best year to buy for reliability

[skubee]

Hi all,
I am brand new to this forum! and i tried searching but could not find it easily in the threads.
What is the best year to buy in terms of reliability? I am looking for a basic manual hatchback Mirage. I have no preference regarding color or any extra options.

Thanks all in advance!

[Eggman]

Hi all,
I am brand new to this forum! and i tried searching but could not find it easily in the threads.
What is the best year to buy in terms of reliability? I am looking for a basic manual hatchback Mirage. I have no preference regarding color or any extra options.

Thanks all in advance!

Hello skubee and welcome to the forum.

There isn't a whole lot of difference in the model years. They'll all leave you stranded about the same, that is to say not much. Some 2014s & 2015s had rear axle alignment problems, but that won't cause a breakdown on the freeway. Most reports of engine trouble that come to mind usually involve someone plugging something into their OBD-II port that causes warning lights to illuminate and I think limp mode. Cheap LED bulbs can cause this too. Also the 2014s & 2015s had electrical wiring corrosion at a connector located behind the left-side kick panel, but that was addressed by a recall campaign to provide better water resistance.

Hope this helps, and hopefully some other forum members can chime in with their input.

Again, welcome.

[Mark]

Hi all,
I am brand new to this forum! and i tried searching but could not find it easily in the threads.
What is the best year to buy in terms of reliability? I am looking for a basic manual hatchback Mirage. I have no preference regarding color or any extra options.

Thanks all in advance!

I am not aware of any difference in the 5-speed manual powertrain since 2017. Even the new upgraded 2021 has the same 5-speed manual powertrain.

2017 gave you the ES or SE manual option.
2018 ES manual got Bluetooth & backup camera added.
2019 ES manual got cruise control & six-way adjustable driver's seat added.
2020 ES manual got automatic climate controls added.
2021 ES manual got new bumpers & emergency assist braking.

Most reliable would be related to mileage on the car, & how well it was taken care of.

[Cobrajet]

As has been mentioned, there isn't much in terms of major differences between these cars from '14 to '21. Mitsubishi mostly nibbled around the edges, making small improvements here and there as well as updating the front and rear fascias a couple times.

Mark covered the major differences in standard equipment between years, and Eggman mentioned the rear axle issue which was at it's worst from 2014 to the middle of 2015. Early cars also tend to chew through front brakes, with most people getting about 30k from the OEM pads. Aftermarket brake pads usually last much longer, and Mitsubishi made the front and rear brakes larger in 2017 to address this issue. The 2017-up cars had a redesigned catalytic converter system that can rattle and/or squeak. It is just annoying.

Manual Mirages of all years suffer from clutch cables that are not particularly robust and can fail without warning. They just let go. Some report having them snap in as little as 15,000 miles, but most last much longer. My car has 185k on it, and it snapped one clutch cable at 113,000 miles and another at about 175,000 miles. The part is cheap and easy to change, but is not widely available and can take some time to order in...just like seemingly every other Mitsubishi part. There is no aftermarket replacement for this cable that we are aware of. It is worth noting because it can leave you stranded.

You do not mention what part of the States you are in, so it is also worth mentioning that cars produced up to mid-2015 had heater cores which could partially plug up, causing the air coming from the passenger side vents to be considerably cooler than on the driver's side. Not a big deal if you live in Florida, but possibly a concern if you are in Vermont.

No matter which year you choose, a manual Mirage is one of the most reliable cars you can buy. Very few problems.

[7milesout]

Seeing that they're mostly similar, I'd go for a 2019. The ES that you mentioned is going to have cruise control, and a 2019 can be found with a manual HVAC. I think the 2020 all the HVACs are fully autoaggravating.

[mohammad]

I believe for some model years a starter/ring gear problem may also exist.

[timw4mail]

Seeing that they're mostly similar, I'd go for a 2019. The ES that you mentioned is going to have cruise control, and a 2019 can be found with a manual HVAC. I think the 2020 all the HVACs are fully autoaggravating.

Some of us like never having to touch our HVAC except to enable/disable the defoggers.

[Fummins]

I'd go with a 2017 or newer if you have the choice but they're all fine. 2017's had the wiring changed around behind the drivers kick panel so it shouldn't cause problems if you kick salty snow behind the panel like and idiot. The "recall" fix for the 2014-2015's is to remove kick panel inspect wiring and if good glue a thin plastic sheet to the connector to magically deflect water. It doesn't really work. Weather tech floor mats or kicking off your boots before entering car is the way to prevent this.
2017's had drivers window regulators that come loose and tear up the inner structure of the door if not caught quickly.
2017's had updgrades to engines to give another horsepowers and different pistons that I thought had different herbs and spices to prevent cold shrinkage problems. They have 2 roller cams on cvt's I believe too.
2017's have led tail lights. Fancy. Bigger brakes and (unnoticeably to me) stiffer suspension. One extra drive position in cvt models.
There were a few 2014's that had flywheel problems. I haven't had any issues with my 2. The flywheel looked like new on mine with 289xxxkms on it.
2017's have a different spoiler to get more mpgs and different lower rubber flappers under the front bumper and a couple added in front of the rear wheels.
It's easier and cheaper to source rear brake drums for the 2017's. The rear ones for the 2014 and 2015 are smaller, harder to source and keep going up in price by the looks of it.
The 2014 and 2015's had a recall to reflash the ecm cause they'd over fuel in the cold washing out the cylinders (and taking out bearings too I suspect) causing engine problems. I've yet to replace an engine on any fleet cars. Most 2015 are a little noisy but been like that for years now with many well over 300,000km.

I'm on my second early 2014 Mirage(the scariest year) and it's fine other than the a spun rod bearing at 289xxxkms. It drives just like my previous one that had 50k kms. No rattles, tight steering, suspension etc...

[7milesout]

2017's have led tail lights. Fancy. Bigger brakes and (unnoticeably to me) stiffer suspension.

Ohhhh, this must be why I can slam into turn 10A at Road Atlanta harder than all the older Mirages!

[timw4mail]

Ohhhh, this must be why I can slam into turn 10A at Road Atlanta harder than all the older Mirages!

Racing Mirages at Road Atlanta is a thing?