Hello Everyone! Considering buying a Mirage

[festiboi]

Hey everyone!
I just stumbled upon this forum by accident and am thrilled that I'm not the only one excited about the Mirage! As a car enthusiast, none of my friends quite get why I am so interested in such a tiny, basic little car. Glad to know that there many others out there.

I'm considering in the next year replacing my 2005 Ford Focus hatchback. It's been a fantastic car; bright yellow (which I love!), roomy, comfy, reliable (from a Focus!!), and drives so nicely with great handling and good power. It's just getting to the age that a few things are wearing (mainly power equipment) and it could very well be a slippery slope to endless repairs. I feel, having it for five years, that I've gotten good use out of it

Since I live in LA and only drive about 5k miles a year (work is in walking distance), am just looking for a basic car that is quirky, has a manual, comfy for my 6'4 frame, affordable, reliable, and am excited to own my first new car!!!

I'm considering also the Chevy Sonic and Hyundai Accent- the Sonic feels very much like my Focus in performance and is made in America- big bonus points. But having owned an unreliable Aveo in the past and dealing with Chevy's terrible customer service at the time is a major turn-off. Plus the warranty is much shorter than the other two cars. I like the Accent's style and simplicity, and space, and prior experiences with Hyundai in the past have been very good having many family members owning them with no trouble. But no spare tire is unacceptable and the rear visibility is shocking.

I test drove a few Mirages, but the dealer wouldn't let me take them out where it's most important; the highway! (due to some silly excuse that the DMV doesn't allow test drives on the higway- I wasn't really wanting to argue). I got it to 55mpg on surface streets and it felt balanced and got up to speed with minimal drama (with a manual of course!!!), and the amount of space inside is impressive. I even like the styling that many hate; it's simple and clean, and has some really cool color choices (love the kiwi green or the aqua blue). I did feel some of the vague steering, but it wasn't terrible.

I have owned a fair share of small cars in the past; (a 3-cylinder) Geo Metro in high school, Ford Aspire in college, a 1987 Subaru Justy afterwards, and currently have a 1988 Daihatsu Charade as a secondary car as a keeper (with only 52k miles), so I have a thing for weird little cars and am used to three-cylinders. On a recent trip to Japan, I was able to rent several kei cars and loved them! When I saw the Mirage introduced at the NY Auto Show, I was very excited and have been looking forward to it coming on the market. It's very reminiscent of those older cars I loved!

My main concerns are the three-cylinder performance on the highway. The Charade is terribly slow and takes forever on the highway, but it only has 52hp vs the Mirage's 74. So I'm not sure if it'll be better, but hope so. I don't speed at all, but we do have some steeper hills around the city. The Justy was actually quite peppy when I had it, so I hope it's more like that car. And Mitsubishi's future is a major concern. The 10yr/100k mile warranty is nice, but who knows if they'll be around in that time. Lastly, even though I live in crowded West LA, the next Mitsu dealer is 20 miles away; a hassle if there's ever a repair.

The Mirage seems like a perfect fit, but I just want to see what your thoughts are of them on freeways, and if you guys have any concerns over Mitsu's future in the US. And did any of you cross shop the other cars that I was considering and what won you over with the Mirage?

[Canoehead]

Welcome!

I have not done the cross shopping you speak of, but also drive a Ford Focus (2003) and am considering the Mirage. It certainly is less powerful, and I too did not get on the highway in my test drive. I have heard it will top 100mph, though, and there are some videos on line of folks in far away lands going PDQ. My Scangauge tells me that the Focus is only using about 27Horsepower to hold 65mph, if that means anything. Put another way - I don't think top speed will be an issue, but acceleration from say 70mph-85mph will likely be rather slow.

As for the "made in America" part, I am glad that Ford did not have its hand out for government money as the other US manufacturers did. As far as I am concerned though - if any company wants my business they should build and back the best product they can. I like my Focus, and Ford may have turned a corner, but Ford has sold my family too many lemons for it to be a first choice. As a Canadian, I am perhaps also somewhat less loyal (though we still call the big 3 "domestics" in Canada), but I also consider all car companies to be international entities now. My Ford was made in Mexico, while my Dad's Honda was made in Canada - both out of parts from who-knows-where. I eat local and shop local as much as I can, but for a car I want one that is reliable and inexpensive first.

[socal6g]

they wouldnt let you go on the frwy? thats bs. go to south coast mitsubishi at costa mesa. Ask for sam smash and he will say other wise. Let him know the guy from glendale that got the white mirage mentioned him. He test drove with me and pushed that lil sucker to its limit.

[Alpha_One]

My main concerns are the three-cylinder performance on the highway. The Charade is terribly slow and takes forever on the highway, but it only has 52hp vs the Mirage's 74. So I'm not sure if it'll be better, but hope so. I don't speed at all, but we do have some steeper hills around the city. The Justy was actually quite peppy when I had it, so I hope it's more like that car. And Mitsubishi's future is a major concern. The 10yr/100k mile warranty is nice, but who knows if they'll be around in that time. Lastly, even though I live in crowded West LA, the next Mitsu dealer is 20 miles away; a hassle if there's ever a repair.

The Mirage seems like a perfect fit, but I just want to see what your thoughts are of them on freeways, and if you guys have any concerns over Mitsu's future in the US. And did any of you cross shop the other cars that I was considering and what won you over with the Mirage?

Funny, I also have a Daihatsu Charade! It's a 1992 model, G100 body. Probably the same as yours.

The Mirage is around 20% heavier than the Charade, but 40% more powerful. Hills are no sweat, and I managed to get it as fast as 145kph (90MPH) on the highway. I'm more of an economy minded person though, so I usually cruise at 80 kph.

Personally, I think the Charade is much more fun to drive; it feels like a go-kart when you throw it around corners, while the Mirage has lots of body roll thanks to its insanely soft springs. But when it comes to power, the Mirage won't be a problem at all.

[festiboi]

Thanks for the welcome Canoehead!
Ironic that you and I have almost essentially the same car. I've always liked the more aggressive and edgier look of your '03 Focus over the '05, but my particular '05 turned out to be a great deal that I couldn't refuse [cue in the "Godfather" music]. I was initially looking for one like yours, but these things happen. The first generation Focus was a vehicle that did everything well and really was revolutionary in small car design. Agreed with you that the Mirage will no doubt be a downgrade when it comes to engine performance and handling. But using your example, how many of us plan on going over 100mph in either a Focus or Mirage (unless we're lucky enough to be living near an Autobahn). It's the initial acceleration with merging, and mainly hill climbing (stuck going 45mph tops on a hilly grade in an automatic Aspire still haunt me!)

As far as the source of origin; I used to always feel that way that a manufacturer who builds a good quality car and can stand by it deserves my business, regardless of where they are from. I never was a die-hard "Buy American" only type of person (in fact, I used to think they were fools). But after traveling to Japan and Korea, and seeing how the majority (basically about 99% of cars in Japan) of cars are from local manufacturers and not American, it was an eye-opener to how much we don't support our own local economy. Especially in import-crazy California where it seems like every second car is a Camry/Corolla/Prius/Accord. You're correct in that it's a global market, and our Focus' (Focii?) were built in Mexico and there's Buicks built in Korea. I guess it might just make me feel a little better knowing the Sonic is built in Michigan and gave someone locally a job, as opposed to someone in Thailand or Korea. That's the darn conscience speaking! Lol

[festiboi]

they wouldnt let you go on the frwy? thats bs. go to south coast mitsubishi at costa mesa. Ask for sam smash and he will say other wise. Let him know the guy from glendale that got the white mirage mentioned him. He test drove with me and pushed that lil sucker to its limit.

Thanks SoCal- it was at Huntington Beach Mitsubishi that I went to. I also went to Glendale Mitsubishi and they were very nice, but there were no freeways nearby. It was just a boring drive around the Americana. I'll look for Sam next time I'm in the OC

[socal6g]

Thanks SoCal- it was at Huntington Beach Mitsubishi that I went to. I also went to Glendale Mitsubishi and they were very nice, but there were no freeways nearby. It was just a boring drive around the Americana. I'll look for Sam next time I'm in the OC

There is a reason sam is one of the top salesman in the u.s for mitsu, he sells evos like there is no tomm. I think hes the only reason mitsu hasnt gone away from the u.s lol. But yeah hes your guy. if you got a fb this is usually his page https://www.facebook.com/sc.mitsubishi?fref=ts

[festiboi]

Funny, I also have a Daihatsu Charade! It's a 1992 model, G100 body. Probably the same as yours.

The Mirage is around 20% heavier than the Charade, but 40% more powerful. Hills are no sweat, and I managed to get it as fast as 145kph (90MPH) on the highway. I'm more of an economy minded person though, so I usually cruise at 80 kph.

Personally, I think the Charade is much more fun to drive; it feels like a go-kart when you throw it around corners, while the Mirage has lots of body roll thanks to its insanely soft springs. But when it comes to power, the Mirage won't be a problem at all.

How funny! Yours Charade is exactly the same color as mine, and your Mirage is the color I want!!! You're living the dream, lol. Great photos

Thanks for the input; especially as you know the driving feel of both cars. That's reassuring about the increase in power vs. weight in the Mirage. Too bad about the handling, as we some amazing mountain roads that are fun on a weekend. Maybe, if I owned a Mirage, that softly sprung suspension can be tightened up to make it the perfect city car.

[Alpha_One]

Does your mom drives around in a blue Honda Fit? Now that would be uncanny.

The Mirage has a 4.6m turning radius, which is quite handy for the very narrow u-turn lanes we've got around here. Useful for parking into tight spaces, too.

Some folks here have already done suspension work on their Mirage. Check out the suspension forum to see what's been done so far. I don't really want to change to stiffer springs, but I'll get a rear anti-roll bar when some extra money comes in.

[Mikhail]

Hi festiboi,
I'm glad that you are considering in buying a Mirage. I as a member of this Mirage forum, of course, would recommend you to stick with Mirage. And also as a Mitsubishi fan I would be happy that you will become as part of Mitsubishi family.

I have a Mitsubishi Lancer since July of 2010. My mileage is already over 55K miles (about 65% city driving) and no issues. I've traveled to many different states and my Lancer have seen many different types of roads (including very hard off roads, such as Death Valley and Shaffer Trail in Moab, Utah). These off roads were so bad that I can hardly believe that my sports sedan passed through without breaking down.

Many people are not considering Mitsubishi because they all think that Mitsubishi have problems and if they will stop buying them, then they obviously going to pull out from US market. The only thing that we can do to save Mitsubishi in US is to hope, believe, and buy Mitsubishi cars.