Quote Originally Posted by DonkeyPal View Post
I suppose a person could raise the front to drain the oil, and then lower the car to level again before removing and replacing the filter, if that prevented some of the filter removal oil spillage. It's good to know there is that little tray below the filter.
You could surely do that, but I don't believe it is necessary. There is no way anyone is going to remove an oil filter off a Mirage without some oil seeping out of the filter. Doesn't matter if you are professional mechanic or a novice. It doesn't matter whether the car is flat or not. If you are removing the filter from the top, you may not even need to lift the car at all. A couple inches helps me slide underneath better to drain the oil, but I could stand to lose a few pounds. I am only under the car the 30 seconds. Position the oil tray, pull the lever clip, flip the lever over. While the car is draining I remove the filter. I use cheap kitty litter trays. I use a second one while I am removing the filter. I just do that to save time.

I wouldn't overthink or worry about this. The Mirage is very simple to work on. In that respect, it is well-designed. The little tray under the oil filter is just one little example of this. Most of my other vehicles in the past were way more messy than the Mirage when pulling an oil filter off.