Eggman (07-05-2019)
I read your original post again, & it reminded me of why I sort of fancied the economy cars of the past.
My 1990 Ford Fesitva (paid $5,300 brand new with 14 miles on it) -
Didn't have a economy light to annoy me.
Heck, it didn't have a tachometer either.
No cruise.
No auto headlights.
No auto wipers. No intermittent wipers either (just two speeds).
No auto climate control. No A/C for that matter.
Mine was "Pop" yellow in color. My ray of sunshine!
Rear seat folded up much better, but it was 2-door hatch not a 4-door hatch.
No alloy wheels. Plain 12" steel wheels with no covers. The rust gave them a two-tone look, however.
Manual gearbox. Hadn't heard of the term "CVT" back then.
No red dash lights to hate! It did have a temperature gauge!
Appreciated the spare donut wheel.
No touch screen system to complain about, because it didn't come with a radio, speakers or antenna.
No clock.
No cup holders. Had an ash tray that I pulled out and used the space as cupholder.
No annoying seat height adjustments knob to deal with.
It didn't have much flimsy interior trim either. Instead it was just yellow metal (same color as the outside of the car).
Steering was great! Car was designed by Mazda, built by KIA. No power steering - felt very connected to the road.
Let see what have I forgotten. Oh yes -
No remote/power locks.
No push button start.
No power windows.
No ABS.
No traction control.
No stability control.
No air bags.
No passenger side mirror.
No rear window wiper.
No rear window defrost.
No rear window wash.
No heated seats.
No mirrors on either visor.
No center armrest.
Most annoying feature - seat belts that attacked you when you started the car. If you weren't quick, it would have taken out the ice cream cone you were holding @ DQ!
I'll skip the auto stop/start, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, auto braking features, & other features our Mirage still doesn't have now.
Now I understand why i sort of adored that car. It had absolutely nothing to hate or dislike!
It was great car! Never burned a drop of oil. Don't remember it ever having to go back to a Ford dealership for service. No recalls! Used it as a daily driver, and it helped me get two different master degrees over those summers. I drove it from 1990 to 2004, & it's the only car I regretted selling afterwards. It's also the only vehicle that I ever owned that former students from that time period still bring up. I still run into former students who will ask me if I still drive that little yellow car? Then again, I had them push it around the school parking lot for a speed & acceleration lab. in those days We had a lot fun with that car. It hauled several dead deer out of the woods, and hauled one across Wisconsin. That one sort of caved in the roof. It just popped back up when I pushed up on it later. It never got stuck in snow. It would climb hill roads that other FWD vehicle couldn't. I literally stopped a few times, & helped damsels in distress a few times. I would turn their mini vans & other vehicles around for them, because their vehicle spun out and couldn't climb the hill. They would go back down hill, & I would then continue home going up. I was their knight in shiny armor that drove a cheap Ford Festiva!
I've lived with a void in my life for quite some time. Thankfully, I have my beloved Mirage now! As far as standard features goes, I find very little to complain about. I remember the days when cars had NONE!
Last edited by Mark; 07-06-2019 at 06:33 AM.
itschad (07-06-2019)
Christ, I like that..........You've just described Fred Flintstone's car. That was exactly what my first two cars were like. a 1972 Austin 1300 4 door. The only extra on that was folding seats and a horizontal speedometer, not round, it also had front quarter lights but it came with a heater and heated rear screen. Mine was a special called the Austin 1300 Sprinzel that I purchased in 1976, I can even remember the number plate LYN 473K.
The car shown in the video is similar to what I had except mine was manual,4 door and in Old English White and with a 1300 cc engine.
https://youtu.be/VrZM8MIQsVU
It does make a guy wonder - why not walk or run to work instead? See Fred's car below (only 30 seconds) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEHl-o-2Dss
I drove a used 1980 Ford Fiesta in yellow for a couple of years. THAT is the car I put big fat tires on and drove hard & fast. In the end, as much fun as it was, it was unreliable and certainly crude by today's standards. Those were fun days.
But now I'm enjoying the features and comforts of today's cars, and I'm sure glad these technological advancements are available in cheap economy cars like the Mirage. We've come a long way, and I'm not sure I want to go back to those unsafe cars just to save a buck. Besides, I have one that suits that purpose and then some.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
itschad (07-06-2019)
A 1980 Ford Fiesta was a totally different car. A Fiesta was a Ford project made in Europe. Ford was given permission to use the name, because Oldsmobile had used that name in the 1950's. I don't remember those being great cars, but I also never owned one.
The 1988-93 Ford Festiva was a Japanese designed Mazda, made in Seoul, Korea by KIA. The Festiva had it's own small cult following, even though forums didn't really exist back then. At this point, I would have to say it's the 2nd most reliable vehicle that I have ever owned, and it is also the vehicle that I owned the longest period of time. I would say it was the best "bang for buck" vehicle that I had ever bought. 200,000-300,000 miles on those vehicles were not unheard of in the least. It surely puts my more modern Subaru Forester with it's high tech 0W-20 synthetic oil to shame (in the oil consumption department).
If I were driving the Festiva today (compared to my Mirage), I would miss having 4-doors (even though I've only had a passenger in the back of my Mirage once), A/C on a few days, & that is about it! 12" tires are even harder to find these days, but most converted those cars to a more common 13" tire anyways.
I didn't find the Festiva to be crude car at all. It handled the road better than a Mirage in my opinion, & it was super reliable. I would credit Mazda for its handling. I don't remember my Festiva ever having a recall. My Mirage had its first recalled before my 1st year of ownership was over, and it was for something you wouldn't have found on Festiva.
The Mirage has a zillion more features than a Festiva, but the Festiva felt more solid to me on the road. I don't feel like I am driving an indestructible little car when I am in my Mirage, but it surely has more creature comforts.
I am not here to bash the Mirage. It's great little economy car. If I needed a small car replacement, I would buy another tomorrow. I just roll my eyes when some go on & on about it not having this or that. I bought a Mirage, because it is a cheap, reliable, small economy car. If I valued other car traits more, I may have bought something else. When it comes to being affordable, reliable, and economical, a highly discounted Mirage is a tough package to beat!
inuvik (07-06-2019)
Long live the Mirage! I'm glad I got my 2015 ES loaded with luxuries.
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)
itschad (07-06-2019)