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Thread: (Future) Mirage Owner - Looking for tips on buying used

  1. #11
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lalo64 View Post
    - CVT. Partially because it gets better mileage and because manual Mirage are rare here in CA.
    The CVT Mirage is rated for slightly better fuel economy than a 5-speed. In reality, it's the other way around. Check out the Fuel Economy Log for some real-world examples of the mileage people are getting with different transmissions. Both transmissions get solid fuel economy...so don't make the choice based on MPG alone.

    Manual transmission Mirages are fairly rare everywhere. I'm not sure what the breakdown is, but at this point I would guess that at least 80% of Mirages have CVTs.


    ..."Powertrain warranty only applies to the original owner." I would like some clarification on this.
    Just remember this when looking at a used Mirage... If it's more than 5 years old (since the date it was sold) or it has more than 60,000 miles, it's no longer covered by any factory warranty (powertrain or bumper-to-bumper).

    The good news is that very few Mirage owners have needed to take advantage of the powertrain or bumper-to-bumper warranty.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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  3. #12
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    Oh...got it. Thanks. I got kind of confused there. I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    These cars are extremely reliable and have very few problems. But there are a few things to look out for:

    Other than these few relatively minor issues, these cars are BULLETPROOF. We really should get together on making a "Used Mirage Buyer's Guide" that can be stickied here since the Mirage is now seven model years old.
    Cobrajet - Wasn't it you that stated that you may consider a new Mirage if they ever drop under $10,000? I think that deal may exist.

    $10,000 White Bear's price (65.5% of window sticker = $15,265)
    - $500 Loyalty rebate - all Mirage owners would qualify for that one!
    - $500 Military rebate - past or presently serving
    - $500 VIP rebate

    Some may be able to buy a brand new 2020 Mirage for $8,500 (55.7% window sticker). That has to make some rethink buying a used one!

    Unless things have changed, White Bear is not including the loyalty, military, or VIP rebates in their stated price. Financing of some sort may be included, but you can refinance a car with your local credit a few months later.

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  6. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Lalo64 View Post
    Hello everyone. My name is Lalo and I am a future Mirage owner.

    Currently, I have a 2009 Mazda 3, but I am hoping to get rid of it soon. It is at 190,000 and I bought it off a guy who refused to maintain it for over 4 years so it's had a lot of problems. Between replacing the transmission, poor gas mileage (15-18 MPG on a good day), and just overall uncomfortable, I am done with it.

    So now begins the search for a new car. Inevitably, I stumbled upon the Mitsubishi Mirage. Initially I was put off by some of the negative reviews and I thought it was something to avoid. But then I began reading more into it and seeing all the happy owners rave about the car that I decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did because I test drove one at a dealership and I could not be happier. It feels like a normal car. Yes it's simple, it's not the fastest, and it's not the most popular. But it does what I want perfectly: surprisingly comfortable, cheap to own, maintain, and insure, small, reliable, and fuel efficient. That's all I wanted in a car and that's what I found.

    Unfortunately, a new Mirage is out of my price range here in California. Even at $12k offer I got, the total was going to be $13.5K. I could finance, but frankly I don't want to have another car payment. I'm trying to save for the down payment of a home in a few years, so I'm trying to avoid having to spend much on a car. That being said, I am more than happy to shop for a used car. And a Mirage used runs between $4K-$7K which is much more in line with my budget.

    However, this is going to be the 2nd used car I buy so now I am being more cautious rather than jumping on the first one I see. So that being said, are there any tips for someone shopping for a used Mirage? Besides the general inspection of any car, are there certain things I should check to make sure that I am getting a good Mirage? What is a good mileage for a used one? And does it matter what model year I buy? I am looking towards buying one by July, so any help would be really appreciated.

    Thank you for your time and have a great day.
    I work on these things everyday along with some other makes/models of all sizes. The Mirage is by far the easiest to maintain and usually have the least problems. Less things to go wrong as well. The cvt's overall are relatively reliable, if looking for a used one check the dipstick. If it's black like diesel engine oil walk away and find a better one. From new the fluid is kinda clear/brown ish blue green. Really hard to tell. If it's really dark though run... Fast.

    Ideally if you're looking for the most reliable then get a 5 speed. But if you can't drive one I guess that rules that out. The cvt's in these seem to be more reliable than the same transmission in the Nissan's, likely due to the Mirage having less power, weight and programming.

    Other than the odd wiring quirk I see, mainly due to drivers being lazy and not caring, and inadequate floor mats being installed, these are reliable and I don't see problems like I do with other cars. No timing belt to break, I have never seen a stretched timing chain or engine failure of any kind on these things. There are a few noisy ones but they'll run for a long time still.

    I've been able to get the dash economy readout to show up to 51mpg on trips (from start to finish, not resetting at highway speed). And last tank was 44.4mpg hand calculated. I don't try hard and am still running slightly taller winter tires for some reason....

    If you can, avoid the 2014's. There were some that had problems with the starter grinding the teeth off the flywheel. That was fixed for the 2015 and newer models. 2017's had slightly "better" suspension and larger brakes front and back. And standard led tail lights.

    Often the rad supports/bottom of the front bumper get pushed back by hitting parking curbs. This will make a bend near the top rear edge of the bumper where it meets the fender and headlight. If it's bent there the rad support is bent back. Really easy fix but this could give you some help negotiating the price down. Sometimes when they're pushed back far on the passenger side it makes it hard to reach the oil filter and sometimes the rubber ac line will hit the bottom of the ac compressor pulley causing a leak, requiring a new line. I've had that happen 2-3 times now last year.

    These things have 10 year 100,000mile warranty but I believe that becomes significantly shorter for the second owner in the US? Something else to consider when buying used and seller doesn't realize that.
    Mirage videos:

        __________________________________________

        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)


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  8. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    These things have 10 year 100,000mile warranty but I believe that becomes significantly shorter for the second owner in the US? Something else to consider when buying used and seller doesn't realize that.
    A used Mirage in the States would have a 5-year/60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper factory warranty & nothing else.



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