Question from the son of a new mirage hatchback owner

[Moe]

WhatÂ’s up everybody,

My mom purchased a 2024 mirage hatchback over the weekend.

Long story short:

They didnÂ’t have any models in the lot right outside the dealership. All the mirages were in some lot blocks away because this particular dealership is going through or already went through a moving process.

We gave them the stock number for a black ES model we saw online but said we were also considering the LE which was only $500 more.

Initially we were supposed to go to the other lot where the car we selected and other mirages were located. Instead, the salesman ended up just going to the other lot himself and bringing us the car.

He brought back the car and my mom test drove it. I rode along with them and during the test drive my mom realized that there was no armrest on the chair and mentioned it to the salesman. The salesman confirmed that it did not come with a arm rest but didnÂ’t mention that the LE trim does come with armrest.

So we ended up buying the ES.

A couple of days later through research I realized that the LE comes with an armrest in addition to the alloy wheels and rain sensor wipers.

Initially I thought no big deal because I had come across the OEM center console armrest and I think that is a great/better option.

However, my mom is fairly short about 5’5” and sits ridiculously close to the steering wheel. So I’m afraid the oem center console armrest will not extend forward enough for her.

In conclusion, I was wondering if it would be possible to go to Mitsubishi parts/service and possibly swap out our seat for a seat with an armrest because I feel like the salesman and dealership could have done a better job in explaining our options and actually letting us see their inventory (they had LEs in stock from what I saw online).

IÂ’m not expecting a free swap out but could this be done for a few hundred bucks at most?

If thatÂ’s out of the question, can anyone tell me their experience with the oem center console armrest or any other armrest that you think would work well?

Any help is much appreciated.

Sorry wasnÂ’t a long story short after all.

[Mark]

I'm 6' 1", & I sit as far back as I can 100% of the time. I can't grab the steering when I rest my right elbow on my OEM factory center armrest. I can touch it with my finger tips, but that's about it. I only rest my right elbow on the center armrest when I am driving with my left hand only.

There are aftermarket armrests that are longer. Personally, I would wedge a firm pillow between the seats if this is really important to you.

If armrest & alloy wheels are desirable items, the extra $500 for the LE would have been money well spent. All trim levels have alloy wheels, except for the ES.

It's pretty easy to research trim levels these days, & the salesman may have falsely assumed that you knew what you were buying. If you had said the lack of an armrest was a deal breaker, I'm sure another trim level would have come up in the discussion.

Let's put this way - If alloy wheels & items like armrests were important items to me, I would know what trim levels have those features, before visiting a dealership. I wouldn't want to waste my time looking at an ES if the LE has the features I want. At some point, one has to take some ownership in the transaction. The price difference between Mitsubishi Mirage trim levels is quite small in my opinion. Deciding a different trim level would have been better after the fact is a little late. I don't mean to be rude in saying this, but I don't see where your salesman did anything wrong.

[Moe]

Thanks for the feedback

I dont necessarily think he did anything wrong either itÂ’s just the whole setup was weird. Like the mirage hatchbacks were in a lot offsite umm ok

It would have been nice to sit in an ES and LE and any other trim they had in stock and see which one she liked better

And to be honest I think once he brought us the ES he probably wanted to just get the sale over with and didnÂ’t want to go back to the lot and bring us an LE but I could be wrong

I decided on a mirage for her last minute. I initially wanted her to get a CPO Corolla but a new mirage was less expensive then a 3-4 year old Corolla and toyota CPO only has 1 year bumper to bumper/7 year powertrain warranty compared to the mirage 5/10 warranty

I was only considering the LE for the wheels but I should have researched the differences between trims more before we went out to buy

I always thought she drove with two hands anyway so armrest didnÂ’t really cross my mind and I thought even the most bare bones cars come with armrest

I had a smart car that had an armrest for Christ sake lol

[Moe]

I can always buy her better wheels down the line

And seats for that matter

The rain sensor isn’t a big deal to me

Good thing is I can buy her upgrades for her car as presents for her birthday and holidays in the coming years so I’ll just look at it that way

Anyhoo the car is so much fun to drive I don’t really understand all the hate it gets

The engine noise is annoying and the lack of acceleration sucks but other than that it’s a great city car and I want one for myself

[Eggman]

I can always buy her better wheels down the line

And seats for that matter

The rain sensor isn’t a big deal to me

Good thing is I can buy her upgrades for her car as presents for her birthday and holidays in the coming years so I’ll just look at it that way

Anyhoo the car is so much fun to drive I don’t really understand all the hate it gets

The engine noise is annoying and the lack of acceleration sucks but other than that it’s a great city car and I want one for myself

Great summary Moe. I didn't have an armrest on mine and never missed it. I usually keep both hands on the steering wheel with thumbs hooked on the spokes, as taught in a driving school. We were also taught to keep far away from the steering wheel in order to minimize injury in case of airbag deployment. Arms should be nearly straight when gripping the wheel with a slight bend in the elbow.

[7milesout]

Great summary Moe. I didn't have an armrest on mine and never missed it.

I'm the same here, for both sentences. I've always had an armrest in all my cars. I thought for sure that's the first thing I was going to have to do something about. I'm a big guy, but I have found I am plenty comfortable without that armrest. Which surprises me.

Mine is a 5-speed so my arm will have something to do some of the time. But when I'm not shifting gears, I can't even tell you what I do with my right arm, but it is not uncomfortable.

As for wheels, I guess I can understand your thinking. But if I were to make a recommendation, I would recommend to allow the Mirage to do what it is BEST at doing. And that is, being inexpensive. I quite love my steel wheels. But that's because I took the ugly-ass wheel covers off and painted them. For $43 I painted them black and they look great, in my opinion. Even makes the car look like it's a tiny little badass, like Joe Pesci / Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas. But to each their own.

[defensivetackle99]

Since you OP bought it recently, that is if I read it correctly, can you still return the car for the LE? I thought there is a cool off period or something in buyer’s advantage. Will cost you extra $$$ but hey! It a final chance to minimize any buyer remorse. Better than trading it later just for little things. Can’t price on happiness…to a degree.

[7milesout]

I wouldn't want to pay tax on both purchases though. I don't know how that would work DT99, you have a good point. If they can return it, as if they never bought it, and even get their taxes back, and then buy the LE, it's certainly worth considering.

[Top_Fuel]

...if it would be possible to go to Mitsubishi parts/service and possibly swap out our seat for a seat with an armrest.

If you really want a factory seat with an integrated armrest, the dealer probably isn't going to swap one out of another new vehicle. Your best/cheapest bet is to find a complete front seat from a low-mileage wrecked Mirage at a salvage yard. But even that isn't going to be inexpensive.

The armrest is part of the left (driver's) side seat back assembly. Here's the part number...



^^^ That's a lot of jack for an armrest.

[Fummins]

I missed having an armrest in mine for years, then finally broke down and bought a cheapo universal armrest from amazon and bolted it on. At work there's only one Mirage with a factory armrest, it's a 2023 GT model. The driver of it asked if I could take it off...It's pretty small, way smaller than the semi-tractor one I put in my turd.
I made a craptastic video of it