2020 ES Manual: My Lil' Truckster...

[inuvik]

Well, there is this bad news:

https://www.benzinsider.com/2020/07/...20a%20webinar.

[7milesout]

Subaru's basic Impreza is like $22,000 Canadian.. and when I could get a Mercedes with tonnes of options at $37,000, seems like I need to expand my new car horizons. Mercedes in the old days were known to be super durable.

Up front cost considerations make sense, like your logic explains. But keep in mind, the Mercedes is likely going to a) break more than the Subaru, and b) cost MUCH more to repair when it does so.

That's why many German cars (Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW) are so cheap to purchase when they are at 4 or 5 years old and just past their warranty mileage.

[dspace9]

Too bad MB is axing basically their whole car line in the States as inuvik just posted; I'm not surprised. They sell way more SUVs/CUVs, same with Mitsubishi. Then again it's 2020.. you forget.. that a lot of the fat is gonna get cut out this year. So maybe a yellow A series hatchback is no longer even possible.

I should think used anyways with German cars like you say. I test drove a used A4 the week before buying my Mirage. Besides glaring alignment issues, the A4 went like stink.

[Mark]

Thanks for the replies. I had a salesman in the car distracting me. But I'm going to have to go ahead and guess that 3,500 rpm would be about "normal." If I'm out on the road with noone around and in no hurry, sure, lower rpm would work too. The engine has good torque for the size vehicle, so it has good "flexibility."

QUESTION: How small of a trailer would a Mirage fit on?

I did a 4.5 hour trip today, & I tried to pay more attention to my shifts. During what I would consider normal acceleration, I found myself shifting when I reached about 3,000 rpm. If I was climbing an on ramp onto a 4-lane highway & pushing it harder, I found myself shifting when I reached 4,000 rpm.

Thus, what dspace shared in an earlier post is pretty accurate. Having said that, my foot is lifting off the gas when I shift.

[7milesout]

Well ... I done went and done it. I have procured, 'My Lil Truckster.' Today (10/16). I made a deposit anyway.

I go to pick it up on Saturday 10/24. It's 2020 Mirage manual, blue in color. What I wanted. No fog lights, no armrest.

However, someone on here said I could procure an armrest on ebay. I did check and yes it is feasible. The fog lights are not a must, the armrest is. But if the fog lights are easy enough to add, I will probably do that too. Then a hitch (later), and I'll pull my cute little trailer out for a trial tow. Should be fun.

I think I got a decent deal: $11,429. Plus tags, taxes and a doc fee of $389.

[Mark]

Well ... I done went and done it. I have procured, 'My Lil Truckster.' Today (10/16). I made a deposit anyway.

I go to pick it up on Saturday 10/24. It's 2020 Mirage manual, blue in color. What I wanted. No fog lights, no armrest.

However, someone on here said I could procure an armrest on ebay. I did check and yes it is feasible. The fog lights are not a must, the armrest is. But if the fog lights are easy enough to add, I will probably do that too. Then a hitch (later), and I'll pull my cute little trailer out for a trial tow. Should be fun.

I think I got a decent deal: $11,429. Plus tags, taxes and a doc fee of $389.

Congrats!

Sounds like a great deal for a brand new car.

Factory armrest is quite small. You can't rest your arm while your hand is on the steering wheel. You'll be happier with a larger aftermarket one.

I've been driving 40+ years without fog lights. Thus, it can be done.

Enjoy your new car!

[MirageRally]

Yay 7milesout! Now you're part of the crew I can't wait to see pics of your car. I love the blue color, jelly.

[Dirk Diggler]

Hehe, I like your attitude, I feel the same way towards the car. Don't care what other people think.

I joke with my wife, I tell her I pulled up next to a Lambo and I told the guy, ''You got 10x the engine, but I got 10x the balls''.

Then she tells me, yeah its glandular and its disgusting.

Little bit of Mirage humor.

I heard it gets worse the older you get.

[MirageRally]

Should've told the lambo guy I"'ll see you at the gas station..oh wait no l won't" lolol.

[7milesout]

Well - My Lil' Truckster is at home. My salesman was a saleswoman. And quite good to deal with. She started referring to it as The Little Blueberry ... that may stick. I drove it all the way from Eastern Pa to the south side of Atlanta metro. I thought it was a fabulous interstate cruiser. Much better than I expected. Sure, it's no LS 460L, but for $11,800 it is one very nice piece of machinery.

I'll state some likes / dislikes. But take my dislikes with a grain of salt as these are by no means deal breakers. And quite acceptable for the money. And the likes are only those things that stick out to me as different than I've experienced before because I pretty much like the whole car.

Likes:

• The HD FM stations, I've never experienced this before. Something I'll learn about.
• I like the position of the front and mid/rear cup holder(s).
• The "lil truckster" capability. I've already been hauling around motorcycle wheels and tires, and my dog.
• The fact that I beat the EPA mpg, with a not even broken in engine.
• The unique sound of the engine / exhaust. I'm going to see if I can get a tasteful bit more of it (more on that later).
• The Euro side-marker lights.
• The cruise control holds the speed real nice. Much better than I expected it would.
• The BT phone call has better reception / sound than expected in this price range. In my experience when I was working for Hyunda / Kia, their BT systems were crapola. But things have really improved, evidently.
• The lack of an armrest didn't seem to bother me at all, but I did use that center cup holder. So now I'm wondering if I should just do without an armrest.

Dislikes:

• The gear spacing from 1st to 2nd is too great. And, the lever move from 1st to 2nd can be notchy. This big gap might be an issue if I wind up towing around my cute little utility trailer.
• The horn is too embarrassing to honk.

My trip back I fueled up 3 times.

• 48.06 mpg (65 mph cruising through more populated metro areas)
• 44.03 mpg (70 mph cruising through some rain).
• 47.38 mpg (70 mph some wet areas)

Overall I averaged about 46.3 mpg on the way back. Which is great seeing that the EPA rating is 41 mpg highway.