Jalopnik Article on Mirage discontinued in 2025

[7milesout]

I really like my Mirage. I value a vehicle that's affordable, reliable, & economical to drive. Having said that, I don't know a single soul outside this forum that would have any interest in a car like the Mirage. Yet, most everyone I know owns multiple vehicles.

Mark - I agree with you 100%.

Which I guess makes me very abnormal. I have more than 1 vehicle. And I really like my Mirage. Is it my favorite? Well, I can't exactly say that. It is my favorite for pounding miles onto. Each of my vehicles has its strong points though. I guess my favorite would be the one I would choose to be the last remaining vehicle in my driveway. Which would be ... blue truck. My favorite would be based on which one is most useful combined with it being interesting, which in the end makes it the most valuable to me. Blue truck would win that for me, here it is waiting to get loaded up to bring all my son's crap home from his college (recently). Still blue, and still truckin'.

I'm jealous of your Ford Festiva experience...

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[Mark]

I really don't understand the lack of interest in economy vehicles, but the whole EV thing might be a big part of it? Those who might consider an economy vehicle as their 2nd or 3rd vehicle (depending on family needs) may be looking at EV alternatives. An economy vehicle has to be affordable, reliable, and economical in my opinion.

The $7,500 tax credit for EVs has made a vehicle like the Chevy Bolt seem more appealing. I know two young couples that have bought them this year, and the EVs serve their needs. Is it their only vehicle? No! They both have either a full size mini-van or a full size pickup truck, too. In all honesty, their Chevy Bolt was not all that more expensive than today's Mirage after the tax credit. One of the spouses drives 35 miles (one-way) to work each day. The Bolt is a great vehicle for that. If that's all you need it for, I can see going that route.

Would I want to take that same Bolt to visit my parents 4+ hours away? No way, & that is why I prefer something like my Mirage. I will be taking a 650+ mile/10 hour fishing trip with friends in a couple weeks. We all have different plans & drive out separately. Would I want a Bolt for that trip? No way! If i was forced to take my Forester because of the limited range of a Chevy Bolt, it defeats my reason for owning a 2nd vehicle.

I like my Mirage. If I had to cut back to one vehicle, I would have to keep the Forester. The Forester does some things my Mirage can't do. My trailer is my truck, and I use it a lot. A Mirage is not built to tug the things I haul around. I also value AWD with snow tires a few times a year. A Mirage falls short on that, too!

Having a Mirage has extended the life of my Forester, and I do appreciate that! I hope I go another 10 years before replacing either one.

I think the vehicle market is out of whack. The average vehicle age on the road is now 12.5 years old. I really don't know how middle-class families afford today's new vehicles?

I have never wanted to be a slave to my vehicle & car payments. New cars like my $5,300 Festiva & $9,300 Mirage have been easy for me to embrace. They are affordable & under my care from day one. I like that option over buying used, but I would be back to buying used today.

Despite those two deals, I feel my 2000 Honda CR-V LX, AWD, 5-speed manual) with 20,000 miles for $12,000 in 2004 was my best vehicle purchase ever. That was also my favorite vehicle. It could pull off most anything I wanted a vehicle to do without being flashy. The dumb thing I did in 2004 was sell my Festiva at the same time. If I hadn't done that, I would probably still have the CR-V today.

I'm not making that mistake with my Mirage. If it's still running good, it's not going anywhere!

[7milesout]

I think the vehicle market is out of whack. The average vehicle age on the road is now 12.5 years old. I really don't know how middle-class families afford today's new vehicles?

Gobment interference in what is supposed to be a free market society is what is lead to your feeling. I think your feeling is correct.

[Mirageman38]

Mark,

WB, as you know it is the busiest and biggest Mitsu dealer in the Midwest, has plenty of Mirages sedan and hatchback starting at $17kÂ…$17k! And they have over 30 mirages combined on their lot. It hasnÂ’t gone down to single digit in months! And itÂ’s terribly unfortunate. I had great experience w/ them!

You know what the issue is here is the prices. I got a brand new mirage in 2019 for 12k. Back then it was possible at WB to get one for $10-11k. Inflation has been present but it has not been 80%. This should be $12,300-$15,000 not $17k. Drop the price $3,000-$5000 and they will sell like hot cakes.

[Fummins]

You know what the issue is here is the prices. I got a brand new mirage in 2019 for 12k. Back then it was possible at WB to get one for $10-11k. Inflation has been present but it has not been 80%. This should be $12,300-$15,000 not $17k. Drop the price $3,000-$5000 and they will sell like hot cakes.

Msrp on a base Canada spec Mirage is $16,998(cad)/$12,454usd. The base model is fairly loaded now,cruise, heated seats, keyless entry etc... I keep saying I'll never buy a new car, let alone a Mirage but the difference between how a 2023 with 27k miles and my 2014 with almost 200k miles drives/handles is night and day. I'm sure I'll regret not buying a new one 5 years from now.

[Fummins]

That turned out pretty blury...

[Mark]

Msrp on a base Canada spec Mirage is $16,998(cad)/$12,454usd. The base model is fairly loaded now,cruise, heated seats, keyless entry etc... I keep saying I'll never buy a new car, let alone a Mirage but the difference between how a 2023 with 27k miles and my 2014 with almost 200k miles drives/handles is night and day. I'm sure I'll regret not buying a new one 5 years from now.

If you thought the Mirage would meet your needs for a very long time, I would surely consider it. If you thought you might want something else 5 years from now, I wouldn't bother. Sometimes, it comes down to where you are in life, too! Would you be content owning a brand new Mirage for the next 10+ years? I think that is the question one has to ask oneself. You seem to have a strong interest in EVs. In your case, a Mirage may not be as appealing to you some day?

If the perfect vehicle existed, I might only own one. Owning two is a bit of a luxury for me, but I also took advantage of the great Mirage deals of the past.

In some ways, owning one vehicle would make my life simpler, but I like that my Mirage is extending the life of my 2011 Forester. Although my Forester is 13 years old, it's still in very nice shape. It still meets my needs extremely well.

It's OK to own nice things! In my mind, buying a $12,500 Mirage is still somewhat practical. No one is going to accuse of living the high life if you buy a new Mirage. If it saves you a chunk of change, I wouldn't rule out a low mileage one that is a year or two old, too. I like my Mirage, because of the deal I got on it. If I paid today's prices, I would be disappointed.

[Fummins]

If you thought the Mirage would meet your needs for a very long time, I would surely consider it. If you thought you might want something else 5 years from now, I wouldn't bother. Sometimes, it comes down to where you are in life, too! Would you be content owning a brand new Mirage for the next 10+ years? I think that is the question one has to ask oneself. You seem to have a strong interest in EVs. In your case, a Mirage may not be as appealing to you some day?

If the perfect vehicle existed, I might only own one. Owning two is a bit of a luxury for me, but I also took advantage of the great Mirage deals of the past.

In some ways, owning one vehicle would make my life simpler, but I like that my Mirage is extending the life of my 2011 Forester. Although my Forester is 13 years old, it's still in very nice shape. It still meets my needs extremely well.

It's OK to own nice things! In my mind, buying a $12,500 Mirage is still somewhat practical. No one is going to accuse of living the high life if you buy a new Mirage. If it saves you a chunk of change, I wouldn't rule out a low mileage one that is a year or two old, too. I like my Mirage, because of the deal I got on it. If I paid today's prices, I would be disappointed.

I change my mind about vehicles more often than I change underwear. Needs and wants seem to change daily. I often buy stuff intending to keep it forever then sell it at a loss lol. I blew more on a toy I only get to use 3 times a year if I'm lucky. The rest of the year it sits in a trailer that cost the same and but only used 2 times a year. I should fix the junk I have before buying something else. I was hoping to be looking at buying a new car by now but I don't want to blow the money I do have saved up and I don't want to do the 84 month finance route.

[Mark]

I change my mind about vehicles more often than I change underwear. Needs and wants seem to change daily. I often buy stuff intending to keep it forever then sell it at a loss lol. I blew more on a toy I only get to use 3 times a year if I'm lucky. The rest of the year it sits in a trailer that cost the same and but only used 2 times a year. I should fix the junk I have before buying something else. I was hoping to be looking at buying a new car by now but I don't want to blow the money I do have saved up and I don't want to do the 84 month finance route.

I was more that way when I was younger. I'm not sure what really changed me, but it was probably a number of things. Going through a divorce and having one's income cut in half real fast was surely one factor. My focus changed to keeping my home & 72 acres of hunting property. If that hadn't happened, my mortgage would most likely have been paid off some time ago, and I would be throwing more money at other things.

That trial in life taught me to be more content with less. I own a Mirage because it was under 66% window sticker brand new. I still feel blessed to have it almost 7 years later, & I don't sense that feeling going away any time soon.

Vehicles are money pits. Today's current vehicle market has made me lose all desire of owning a new vehicle. I'd rather sit on my savings & enjoy life pursuing other things.

My next money splurge may be a new aluminum trailer. My 1994 4' x 8' rusty steel trailer has seen better days, & I could really use one a bit bigger (5' x 10') would be much better for my Kawasaki Mule and compact diesel tractor with an attachment on the back. I sort of have one already picked out. A trailer vendor near my parents sells a brand made locally only for them. A 6' x 10' aluminum trailer is only $2,195, & I have checked them out in person. They are really well made, and that is an excellent price. Most used aluminum trailers are priced higher. Trailers are cheaper than pickup trucks and in my mind they are more useful for hauling boy toys, too.

[Mirageman38]

Learning to live on less and enjoy more is a complex virtue. Almost no one wants to work forever, but also you can't take money with you when you die so it's also important to spend reasonably more on things that matter to your happiness, but while also being cognizant that this is often significantly less and harder to do than you think.

The more times I have splurged on expensive toys and hobbies the more I realize I get 90% of the enjoyment out of the cheaper/cheapest version of said thing. One example is the Mirage. It gets me from point A-B with great fuel economy. It's not my 67 fastback mustang I wish I had, but I am doing alright with 90%+ of the enjoyment at a fraction of the price.

Another example is my house. It's not a mansion but it serves me well and is paid off. My small house gives me 90%+ of the enjoyment of a bigger house would have with more land, and a full garage. Then you have the benefits of a small house like less property tax, less maintenance, etc adding to the appeal.

I have a 75 year old family member with back pains and problems who sleeps on a 80s mattress that has been ready for the landfill for the better of the last 20 years yet you can't talk him into buying a new one. He has tons of money socked away and you can't take it with you. This is being too cheap. At this point splurge on the things you need.

If you can tune everything to 90%+ enjoyment at the bare minimum costs relative to your income, you can maximize your money, not be too stingy, and hopefully have enough to retire early. Being able to distinguishing what will really make you happy vs what momentarily seems fun is challenging but an important skill to hone.