Was loving my Mirage, but no longer

[Mark]

That's a great point I have never considered. Combine that with excess moisture in the car from melting snow on the floor mats...and you may have an uphill battle keeping your windows defrosted. We've had so much rain/snow lately, I'm having a hard time keeping the interior humidity level under control. If I don't roll the windows down and let the inside of my car dry out in the garage every night, I would probably have a hard time keeping up with it. Once the windows fog up heavily in below-zero temps, you're hosed because it turns to frost instantly.

Overall, my experience is that small cars never throw the same amount of heat as larger vehicles. My dad has always had a GM pickup truck of some sort. Those pickup trucks will cook you in the cab even on the coldest days.

Thus the problem expressed here could be a number of things, & everyone has already suggested them. Some are definitely worth trying before giving up on the car.

My little 1990 Ford Festiva never produced much heat, but that little car was quite efficient. That car was on its 9th muffler when I sold it. I bought a lifetime muffler from Midas, and they gave me 7 free ones. Mufflers lasted about 1.5-2 years. When they took them off, water would drain out of them sometimes. The car did a lot of short trips in the winter, because I only lived about 2 miles from work back then. The Midas guys kept telling me the car didn't give off enough heat to evaporate the moisture in exhaust system. Seems like some type of drain hole would have helped, but it probably would have plugged up with rust. The bottom line is that 1.3L (64 hp) engine never threw much heat, but it was also a very tough and dependable engine.

Blocking off the radiator is definitely worth trying.
Engine block heater may get you off to better start in the morning.
You may want to have your heater core checked.
There has been a discussion about PTC heater attached to the heater core to assist in heating. Maybe your PTC heaters aren't working (blown fuse even)?

In the extreme cold a small car is going to struggle more. PTC heater are being added to vehicles in recent years, because engines are becoming more efficient (less wasted heat is given off). Hybrid especially are going to have this problem. Of course an old VW Bug with an air cooled engine in the rear of the car had to be one of worst examples.

[dspace9]

I would play around with the HVAC, not sure how but I can clear that condensation when I do it right, takes a while also to warm up the car


but yea the heating in the Mirage is not the greatest, at all and I live in Ontario and have driven a Mirage 5 years and going. I'm sure there are worse cars but it's not great especially when it's 0 F. or close to it outside

[Daox]

With my front grill blocks and warm air intake, as long as I'm not in stop and go traffic, I can blast the heat without cooling the engine. When I come to a stop, I can definitely see my coolant temperature start to drop.

[IwantaMirage]

Get a Yaris iA, none of those things you described in your opening post occur and I was averaging 49 mpg with the manual transmission driving conservatively in varied conditions.

[Mark]

Get a Yaris iA, none of those things you described in your opening post occur and I was averaging 49 mpg with the manual transmission driving conservatively in varied conditions.

If I could have bought a brand new Yaris iA for $9300 (10,173.53 out-the-door), I would have considered one. Not sure I could overlooked the ugly front end of one, however. The front reminds me of a whale shark. I'm not the only person that thinks that, however.

https://www.cars.com/articles/10-car...1420694210784/

I am glad you like your Yaris. They are nice cars. I don't see myself ever buying a sedan. Sounds like a hatchback is coming in 2020. 10 years from now when I am in the market for another small car, I may take a look at one.

I really like my Mirage. There isn't anything you could say to change that, unless Toyota starting selling the Yaris for under $10,000 brand new.

IwantaMirage - you may want to change your name to something else, or do you go by the same name on the Yaris forum, too? Just wondering?

[Eggman]

Get a Yaris iA, none of those things you described in your opening post occur and I was averaging 49 mpg with the manual transmission driving conservatively in varied conditions.

This claim is easier in a warmer environment than the original poster.

IwantaMirage - you may want to change your name to something else, or do you go by the same name on the Yaris forum, too? Just wondering?

It's been some time since we've seen IwantaMirage, and we've had the same discussions back then too.

[IwantaMirage]

This claim is easier in a warmer environment than the original poster.

It's been some time since we've seen IwantaMirage, and we've had the same discussions back then too.

Eggman, I remember you got triggered before when I would post pros of other small cars...sorry, not trying to upset your egg cart!...I have owned 3 Mitsubishis, have test driven the Mirage numerous times and listened to pros and cons on the web about the car..but I have found that the Yaris really has few flaws other than the often mentioned front end looks, which is very subjective. The quality of the Yaris is superb, the mpg are also top notch even in cold climates. I buy and sell 1-2 cars every couple years and I am actually looking at the 2019 Mirage LE...with the black wheels, red trimmed accents inside...that thing looks hot!

As for temperature/warmer climate...-3 degrees Pennsylvania..opening post mentioned -7 degrees. My Yaris still averaged 49mpg with the manual trans.

[IwantaMirage]

If I could have bought a brand new Yaris iA for $9300 (10,173.53 out-the-door), I would have considered one. Not sure I could overlooked the ugly front end of one, however. The front reminds me of a whale shark. I'm not the only person that thinks that, however.

https://www.cars.com/articles/10-car...1420694210784/

I am glad you like your Yaris. They are nice cars. I don't see myself ever buying a sedan. Sounds like a hatchback is coming in 2020. 10 years from now when I am in the market for another small car, I may take a look at one.

I really like my Mirage. There isn't anything you could say to change that, unless Toyota starting selling the Yaris for under $10,000 brand new.

IwantaMirage - you may want to change your name to something else, or do you go by the same name on the Yaris forum, too? Just wondering?

True your car is cheaper, but now you are having issues....I paid $14,004 for the Yaris....I also prefer hatchbacks and eagerly await the new Mazda based Yaris hatchback promised for 2020. No I will keep my name...I am still looking at the Mirage specifically a 2019 LE. But thanks for your input

[Mark]

True your car is cheaper, but now you are having issues....I paid $14,004 for the Yaris....I also prefer hatchbacks and eagerly await the new Mazda based Yaris hatchback promised for 2020. No I will keep my name...I am still looking at the Mirage specifically a 2019 LE. But thanks for your input

Clarification - I've never had any issues with my Mirage. For the price, it's a nice little car. It's been a wonderful little economy car. I did add a rear sway bar, & I like the outcome. Small investment on that. My Mirage turns over exceptional well in cold weather, & the manual transmission also shift easily in the cold. Light oil in both cases probably helps.

Personally, I like the Yaris hatchbacks. I've never owned one, but I surely considered them. Manual transmission is my first sort on cars, & I don't compromise on that. I strongly considered a used Yaris and Mazda 2 hatchback. I wanted manual transmission, 4-doors, hatchback, & good economy when I decided to buy a discounted 2017 Mirage ES (manual). I have zero regrets. If someone stole my Mirage today, I would buy another tomorrow.

I like the simplicity of the Mirage. Easy to work on. Does the job without being flashy or overdone. Reliability, affordable, and economical are important to me. It's not my only vehicle either. The Mirage can't do it all. During those times, I back my Subaru Forester out of the garage. I travel some nasty ridge roads in the winter, and haul stuff in my 4' x 8' trailer a lot.

I also have a daughter/son-in-law that live in Finland. When they visit the states, I have a small car that they can borrow. It works perfect for that. I didn't want to invest a lot of money into a car, because I don't consider it my primary vehicle. Having said that, I've put over 20,000 miles on my Mirage since the purchase new & about 3,000 miles on the Forester. The Mirage may not be my primary car, but I find myself driving it quite often.

The Yaris, Mazda 2, & Mirage are nice little economy cars. Arguing about them is a waste of time. I prefer the looks of the original Yaris, each update is less appealing to me. I would say that about other vehicles over the years, too!

We are headed for -35F tonight in SW Wisconsin. School has been cancelled 5 days in a row now. I've been in education 33 years, & I don't remember as stretch like this. Stay warm!

[Pryme]

Clarification - I've never had any issues with my Mirage. For the price, it's a nice little car. It's been a wonderful little economy car. I did add a rear sway bar, & I like the outcome. Small investment on that. My Mirage turns over exceptional well in cold weather, & the manual transmission also shift easily in the cold. Light oil in both cases probably helps.

Personally, I like the Yaris hatchbacks. I've never owned one, but I surely considered them. Manual transmission is my first sort on cars, & I don't compromise on that. I strongly considered a used Yaris and Mazda 2 hatchback. I wanted manual transmission, 4-doors, hatchback, & good economy when I decided to buy a discounted 2017 Mirage ES (manual). I have zero regrets. If someone stole my Mirage today, I would buy another tomorrow.

I like the simplicity of the Mirage. Easy to work on. Does the job without being flashy or overdone. Reliability, affordable, and economical are important to me. It's not my only vehicle either. The Mirage can't do it all. During those times, I back my Subaru Forester out of the garage. I travel some nasty ridge roads in the winter, and haul stuff in my 4' x 8' trailer a lot.

I also have a daughter/son-in-law that live in Finland. When they visit the states, I have a small car that they can borrow. It works perfect for that. I didn't want to invest a lot of money into a car, because I don't consider it my primary vehicle. Having said that, I've put over 20,000 miles on my Mirage since the purchase new & about 3,000 miles on the Forester. The Mirage may not be my primary car, but I find myself driving it quite often.

The Yaris, Mazda 2, & Mirage are nice little economy cars. Arguing about them is a waste of time. I prefer the looks of the original Yaris, each update is less appealing to me. I would say that about other vehicles over the years, too!

We are headed for -35F tonight in SW Wisconsin. School has been cancelled 5 days in a row now. I've been in education 33 years, & I don't remember as stretch like this. Stay warm!

5 days in a row? You can't count the weekend man lol.

3 days here in MN.