Hello! New Mirage Owner

[RhodySpaceStar]

Hi everyone,
First let me start out by saying that this forum and the informative and insightful posts from Mirage owners who enjoy owning their cars ultimately tipped my decision in favor of buying a new Mirage. I've been looking at small cars in general for about 6 months now, with the idea of eventually replacing my last vehicle, a 2010 Ford Focus. I've been seriously into all things cars since I learned to drive on my father’s ’86 VW Jetta 5 speed. I read automotive news daily, subscribe to multiple magazines and even spent some time working in the auto industry for a large used car superstore. I’ve owned or driven most makes of vehicles, and surprisingly have only owned one new vehicle in my lifetime, that is until I drove off the lot yesterday with my brand new 2019 Mirage.
Up until a year or so ago I figured I’d only ever own Fords (both my wife and I had one) but then in their infinite wisdom, Ford decided to discontinue selling cars. Yes they will continue selling the Mustang, but my one car garage is currently occupied by my 1995 Miata, so a Mustang was out of the question (I also needed something with 4 doors so it was easier to transport my family around). I’ve been looking at various used cars, with a preference towards a hatchback considering my only other new car (2001 Golf TDI-ultimately a lemon) was one and it offered immense flexibility when transporting items. My other requirement was that I find something with a manual transmission. After over 15 years of driving automatics, I was feeling disconnected with the driving experience and could only satisfy my need to work through the gears when taking my Miata out on a nice weekend day (winters in New England limit the time I can get the Miata on the road). Having identified my two primary requirements, I narrowed my search to a handful of vehicles, the Mirage included. I did a ton of research, reading as many posts on this forum as I could, and watching every video I could find (even the ones in a different language!). I quickly dismissed the negative reviews as I realized these tend to be from individuals that don’t seem to care about paying a ridiculous sum for a vehicle, feel the need to have something that goes from 0-60 in under 4 seconds because they’ll need it for when then join NASCAR, or mind taking out a second mortgage to pay for their fuel costs (we have a friend who I estimated has spent over $30k on gas alone for her Expedition). My idea of transportation has to be something that is fun to drive, reliable and economical, and gets me from point A to point B in relative comfort. After looking at all my options (and even test driving a used 2019 Mirage that was stickered for the same price as my new one), I ultimately purchased my car. I took the extra-long way home from the dealer, turning my 30 minutes into almost 90 where I easily averaged 40+ MPG, far better than the 25 in my old Focus. I like everything about the car, and expect to get at least 8-10 good solid years out of it. Needless to say it is going to pay for itself in fuel savings and smiles alone! I’m excited to be a part of the forum and to connect with fellow owners. Thanks to everyone here who through their posts and insight helped me decide to get my new Mirage.
-RhodySpaceStar