Why should you buy a Mirage?

[Back-space]

I only test drove one yesterday. The steering I didn't notice at all, so it wasn't so bad as to make me think to comment on it. I'd say the mirage actually feels a little big. Maybe sitting higher than I do in my Civic? I do notice that my head is closer to the roof, and I'm a little closer to the passenger. You can definitely hear the engine when you push the gas But in general it's noticeably quieter than my Civic. Since that's the car I'm currently driving, that's the car it's got to beat

[GreenSkiddle]

Still on the fence about buying a Mirage. There are still some leftovers out there and the 2015's are already on dealers lots. My issue isn't the dependability of the Mirage because I think that it will probably be as reliable as a Nissan Toyota or Honda. I've never owned a Mitsubishi but I know that they build durable cars. I guess my real concern is the fact that it is a 3-clyndler, the steering, suspension and the ability to get out of it's own way. Look I'm not looking for a speed demon, just something that can hold it's own with power to weight ratio. I only drive cars with manual transmissions so if I did get a Mirage it would have to be a 5-speed.

[MetroMPG]

Look I'm not looking for a speed demon, just something that can hold it's own with power to weight ratio.

You said you owned a Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire? Did their power to weight ratios put fear in you?


http://jalopnik.com/this-brutal-nyt-mirage-review-is-whats-wrong-with-cheap-1583123298

Sounds like it's time for you to go test drive one again.

[GreenSkiddle]

You said you owned a Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire? Did their power to weight ratios put fear in you?


http://jalopnik.com/this-brutal-nyt-mirage-review-is-whats-wrong-with-cheap-1583123298

Sounds like it's time for you to go test drive one again.

A little bit but consider cars in the late 1980's and into the mid 1990's. Car's today can easily get up to speed quicker than cars of 10-20 years ago. As much as I loved the simplicity of the Fesiva and Aspire. Back road driving or city driving was always fine but they were both on the tinny side when you drove over 50mph. On the highways they did have the tendency to feel like they could get blown off the road by an 18 wheeler. The Festiva's, Aspire's and Metros were o.k. back then but if we drove these same cars out on the road today I think that it would be very difficult for them to keep up with today's modern cars. I guess where I'm going with this is that the Mirage feels like a "throw back car" and this is what my initial attraction to this car has been. However my concern despite the fact that the car was built in 2014 is to hate to think that this would be like a new car with early 1990's sophistication. Do any of you owners feel that way? Do any of you regret your purchase? If not, then I am probably wrong about my concerns for purchasing this car.

[ahintofpepperjack]

A little bit but consider cars in the late 1980's and into the mid 1990's. Car's today can easily get up to speed quicker than cars of 10-20 years ago. As much as I loved the simplicity of the Fesiva and Aspire. Back road driving or city driving was always fine but they were both on the tinny side when you drove over 50mph. On the highways they did have the tendency to feel like they could get blown off the road by an 18 wheeler. The Festiva's, Aspire's and Metros were o.k. back then but if we drove these same cars out on the road today I think that it would be very difficult for them to keep up with today's modern cars. I guess where I'm going with this is that the Mirage feels like a "throw back car" and this is what my initial attraction to this car has been. However my concern despite the fact that the car was built in 2014 is to hate to think that this would be like a new car with early 1990's sophistication. Do any of you owners feel that way? Do any of you regret your purchase? If not, then I am probably wrong about my concerns for purchasing this car.

The early 1990's sophistication is the reason to buy this car. (And really, it's more late 90's sophistication) Everything is proven to work well, any kinks in this drivetrain were worked out 5+ years ago. Most other new cars sold today are going to be incredibly expensive to maintain 5 years down the road. They feature Direct Injection, High-Pressure fuel pumps, turbochargers, complex 8+ speed automatic transmissions, Hydro-electric steering, lane departure systems, Multi-zone climate control, etc. All of that new technology and those cars still can't even get equivalent gas mileage to the Mirage with it's very simple technology.

The only thing that concerns me with the Mirage is body/paint durability. Here in Minnesota we lay the salt thick on the roads, and I'm not sure if the Mirage will hold up.

[DonHoot]

Because they don't cost a lot of money, so buy 'em!!

(Ripped off from local car dealer advertisement).

[GreenSkiddle]

The early 1990's sophistication is the reason to buy this car. (And really, it's more late 90's sophistication) Everything is proven to work well, any kinks in this drivetrain were worked out 5+ years ago. Most other new cars sold today are going to be incredibly expensive to maintain 5 years down the road. They feature Direct Injection, High-Pressure fuel pumps, turbochargers, complex 8+ speed automatic transmissions, Hydro-electric steering, lane departure systems, Multi-zone climate control, etc. All of that new technology and those cars still can't even get equivalent gas mileage to the Mirage with it's very simple technology.

The only thing that concerns me with the Mirage is body/paint durability. Here in Minnesota we lay the salt thick on the roads, and I'm not sure if the Mirage will hold up.

I can see your concern about the body and paint holding up with the harsh weather that you have in Minnesota. On the east coast we never see anywhere near your brutal winters. I have an older Subaru Outback and every 4-5 years I prime a majority of the underside with Rustoleum and then paint it with Rustoleum paint(glossy). What appeared to be surface rust on my 98 Outback in 2008 is no longer visible and appears to have stopped any further progression of rust that I could see. As far as the paint goes, NUFINISH is the way to go. I've heard detail experts bust on NUFINISH because it's not a wax, etc, but I use it 3-4 times per year on my car's and never experienced rust.
The comment that you made about newer cars developing problems 5 years down the road is actually the same thing that my mechanic said. The newer Hyundai Accents have direct injection and I think that this will present problems down the road. I will probably take the Mirage back out for a test drive and will finally decide. Thanks for your help.

[MetroMPG]

I agree about the body / paint concerns in climates where the winter roads are salted. It's up to the owners to be proactive about rust prevention. See crazyjerry's DIY threads on that.

[Kiwi]

The only thing that concerns me with the Mirage is body/paint durability. Here in Minnesota we lay the salt thick on the roads, and I'm not sure if the Mirage will hold up.

I am from Mn too... The newer mitsu body and paint is better than you may think... And most cars built today have the same thin body panels and paint. I have a hard time believing that the mirage would be even near as bad as the early 2000's mazda platforms.

Just take care of it with regular washes etc... Or go hard core like crazyjerry

[MetroMPG]

The Festiva's, Aspire's and Metros were o.k. back then but if we drove these same cars out on the road today I think that it would be very difficult for them to keep up with today's modern cars.

Oh really? Traffic today is that much faster than 10 years ago? (There were still plenty of those cars on the road 10 years back. I still have one!)

I guess where I'm going with this is that the Mirage feels like a "throw back car" and this is what my initial attraction to this car has been. However my concern despite the fact that the car was built in 2014 is to hate to think that this would be like a new car with early 1990's sophistication.

While the Mirage is similar to those old econoboxes in some aspects (small, light, efficient entry level car), I think it's a mistake to take the comparison much beyond that.

It's vastly superior to all of them in terms of engine tech (eg. variable valve control, , transmission tech (CVT), safety engineering, convenience features & fuel efficiency (eg. the Mirage gets the same mileage as the last gen Metros, yet it has ~35% more power).

Go drive one again.