Mirage is (most likely) the Car for Me

[Cam123]

So I'm a 23 year old guy looking to buy my first car. For the longest time I was looking at old Civics and Corollas. I know for the most part they are extremely reliable, but the problem is that one pays for the reputation they carry as bulletproof cars. People know they last, so they charge more.

I am extremely practical when it comes to cars - I see them as a way to get from point A to point B and nothing more. My dad has mentioned Mirages to me a couple times now, but I never really gave them a serious look until yesterday. My local dealership doesn't have any in stock right now, but the sales rep said by the end of August or early September there will be some. I think I'm going to buy the standard version because
A) it's cheaper
B) I want to learn to drive stick
C) I have heard that if anything does break engine-wise it's the CVT (correct me if I am wrong)

What I really enjoyed yesterday was the discrepancy between the professional reviewers and the actual drivers of the Mirage. The professional reviewers give terrible scores, but it's for reasons I honestly don't care about. Noisy inside the cabin? Turn the radio on. Slow accelaration? I drive like a Granny already anyways. My running joke is that I go 0-60 in 30 seconds flat. Cheap plastic interior? I don't have to worry if I spill anything on it!

Reading the driver reviews is a breath of fresh air. I see overwhelmingly positive feedback for the car which is great. The negative reviews seem to come from folks who had unreasonable expectations.

My current dilemma is deciding between a new and used Mirage. New MSRP we are looking at $13,858 for the base model. The average price for a 2015-2017 is sitting at $4427 at least in my region. I'd prefer to see the average 2016 price because I want to see the depreciation after 5 years, but I can't seem to find any 2016's for sale. So I did half 2015's and half 2017's and averaged it out. Right now I'm trying to figure out the year over year costs for new vs used. So far the used is winning but I haven't accounted for repairs yet. I have zero repair skills with cars, but I have learned new skills before and I can again.

Anyways I am happy to be here and am going to start roaming around to learn as much as I can about these little cars.

[Dodge Aries K]

No 2016's because they didn't exist! Went from 15 right to 17 for some reason.

At any rate, if you want an auto one I'd recommend buying it new to get the 10 year 100,000 miles warranty especially since right now a one or two year old used one is almost the same price as a brand new one.

[Cam123]

So that's why! I wasn't sure if there was some defect or something. Very interesting.

Yeah I think I am leaning towards new. I get the full warranty, and I'm looking at a 0.99% interest rate for up to 60 months. At 72 months and longer it jumps to 1.99%. The thing is I have a chunk of money so I COULD buy cash easily, but right now it's earning me 3% a year just sitting there, and I'd lose out on that if I took money out.

A few years ago I never thought I'd be considering a new car, but how things are now it doesn't seem like it's too bad of an idea.

I should add that I have no other bills currently. I pay ~$20 per month for my cell phone, but that's about it because I'm living with my parents. I'm going to be starting an electrical apprenticeship soon so I need a car to get me around to different jobsites and whatnot.

Thank you for your input I appreciate it!

[dspace9]

I bought my 2014 Mirage new back in 2014. Idles silently most of the time. Sometimes sounds like a sewing machine lol. But has been a good car.

And sometimes new can be the best option. But be wary of Mitsubishi dealer saying the car new is $12,495, then by the time you're done it's like $18,999.. you have to pay for freight, they even pretended some options were included and then they weren't. Lots of surprises during the hoops in the financial office of a car dealer. But yea been pretty good, I would krown rust control the car considering where you live. Cheers!

[Dirk Diggler]

Mirage is a great car to learn how to drive manual with. I wanted one when I was test driving but had to think of the wife so we both ended up getting the CVT versions. The clutch is feather light and the interior isn't well insulated for sound deadening so you'll be able to hear when you should shift in no time. When I had my 5speed Accord it was easy as hell to learn on and I was driving like a pro in no time and this was when I was 20 years old. Also a manual Mirage comes will "Hill Assist" something my old Accord never had so you won't have to worry about shifting into first, up a steep hill, at a red light. Something that terrified me for a couple of weeks haha. If you can get a good deal on the CVT versions don't be hesitant on those either though, if it's brand new and you follow the advice of others on here on how to maintain it.

[Mark]

So I'm a 23 year old guy looking to buy my first car. For the longest time I was looking at old Civics and Corollas. I know for the most part they are extremely reliable, but the problem is that one pays for the reputation they carry as bulletproof cars. People know they last, so they charge more.

I am extremely practical when it comes to cars - I see them as a way to get from point A to point B and nothing more. My dad has mentioned Mirages to me a couple times now, but I never really gave them a serious look until yesterday. My local dealership doesn't have any in stock right now, but the sales rep said by the end of August or early September there will be some. I think I'm going to buy the standard version because
A) it's cheaper
B) I want to learn to drive stick
C) I have heard that if anything does break engine-wise it's the CVT (correct me if I am wrong)

What I really enjoyed yesterday was the discrepancy between the professional reviewers and the actual drivers of the Mirage. The professional reviewers give terrible scores, but it's for reasons I honestly don't care about. Noisy inside the cabin? Turn the radio on. Slow accelaration? I drive like a Granny already anyways. My running joke is that I go 0-60 in 30 seconds flat. Cheap plastic interior? I don't have to worry if I spill anything on it!

Reading the driver reviews is a breath of fresh air. I see overwhelmingly positive feedback for the car which is great. The negative reviews seem to come from folks who had unreasonable expectations.

My current dilemma is deciding between a new and used Mirage. New MSRP we are looking at $13,858 for the base model. The average price for a 2015-2017 is sitting at $4427 at least in my region. I'd prefer to see the average 2016 price because I want to see the depreciation after 5 years, but I can't seem to find any 2016's for sale. So I did half 2015's and half 2017's and averaged it out. Right now I'm trying to figure out the year over year costs for new vs used. So far the used is winning but I haven't accounted for repairs yet. I have zero repair skills with cars, but I have learned new skills before and I can again.

Anyways I am happy to be here and am going to start roaming around to learn as much as I can about these little cars.

I wish that I had your wisdom at age 23. It took me much longer in life to get there!

When my youngest daughter graduated from college about 5 years ago, she (about your age back then) wanted to buy her first car. Her budget was about $5,000 for a car, & I told her to focus on a 2000-2005 Civics or Corollas. She ended buying a well-taken care of 2003 Civic. 5 years ago Mirages hadn't been on the market for very long (used ones weren't that cheap yet), & she wasn't interested in driving a manual.

Those old Civics/Corollas are all 5-years older now, and it's harder to find good used ones. A lower priced Civic or Corolla these days may be a car that has very high mileage on it.

I really like the 5-speed manual powertrain of the Mirage. If you are looking for a car that is affordable, reliable, & very economical to own/drive, the Mirage is really hard to beat.

There was an update done to the 2017+ Mirage. Personally, the minor updates interested me enough to have bought brand new Mirage in 2017. At the time, however, used Mirages weren't much cheaper than the new ones. I also paid less than 66% window sticker for a new one. If I had qualified for any of the 3 rebates, I would have paid even less. At the time, buying used didn't even make sense. We still have that issue with slightly used Mirages in the States somewhat, but that doesn't seem to be the case for Mirages in Canada.

If I could save $4,000-5,000 on a Mirage that's still in good shape, I wouldn't overlook a used one at all. If buying a new one is only a couple thousand extra, then a new Mirage seems more appealing to me. I could afford any Mirage, but I view mine as my daily driver (beater car). Cars are money pits, and I prefer shallow ones! At the same time, I don't find enjoyment in driving someone's junk! I like taking care of whatever I have/own.

Given the current market (which is a bit nuts), it's really hard to look fairly at depreciation. Just doing a simple search in my area - the best low mileage manual deal for me is a 2017 ES manual with 33,183 miles for $7,950. I could have bought that same car brand new for $9,000 in 2017. $7,950 seems like a lot of money to someone like me, but brand new Mirages for $9,000 no longer exist. If I had to pay $12,000+ for a new Mirage, I would try to make deal on the used one just mentioned.

The bottom line - I appreciate my cheap Mirage now more than ever! I don't care for car payments. A car like a Mirage will allow me to drive 10+ years without having one! There are better things to spend money on!

As far as car reviews go, I also checked out the Mitsubishi Space Star reviews, too! Europeans appreciate/value economy cars!

It's always hard to discuss money (USD verses Canadian) fairly, too! As you shop for a Mirage (used or new), there are several Canadian forum members who will share their opinion.

You can always start out with a nice used Mirage. If you really like it, you can always upgrade to a new one some day.

Good luck with your search. I like shopping for cars. Buying/paying for them is not as much fun!!!!

[Eggman]

Hello Cam123 and welcome to the forum. You’ve already gotten some solid advice, and you have a good idea of what you want and what to expect. You’re certainly doing your homework.

Do you plan on a lot of driving? If so, buying new might make more sense.

[javensbukan]

I bought my 2014 M.Y. Mirage as a leftover in 2015 new for $11900.

At the time, I really wanted something with the best fuel economy I could get, and didn't care about how fancy or fast it was, Hybrids and EVs were, (and many still are) very expensive back in 2015, so that was pretty much not an option as I was deep in student loan debt, so I googled and the Mirage was the most fuel efficient car that wasn't a Hybrid or a 2 Door, and it was cheap and had a good warranty for *10 years*!

It was my first new car, before then I had always had used cars in various states of disrepair, so having a new car that had a 10 year warranty that I just had to do basic maintenance on that I could depend on was pretty incredible.

The Mirage, as long as you do basic maintenance and don't neglect it, is pretty darn bulletproof, even in CVT form as long as you follow the maintenance schedule...there have been failures (just look around on this forum) though usually in high mileage fleet vehicles or cars with unknown service history. If you must have the most dead simple car, the Manual is where it's at, but it is rated to have slightly worse fuel economy (that is disputed with real world driving though).

Things I've replaced on my Mirage since 2015:

-Brake Pads (one set, front)
-Engine Air Filters
-Cabin Air Filters
-Lightbulbs
-Wiperblades
-Windshield washer fluid
-Tires (just finishing it's 2nd pair of tires now - Original OEM Dunlop Enasaves, then replaced with Kumho HA31s)
-Engine Oil
-CVT Fluid Flush (x2)
-Full CVT Service (x1) - Filters, fluid, etc.

If you want something simple, reliable and fuel efficient with a great warranty and aren't too concerned about being the fastest or most luxurious car around, the Mirage is hard to beat.

[Cam123]

Thank you everyone for the responses. It looks like I've got some more math to do. So I did look at the detailed pricing for new. $17,586.19!! I'm not sure who said that the dealerships tack on some extra costs but you are correct. Just the tax of $2023.19 makes me scream a bit. Hmm.

What I am thinking about now is buying used with a chunk of money or financing new. New I am looking at $277.36 per month of payments for 60 months at 0.99% interest. That is combined with an estimated insurance cost of $220 per month - I got a quote from TD for this number. I really am excited for when I turn 25 and the payments drop. So looking at ~$500 per month with payments and insurance all together. The good thing about this is that I don't have to dip into my chunk of money that is currently earning me ~$1155 per year with zero risk. I can easily earn enough to pay these bills even at minimum wage.

The downside is that I end up paying the 17.5k for a car over the long haul, plus more insurance. When I got a quote for a 2015 mirage (no other factors were changed) I got $126.75 per month which is only 57% of what I'd pay for the new one.

But now you've got me thinking about a used but not very used car. Such as a 2018 or 2019 with very low kilometers. I could finance one of those but then the interest rates jump to 6.99%. No thank you!

SO the ultimate choice is between the financing of new and purchasing used with cash. So for example here is a 2019 for $11,750 which is ~$13277.50 with taxes. So that's a savings of $4308.69 in exchange for two years and 36,000km driven. However I am assuming there few additional fees when compared to the new one.

https://www.kijijiautos.ca/cars/mits.../#vip=20036410

Here is another for $9000. A 2018 with 49,000km. With taxes that would come out to $10,170 or more than $7000 in savings. Hmmm so it is looking like I could get a real good deal on a used one.

https://www.kijijiautos.ca/cars/mits.../#vip=19349910

[dspace9]

-Tires (just finishing it's 2nd pair of tires now - Original OEM Dunlop Enasaves, then replaced with Kumho HA31s

Hey sorry to interject, but how'd you like those Kumho's vs your Dunlops? Fountain tire has them on for 25% off til Tuesday, $69.99 a piece, plus balancing, taxes.. so it's like $100 bucks off their regular price. I was thinking of buying them next week, if they're good. Thanks