My used Mirage review after 6 months and 4700 km / 2900 miles

[MetroMPG]

My 2014 Mirage went to its new home yesterday. It performed admirably as my winter beater for the last 6 months.

I made a few bucks on the sale: I got it for a decent price "as-is" back in November, did a few mechanical repairs, some minor bodywork, and it tidied up quite nicely.

Random thoughts after 6 months of ownership:

- WORST car ever! Dangerously underpowered, terrible handling, low-rent plasticky interior, 1990's styling. Haha, just kidding!

- Status! This was the newest car I've ever owned, and arguably the nicest (in terms of amenities). Ironic, given its winter beater role.

- Reliability: Even at 149k kms / 93k miles, zero problems. I appreciated being able to jump in and head out on a trip without wondering in the back of my mind what breakdown I should be prepared for. (My other cars are between 20 and 30 years old.)

- Build: it was surprisingly solid-feeling and rattle-free. Reminded me of a Toyota Echo I once owned, which was notable for its quality feel among the many subcompacts I've owned.

- Rust: that said, this car is very prone to rust. Probably more so than any car I've owned. Non-desert-dwelling people, get your Mirages rust-proofed!

- Suspension: I surprised myself by coming to appreciate the hilarious 1970's Cadillac-soft suspension. I thought I've always preferred a firm riding, tight-handling car. Must be getting old! I'm not even sure I'd add a rear stabilizer bar.

- Steering: I remember the steering being much more "sticky" on-center in the various 2014 Mirages that I drove when new. (That was a fairly common complaint in reviews of the car.) This one was fine. I wonder if the intervening 145,000 km of driving loosened it up?

- The trip computer / MID user interface is idiotic. There has to be some technical limitation to explain why it's as bad as it is. EG. the "hidden" fuel economy "B" gauge, and the inability to switch between units without resetting one of the MPG gauges.

- Transmission: The 1st to 2nd gear shift was slightly problematic ("chunky/notchy") when the gearbox was cold and the ambient temp was below about 5C / 41F. The notchiness would go away after driving a couple of km, but it really needs different gear oil.

- Comfort (subjective): I mostly used the car on the highway, and it needs an arm rest solution on BOTH sides. The height of the door arm rest was useless for me.

- Comfort (subjective): the 6-way adjustable seat had just enough thigh support, but I would have preferred more. I 100% get why some people complain - justifiably - about the comfort of the 4-way seat. The headrest angle is also a bit bizarre - I flipped mine around backwards.

- Fuel economy was as great as I expected, even though I joked about the giant 1.2L engine being a fuel-sucking pig compared to my Metro/Firefly. (I'm looking forward to doing even more mods to the next one.)

- My only regret is that I didn't get a chance to see its warm weather MPG performance with all the mods in place. In summer conditions, I'm pretty confident it'd be good for 70+ MPG (3.4 L/100 km) round trips in my typical usage.

- Features: The only "top trim" option I'll miss if/when I get a base model is cruise control. Fortunately, we can add cruise ourselves. I can do without air, power windows/locks, remote etc.

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To sum up, I will definitely be getting another Mirage.

(If I had lots of money, I would even consider buying a new one! )

The fact is, I never cancelled my Kijiji e-mail alerts. Even while I owned this one, I've been watching for the next opportunity. Another good one will come up again. Hopefully before next winter.

UPDATE: I found my next Mirage!