Originally Posted by
2016 Versa
...We looked at 2019 with a rebuilt title Friday...
The Mirage is the closest thing to a modern-day bullet-proof small car you're going to find. I'll let others comment on the few weak points to look out for.
Salvage Title Mirages
One downside of a Mirage is that OEM parts can be expensive. For the most part, this is not a big deal because the aftermarket is slowly stepping up. However, some OEM-only pieces (airbags, body parts, etc.) can drive up the cost of repairs quickly for a legitimate body-shop repair. This is why you will come across quite a few salvage/rebuilt title Mirages. I generally avoid these unless the seller has before/after photos of the repairs performed...and the car is priced appropriately. That rarely happens with a salvage title Mirage. The salvage title Mirages I have seen are priced at 85% of clean-title retail value. That's crazy.
If you do continue looking at salvage title Mirages, always Google the VIN number. You might be surprised to find pictures of it sitting in a salvage yard or insurance auction 6 months ago. Actually...you should do that on any used Mirage you're looking at.
New Mirage inventory is kind of low right now. 6 months ago you could have purchased a new Mirage 5-speed for around $10,000 at the right dealer. That car would come with a 10 year/100K mile powertrain warranty and no headaches.
I'm not sure if we'll see prices that low any time soon...but we'll probably know by spring or early summer.
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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)