Help me decide to keep the mirage - or not.

[Cobrajet]

Looks like a press of sorts is needed to remove the hub from wherever it's located and reinsert the new one...

I know people are saying use a BFH but yah idk about that...

Just replace the steering knuckles with low mile used ones. No presses needed. They are all the same from '14-'21. I have used the BFH technique to replace bearings in the rear, but not in the front. Works fine, but I found it was necessary to freeze the bearings and heat the drums up in the oven to make things easier.

[klroger]

Looks like a press of sorts is needed to remove the hub from wherever it's located and reinsert the new one...

I know people are saying use a BFH but yah idk about that...

I've done many bearings & I don't own a press. I get them to the point I only have to remove & install the bearings, take the spindles to my local Garage & they press them out & press the new ones in for me usually while I wait. The last time they only charged me $20.00 a bearing but I do have a good relationship with the owner. Get them ready to change & take them to a garage or machine shop to get the press work done. (PS, they like it a lot if you clean the part real nice before you take it to them )

[bde269]

she sounds like its time to trade up . get a new one with life time bumper to bumper warr and run the heck out of her .
I see your down in tx but its well worth a few day trip after you set the majority up on the phone. even if you didn't want a mirage and wanted something a bit bigger you sure cant beat a life time bumper to bumper . not to many people are offering a life time warr so I deff check them out when I find them. I know this doesn't help sorry

https://www.whitebearmitsubishi.com/

[Ares]

Following up on this:
The current car market just isnt worth the trouble so I've decided to not purchase another vehicle at this time.

Still need to get these done on the car to ensure she's in tip-top shape:
1. Accessory Belt
2. Spark Plugs
3. Coolant Drain/Fill
4. Struts/Shocks (purchased; just need to install)
5. Ball Joint
6. Brake job (all 4 corners) + fluid change

I'll try to get 1-4 done within in March, maybe 5 by May, 6 by the Fall.

I think most of winter has passed and the heater core and AC issues aren't too bad. Keeping the car in the garage helps a ton. The other AC issue isn't really bad as long as I have the AC on 62 and have air blowing on the feet vent - because that's where the sensor is located that turns off the compressor.

Currently under 110k miles and should be around 10-15k miles a year. If all goes well, I wont buy another vehicle for a couple of years but still keep the mirage as a 3rd vehicle.

[Mark]

Following up on this:
The current car market just isnt worth the trouble so I've decided to not purchase another vehicle at this time.

Still need to get these done on the car to ensure she's in tip-top shape:
1. Accessory Belt
2. Spark Plugs
3. Coolant Drain/Fill
4. Struts/Shocks (purchased; just need to install)
5. Ball Joint
6. Brake job (all 4 corners) + fluid change

I'll try to get 1-4 done within in March, maybe 5 by May, 6 by the Fall.

I think most of winter has passed and the heater core and AC issues aren't too bad. Keeping the car in the garage helps a ton. The other AC issue isn't really bad as long as I have the AC on 62 and have air blowing on the feet vent - because that's where the sensor is located that turns off the compressor.

Currently under 110k miles and should be around 10-15k miles a year. If all goes well, I wont buy another vehicle for a couple of years but still keep the mirage as a 3rd vehicle.

If I could do one thing over (concerning vehicles), I would always have an economy car like a Mirage in my driveway. It would not be my choice for an only vehicle, but it sure does save wear & tear on a nicer vehicle you may own.

Where & how I live justifies owning an AWD vehicle that can tow a bit. It's not the vehicle I want to replace any sooner than necessary, however. In that respect, I really appreciate my Mirage. My 2017 has turned over 60,000 miles this week. That's 60,000 miles not put on my old Forester. Plus, I am saving money at the pump, too!

My biggest regrets in this area of life have been selling an economy car (cheap to own, drive, insure) sooner than I should have.

Like you are stating - the current market doesn't entice anyone to upgrade a car like the Mirage. It's not like the performance or power train has been improved upon. Some nice features have been added to the manual base model over the years, but that wouldn't justify the cost of buying a new Mirage these days.

It's nice to be content with what one already has, & the Mirage does that nicely for me!

[7milesout]

I'm pretty well agreeing with that. But, after having owned a Mirage now over a year, really the cruise control is the only feature I think that's been added that is really great. I would be happier with manual hvac controls.

[Mark]

I'm pretty well agreeing with that. But, after having owned a Mirage now over a year, really the cruise control is the only feature I think that's been added that is really great. I would be happier with manual hvac controls.

When I said some nice features have been added, I was speaking for the general public. I agree with you. Cruise control is the only significant one, & auto climate controls is a step backwards for me. Back up cameras were mandated in 2018.

2019 ES manual is the gem model. Cruise control with manual climate controls. I feel exactly the same as you!

I wouldn't base the purchase of Mirage on features other than it would have to have a manual transmission, but I also wouldn't pay the current market price for one. I would go back to looking at used vehicles including the Mirage & other models.

[AtomicPunk]

I'd keep it for just this reason:

https://news.yahoo.com/here-comes-7-...171816915.html

[Ares]

If I could do one thing over (concerning vehicles), I would always have an economy car like a Mirage in my driveway. It would not be my choice for an only vehicle, but it sure does save wear & tear on a nicer vehicle you may own.

I used to not have a place for a 3rd vehicle, otherwise I would have kept the 2004 Toyota Solara I had (before the TT) albeit having 250k miles. Thing was "loaded" and that V6 was surprisingly peppy.

I live in Houston but have found that having AWD is nice when travelling. We also go to the beach several times a year so I'd prefer the next vehicle to have some-sort of AWD.

Truth be told, I'll likely bargain with the wife that she should daily the next vehicle and leave the TT in the garage. It could be worth some penny when all the cars turn electric.

I'm pretty well agreeing with that. But, after having owned a Mirage now over a year, really the cruise control is the only feature I think that's been added that is really great. I would be happier with manual hvac controls.

I have no issues with my '14 ES Manual (at the time ES = expensive option) as far as features are concerned. Not sure what the beef is with auto HVAC, but mine has not had issues yet. The most annoying part is the constant beeping when turning the temp up/down.

It would be nice to have heated seats for the wife and carplay/aauto, but both these can be solved with aftermarket alternatives.

Hell, even parking sensors and blind-spot monitoring can be done as Alex has shown.

I'd keep it for just this reason:

https://news.yahoo.com/here-comes-7-...171816915.html

Maybe in parts like CA or those other places. Houston area has historically had lower than everyone gas prices.

[Dirk Diggler]

Following up on this:
The current car market just isnt worth the trouble so I've decided to not purchase another vehicle at this time.

Still need to get these done on the car to ensure she's in tip-top shape:
1. Accessory Belt
2. Spark Plugs
3. Coolant Drain/Fill
4. Struts/Shocks (purchased; just need to install)
5. Ball Joint
6. Brake job (all 4 corners) + fluid change

I'll try to get 1-4 done within in March, maybe 5 by May, 6 by the Fall.

I think most of winter has passed and the heater core and AC issues aren't too bad. Keeping the car in the garage helps a ton. The other AC issue isn't really bad as long as I have the AC on 62 and have air blowing on the feet vent - because that's where the sensor is located that turns off the compressor.

Currently under 110k miles and should be around 10-15k miles a year. If all goes well, I wont buy another vehicle for a couple of years but still keep the mirage as a 3rd vehicle.

Are shocks and struts something that usually needs to be replaced around 100k miles?