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Thread: Preemptive replacement engine transmission purchase

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    Member Avgjohndoe's Avatar
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    Preemptive replacement engine transmission purchase

    TL;DR
    I drive a lot and for a living. How would you plan for imminent Mirage failure.


    So I put a lot of miles on my car. I purchase at 60,000 miles, yeah I'm right about 7 months I put 20,000 miles on the car. At this rate I have right at 5 years to 250,000 miles.

    The method that I've used in the past is to buy a cheap ($500 - $1,000) POS and put the least amount of work into it as possible ( still was under the hood all the time ) and run it into the ground constantly on the hunt for the next car.

    What I'm considering is purchasing top-notch quality parts for replacements and upgrades as opposed to the bottom of the barrel RockAuto $2 tie rod ends for example.

    The issue I see is with the projected life engine and transmission I'm not sure that it is wise / cost-effective to invest good money in parts.

    I can invest the minimal into it limit along and run it into the ground.

    Assuming I take that route vehicle quickly deteriorates becomes less reliable and before too long I'll be on the hunt for another vehicle

    I can invest Quality Parts

    Taking this route eventually I run into major mechanical issues. At this point it becomes a question as to whether I replace the major mechanical with like new / equivalent or I replace the vehicle.

    Both of these options present their own difficulties.
    Within 500 miles, LKQ Pull-A-Part The Mirage is non-existent.
    In dealerships let go Craigslist offer up Facebook Marketplace and similar within 250 miles this is a rare vehicle at best.

    The future is always uncertain especially when attempting critical thinking with such distance in mind but I don't see the Mirage becoming a significantly more popular vehicle or becoming significantly more easily found.

    It seems to me, my most secure option would be to hunt down quality low mileage engine and transmission replacements.

    This raises the questions, how low of mileage is reasonably acceptable and how long such equipment literaly sitting around is viable. Subsequently the preceding logic seems to say the longer I wait the more rare the parts will become, therefore how long is waiting too long.


    I'm sort of looking for a peer review of my logic here. Does it make sense? Am I missing aspects? What are y'alls opinions on the subject?


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage 1.2 automatic: 36.7 mpg (US) ... 15.6 km/L ... 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Have you followed Fummins' posts about his fleet of Mirages?

    Drive nice, take care of it, and don't get hit or run over any critters.

    And don't worry, enjoy what you got while you got it. I think you'll have yours for a long time. You care enough about it.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


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    Senior Member precisionxt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Avgjohndoe View Post
    Within 500 miles, LKQ Pull-A-Part The Mirage is non-existent.
    In dealerships let go Craigslist offer up Facebook Marketplace and similar within 250 miles this is a rare vehicle at best.
    I would say that because the 6th Gen Mirage is so new, you aren't going to see many in the junkyards yet (even with the seemlingly low number being sold). You are bound to start seeing more of them at scrapyards within a few more years, not due to reliability issues, but mainly being totaled and not worth being repaired (from an insurance standpoint at least).

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 41.5 mpg (US) ... 17.7 km/L ... 5.7 L/100 km ... 49.9 mpg (Imp)


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    Member Avgjohndoe's Avatar
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    I haven't followed Fummins stuff. I'll make it a point to look through it.
    A little bit of lurking I've done suggest that there are few high mileage Mirage in the Forum.

    Just wanted to take a moment to say that I enjoy this Collective. Y'all tend to have already considered and reach some conclusion before I thought of the scenario.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage 1.2 automatic: 36.7 mpg (US) ... 15.6 km/L ... 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Avgjohndoe View Post
    TL;DR I drive a lot and for a living. How would you plan for imminent Mirage failure.
    I'm sort of looking for a peer review of my logic here. Does it make sense? Am I missing aspects? What are y'alls opinions on the subject?
    I wouldn't waste money on parts you may or may not need in the future. Outside of filters & such, I see no need for storing parts. Since the Mirage is still on the market, aftermarket parts may become more available and affordable as time goes on. The availability of used parts will also increase over time, because the basic powertrain of the Mirage hasn't really changed all that much. Even the upcoming new model appears to be the same powertrain.

    I don't know where your current status sits with your present Mirage? If it is not paid off in full, I would focus on that first. Once your current Mirage is paid off -

    Assuming the Mirage is your perfect car, I would keep my eye open for the next great deal on another one. Should your current Mirage have some undependable moments in its later life, you may have your replacement Mirage all ready to go. You could have an overlap of the two vehicles. When your original Mirage reaches the point of not being dependable or needing some expensive repair, I would just transfer to the newer one. We sort of live in a disposable world. Unless you can do most of the work yourself, a replacement car may be cheaper than buying engines and transmissions. If you are the guy who can do those things, that may justify keeping the car well past its prime.

    I wouldn't be in a hurry to do anything. Steve has over 285,000 miles on his Mirage, and he is just starting to see some issues that may go beyond replacing his A/C compressor. In his case, he drives a manual. A new clutch may be in his near future, & that's less of an issue than replacing a CVT.

    If my livelihood involved a used vehicle like the Mirage & I wanted that to continue, I would line up the next best deal I could find when that moment presents itself. When that moment should occur for you is really hard to predict? You mentioned 250,000 miles in 5-years. Owning a replacement vehicle by time wouldn't seem strange to me. Even if your first Mirage goes another 100,000 miles beyond, there's no harm having the next one ready to go. If you wait until your car dies & then you are in desperate need of one, your options at at that moment will dictate your next purchase.

    If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't worry about much until you reach 200,000+ miles. You may be caught having to replace your CVT (sorry Dirk) in the meantime, but that may happen with any car these days. Once you get past 200,000 miles, I would begin looking more seriously for a replacement. Who knows, you may like something else better by that time, too?

    We are not given crystal balls for life. I have no reason to believe your Mirage will fail you any time soon. If you are racking up mostly highway miles, your current Mirage may last much longer than expected. If you do end up with two Mirages, you could just carry liability on the old one. Not all, but many Mirage owners seem to own multiple vehicles and some of them have two or more Mirages. I can think of a number of active forum members who own more than one. We think of them as being very sane people & love them dearly!

    Advice from an old fart!

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    Member Avgjohndoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    Since the Mirage is still on the market, aftermarket parts may become more available and affordable as time goes on. The availability of used parts will also increase over time, because the basic powertrain of the Mirage hasn't really changed all that much. Even the upcoming new model appears to be the same powertrain.
    Makes sense.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    I don't know where your current status sits with your present Mirage? If it is not paid off in full, I would focus on that first. Once your current Mirage is paid off -
    I paid full in cash

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    Assuming the Mirage is your perfect car, I would keep my eye open for the next great deal on another one. Should your current Mirage have some undependable moments in its later life, you may have your replacement Mirage all ready to go. You could have an overlap of the two vehicles. When your original Mirage reaches the point of not being dependable or needing some expensive repair, I would just transfer to the newer one. We sort of live in a disposable world. Unless you can do most of the work yourself, a replacement car may be cheaper than buying engines and transmissions. If you are the guy who can do those things, that may justify keeping the car well past its prime.
    Dual wielding mirages is a considerable option. Definally comes with its own expense list too.
    Having intentionally kept in a POS I have taught myself how to fix most issues.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    I wouldn't be in a hurry to do anything. Steve has over 285,000 miles on his Mirage, and he is just starting to see some issues that may go beyond replacing his A/C compressor. In his case, he drives a manual. A new clutch may be in his near future, & that's less of an issue than replacing a CVT.
    That is reassuring.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    If my livelihood involved a used vehicle like the Mirage & I wanted that to continue, I would line up the next best deal I could find when that moment presents itself. When that moment should occur for you is really hard to predict? You mentioned 250,000 miles in 5-years. Owning a replacement vehicle by time wouldn't seem strange to me. Even if your first Mirage goes another 100,000 miles beyond, there's no harm having the next one ready to go. If you wait until your car dies & then you are in desperate need of one, your options at at that moment will dictate your next purchase.

    If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't worry about much until you reach 200,000+ miles. You may be caught having to replace your CVT (sorry Dirk) in the meantime, but that may happen with any car these days. Once you get past 200,000 miles, I would begin looking more seriously for a replacement. Who knows, you may like something else better by that time, too?
    Agreed

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    We are not given crystal balls for life. I have no reason to believe your Mirage will fail you any time soon. If you are racking up mostly highway miles, your current Mirage may last much longer than expected.
    I drive near exclusive City miles. Domino's Pizza delivery. Roughly 30 crank and shut off Cycles per shift 4 days a week, roughly 100 miles per day



    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    If you do end up with two Mirages, you could just carry liability on the old one. Not all, but many Mirage owners seem to own multiple vehicles and some of them have two or more Mirages. I can think of a number of active forum members who own more than one. We think of them as being very sane people & love them dearly!

    Advice from an old fart!
    Only carry liability on my daily driver. I'm used to keeping a couple of yard ornaments around and if something comes up getting out in the yard and slapping something together right quick and back on the road. This whole having a vehicle that's not some twenty years old and wrung out by the time I get it it's quite new to me.


    At work I'll fix quotes later

    Mod note: fixed quotes
    Last edited by Eggman; 02-17-2020 at 08:32 AM. Reason: Fixed BB code for quotes.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage 1.2 automatic: 36.7 mpg (US) ... 15.6 km/L ... 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    These are tinfoil cars with bulletproof drivetrains. I have put 140,000 delivery miles on my car, and it hasn't had a single problem. Like you, I thought about buying a spare engine and/or transmission just to have on hand when they fail. After putting so many trouble-free miles on this car, I don't see the need anymore.

    A minor collision will take one of these cars off the road much sooner than any mechanical failure. The upside to the bulletproof drivetrains and light bodies is that very low mileage engines and transmission are available relatively cheap since demand for them is so low.

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    Member Avgjohndoe's Avatar
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    Yesterday at the most mild Google search for an engine and transmission seems to show that for less than $1,000 I could get both with around 30 to 60 thousand miles on them.

    With as small as the engines are I couldn't imagine it being too significant in labor to pull and drop a new pair in, relatively speaking that is.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage 1.2 automatic: 36.7 mpg (US) ... 15.6 km/L ... 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Avgjohndoe View Post
    Yesterday at the most mild Google search for an engine and transmission seems to show that for less than $1,000 I could get both with around 30 to 60 thousand miles on them.

    With as small as the engines are I couldn't imagine it being too significant in labor to pull and drop a new pair in, relatively speaking that is.
    Not at all...especially if you were to replace the engine/trans as a unit. A couple people here have done it. All you really need are hand tools and maybe a hoist. Plus, the drivetrains are essentially interchangeable from '14-'20. Why replace the engine and trans in my '15 Mirage with an 80k unit from a 2015 Mirage when for a few dollars more I could replace it with a 6k unit out of a 2020?

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    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Avgjohndoe View Post
    I drive near exclusive City miles. Domino's Pizza delivery. Roughly 30 crank and shut off Cycles per shift 4 days a week, roughly 100 miles per day
    ...
    Only carry liability on my daily driver. I'm used to keeping a couple of yard ornaments around and if something comes up getting out in the yard and slapping something together right quick and back on the road. This whole having a vehicle that's not some twenty years old and wrung out by the time I get it it's quite new to me.
    I think you can get rid of all your other lawn ornaments. You're not the first to use a Mirage for delivery - I think it'll start paying you back for the investment.

    Here's some reading for you:
    stevedmc - Cheap Plastic Car :: 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage DE (Garage entry)
    Steve's from Baton Rouge and has gained a lot of interest here on the forum as the highest mileage Mirage we know, though I suspect his usage will be very different from yours (lots of highway vs. city.) Forum member Cobrajet (who has posted here in your thread) also puts lots of city miles on his.


    Fummins - Reasonably Priced Car :: 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage SE (Garage entry)

    Fummins maintains a fleet up in Canada and was so impressed he bought one for his personal use. What does that tell you?

    I really think that if you avoid the pitfalls of not maintaining a vehicle you'll be fine and it appears you have experience there. That and flooding (hope you're ok there.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Avgjohndoe View Post
    At work I'll fix quotes later
    Took care of that for you.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log 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)


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