You can add cruise control to any car. I don't currently have cruise control on my 2017. Cruise became standard for all trim levels in 2019.
You may not understand how price alone would drive my purchase of a Mirage. I would want a manual, & I could care less about anything else. I wouldn't care if it didn't come with a radio or speakers. I can add a radio, & I have done that to a base level car (had to add the antenna, radio, & 4 speakers). A/C & cruise control, however are nice features I do place some value on those. It wouldn't drive my purchase, however.
I would buy whatever low mileage 2017-2022 Mirage manual seems the best deal to me. I place zero value on extra features! You can't add features to a cheap economy car & change my opinion about it.
I could easily rattle off 10+ features a base model Mirage would have over my former base level 1990 Ford Festiva ($5,300 brand new after $1,000 Ford rebate offer) -
power windows
power locks
remote entry
tachometer
intermittent wipers
A/C
visor mirror
passenger side mirror
rear wiper
rear washer fluid.
air bags
radio/speakers/antenna - did add those later however
traction/stability control
ABS brake
hill start assist
4-doors
My Mirage has all those things & more! 14" Mirage wheels would make the 12" Festiva wheels seem small!
I really liked my Festiva (daily driver). It was never my primary vehicle for my family, however. I value cars like those. It was cheap, paid for, and helped me earn two graduate degrees without taking out any loans. I didn't have car payments, & I had money for school even though we went to one income when my daughters were young.
Times have changed. I attended UW-Stevens Point in the 1980s. A semester cost about $1,500-1,600 in those days. That amount of money covered tuition, textbook rentals, dorm room, and a 20 meals/week meal plan. A year of college was approximately $3,100-3,200 per year (that's room board, & tuition). When I became a dorm resident assistant my junior & senior year, my room & board were covered. My tuiition would have been about $600-700/semester. I bought my first car when i became a resident assistant, because I felt I could finally afford one.
Keep in mind - my first factory (wood working plant) summer job paid $4/hour. I got a raise the 2nd summer, and I made $4.25/hour. I worked 10 hour days & Saturday mornings to get $6/hour for overtime paid. Times have changed!!!!
I feel like a dinosaur at age 60! If I was independently wealthy, I wouldn't pay more than $10,000 for a Mirage or $20,000 for anything else. I'd rather replace my tractor!
I rode in someone's brand new Polaris Ranger the other day. It has more features than my Mirage. My guess is he paid at least 3 times more, too! A fully loaded 1,500 cc Polaris Ranger is approaching $50,000. He bought last year's 1,000 cc model, & I am sure he paid less. It had A/C, touchscreen on the dash, power windows, etc...... I kid you not, it was very well equipped. A Ford Maverick would be cheaper!
Enough babble from Mark today!
I do this when I come home from a long day/week of driving lessons! Sorry!