, & that is OK, too!
I miss affordable base trim level vehicles. Since all my vehicles have been manuals, I've probably owned all base level entry vehicles, too.