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Thread: Traded after 2.5 years / 33k miles - regret buying this car

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    Traded after 2.5 years / 33k miles - regret buying this car

    I have to say I really regret buying this car (white '14 ES with the CVT).

    The gas mileage was great (low/mid 40s around town without trying when it was new) but after about 30k miles and replacing the slide-a-thon Dunlop tires with some Michelins that actually had some traction and functioned when the road was wet it rarely went above 35-37 and we would be surprised when we got a 40 MPG tank.

    Basically it started feeling old pretty quickly and got to the point where we didn't want to spend any more money on it. The A/C wouldn't hold a charge, the headlight lenses were starting to cloud up, the gray plastic trim on the doors was oxidizing, the seat fabric was getting loose and had butt prints on it (I weigh 145 lbs), the transmission was getting clunky when going into gear or when downshifting and we'd had enough of the suspension. The body roll was still fine with me, and kind of amusing to be honest, but the long-travel comfort that was so nice when it was new had turned into a harsh ride that sagged and clomped along on bad roads and crashed into the bump stops when there are three people in the car (450 lbs). The person who typically rode in the back seat was getting tired of having his head thrown into the headliner.

    I could have probably put up with the issues if the dealer and Mitsubishi Corporate had been more responsive to the nonfunctional A/C (they blamed its needing a recharge at 25k miles, which I had to pay for, on the fact that we lived in Texas) but that combined with the dirty, shabby, threadbare, shorthanded facilities that take forever to do anything really started leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

    My other car is a 2012 Toyota Yaris 3-door hatchback with a 5-speed and it has not had a single issue and still feels tight and new. The dealers are friendly, competent and have clean new buildings and overall the ownership experience has been a night-and-day difference.

    So we went down to the Toyota dealer at about 6:30 the last day of November. I got hosed for $3k on the Mirage trade-in but I am so happy to be rid of it that I don't even care. I got the Corolla for $500 under invoice with 0% for 72 months so it wasn't too painful. It is so quiet and refined in comparison -- can't hear the engine under 3000 RPM, it doesn't vibrate like an automatic '80s Honda when idling, it doesn't slow down when you turn the A/C on, it doesn't bottom out on bumps or feel like it is going to roll over in turns and the transmission doesn't clunk or shudder. We've driven it about 200 miles so far and it is averaging 36-37 MPG with about 50/50 city/highway.

    I paid $17888 + tax for it and really wish I had just spent the extra $2k on one in 2014. But I am kind of glad I ended up with a '17 because it has Bi-LED headlights, radar cruise control, automatic braking and corrective steering.

    We had had some older Mitsubishis in the past (couple of '91 Galants and an Eclipse) and they were all super reliable and lasted a long time. But this one felt like it was 10+ years older and had 150,000 more miles on it that it did. So if anyone else is considering one of these vehicles, I would definitely recommend spending a couple grand more on a Fit or Yaris or Corolla or something. It isn't worth the little bit of savings you will see at the pump with the poor customer service, difficult oil changes, expensive insurance, nonstandard tires and battery size and hard to find consumables (air and cabin filters, etc).

    Goodbye


    Hello




  2. #2
    Moderator inuvik's Avatar
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    Well, sorry things didn't work out for you. With any car there are those with issues. Sounds like you had some issues that weren't resolved to your satisfaction. Glad to hear you were able to get a car that was more to your liking and it sounds like the Corolla is going to serve you well. Most members of this forum find the Mirage to be extremely reliable and efficicient.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 40.5 mpg (US) ... 17.2 km/L ... 5.8 L/100 km ... 48.6 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member IchabodCrane's Avatar
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    Sorry the Mirage didn't work out for you.
    I think the dealership/support experience has a lot to do with one's ownership satisfaction. Sadly yours was not acceptable. My dealer treats me very well without exception, so much so that I traded my first Mirage for another one even though the first had a couple of issues.
    Congrats on your new Corolla I hope it's a great car for you.
    Will weld for beer.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE 1.2 automatic: 45.3 mpg (US) ... 19.3 km/L ... 5.2 L/100 km ... 54.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Sorry to see you go, and sorry to hear the car let you down. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

    My girlfriend's '14 Mirage was rear-ended over the summer, and while it was in the shop she was given a 2015 Corolla S as a rental car.

    We both HATED it. Hope the 'Rolla works out for you.

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    Senior Member roscoe1972's Avatar
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    I was newly married, expecting a child, have a bad back and little money. When I needed a new vehicle thought an SUV would fit the bill. I bought a 2010 V6 2wd Outlander. It is safe, reliable, spacious and gets 24mph+ (good for a V6 SUV). But I did not like driving it so, I bought a mirage for me and the dog and use the Outlander for family

    I like the Mirage, #1 CHEAP TO BUY AND DRIVE. I could afford to buy it and gas it up as a second car. #2 Spacious cockpit easy to get in and out. I get claustrophobic and don't like sitting low to the ground. The corrola felt cramped with my 225+lbs frame. #3 the manual transmission is fun to drive. I wouldn't consider or recommend the CVT mirage. The manual trans gives a viseral feel. You can hear the engine, feel the road, milk the "power" out of every gear. Yes it is slow and if I had anothe $10k i would have gotten something faster, but I didn't. I did put wider wheels and tires on it and we'll see how it does in its first snow.

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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by roscoe1972 View Post
    The corrola felt cramped with my 225+lbs frame.
    I am 5'11" and around 205 pounds, and I felt the same way in the Corolla. I actually commented to my girlfriend about it. Oddly, it is a feeling I never get in the Mirage.

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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    Oddly, it is a feeling I never get in the Mirage.
    Me too.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


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    I probably would have kept it if not for the horrible service from the dealers and the indifferent/condescending attitude from Mitsubishi Corporate. Regardless of the verbiage in the warranty, if the car has been maintained by the book at the dealer I would expect some kind of goodwill warranty to come into play if the car is having A/C issues at 25,000 miles. (Honda went to bat for me and paid for half of the repair when the A/C compressor in my Civic seized up two years out of warranty.) And when the interior and exterior started looking shabby so soon I just didn't want it anymore.

    Like my Yaris, I do like the Mirage's open space for the driver and the lack of an intrusive center stack/console that allows you to splay your legs out out. I know about small cars -- the Yaris is essentially the same size as the Mirage and I love it. It is loud and unrefined as well but has better build quality, is super easy to service with nothing in the way of anything else (oil change is so easy instead of fumbling around with an oil filter you can't see that spills oil everywhere) and has a suspension that doesn't roll/crash/bottom out with three smaller-than-average people in it and some stuff in the trunk.

    The roads are horrible here in DFW with a lot of choppy expansion joints and the Mirage was just not pleasant as it aged. New tires helped a lot but it was so loud and rough that we were agitated by the time we got to our destination and we had stopped driving around randomly in the country because we couldn't hear each other speak.

    I think the Mirage is a great car as a solo commuter but isn't really up for multiple people and family schlepping duties.

  11. #9
    Senior Member BostonJellyBean's Avatar
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    I just got a 2015. It does the job. NOT quite like my crown Vic police inteceptor did with 1.75 inch sway bars and super coils and shocks did.. But.... I got Bluetooth and triple the fuel mileage, a warranty, a cheap payment for being a 1st time car buyer with a 580 score.
    I could have spent a lot more to get a Toyota or Honda. With a higher insurance premiums and more chance of theft plus a higher repair cost

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage Es 1.2 manual: 38.7 mpg (US) ... 16.4 km/L ... 6.1 L/100 km ... 46.5 mpg (Imp)

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.0 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.4 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by BostonJellyBean View Post
    I just got a 2015. It does the job. NOT quite like my crown Vic police inteceptor did with 1.75 inch sway bars and super coils and shocks did.. But.... I got Bluetooth and triple the fuel mileage, a warranty, a cheap payment for being a 1st time car buyer with a 580 score.
    I could have spent a lot more to get a Toyota or Honda. With a higher insurance premiums and more chance of theft plus a higher repair cost
    Are crown vics worth it? The government here is liquidating them and since my girlfriend needed a car too, I thought it might be good to get one that would work for the winter. Is it good in the winter?



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