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?