Does anyone wish they had bought Chevy Spark instead?

[Dirk Diggler]

I agree with Dirk. In some areas, Mitsubishi dealerships are lacking or not very good. I am not aware of a really good Mitsubishi dealership in Wisconsin. I used a Wisconsin dealership to test drive a Mirage, but I felt that I needed to purchase my Mirage out of state to get a good deal.

If I was someone who likes to use dealerships for service, I would have never considered the Mirage. For those people, the Spark may have a greater appeal. I know of a number of Chevy dealerships that I would trust, but I am not a big fan of GM products. I own a Mirage, but it came from a dealership that is a 4 hour drive from my home.

Outside of warranty/recall work, my Mirage will never see a dealership for service.

Dirk - Apparently the newly attached "ball & chain" doesn't keep you from the forum!

Never, she knows the value of this forum lol.

[Fummins]

I don't like my

[Mark]

The dealer network is 100% why we got my mother-in-law into a Spark and not a Mirage. She lives in small-town central Wisconsin. Her tiny town has a Chevy dealer. The nearest Mitsubishi dealer is 81 miles away and my mother-in-law was 80 when she got the car. She doesn't drive very much.

Had there been a Mitsubishi dealer in town, we would've steered her that way.

I live in SW rural Wisconsin near Richland Center (population of approximately 5,000). According to Chevy's websites, 25 Chevy dealerships are within 60 miles of RC. RC's largest dealership is the Chevy/Buick dealership. We also have a Ford/Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership.

If I do a Mitsubishi dealership search, one dealership is within that distance. Even that isn't truthful. The Mitsubishi website claims I have a dealership within 47 miles. If I compare that dealership to Google maps, it is over 66 miles. Google maps is way more accurate. On top of that, the nearest Mitsubishi dealership is the worst one (of any brand) I have ever visited in my lifetime. Even the Wisconsin DOT had them shut down (several weeks) for some illegal practices this past spring. Luckily for them, it was at the start of all the pandemic concerns. Despite all this, I do notice a few (not many) Mitsubishi vehicles (couple Outlander Sports, Mirages, & one Eclipse Cross) in town.

[MetroMPG]

Didn't want to start an entirely new thread for this, but I found this factoid about the model split that GM is advising dealers to order to be interesting:

GM Recommends Dealers Focus On Chevy Spark LS

- Specifically, the recommendation was for dealers to order 60 percent of their Chevy Spark inventory in the (base) LS trim level with no options.

- The remaining 40 percent should be in the higher LT trim level.

- Of the LT cars, 20 percent (or eight percent of the total) are to be of the Special Edition, which was introduced in 2020.

- Curiously, there currently appears to be no focus on ordering the Spark Activ trim.

[...]

The focus on the LS model suggests that price is a major consideration for shoppers, which would make sense given that Spark is the most affordable of all the GM models sold in the U.S. and Canada. The base LS with five-speed manual transmission, priced to start at $14,595 including $995 destination charge, is the lowest priced car currently on sale in the U.S. The cheapest version of the Mitsubishi Mirage is $695 more expensive at $15,290, including destination.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2021/04...k-ls-in-april/

I also read that GM is planning the next gen Spark for 2023 and it'll probably come with a 3-banger.

[Top_Fuel]

The focus on the LS model suggests that price is a major consideration for shoppers...

Umm...let me help the author with that. Price is probably the primary consideration.

The base LS with five-speed manual transmission, priced to start at $14,595 including $995 destination charge, is the lowest priced car currently on sale in the U.S.

Attention Mitsubishi Marketing Department: Are you guys reading this?

I think Mitsubishi is working on the next Mirage special edition: The Mirage Kryptonite. They could have called it Carbonite but nobody would buy that.

[Dirk Diggler]

Didn't want to start an entirely new thread for this, but I found this factoid about the model split that GM is advising dealers to order to be interesting:



https://gmauthority.com/blog/2021/04...k-ls-in-april/

I also read that GM is planning the next gen Spark for 2023 and it'll probably come with a 3-banger.

Well it already has the JATCO CVT7 in it like the Mirage, wouldn't it be funny if it got the 3A92 engine as well? Are Chevy dealers desperate like Mitsubishi is? Meaning are they pushing rebates, discounts, and incentives like Mitsu is? From the prices I've seen around here, not really. I feel like the Mirage is better built car but the majority of consumers have no idea about this. They just read what Consumer Reports and JD Power says about the Mirage and right it off instantly.

[PityOnU]

I swear, the Spark LT is the only "punishment box" left on the market. You take a look at that base model and you can tell they did everything in their power to make it constantly remind the owner they're a cheap *******. Borderline insulting.

Between it and the Mirage, there's no contest. At least in my eyes. Others are free to have their own opinions!

[Mirageman38]

Mirage has 1 more passenger, better MPG, almost 2X trunk space, like double the warranty. The only thing is the engine in the spark is better HP but probably not reliability, and the tires are much bigger but these are also why it has worse MPG, plus the larger dealer network (probably not frugal to be relying on the dealers). When you compare real prices like White Bear Mitsubishi™ I think Mirage is also cheaper on average never mind the MPG money savings. I bet Mitsubishi just doesn't want to be known as the cheapest car lol.

[MetroMPG]

I'd say about half the auto journos out there already think the Mirage is the cheapest car in the US market based on how often I see that comment.

[Mark]

. I also read that GM is planning the next gen Spark for 2023 and it'll probably come with a 3-banger.

Would that be a naturally aspirated 3-cylinder engine or a 3-cylinder turbo engine? I suspect turbo. I don't see Chevy lowering the 98 horsepower of the Spark.

The Chevy Spark is destined to be the small car king of North America! The small car competition from Ford, Honda, Toyota, & others is gone! The Spark doesn't even have to compete against the Sonic any more.