Mirage Hatch or Mirage G4?

[Mark]

Wow, that's in nice shape. I had a 1990 just like that one. Not nearly as nice being an old forestry quad. Was missing the plastic cover for the kick start. I recovered the seat and painted the racks, brought it on a few trips for others to use then sold it for $500 more than I paid.

I've been using a 1985 Honda Fourtrax 250 2WD for snow plowing for the past 17 years. So a 1996 300 4WD is an upgrade for me. I've been sort of watching for an older machine that didn't look to beat up. The Fourtrax 300 were made for 12 years (1988-2000). Thus, many are still around. I sort of like the smaller machines, because they are easier to maneuver around buildings. 1st gear in these machines can push a lot of snow. They are not fast, but super dependable. My trails are are really rough. Speed is not important to me. I take care of 105 acres of trails (72 acres mine & 33 acres of my neighbor). I cut firewood, avid deer hunter, etc.... I will get a lot of use out of this machine. I haven't decided to part with my old one yet, either.

The original owner of my new machine was an older lady that kept it at her cabin in northern Wisconsin. The guy I bought it from had a cabin next her. He was around when she bought it new. According to him, she used it for trail riding. Then people starting using golf carts, & it didn't get used much. He bought it from her kids when she passed away. He's a crop farmer in southern Wisconsin, & he decided he rather have a UTV to go from farm to farm. Thus, he never used it. I tend to believe him, because it was never registered by him & it is in good shape. He had recovered the seat & replaced the tires, however. Battery was dead, but these machines are easy to kick start. I replaced the battery & replaced all the fluids (engine oil, transfer case, & front/rear differentials) last week. I had a Warn winch added this week. I bought Koplin High Rise push tubes that will accept my old Cycle Country snow blade, & a mount made specifically for this machine. Koplin bought out Cycle Country. Thus, they have some items that will work with older stuff made by Cycle Country. I put everything together yesterday, & it went well. Removing the plow involves pulling two pins and unhooking the winch hook. I am really going to like the High Rise tubes. Once the tubes hit the bottom of the machine, the front part of them pivot the blade up even higher. I can lift the blade quite high. That will help pushing snow piles back, loading on a trailer, etc... I snow plowed all the way to a deer stand in December years ago & helped someone shoot a nice buck the next day during a holiday hunt from that spot. This plow will do something like that easier!

I used a manual lift for my previous set up, but I may sell that set up to a friend who has an older 1986 Honda Fourtrax 250 like my 1985 Honda. I had two Honda 250s at one time, but I sold him the one he has when I bought my Mule in 2006.

Using an ATV snow plow is perfect for where I live. My property is pretty rugged (gullies, ridges, springs, & small streams. I will appreciate having the added 4WD of this machine on my trails. New Honda ATVs are $5,000-9,000 these days. This machine is just a fraction of that, & it will serve me well. My 1985 Honda is 35 years old. In the 18 years that I have owned it, I've had to rebuild the starter. Even then, I kick started it for a year or two before I got that done. That's pretty much it besides oil changes, spark plugs, & new batteries.

I apologize being off topic on this thread, but we tend to do that at times here!

[Mark]

Mark - Lots of good info there. While I probably agree with most or all of it, I have reasons for not following good advice.

The Camry - My parents bought that car when I was working at Toyota Technical Center. They owned it for probably 12 years. Then I bought it from them for cheap when they were going to dump it. My dad is afraid of any car with 100,000+ miles. As if it could explode at any second. I bought it in ~2015 with about 140k miles. I didn't like it. I thought it was ugly, plain, and underpowered. I drove it for a while before my oldest son began using it. I fell in love with it. It remains kind of ugly, the interior is plain, but I love the simple layout. I had to fix a couple things. But after I did, it is such a cream puff. It is SO NOT underpowered with the 2.4L I4. I was wrong. It is used as a "trainer" for my sons so they can learn how to flow with traffic. It is like a big golf cart. So easy to drive. It NEVER has a problem now, and everything works. If a son doesn't destroy it, they qualify for an upgrade (hence the G35 for my older son). My middle son uses it daily now ... he wants a G35 as an upgrade as well. My youngest son will use it next (assuming it doesn't get trashed). I love that car and will never tow with it. I'm not big on towing with automatics, at least those automatics not equipped for towing. They burn themselves up, so this is not a car I would to with.

The Matrix - It is kind of a turd. We had a 2004 Corolla LE with a 5 speed prior. I loved that car too. It was my daily for a long time. Bought it from Toyota when I was at TTC. The wife was using it in the end, with nearly 300k miles and it worked great. She pulled out in front of oncoming traffic and got it T-Boned. Neither left side doors would open any longer. I had to tape seal the left doors and windows, and climb over (not easy for Shrek) to drive it. It still drove fine and A/C worked great. I sold it shortly after for like $900, crashed and all. My wife's coworker was selling the Matrix at that time, and we got it CHEAP for $4,000. Had it a year this October. Had only 78k miles. It has had more problems than I expected. Drives turdy with the auto trans. Due to their failures, I've replaced the starter, alternator, spark plugs (because one fouled and it was misfiring), and the VSV. Spark plugs are of course easy, but it shouldn't have had that problem. The VSV would cause the car not to start after fueling. Had to search the forums quite a bit to identify the issue. But it was an inexpensive fix after that. The wife is driving it, and I refuse to buy her a nice car because she treats her vehicles like a mobile trash can. I think you're right, the Matrix might out tow the Mirage. But if / when I get a Mirage, it will be a manual (and MINE). And, if one is proficient with a manual, it is much more robust especially towing, than an automatic. The Matrix might burn it's transmission up towing. It's the wife's turd anyway.

That is an EXCELLENT ATV / tool for snow plowing. Heck, it's good for more than just plowing snow. I hope you enjoy it long term. When the apocalypse hits and people turn into zombies, I have a feeling an ATV will be a very handy vehicle.

Sort of surprised about all the issues with the Matrix (Corolla hatchback basically) you have had. I know several people who own the Pontiac Vibe clone. They have been driving them for years.

Trailers are handy. My dad & brother have full size Chevy/GMC pickup trucks, but they still own/share 3 different size trailers (plus another boat & trailer). They are 4-hours away. Thus, I have my own. I use my 4'x8' all the time. Yesterday was picking up my ATV. Tomorrow I am moving 10'x6' dog kennel panels for a friend. If they buy a roll of vinyl flooring, I am moving that for them, too. A few days ago, I hauled 6 loads of leaves to another spot (used my Kawasaki Mule to tug it around the house). If I cross paths with a nice buck, I may be making a trip to the meat locker one of these days. I had 6 bucks near me the other day. They were sparring and making a speculate of themselves. Meanwhile the boy I would have been interested in was 150 yards away (posing in front of one of my trail cameras). I didn't know that until I pulled the SD card the following day.

Years ago, I would haul deer to the meat locker in my old 1990 Ford Festiva (2 door hatchback). Once I hauled a small buck across Wisconsin on top of the car. I was coming back from my parent's place. Caved the roof partly in on the way home. I just shoved the roof back up when I got home. Trailers are nice to have!

[7milesout]

No problems with taking the thread off course. I have no issue with it. Sometimes threads steer into very interesting subjects.

I used to sort of grumble under my breath about pickup trucks pulling utility trailers. Until I put that crusty top on my bed. One day at my house (and it's just a neighborhood plot about a half acre, but full of trees), I had to haul 5 loads of limbs to the recycle center (just recycles yard waste, they mulch it up and then you can get it for free). It took 5 loads with that top on and I was stuffing the limbs up to the roof and jamming it full. I said, that's it, I'm getting a utility trailer. I could put that 5 loads and probably more on the utility trailer. I've done it. I've stacked it as high as my truck. You can stack it as high as one's straps will reach. Strap it down and haul to the recycle center. Super handy.

But still, if one has a pickup truck, with no bed cover, it still irks me to see them haul a motorcycle on a utility trailer. it's as if their bed doesn't exist. I like to see the bed of a pickup being used. The ole crusty pappy cap on mine is a horrible pile of crap, however, it is EXCELLENT for BMX duty. Everything is dry. And I can stop in a restaurant in shadier hoods now and not have to worry nearly as much about his BMX bike and my tools being ran off with.

[Mark]

No problems with taking the thread off course. I have no issue with it. Sometimes threads steer into very interesting subjects.

I used to sort of grumble under my breath about pickup trucks pulling utility trailers. Until I put that crusty top on my bed. One day at my house (and it's just a neighborhood plot about a half acre, but full of trees), I had to haul 5 loads of limbs to the recycle center (just recycles yard waste, they mulch it up and then you can get it for free). It took 5 loads with that top on and I was stuffing the limbs up to the roof and jamming it full. I said, that's it, I'm getting a utility trailer. I could put that 5 loads and probably more on the utility trailer. I've done it. I've stacked it as high as my truck. You can stack it as high as one's straps will reach. Strap it down and haul to the recycle center. Super handy.

But still, if one has a pickup truck, with no bed cover, it still irks me to see them haul a motorcycle on a utility trailer. it's as if their bed doesn't exist. I like to see the bed of a pickup being used. The ole crusty pappy cap on mine is a horrible pile of crap, however, it is EXCELLENT for BMX duty. Everything is dry. And I can stop in a restaurant in shadier hoods now and not have to worry nearly as much about his BMX bike and my tools being ran off with.

I sort of catch myself doing something similar to that. Whenever I see a nice SUV & they don't have a hitch, I catch myself thinking - "why would you drive around in SUV if you don't need it to tow something or go somewhere special off road"?

I have the same feeling about pickup trucks that look spotless all time. I grew up using pickup trucks to haul corn or hay silage from a silo we rented on a neighbor's farm (done daily). Used it to throw small square bales in the pasture bunks twice a day for our milk cows and heifers. We took a full load of cob corn & oats to the feed mill once a week and returned with several 100 pounds burlap bags of feed. We had 1.5" side board on the box year round, because the loads were that big. Those trucks pulled chopper boxes & wagon racks off the fields & down the road. Our trucks worked hard! They were 3/4 ton trucks with overload springs added. RWD with standard cabs. No 4WD or extended cabs. Nothing fancy! I remember adding a FM converter from Kmart to the AM radio in the truck, & I thought that was cool. Every Friday afternoon was truck cleaning day. I didn't want my girlfriend being turned off off the by the smell of silage, manure, & whatever during the weekend.

That's probably why I don't own a truck. I don't want to work that hard any more!

[Fummins]

I beat my trucks like rented mules. I've owned 3 dodges and a ford that all cummins'.

I used to laugh at trucks pulling utility trailers, mostly because the majority of them are short boxes. Why own a truck if you can't even put a sheet of plywood in the back and close the tailgate. Or fit a full sized quad or.....But not everybody hauls stuff I guess and like to drive a truck to feel special? I've had dozens of trucks and only 2 were short boxes. I didn't own either one more more than a year. I'd only buy one if I had to. I don't care about shorter wheelbase making it easier to park at starbucks..I'd own a megacab long box if they made one.
I kinda forgot what I where I was going here.

[7milesout]

I'd own a megacab long box if they made one.

http://stretchmytruck.com/

Just kind of slide in on that website and waller around a bit ... and marinate.

I will never get rid of my truck on purpose. But if it gets totaled, stolen, or explodes, I'll be going that route.

Mo' Bigguh, Mo Bettuh (as long as it has a Cummins in it).

[Dirk Diggler]

I beat my trucks like rented mules. I've owned 3 dodges and a ford that all cummins'.

I used to laugh at trucks pulling utility trailers, mostly because the majority of them are short boxes. Why own a truck if you can't even put a sheet of plywood in the back and close the tailgate. Or fit a full sized quad or.....But not everybody hauls stuff I guess and like to drive a truck to feel special? I've had dozens of trucks and only 2 were short boxes. I didn't own either one more more than a year. I'd only buy one if I had to. I don't care about shorter wheelbase making it easier to park at starbucks..I'd own a megacab long box if they made one.
I kinda forgot what I where I was going here.

Id rather have a work van than a small truck.

[MirageRally]

l just can't deal with the gas mileage that comes with trucks...or the ground clearance...l can never get into them or out of them gracefully bc of my height Plus l don't use trucks for any heavy hauling like Mark and Fummins so l'm not going to buy a big truck that l don't use it's soul purpose for. But a V6 in a Mirage would be an awesome Rally car...mated to a Heavy-Duty Manual Transmission.