White Bear Mitsubishi already discounting 2021 Mirages

[defensivetackle88]

It doesn't get the mpg the Mirage gets, not even close with the wife driving it.

Strictly speaking on MPG and from point A to B, Mirage is still a better buy IMO.

Toyota without question made durable vehicle in the 2000’s, heck even CarAngel (small YouTube car reviewer) praise it a lot. I have 05 Highlander, Had 05 Corolla S 5MT, 06 Prius, my parents has 04 Matrix 4AT and my in law has 02 Sequoia. I would have considered 1st gen Matrix 5/6MT (XR/XRS respectively) however it doesn’t meet the Prius-like MPG requirement and it is less practical than the G4 in terms of the storage space in the back.

the link below is a better deal than the Matrix :-p, jokingly speaking

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/...451287282.html

https://monterey.craigslist.org/cto/...448862139.html

[7milesout]

Somebody loved that Rav4. And it's a good vehicle, especially that drivetrain. But Camrys ... gotta be the best vehicles on the planet. I'd hazard they're every bit as tough as a Tacoma. Maybe moreso. In my tenure at Toyota (loved it), the Camry was the vehicle that the Japanese engineers gave their lives for. It is the bread and butter for Toyota, so they weren't going to let ANYTHING slide.

[Mark]

Strictly speaking on MPG and from point A to B, Mirage is still a better buy IMO.

Toyota without question made durable vehicle in the 2000’s, heck even CarAngel (small YouTube car reviewer) praise it a lot. I have 05 Highlander, Had 05 Corolla S 5MT, 06 Prius, my parents has 04 Matrix 4AT and my in law has 02 Sequoia. I would have considered 1st gen Matrix 5/6MT (XR/XRS respectively) however it doesn’t meet the Prius-like MPG requirement and it is less practical than the G4 in terms of the storage space in the back.

the link below is a better deal than the Matrix :-p, jokingly speaking

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/...451287282.html

https://monterey.craigslist.org/cto/...448862139.html

My point is not to slam the Mirage. I bought a Mirage because new ones were going to for $7,500-9,500. At the time, it made me forget about looking at used cars. Now that Mirages are well above $15,000, I don't rule out looking at used options. That can include looking at used Mirages, but those are even priced higher than I would want to pay for a 2nd daily driver vehicle.

As far as a G4 being more practical with storage space in the back (compared to a Maxtrix), I would question that. I am not even sure the G4 rear seats fold down. I would value the rear space of the Matrix ten times more than any sedan. Plus the rear of the Matrix looks well designed (easy to clean surfaces that could be swept out).

I don't care for sedans. If they all disappeared, I wouldn't care. The joy of owning a small hatchback or wagon, however, is being able to fold the rear seats. In that respects, the Mirage is the most lame vehicle I have owned. Those who designed cars like the Matrix & Fit understand why people want small hatchbacks. Mitsubishi designers apparently gave it zero thought. It's probably my 2nd biggest gripe of the car. 1st gripe would be the lame electric power steering. A Mirage would handle better without it.

If a $15,000+ Mirage makes someone happy, there is nothing with that. I really like my Mirage, too! If I had to replace it suddenly, however, a low mile Matrix for half that price would probably make me happier.

If Honda Fits were selling for under $10,000 brand new in 2017, I would have one. Instead, I have a Mirage in my driveway. An affordable, reliable, economical Mirage is hard to beat!

[7milesout]

Those who designed cars like the Matrix & Fit understand why people want small hatchbacks. Mitsubishi designers apparently gave it zero thought. It's probably my 2nd biggest gripe of the car. 1st gripe would be the lame electric power steering. A Mirage would handle better without it.

Mark - I agree with you about most things. And maybe you don't mean this quite as literally as it sounds. Because I can state equivocally, there is so much thought that goes into the development of a vehicle. And I'm sure the Mitsubishi engineers thought, fought, went back and forth, up and down and to and fro about how to develop the rear seats and storage area.

But as with all vehicles, but even more so with inexpensive vehicles, in order to hit a specific target sales price (at least Corporate Division to Sales Division) sacrifices have to be made. And seats are one of the greater expenses of a vehicle. OEMs save A LOT of money by developing inexpensive seats. Same with the EPS. If the next greater EPS motor is $1 more, multiply that times the worldwide sales number of Mirages built, and that is exactly equal to how much more money Mitsubishi profits on sales (again corporate to sales) to use the less expensive EPS motor.

If the Mirage were my only vehicle, the rear hauling / storage might be a concern to me too. However, if it were going to be my only vehicle, I doubt it would be my only vehicle. If I was forced to have 1 vehicle, it would be a 4 banger Tacoma, hopefully with 3 pedals.

[Mark]

Mark - I agree with you about most things. And maybe you don't mean this quite as literally as it sounds. Because I can state equivocally, there is so much thought that goes into the development of a vehicle. And I'm sure the Mitsubishi engineers thought, fought, went back and forth, up and down and to and fro about how to develop the rear seats and storage area.

But as with all vehicles, but even more so with inexpensive vehicles, in order to hit a specific target sales price (at least Corporate Division to Sales Division) sacrifices have to be made. And seats are one of the greater expenses of a vehicle. OEMs save A LOT of money by developing inexpensive seats. Same with the EPS. If the next greater EPS motor is $1 more, multiply that times the worldwide sales number of Mirages built, and that is exactly equal to how much more money Mitsubishi profits on sales (again corporate to sales) to use the less expensive EPS motor.

If the Mirage were my only vehicle, the rear hauling / storage might be a concern to me too. However, if it were going to be my only vehicle, I doubt it would be my only vehicle. If I was forced to have 1 vehicle, it would be a 4 banger Tacoma, hopefully with 3 pedals.

Here's how the rear seat of my 1990 Ford Festiva could be manipulated (32 second clip) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFvoStEvIxM

Mine was a cheap ($5,300 new), 2-door, economy car that didn't even come with a radio. Yet, you could fold down & flip entire the rear seat forward creating a perfectly flat space for hauling dogs, dead deer, or whatever. You could fold it flat the other way & sleep in it (provided you aren't 6' 5" or something).

Have you ever asked a large dog how comfortable it is in the back of a Mirage with the rear seat folded down?

The folding rear seat of a Mirage is quite lame, but it's not a deal breaker. I cut out to two pieces of plywood to create a flat space when needed.

I miss cheap economy cars -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzM_5lY20Wo

[7milesout]

That Festiva is/was badass...

[klroger]

That Festiva is/was badass...

People may find this Interesting. I worked at a Ford Dealer when these came out. I loved them

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vint...ord-festiva-l/

[Dirk Diggler]

Somebody loved that Rav4. And it's a good vehicle, especially that drivetrain. But Camrys ... gotta be the best vehicles on the planet. I'd hazard they're every bit as tough as a Tacoma. Maybe moreso. In my tenure at Toyota (loved it), the Camry was the vehicle that the Japanese engineers gave their lives for. It is the bread and butter for Toyota, so they weren't going to let ANYTHING slide.

I wish Toyota brought back their economy brand, Scion. Do they not realize that the next generation won't have nearly the spending power as the baby boomers? Scion opened the door for a lot of working lower middle class people to own a new Toyota when they couldn't afford that Camry.

[Mark]

People may find this Interesting. I worked at a Ford Dealer when these came out. I loved them

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vint...ord-festiva-l/

I love the pics in the article. They show a good pic of how the rear seat could be folded and then flipped into the foot area somewhat. It left you with a very flat space in back for hunting gear, dogs, or whatever. You also didn't feel crowded by plastic like some of the newer cars. Our newer Ford Focus driver's education cars make me feel crammed into a sardine can. I did not feel that way in a tiny Fesitva. Then again, the dash wasn't filled with air bags either.

I had the 1990 L (base model) & they switched to fuel injection that year. The 1988-89 had carburetors. Our Festiva replaced a Plymouth Horizon with a horrible carburetor. I earned two master degrees driving that little car back & forth to graduate classes. They were tough little cars, but mine was on its 9th muffler when I sold it. I paid for one and Midas took care of the rest with their lifetime warranty. 1-2 years was the most on those.

I drove it for 14 years, & I regretted selling it big time afterwards. I don't plan on making the same mistake with my Mirage, but I admit the Festiva had way more character in my opinion! That car would go almost anywhere.

[Cobrajet]

I love the pics in the article. They show a good pic of how the rear seat could be folded and then flipped into the foot area somewhat. It left you with a very flat space in back for hunting gear, dogs, or whatever. You also didn't feel crowded by plastic like some of the newer cars. Our newer Ford Focus driver's education cars make me feel crammed into a sardine can. I did not feel that way in a tiny Fesitva. Then again, the dash wasn't filled with air bags either.

I had the 1990 L (base model) & they switched to fuel injection that year. The 1988-89 had carburetors. Our Festiva replaced a Plymouth Horizon with a horrible carburetor. I earned two master degrees driving that little car back & forth to graduate classes. They were tough little cars, but mine was on its 9th muffler when I sold it. I paid for one and Midas took care of the rest with their lifetime warranty. 1-2 years was the most on those.

I drove it for 14 years, & I regretted selling it big time afterwards. I don't plan on making the same mistake with my Mirage, but I admit the Festiva had way more character in my opinion! That car would go almost anywhere.

My buddy had a 1988 Festiva LX in the late 1990s. Ooooh yeeeeah...the LUX model with a cassette player, rear wiper, and a tach! Dude was 6'3" and he hooned that little car all over the place. I didn't mind riding shotgun save for the rusted out exhaust and associated fumes. No reason they shouldn't be good cars since they were just a rebadged Mazda 121.

Best part about those Festivas and the contemporary Geo Metros? A set of four new 12" tires was about $80.

Another buddy of mine really liked Festivas as well. Around 2008 he bought a really nice red one that wouldn't run and towed it to his house. "It only has 30,000 miles on it. I don't know why it won't run." When he invited me over to help troubleshoot it I looked at the odometer. The car didn't have 30,000 miles on it. It had 300,000 miles on it. Engine was just completely worn out...turned over, but no compression.

Fun times!