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Thread: Here's everything that was/is wrong with my $2600 Mirage

  1. #1

    Here's everything that was/is wrong with my $2600 Mirage



    For those who may not know, my Mirage is an "as-is special" that I picked up for $2600 (plus tax) from a Toronto area Toyota dealership back in November. That dealership didn't put any money into it and just wanted to offload it ASAP.

    The car was (still is) far from perfect. You could even make a good argument that the price paid was actually fairly reasonable, despite being low as far as used Mirages go.

    Here's the complete laundry list of everything that was/is wrong with it:

    1) High km/miles for the year.

    While not actually a "problem" with the car itself, it did have 145k km / 90k miles on the clock when I picked it up. An average car the same age would have had around 110k km / 68k mi on it. I'm sure this contributed in part to the Toyota dealer's decision to dump the car.

    What's funny is: I drive a lot less than average, so in about 2 years this Mirage will have less than average kilometers for its age!


    2) Minor collision damage



    That's what the car looked like when I got it. A relatively minor impact cracked & scuffed the bumper cover and busted all the mounting tabs on the plastic headlight housing. Minor, but potentially costly: a repair using new parts would have been around $2k-4k. (This is probably the biggest reason the Toyota dealer dumped the car.)

    I've since repaired the headlight housing and tried my hand at paintless dent repair on the quarter panel, which turned out reasonably well. The bumper cover still needs work.


    3) Miscellaneous cosmetic paint damage

    I'd say the car's paint condition is "fair" from a dealership's point of view. The front end shows lots of chips and sandblasting, and there are miscellaneous scrapes, scratches & scars all around - 3 out of 4 corners!


    4) Worn out brakes



    It needed pads all around. I'm pretty sure the rear shoes (above) had never been changed, but it was on its 2nd set of fronts, according to the service history. It probably could have used new rotors & drums too (corrosion), but I attacked them with a wire wheel on the angle grinder and cleaned 'em up.


    5) Busted radio antenna



    Since repaired by yours truly, it also contributed to paint damage on the roof (scuff marks from whipping from side to side).


    6) Scored windshield


    This one may count as nit-picking, but it looks like the previous owner didn't change a wiper blade when she should have, or some grit was trapped and she didn't notice. Either way, there's an arc scored into the glass - fortunately on the passenger side.

    The rear wiper blade was also completely shot, so there's a bit of scoring on the back glass as well.


    7) No spare key

    I contacted the previous owner by e-mail and snail mail to see if she still has the second key, but she never replied.


    8) Front washer nozzle plugged up

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    Did you know that each of the Mirage's four (2 per side) windshield washer streams can be independently aimed?? And that there's an anti-drainback check valve in them? I didn't know any of these things until I removed one nozzle assembly to clear the blockage.


    9) Body rust

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    If you live outside of the rust belt, count yourself lucky! This probably won't be a problem for you, but this 6 year-old car is already needing minor rust repair. Stone chips above the windshield (pic above) that were left bare are the most obvious spots, but I also noticed the seam sealer/caulking on the bottom-inside of the driver's door is starting to peel off because of rust bubbling beneath it.

    Mirage owners of the north: rust-proof your cars! Krown treatment or equivalent.

    Related thread: This is where your Mirage is going to rust out. (Body/chassis corrosion)


    10) So, so dirty

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    The inside of the car was absolutely filthy... still is filthy. I vacuumed up the worst of the loose crap, but I'm going to remove & shampoo the seats and carpet in the spring.

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    The wheels are badly stained by brake dust. I cleaned the dust off, but the finish was yellowed underneath. Another project for spring time. I think I've used oven cleaner on rims this bad before.


    11) Winter tires only

    Given the current season, it's nice that the car came with chunky winter tires installed. But just like the spare key, the summer tires are AWOL. Or they were worn out and were thrown out at the autumn changover. Either way, rats.


    12) Clutch out of adjustment



    The engagement point was too high, for my liking -- probably hadn't been adjusted since the car was new. Fortunately, we have instructions here for DIY adjustment.

    The clutch itself is still healthy -- I think most of the km on the car were highway, based on the stone chips/sandblasting of the front end.


    13) Expensive to insure

    Holy crap! For 3rd party liability insurance alone, it's about 40% more expensive than my 2000 Metro, and almost twice as much as my 30 year old Miata! Stop crashing your Mirages, people, or I won't be able to afford your exclusive little club!


    14) It's a FSP

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    Compared to the car it replaced, it's a Fuel Sucking Pig! It's heavy, draggy, and it has a huge, thirsty engine. The cruise control is nice, though, and I'm enjoying the squishy soft suspension much more than I thought I would. I must be getting old.

    Honestly, I'm having lots of fun with it. I'm looking forward to the return of mild weather to see what kind of MPG it's capable of.

    Lastly: it's been a while since I had a car I could just hop in and hit the road without wondering what's going to break next, and should I bring my tools with me? That's very, very nice.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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  3. #2
    Senior Member MacClyver's Avatar
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    I'd happily take your scored windshield over one cracked clear across at eye level(miserable when the sun finds the wrong angle). Mine is said to have cracked while driving inexplicably. Is defective glass a thing? I'd hate to pay a bunch to replace it and have the replacement fail for no reason too.

    That roof rust is concerning, my 97 has one single rust spot on the roof and its survived 23 winters and 454k km, thin paint or what?

    Expensive insurance, that's surprising. For me with Geico having my policy on my mirage was a good 10% less than my 3 cyl 97 metro hatch, and the sedan quotes higher still, which is surprising since the sedans were supposed to be stronger and safer. Alot probably varies by region.


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  5. #3
    You should have taken it to the car wizard and gotten a quote to fix everything, then see how much money you're saving fixing it yourself

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)


  6. #4
    ... and then posted a YouTube video about my adventure that gets enough hits to pay for the car outright!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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  8. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by MacClyver View Post
    I'd happily take your scored windshield over one cracked clear across at eye level(miserable when the sun finds the wrong angle).
    Consider yourself lucky! I would have had to replace that glass to get the car plated in Ontario -- mandatory safety inspection. Can't have any chips or cracks within the sweep of the driver's side wiper.

    Mine is said to have cracked while driving inexplicably.
    I can't see that happening unless it was defective or improperly installed. On the other hand, I knew a guy who used a mid-90's Honda Accord with a hitch to move an 8000 lb sailboat on a trailer in a storage yard... the windshield cracked during the procedure!

    Expensive insurance, that's surprising.
    Maybe not surprising:
    Thread: Mirage beats Corvette! (As the car with the highest U.S. fatality rate)

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Defective glass is measure in our industry along the lines of 1 in 25,000 or so.
    Defective installs rate much higher at perhaps 1 in 1000.

    Realistically, the windshield took a microscopic chip that made no noise right along the outside edge, where pressure and tension is the highest. Then, after a few heating and cooling cycles, it finally split into a crack. I would alsmost gaurantee that if you traced the crack with a sharpened pencil, you would find a small divot where the lead catches. That's the origin of your crack.

    For rust repair, I don't subscriebe fully to soaking everything in oil, however I do paint all perforations every spring and every fall, and use a bit of fluid film in the tricky areas (fender lips, etc).

    Properly restoring/painting rusted spots will always be far more beneficial than oil coating it, as you not only remove the rust, but provide a new, hard enamel coating to protect from the next few rock chips. The only areas I treat are those inaccessible, inside frame rails, behind awkward lips, etc.

    The embarrassing thing is I have a rock chip on my drivers A pillar, have had for 2 years, and I COMPLETELY KEEP FORGETTING TO FIX IT. Every season I repaint/recoat... but for some reason, this I keep missing...

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 43.5 mpg (US) ... 18.5 km/L ... 5.4 L/100 km ... 52.2 mpg (Imp)


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  12. #7
    Senior Member MacClyver's Avatar
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    Thanks for the info nickels! My mind went the "front pillar welded wrong" route. You don't even mention that a possibility, so I think I'll look into replacing it once I drive it again.

    I'll try the pencil trick next time I'm up north.


  13. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by nickels View Post
    I don't subscriebe fully to soaking everything in oil, however I do paint all perforations every spring and every fall, and use a bit of fluid film in the tricky areas (fender lips, etc).
    Gotta get oil inside the cavities that are getting wet though. The Mirage's doors are going to be rusting from the inside out. Also, Wally's got rust in his rear dog leg -- I think we've gotta get oil/film in there and inside the rockers as well. Touching up exterior paint when the rust is coming through from inside will be a losing battle. I bet the lower seams of the hood & hatchback will be problematic with these cars too.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 63.2 mpg (US) ... 26.9 km/L ... 3.7 L/100 km ... 75.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
    Gotta get oil inside the cavities that are getting wet though. The Mirage's doors are going to be rusting from the inside out. Also, Wally's got rust in his rear dog leg -- I think we've gotta get oil/film in there and inside the rockers as well. Touching up exterior paint when the rust is coming through from inside will be a losing battle. I bet the lower seams of the hood & hatchback will be problematic with these cars too.
    oh, it's all been drilled, filmed, and plugged, no worries there.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2018 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 43.5 mpg (US) ... 18.5 km/L ... 5.4 L/100 km ... 52.2 mpg (Imp)


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    Insurance Premiums for a Mirage

    So we both live in Canada in the province of Ontario. I have a multi car discount and winter tire discount combined with a perfect driving record. My 2014 Mirages use to cost about $110 a month each. Since buying my 2017 it’s now $160 by itself I could not believe it. Part of the appeal of a Mirage was cheap insurance but looks like those days are through.


    Last edited by Nerdling; 02-20-2020 at 10:19 AM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES Plus 1.2 automatic: 40.7 mpg (US) ... 17.3 km/L ... 5.8 L/100 km ... 48.8 mpg (Imp)


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