Greetings from Tennessee! (considering Mirage, Toyota iA, or Mazda2)

[Dolphin_NA6]

Hi everyone,
I'm mostly lurking on here trying to decide if I want to buy a Mirage or Yaris iA as my first new car I'm also considering a used Mazda 2. I'm cross-shopping these because I really like the Mirage and I'm fairly familiar with Mazdas from owning a 91 Miata, which has been my only car through high school up to now. However, I'm about to graduate college and am looking for something: with a manual transmission, thats good on gas, & has decent interior space for friends/stuff. Being fun to drive would be a nice bonus.

If you have any experience with the Mazdas or would like to add to the Mirage's pros/cons I would really appreciate it!

Spencer

[Loren]

I think the Mirage is the only new car on the market (besides the Smart Car) that's anywhere near the weight of your NA6 Miata, and it's actually lighter. You'll like that about it. It's not going to be quite as quick as the Miata, not that the 1.6 Miata is fast. And it won't have that Miata nimbleness, but it's still fun.

I'd suggest driving the Mirage, as well as the competition. If you're testing used cars, bear in mind that ANY of these cars with more than 30k miles are going to have weak shocks, which will make them feel "floppier" than they should. And the addition of a rear swaybar to any FWD car will make it feel a lot better, as well.

[Mark]

The Mirage is an affordable, reliable, & economical. Driving an overpowered automatic vehicle just makes me yawn! There’s something just plain fun about driving this small 3-cylinder car with a manual transmission. It’s really does grow on you. If something happened to my 2017 Mirage ES (manual) today, I would replace it with another one tomorrow. By the way - I am in my mid-50's, & I have owned a number of vehicles.

I would never pay MSRP for one, but a discounted one is a great value. It made me stop looking at used cars like the Yaris, Fit, & Mazda2. I generally like buying 2-3 year old cars, but a discounted Mirage sort of changed that for me.

I test drove a 2018 Mirage ES (manual), & I bought a discounted 2017 model last October. Even if I had paid a little more, I would still feel good about it. You are not only getting a great little economy car, but it’s one that comes with a
5-year/60,000 mile bumper-to- bumper warranty (this transfers to used ones, too)
10-year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty
5-year/unlimited mileage roadside assistance (look up what’s included with that)
AAA insurance can’t even compete with that.

If you keep this car for least 5-years, you basically have no worries. I don’t think you can say that about most used cars, unless you buy some way overpriced policy. I would never waste money on those.

If it’s a car you are willing to keep for 5-10 years, I think the Mirage is hard to beat. Some worry about depreciation, but it can’t depreciate more than what you pay for it, which isn’t much in some cases.

Since you are interested in a manual, you would be buying the more affordable ES model. I would surely take one for test drive before getting serious about buying one. Dealerships don’t care for me, but I would never visit one without knowing their out-the-door price on a Mirage. I don’t like wasting my time or theirs. Some are reluctant to do that, & that may be a red flag to take note of.

I really think you have test drive one for yourself. The car didn’t wow me at first, but I’ve grown to really like the darn thing. Having an alignment check done prior to purchase is a good suggestion by others. Adding a rear sway bar is a simple inexpensive way to really improve the driving characteristic of this car. All it takes is 4 bolts & two wrenches to tighten them down to add a rear sway bar. Professional car reviewers are doing the consumer a disservice. This is not a small car that should be overlooked. It's not the car for everyone, but the world may be a better place if more of us drove small cars like the Mirage.

[MetroMPG]

Welcome to the forum, Spencer!

Fellow NA owner here... thread: Used Mirages aren't cheap enough yet! So here's my new $1k car (1990 Miata)

Good advice above from Loren & Mark.

Go test drive one. Since you're a manual enthusiast, DO NOT drive the CVT if that's all your dealer has on hand, with the idea of "just getting a feel for the car". The character of the CVT vs. the manual Mirage is very different. (The CVT is a big reason I think the car gets some of its poor reviews from gearhead reviewers.)

Oh, and make sure you sit in the back. The Mirage has a surprising amount of room for rear passengers (unless the driver is a giant).

Everything I've read says the iA and the older Mazda2 are a superior driving experience, from a typical car enthusiast's perspective. The Mirage is superior if you like a unique automotive experience (the 3-cyl has a distinctive growl), and value low cost of ownership, reliability, and top fuel economy. They're capable of astonishingly good MPG in the hands of a motivated driver.

Unfortunately you can't get the iA as a hatch, which would rule it out, in my opinion.

And yes, I bet you'll want a rear bar on the Mirage, out of the box. It's tuned for comfort.

Darin

[inuvik]

Welcome to the forum! I have the CVT and yes it's lackluster at best. I would strongly recommend the 5 speed also and when it comes time for a 2nd Mirage in our household it will be a 5 speed.

[MetroMPG]

One thing the CVT is excellent at: very low revs if you're very light & smooth on the throttle. Makes for a relaxing, quiet drive if you want it to be.

[Top_Fuel]

...a Mirage or Yaris iA

The EPA has them rated fairly close when it comes to MPG...



The iA has 106hp and a 6-speed manual...so it would probably get the nod in the "fun to drive" category.

What is the real-world price of a new iA? If you want a new Mirage with a manual transmission, you're going to have to buy a "base" model...which already has almost everything you would want anyway (except for cruise control). I'm guessing you could shop around and probably find one right now for $10-11K.

[Gnarles2]

If you are looking for a car that is fun to drive without doing any type of modifications, I would go with the iA. It is more powerful, handles better and feels like a much more substantial car to drive. The Mirage may be slightly more fuel efficient, cheaper and has a better warranty. I would test drive both back to back so you can get a good comparison.

[Mark]

The EPA has them rated fairly close when it comes to MPG...

The iA has 106hp and a 6-speed manual...so it would probably get the nod in the "fun to drive" category.

What is the real-world price of a new iA? If you want a new Mirage with a manual transmission, you're going to have to buy a "base" model...which already has almost everything you would want anyway (except for cruise control). I'm guessing you could shop around and probably find one right now for $10-11K.

This is why I feel the Mirage is a $10,000-12,000 car. When the price starts creeping to the mid-$15,000 range, you start competing with cars like the Toyota Yaris iA. Even though I really like my Mirage, I would never spend $15,000 on one. If I wanted a small sedan, I would consider spending $15,000-16,000 on a Yaris iA.

It really comes down to what you want. The Yaris iA seems like a nice car for the money, too.

[Top_Fuel]

...you can't get the iA as a hatch, which would rule it out, in my opinion.

Yeah...that might be a problem for me, too.

Tell me the iA has a timing belt and that would seal the deal for me...