Quote Originally Posted by morse View Post
Is this REALLY a problem?
If a car wears out a pair of tires in 10,000 miles due to an alignment problem that can't be corrected without replacing the entire axle assembly, that's a REAL problem in anyone's book. Any car that's tracking that poorly is going to have an annoying pull...and it's going to cost some fuel economy in the process. I've read (and seen) enough to know that the percentage of Mirages with deficient rear axles is greater than 1%. Look...that doesn't mean people shouldn't buy a Mirage...it just means owners should exercise a little bit of common-sense preventative medicine when it comes to checking the alignment and/or closely monitoring tire wear.

In my opinion... As a pro-active preventative measure, everyone who buys a Mirage should get a 4-wheel alignment check...even if the car is brand new. If you read the FAQ, you know how to get it done for free. Even if the car's rear axle is within specs, there's a very good chance that the front end is out of spec. We've had more than 30 owners randomly post their 4-wheel alignment numbers. I think only 1 or 2 of those had all 4 wheels aligned properly from the factory. These are great cars and they are reliable...but whoever is supervising the alignment crew at the factory needs to be transferred to a new spot on the assembly line.