With fuel prices dropping, what's going to happen to Mirage sales?

**m4v3r1ck** · 11-03-2014, 08:16 AM

Originally Posted by Canoehead

I agree with points made before.

It is still the best value.
It is an efficient choice - that efficiency is good for the personal budget, the environment, and the national budget (what would gas cost if the demand was reduced commensurate with everyone driving only the vehicle they needed, not the one they desired?)
Who can predict what gas will cost over the period of ownership. Resale on a Mirage will be good if gas goes back up. Resale on an SUV will be poor. In fact, expensive cars always depreciate a lot more.

I do the math all the time, and the Mirage comes out on top. The only way the Mirage can lose is if it is measured against things it wasn't designed to do (towing, off roading, racing) or against arbitrary standards of luxury/performance (if leather, sunroof, touch-screen displays and all wheel drive are crucial to you and worth an extra $10k then the Mirage isn't for you).

The Mirage is still unique in the marketplace, and a better choice for most than the Scion IQ, Smart, and Nissan Micra.

I can't agree more!

**MetroMPG** · 11-10-2014, 02:46 AM

OK, I've been convinced. Lower recent gas prices probably aren't hurting sales.

That said, I bet if we were facing the opposite situation right now -- higher than normal prices -- Mitsu would be advertising the heck out of this car's mileage capabilities and they'd be selling like hotcakes.

**Canoehead** · 11-10-2014, 04:10 AM

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

OK, I've been convinced. Lower recent gas prices probably aren't hurting sales.

That said, I bet if we were facing the opposite situation right now -- higher than normal prices -- Mitsu would be advertising the heck out of this car's mileage capabilities and they'd be selling like hotcakes.

On the other hand, with the whole paleo-diet/raw food/low-carb obsession, hotcakes aren't even selling like hotcakes any more.

**MetroMPG** · 11-10-2014, 01:00 PM

Gluten-free hotcakes?

**Canoehead** · 11-10-2014, 02:55 PM

I suspect that some of the more expensive hybrids will suffer from low gas prices. A plug-in hybrid that costs thousands more might not seem attractive. For the PriusC to equal the base model Mirage in value, it would have to drive a very long ways. With gas low, it will have to drive even farther.

**Josharoo** · 11-10-2014, 11:25 PM

Some good points here, one other thing to add about hybrids sales vs Mirage future sales....
I know many people and several Toyota mechanics who have said that hybrids are a waste. They will be the first to go under now that people know that every time you get an oil change/service done, you end up spending $500-$1000 due to there is ALWAYS something wrong with the car when you take it in. You have to pay to have it fix or they can void the warranty. This is becoming the downfall for hybrids which Mitsubishi is smart keeping the Mirage as a gas only vehicle. I think they may give up the electric car before they would give up the Mirage. If anything, they may just drop bigger engines in down the road... Just my two cent.

**Canoehead** · 11-11-2014, 12:26 AM

Originally Posted by Josharoo

Some good points here, one other thing to add about hybrids sales vs Mirage future sales....
I know many people and several Toyota mechanics who have said that hybrids are a waste. They will be the first to go under now that people know that every time you get an oil change/service done, you end up spending $500-$1000 due to there is ALWAYS something wrong with the car when you take it in. You have to pay to have it fix or they can void the warranty. This is becoming the downfall for hybrids which Mitsubishi is smart keeping the Mirage as a gas only vehicle. I think they may give up the electric car before they would give up the Mirage. If anything, they may just drop bigger engines in down the road... Just my two cent.

I'm not sure what you mean with there "always" being something wrong. What goes wrong on a Toyota hybrid that doesn't on any other car? I am no expert, but will say that here in Winnipeg, it is very very rare to find a taxi that is anything other than a Toyota Prius or PriusV. There are some mini-vans, a handful of those taxi-van vehicles (can't remember the name, company now defunct) and possibly a handful of other gas sedans. Still, for every 100 Taxis I see, 90+ are Toyota Prius. These guys put plenty of mileage and hard use on their cars, and have been running the Prius for over 10 years now in all weather. They talk to each other, so if the Prius was a bad investment I'm sure we would see a different car in the fleet.

Oh, and when you say the car needs a $500-$1000 fix or it will void the warranty . . . what is wrong that is that expensive but not under warranty?

For me, driving less than 15,000km/year and not needing much passenger space, a Prius doesn't make sense. For anyone who racks up the miles though, I think they might be the right choice.

Edit:

The internet seems to think the Prius is pretty reliable. A brief search showed it coming up frequently as a model with exceptional reliability.

http://www.truedelta.com/Toyota-Prius/reliability-272
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...ticle14111907/
http://autos.aol.com/article/toyota-prius-reliability/