New member and hopefully a mirage owner w/ a few questions

[7milesout]

I'll be honest, I would be fine with an ES Mirage, such as I have, with 3 power windows, driver's rollup, manual HVAC controls, a plain jane single DIN old school "radio" as long as it would connect via BT, not 1 safety item that is not required, 1 wiper, no wiper on the rear, no wheel covers, you know, just about stripped, if it could be had for $8,999 new, same warranty as we get now.

The only things I would have to have is: A/C, Cruise, BT linked "radio," and 3 pedals.

[Fummins]

What about keyless entry?

[7milesout]

I've had that since the 80's. I just leave the doors unlocked. Viola.

[Dirk Diggler]

When I worked at advance they used the spark s a delivery vehicle. Take it with a grain of salt but, these things were broken all the time. They had one that needed a new transmission after 20k. The transmission always felt like **** in them. The feel just as slow and cheap too. They certainly are more peppy though.

Spark uses the same JATCO CVT7 as Mitsu and Nissan.....

[Clessy]

Spark uses the same JATCO CVT7 as Mitsu and Nissan.....

So what do you think the difference could be? Software. Because Nissan seems to also have a vastly higher rate of failure compared to the mirage. Maybe the mirage holds up better simply because less power going to the transmission causing less wear? It could also be delivery drivers dont give a **** and treat vehicles poorly.

[dragon2knight]

So what do you think the difference could be? Software. Because Nissan seems to also have a vastly higher rate of failure compared to the mirage. Maybe the mirage holds up better simply because less power going to the transmission causing less wear? It could also be delivery drivers dont give a **** and treat vehicles poorly.

Weight and horsepower. The Mirage is the lightest of the trio and the low horsepower doesn't even make the little Jatco break a sweat. The Nissan is the heaviest and has the most issues and the Spark is somewhere in the middle and doesn't have as many issues, but it's still not an ideal fit for it. The Mirage is simply the best vehicle for this particular CVT.

[dragon2knight]

1) For those who own the sedan or the mirage, how does this car perform in the high way ?

I just got back from a 3015 mile road trip up and down the east coast of the US and can honestly say it's not nearly as bad as you might imagine a small car to be in this situation. It's got a pleasant ride and more than enough power to keep up with traffic easily (and no I'm not kidding!). Add in a roomier than expected interior (I did that trip with a 6'6" guy sitting next to me who had no complaints, for real, and it carried both of our luggage load easily) and it's a great car on the highway.

2)How is the MPG when you drive 65-70 only ?

That's the sweet spot for the CVT, you'll get over 40+ all the day long in that speed range, maybe even 50+...it's the calling card for this car.

3) Can this car handle driving up hill on a daily basis ?

Yes. The CVT is almost seamless when tackling even steep hills like bridges. It surprised me there, not gonna lie.

4) Is this a car I should consider for my daily commutes ?

Heck yeah!! That's what this car was meant to do. Good ride, great infotainment suite at any trim level, amazing gas mileage and finally a comfy interior. It's NOT a penalty box.

I agree with many on here though, you need to drive it yourself and see if it's a good fit for you.

[Fummins]

I'll be honest, I would be fine with an ES Mirage, such as I have, with 3 power windows, driver's rollup, manual HVAC controls, a plain jane single DIN old school "radio" as long as it would connect via BT, not 1 safety item that is not required, 1 wiper, no wiper on the rear, no wheel covers, you know, just about stripped, if it could be had for $8,999 new, same warranty as we get now.

The only things I would have to have is: A/C, Cruise, BT linked "radio," and 3 pedals.

It sounds like you want a Canada spec 5spd Mirage, you'll have to add cruise to it. That should only involve installing a switch and programming the etacs module. I think? Msrp up here is $12,298cad so you're looking at $9594usd(plus freight, pdi and tax) The us spec 5spd is $13,995usd ($17,938) but you get cruise, rear power windows, and a drivers seat that goes up and down.

[PityOnU]

2)How is the MPG when you drive 65-70 only ?

That's the sweet spot for the CVT, you'll get over 40+ all the day long in that speed range, maybe even 50+...it's the calling card for this car.

Have you actually been able to break 50mpg with this car with a CVT? I'm running premium gas and 40+psi tires over here and the highest I've gotten is ~48mpg going 55mph with cruise control on... Seems possible with the manual, but not the CVT. Too much drivetrain loss.

[dragon2knight]

HMO - I think your plan is reasonable. Although, you may want to keep the following in mind. I believe the Spark is probably going to drive with more pep than the Mirage. Heck, it may feel like a more solid vehicle, I dunno, I've never driven one. But most people are going to end up strongly disliking a vehicle (regardless of its performance) if it is not reliable. And that's what I fear with a GM Product (except *maybe* particular GM trucks). And the word on the street is, the Spark is not as reliable as the Mirage. That means something to me. I'll take mpg and reliability over pep any day.

I know 2 people who own a Spark, one of them is my niece. She's had it 3 years now and has had the Jatco replaced once already and she had some alternator issues as well. She drives a lot, like 70 miles a day to work and back, so she's not too pleased with the down time on it. She saw my Mirage and is trading it in in a few months for one.

The other one my friend owns and he's had it with it in only a year, but it's more to do with the useless back seat than the durability. He was shocked how much more room my Mirage had than his Spark had. Another hopeful convert on the way I find that if folks give this little jewel a test drive they usually end up liking it.