Originally Posted by
Mark
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!