This was a good rant Cookiemonster. I've never understood the American mentality that bigger is always better and sense of entitlement that we must always outshine the "Jones'" Living here in West LA, excess is never in short supply. BMW's and Audi's are a dime a dozen, and it's a daily occurrence to see the random Bentley or Rolls Royce parked in front of a generic apartment complex. I feel that a car like the Mirage is what most people can afford and is within their needs, and if more people had cars like that, then we may have averted the worst of the economic crisis that we've been experiencing in the US.
There is a Ford Escape ad that drives me bonkers. It has a middle aged woman saying that her and her sister were car shopping and her sister bought a BMW. However, she went for the Escape with it's snazzy Ford MyTouch (which is the devil btw), power liftgate, self parking, blah blah, and now her sister is jealous. She loves her Ford Escape because her sister wants it. Grrrr!!!!
I also laugh when I hear people who say "oh, we had a child and traded in our ____ (compact car) for a ________ (three-row SUV). I always wonder how fat that kid has to be to need two rows in the back.
Visits to other countries can be an eye-opener; In Japan we've seen mothers with two small kids strapped onto a bicycle (with fitted child seats), in Europe I've seen Opel Corsas and Ford Fiestas as family cars, and I've driven in Australia in a Hyundai Getz on a four hour drive with five adults onboard and a corresponding amount of baggage. Sure, none of these are luxurious options, but they get the job done and no one seems to complain.
Personally, I am still looking at a new car in about eight months, and I keep getting tempted toward the bigger Sonic and Accent, but keep telling myself: I can do all the same things in the Mirage and save money on fuel and running costs.
The Mirage is just an honest to goodness car and it's not ashamed of it. I find it to be one of its endearing qualities and what makes it unique and very special