Considering a Mitsu Mirage.

[RyanGreener]

That said, TRY the manual, even if you do lots of city driving. The Mirage has the lightest, easiest to use clutch I've ever driven. Not hard on the leg at all!

It makes the clutch in my 1.0L Metro feel like a truck's by comparison.

Maybe I'll get lucky and a manual one will show up closer to here. I don't really have spare time these days to make a 50+ mile drive to test drive a car.

[Dirk Diggler]

These cars suck. Don't buy a Mirage with a CVT unless you want it to suck really bad.

That being said, I am happy with my manual transmission Mirage. It ain't much, but at least I don't have to worry about premature CVT failure, and it is a touch faster because of the manual transmission.

Im calling Mitsubishi Corporate, let them know Ive potentially found their next spokesman.

[Dirk Diggler]

I have limited CVT experience, but on the Mirage test drive it felt weird, but its not like it was particularly challenging to drive. When I get tired of filling up the tC with oil I might make the switch

Everybody says it feels weird at first, myself included, but infinite gear ratios are awsome. Its like a video game, keeping your rpm @ 2000 for higher and higher speeds and seeing your mpg go up. The green eco light is rewarding, like Mario collecting coins.
I test drove the manual and it was fun, like a Japanese Kei car. I came close to getting one but had to consider my girl who wasnt willing to learn to drive one. My only gripe was I was more uncomfortable with the seat position and having to depress a clutch than no clutch at all, but thats just me. And I scvhitz about everything lol.

[Pryme]

We bought our cars 270mi away and only test drove a cvt locally to our home, they had zero manuals to test.

[Cobrajet]

The Mirage is as reliable as a stone axe with either transmission. There have been a smattering of CVT failures, and the clutch cables on the manual cars sometimes snap without warning. Both seem to be uncommon. You will have a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty anyway.

I like manuals. I trust manuals. And I didn't want to pay the $1,250 premium for the CVT when I bought my Mirage new in 2015. But they are plenty reliable. I know three guys who have CVT Mirages used for door-to-door delivery, and none has ever had any transmission problems.

Which transmission I'd recommend depends on how the car will be used. If it is going to be an in-town puddle-jumper, I'd go with the manual. If it is going to be used as a freeway commuter, I'd probably go with the CVT.

Drive both. See which one you prefer. Personally, I'd be all over a new $12k GT...even as a manual transmission worshiper.

[dspace9]

Maybe I'll get lucky and a manual one will show up closer to here. I don't really have spare time these days to make a 50+ mile drive to test drive a car.

Order a brand new Mirage from a new car Mitsubishi dealer somehow. It took 3.5 weeks for my Mirage to arrive, but then I got the colour and exact model I wanted.

[Dirk Diggler]

Order a brand new Mirage from a new car Mitsubishi dealer somehow. It took 3.5 weeks for my Mirage to arrive, but then I got the colour and exact model I wanted.

I still dont understand why they got rid of kiwi green, plasma purple, and never released canary yellow in the North American market. Cheap cars with loud colors is a grear way of saying you dont care what others think.

[RyanGreener]

Order a brand new Mirage from a new car Mitsubishi dealer somehow. It took 3.5 weeks for my Mirage to arrive, but then I got the colour and exact model I wanted.

I get that, but it seems like you can't really bargain your way through if you do that.

[Dirk Diggler]

I get that, but it seems like you can't really bargain your way through if you do that.

Says who? Dealerships trade cars like kids trade Pokemon cards. Let them know your a serious buyer and watch the sales guys bend over backwards to accommodate you. When I got my used 45k mile 2014 DE they had it listed for $6500 and out the door price of $7600. I said thats a bit steep but Id take it if they threw in a spare tire (which they originally had a tire repair kit in there), spare key fob (which they originally wanted $250), free oil changes for a year, full detailed wash engine bay included, and a full tank of gas. It took some bickering, they didnt want to do any of it, not even the car wash detail, said it was already cleaned, it wasnt. Lastly I asked for a free tranny flush, there they drew the line, so I let it go and drove off with a Mirage. You can ask for anything, a good salesman will make it work.

[Cobrajet]

I still dont understand why they got rid of kiwi green, plasma purple, and never released canary yellow in the North American market. Cheap cars with loud colors is a grear way of saying you dont care what others think.

There was a dealership near me that had THREE 2015 Plasma Purple manual transmission Mirage DEs on their lot...brand new...well into calendar year 2017. How many people do you think walked into a dealership and said, "Do you have any purple cars? Oh, and a manual transmission is a big plus."

Last time I looked at the prices on these three cars the dealership was looking to unload them at about $7,800 each! Being secure in my manhood, I almost bought one just to have a spare.

Why did Kiwi Green and Plasma Purple go away? They didn't sell. One thing I would love to see on the Mirage is a more sedate green. Like a jade or emerald green.