Hi all, not quite a Mirage Owner yet- Some questions please

[Eggman]

I haven't test drove one yet.

Be sure to take one for a test drive. The Mirage ain’t for everyone despite what we say here in the Peanut Gallery haha.

And welcome to the forum.

[MetroMPG]

Thanks all for the replies. I got my exact answers.

Yup. People here are amazing.

the outstanding MPG was special or low speed driving. I get the question of can it go 75 was kind of odd, after asking if I could get 50MPG.

FYI:
Thread: Speed vs. mpg/mileage/fuel economy chart - Mirage 1.2L 5-spd and CVT

If they get 40, that's fine.

With a mix of city/hwy @ 75 mph and running the AC, expect mid-high 30's and you'll be pleasantly surprised if you occasionally crack 40.

It's still pretty good. My driving is about 110 miles M-F. That's split pretty even city and highway. Then one day a week, I have a 400 mile trip.

We had one member who drove a lot for work and put over 300,000 miles on his Mirage before the manual transmission started acting up. He parked it and ended up buying a different car. Never did report back what was wrong with it (clutch? cable? synchro?).

The winter driving question was answered perfectly. I also have a Caravan as my other vehicle. I'd use that over my HHR when it snowed. Not that it's great, but it's way better than the HHR. If the Mirage is better than that, that's outstanding.

If you drive in snow, get winter tires, period. The stock tires are only adequate - not great in snow.

I haven't test drove one yet.

Ha! You'll probably hate it. Worst new car available today. Take note of the MPG gauge in the cluster. It'll give you an idea of what to expect if you get a chance to test it on the highway. (It's also a bit optimistic vs. actual consumption.)

Keep us posted!

[Mark]

I haven't test drove one yet. Provided it's reasonably comfortable, I'll be getting one. Thanks for the input. You folks were a huge help. Once I have it, I'll be coming back to see ideas people have for upgrades, maintenance, etc. I've already watched an oil change video, plus a few others on various things. I see the oil filter is a bit messy to replace. That's hardly a deal breaker though. Day 1 I'll have Full Synthetic in it.

Thanks again and you all be well.

It's not a car that may win someone over during a test drive, but it's charm grows on you!

The Mirage is a durable little car. Here's an example of someone who racked up the miles (414,000) on their Mirage -

https://media.mitsubishicars.com/en-...ready-for-more

This story was carried by multiple car journals earlier this year.

When I first became interested in a Mirage, I found most American car critics to be useless. I found the European Space Star critics to be the most helpful.

That was the review that sold me on the Mirage years ago -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVi3hYruIqU&t=7s

Want to see what a Mirage can do? Visit the Autobahn with one -

2021 Mitsubishi Space Star 1.2 L Top 71 PS TOP SPEED AUTOBAHN DRIVE POV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiN-gDk_9Yg

[Top_Fuel]

It might be worth seeing if any rental car companies in your area rent Mirages. It will be a CVT, but you will still get a feel for the car. Maybe rent one and use it for that 400 mile run you need to make.

[Danny]

BINGO!! Great idea and that's exactly what I'm going to try to do. Budget has a $50 rental. I've tried to call them a few times, but get funneled into their voice prompts, then get disconnected. Their ad says "Mitsubishi Mirage or similar." Obviously I want to make sure they have a Mirage.

I got 27MPG on my Fusion for the 400 mile run. First time I ran all highway with it between fill ups. Considering I averaged about 85MPH (that's flow of traffic, not crazy driving- many passed me)- that's not bad. It's the 2nd time I've taken that run. That means to get 20MPG combined, I must be getting terrible MPG in the city. My daily run is about 110 miles, split pretty evenly.

I did it about a month ago. Took my mini van. At that time I was more focused on directions, so I hadn't noticed the speed everyone was going quite as much. Yesterday, going 75, I was the slow one everyone was trying to get around. I bumped up to 80, and was still one of the slower ones. At about 85 I was with the flow of traffic.

I actually drive to be alone on the road as much as possible. I don't really have a set speed that I want to be at. I just found that at 75 and 80, people kept coming up on my rear end, then having to pass me.

Your idea will allow me to take the car on my daily route, and also do the first 150 or so miles of my 400 mile route. By that time I'll have an idea of if it works for me. I'll figure out the highway mileage. All in all a great idea. That's much better than a few miles of a test drive. Plus, some of these newer cars have 2 miles on them, or 6 miles, or just what have ya. I'd feel guilty if I put miles on it and didn't buy it.

Edit before I even post. I have tried 7 times to call the local rental place over the past few hours. They're always busy, so I get transferred to the national call center. Twice I've went through the voice prompts, only to be disconnected. I'm in talks with a dealer right now. If they'll give me what I want for my trade ($4500) I'm just going to buy it on a leap of faith and the recommendations of this group.

It might be worth seeing if any rental car companies in your area rent Mirages. It will be a CVT, but you will still get a feel for the car. Maybe rent one and use it for that 400 mile run you need to make.

[inuvik]

If you do decide to pull the trigger, stay with a 5 speed. Even though you'll be turning about 4000 rpms at 85 that's torque peak on the Mirage anyway and as long as you keep the oil levels in check and do the severe maintenance schedule there shouldn't be any issues. I would run 5w-30 oil though after the first oil change if you are going to run it at that rpm for extended periods of time.

[Top_Fuel]

The rental car industry is somewhat of a mess right now. Maybe that's why you're having trouble?

The ‘car rental apocalypse’: Why renting a car is tough in 2021


If you plan on driving 80-85mph on a regular basis, I would strongly consider renting/driving a Mirage before you pull the trigger. I'm not even sure you're going to get 35mpg going 80mph+. Others can weigh in on that because my car literally never goes over 65mph on the freeway.

[Mark]

I got 27MPG on my Fusion for the 400 mile run. First time I ran all highway with it between fill ups. Considering I averaged about 85MPH (that's flow of traffic, not crazy driving- many passed me)- that's not bad. It's the 2nd time I've taken that run. That means to get 20MPG combined, I must be getting terrible MPG in the city. My daily run is about 110 miles, split pretty evenly.

If 85 mph will be your norm, I may consider something else.

Econo dash light goes off as you approach 80 mph on 5-speed manual Mirage. Cars still hums along fine, however.