Upgrade 2015 Mirage or trade for 2011 Golf TDI

[Cobrajet]

well third party parts are fun, picking up my friends is too. I'm not trying to be rude you are all right and i sold my soul for this cursed car.

You are selling your soul again with a diesel Golf. I guess I just find it strange that you are trading in a very reliable Japanese economy car with a warranty for a much less reliable German economy car without one. Gonna be hard picking up your friends on the bus!

Peer pressure is a terrible thing. If you absolutely can't stand the Mirage anymore, buy a Corolla or something.

[klroger]

well third party parts are fun, picking up my friends is too. I'm not trying to be rude you are all right and i sold my soul for this cursed car.

If you'r trying to impress your friends, you'll soon be upside down in equity. You'll have a 5000.00 car with a loan of 15,000.00 on it.By the time you have 1/2 of it paid for, you need another car. I've been in the auto world a long time & I can see where you are headed & it's not a nice place to be, owing money on a car that has no value, or owing on a car you can't even drive anymore...

[Scratchpaddy]

It sucks to be stuck with a car you don't like, but sounds like you're about to get screwed over all over again by the dealers and the banks. Their job is to keep you on the debt treadmill. Obviously you don't like the Mirage, but wouldn't it be nice to not have a car payment, sooner rather than later?

[shadowtuy]

There has to be SOMETHING I can do to make the car less disappointing.

[Scratchpaddy]

There has to be SOMETHING I can do to make the car less disappointing.

Yes! That's the right question.

A/C has been mentioned. The automatic climate control keeps the compressor running all the time, which puts a drag on the engine. There's a way to disable it until you actually need it. I believe it's done by holding down the A/C button for several seconds. There's a post about it somewhere, but I can't find it right now.

Putting a little more air in your tires might firm things up a bit, as Cobrajet mentioned.

Clean it up. A dirty, cheap car is a sad thing. A clean car, no matter how cheap, is at least respectable.

Member Daox sells sway bars that bolt to your rear axle and improve cornering performance. Lots of people here rave about the improvement it makes.

There's lots more you can do. It won't turn the Mirage into the car of your dreams, but you can at least make it livable.

[shadowtuy]

Ya Syracuse's salt and gloom make this car look horrible. Ill have to just invest in this car more.

[Top_Fuel]

Isn't there a way to get moderately better acceleration in a CVT? Doesn't that transmission have a couple of different ranges or something that are controlled through the shifter?

[Mark]

There has to be SOMETHING I can do to make the car less disappointing.

We all have regrets in life. If anyone says otherwise, they are not being truthful. I wouldn't rule out some other possibilities, & you haven't shared all the details of your situation either. These are a couple things that I would suggest from what you have shared. These are only suggestions and nothing more.

I would drive (learn to drive) a manual before buying one. Find a friend or relative that has one. Rather than make a plunge into another unknown, find out if this is something you really want to do first.

If getting a manual vehicle trips your trigger, you could try selling your Mirage on Craigslist or simply post a "for sale" sign on the thing. If dealers are asking $8500-9000 for a car like yours, you shouldn't feel bad about asking $7500 for it. You may not get that from someone, but it doesn't hurt to try. The problem with people wanting to buy a cheap car is that they may not have the money to buy one. Thus, they are stuck getting financing on their own. People who have money or can get financing easily may want something nicer. Thus, a used Mirage is a bit of a hard sell. You may, however, find a parent who wants an affordable, reliable car for their son or daughter. Someone like that may really appreciate a car like yours. Selling your car while some of the 5-year/60,000 mile warranty is left may help in this case, too.

Let's say someone offers you $7000-7500 for your car, you would have to come up with difference in what you owe. The new owner will want a clear title. Thus, you would need to be able to do that. That's better than giving away your car for $4500 to a dealer, however. If you really want a different car, I would pay off the one you have asap. Meanwhile, you are driving a car under warranty & few worries.

I wouldn't get stuck on any one car to replace the one you already have either. It doesn't sound like you have even driven a manual let alone test driven different cars with manual transmissions. I wouldn't get impatient & put the "cart before the horse" on all this.

I would increase your tire pressure to 40-42 psi. I don't think that is going to eliminate your concern at all, but it is a good suggestion. If you aren't really happy with the car, I would pay it off asap. Throwing more money into it, may just make you more unhappy. I do, however, like the addition of a rear sway bar. In all honesty, I thought it made my car handle more like a Golf that I once owned years ago. The rear sway may help, but it may not overly "wow" you like me.

I have never driven a Mirage CVT, & I don't have any suggestions there. I am more than twice your age (owned numerous vehicles), & they have all been manuals. I would suggest you learn to drive a manual & go from there first. If you decide a manual is the way to go, you are better equip to test drive one.

You are not the first person to buy something & later find out you don't like it. You just joined a club that we have all been in before, too!

[shadowtuy]

There is a B mode that locks the revs higher but i'm not sure what its use case would be?

[Top_Fuel]

There is a B mode that locks the revs higher but i'm not sure what its use case would be?

I don't know either. Hopefully CVT owners can chime in with some driving tips.