A member PM'd me wondering what my feeling is on Mirage vs. Metro these days. I figured I'd post in this recent & relevant thread without ID'ing the member. In case any other Metro owners want to chime in.
I realized last year that I have to consider "Plan B" for my #&$^box future because parts for the Firefly are getting harder to find. EG. last summer I wanted to buy a front exhaust pipe, and none of the 3 national parts stores in my little city could get me one. I would have had to order it online from the States, but I ended up welding some patches into the old pipe instead.
That's what happens when parts demand dries up. My '98 Firefly is the last of its kind I've seen on the road in this part of the world for 4 or 5 years.
I still love the Firefly/Metro. I actually have FIVE of them now, with this parts car acquisition. Two are roadworthy, one is potentially roadworthy (a low-km convertible in storage that needs floors), 2 are parts cars. But I'm planning to cull the herd & get rid of 3 of them in the next year or so. Keeping the low-km, rust-free '98 Firefly and this new parts car.
Plus one Mirage. Plus my #$*%box Miata.
I still like owning & driving the Suzukiclones: I love the simplicity. (The first time my nephew rode in it a few summers ago, he had never seen a wind-up window. And he was shocked to learn there was no AC to turn on.) It's also starting to become entertaining because of its oddball rarity. A kid jumped out of a car at a gas station last year and asked to take a picture of my Metro. I don't think he even knew what it was.
On the topic of fuel economy: my Firefly is a bit more efficient than a Mirage: it's lighter, lower, has a smaller CdA, a smaller engine, taller gearing, and less parasitic (accessory) drag. But I'm also digging the luxury amenities of the Mirage. Acceptible trade-off. Lifestyle inflation!