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Thread: Looking hard at a new 2018 ES. Questions inside.(UPDATE: bought one!)

  1. #21
    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mrfixit View Post
    They also have the same color car in SE package with all the upgrades for 14K out the door, but that felt really high.
    Personally, I'd go with the SE. My car is 'the fancy one', and I don't regret splurging that tiny bit extra since I knew I was going to drive it for a long time. If you are only going to do a new car once, do it right!



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    Senior Member Alex1a1f's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    Personally, I'd go with the SE. My car is 'the fancy one', and I don't regret splurging that tiny bit extra since I knew I was going to drive it for a long time. If you are only going to do a new car once, do it right!
    I agree. I looked at the ES and decided on the SE and never looked back.
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  5. #23
    Senior Member Dodge Aries K's Avatar
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    If you're getting an automatic I would also go for the SE model. The extra $1500 gets you a fancier radio, fog lights, armrest (I think?), Alloy wheels, the smart key which I really like, nicer trim, electronic climate control, and since you're buying a 2018 you also get a seat height adjustment and cruise control the 2018 ES doesn't have. Worth it, in my opinion.
    -Karl B. No Mirages currently...

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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    I always hear people who talk about their car years or months after buying it say things like, "I love my car, but I wish I had spent the extra $____ and gotten the one that had ________."

    I honestly rarely hear them say, "I love my car, but I wish I had saved the $____ and gotten the cheap one."

    Do what is right for you, but since you are buying a long-term new car just remember it's not only about what you need now, but what you might need in the future.

  7. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Mrfixit View Post
    Why does the CVT get so much hate? I test drove a new one and one with 40K on it here in the mountains and found it to have pleanty of power. The stick I test drove had a very very light clutch pedal. It was quite unlike any other manual I had ever driven and was a bit of a turn off.
    I wouldn't avoid the cvt like the plague but like many cvts or automatics they just aren't as reliable and cheap to maintain as a 5speed. If you keep the fluid and filters changed regularly it might last longer than anyone here.

    I think the longest lasting so far has been 300k kms/186k miles. 2 out of three failures I saw had a thrust washer fail on the input shaft contaminating the rest of the cvt, it might have been repairable but it'd be cheaper to just replace it with a used one.
    The third problem I saw was a car with about 80k kms making noise, the dealer replaced it after demanding all the service records for the car. Took a few weeks for them to even decide whether they were going to honor their warranty. That is a bit of a turn off for me for the company altogether.

    Other than the cvt problems I haven't seen any real problems with these things. No real common problems that most people who take care of their stuff should run into. Crash parts are expensive, but don't crash and you'll be fine.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    I wouldn't avoid the cvt like the plague but like many cvts or automatics they just aren't as reliable and cheap to maintain as a 5speed. If you keep the fluid and filters changed regularly it might last longer than anyone here.

    I think the longest lasting so far has been 300k kms/186k miles. 2 out of three failures I saw had a thrust washer fail on the input shaft contaminating the rest of the cvt, it might have been repairable but it'd be cheaper to just replace it with a used one.
    The third problem I saw was a car with about 80k kms making noise, the dealer replaced it after demanding all the service records for the car. Took a few weeks for them to even decide whether they were going to honor their warranty. That is a bit of a turn off for me for the company altogether.

    Other than the cvt problems I haven't seen any real problems with these things. No real common problems that most people who take care of their stuff should run into. Crash parts are expensive, but don't crash and you'll be fine.
    Also 186k is not bad considering Fummis' cars are all delivery vehicles, so the drivers obviously dont care about those cars like they would their own. So you may get 200k+ on your cvt.

  9. #27
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    I wouldn't avoid the cvt like the plague but like many cvts or automatics they just aren't as reliable...
    Maybe the Mirage CVT has an easier life being in a 2000 pound car?

    In other vehicles, I think I would avoid a CVT like the plague. I know 2 different people with Jatco CVTs (both well under 100k miles) that are starting to have early signs of problems. One is in a Subaru and the other a Nissan. Both are still under warranty...but if they weren't these are both $5K repairs waiting to happen.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


  10. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Top_Fuel View Post
    Maybe the Mirage CVT has an easier life being in a 2000 pound car?

    In other vehicles, I think I would avoid a CVT like the plague. I know 2 different people with Jatco CVTs (both well under 100k miles) that are starting to have early signs of problems. One is in a Subaru and the other a Nissan. Both are still under warranty...but if they weren't these are both $5K repairs waiting to happen.
    Yeah low weight and low power=low stress on parts. I mentioned before we had a 14' spark here, it went through 2-3 cvt's all under warranty. The dealer did a horrible job putting it together to make matters worse, we sold the car before warranty ran up and replaced it with a mirage.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


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  12. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mrfixit View Post
    Hello everyone! I've been thinking about buying my first and likely last new car ever. At 45 years old and having spent all of those years driving cars that cost around 2000 dollars used, I felt like maybe it was time to get a real ride. The Mirage is about the only car new that interests me as I love max fuel mileage and compact size cars.

    I have read about new mirages going for 9000, but around here there was no such animal to be found. I did finally find a decent dealer a few hours away that has a good pile of 18's still in stock. The one I like is a Infra red 18 ES with the CVT.

    They have been made a decent offer of $12501 out the door with tax tag and title. But I still feel like that's a bit high. I was hoping for 11500, but it seems like it's not going to happen.

    Is this a decent deal? They also have the same color car in SE package with all the upgrades for 14K out the door, but that felt really high.

    Opinions on the price and the car in general are welcome!
    $9000 Mirages in the past were most likely the ES manuals, not CVT. Just comparing MSRP of the 2018 Mirage ES models shows a CVT adds $1200 to the price of the car ($13,395 vs. $14,595).

    The biggest jump in price is not a going up a trim level. The biggest jump in price is adding a CVT to the ES trim level, & that carries over to everything else. I wouldn't overlook that I guess.

    The Mirage with a manual transmission seems to be bullet proof, & I think the manual is a hoot to drive. I am about 10 years older than you, & I drive a 2017 ES (manual). During the summer months, I average about 47 mpg/tank (45-50 range). During the winter months (Wisconsin), I would say it drops to an average of about 42 mpg/tank (40-45 range). Cold weather & driving through snow makes all cars drop in mpg.

    All manual transmissions have a different feel to them. Now that I am use to my Mirage as my daily driver, my Subaru manual seems a little awkward at first when I use it. I don't think you test drive a Mirage & go "WOW" this is an awesome little car. Instead you own/drive the Mirage for a bit, and then it hits you! This is an awesome little car for the money.

    Adding a lot of stuff to a cheap economy car is more of a turn off for me, but I may not be the norm on this. I don’t mind steel wheels. I could care less about push button start, fog lights, heated seats, & automatic climate control. I actually prefer the simple manual climate controls.

    My last true economy car before my Mirage DID NOT have - A/C, power windows, power locks, remote key entry, 4-doors (only had 2 side doors), 14” tires (only had 12” tires), passenger side mirror, air bags (had horrible automatic seat belts), traction/stability control, ABS brakes, rear window defroster, rear window wiper, split folding rear seats, hubcaps, etc…. & it was only 63 horsepower. My 2017 Mirage ES (manual) has all those items & then some.

    You couldn't add anything to a Mirage that would make me give up the manual transmission. As far as I am concerned, the manual transmission trumps EVERYTHING else offered on a Mirage. Thus, you wouldn't find me paying $1000-1200 extra for a CVT.

    Window sticker for my 2017 Mirage ES (manual) was $14,220. Purchase price was $9299 ($10,153.73 OTD). Wisconsin buyer purchasing a Mirage from a Minnesota dealership.
    Last edited by Mark; 02-20-2019 at 05:10 AM.

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  14. #30
    Senior Member timw4mail's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dodge Aries K View Post
    If you're getting an automatic I would also go for the SE model. The extra $1500 gets you a fancier radio, fog lights, armrest (I think?), Alloy wheels, the smart key which I really like, nicer trim, electronic climate control, and since you're buying a 2018 you also get a seat height adjustment and cruise control the 2018 ES doesn't have. Worth it, in my opinion.
    The armrest is dumb, it is attached to the seat, there is no documented way to remove it, and it gets in the way of putting in a center console.

    That said, the rest of the upgrades made the SE worth it for me.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage SE 1.2 automatic: 33.6 mpg (US) ... 14.3 km/L ... 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.4 mpg (Imp)


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