The times they are a changin'

[AtomicPunk]

After many years of mockery, now with gas prices on the rise with no end in sight, Jalopnick is actually suggesting folks go out and buy a new Mirage while its still under 20k.

https://jalopnik.com/so-much-for-the...1847973879/amp

[Mark]

After many years of mockery, now with gas prices on the rise with no end in sight, Jalopnick is actually suggesting folks go out and buy a new Mirage while its still under 20k.

https://jalopnik.com/so-much-for-the...1847973879/amp

I became interested in the Mirage when they were selling for under $10,000, & I was wondering why it wasn't common knowledge at the time? I almost overlooked the Mirage myself a few years back!

A lot of small cars have disappeared from the market since that time.

[skyblue]

Not really, people buy with their heart not their head, oh and safety/driving aids which I'd rather go without, the thing that sold me on the Mirage was the CVT trans, being able to be in the most efficient ratio no matter my speed is excellence and while the engine is not the smallest displacement I could buy it's only .2 higher than the lowest I can buy in country. At the time the used Micras and Altos were all conventional automatics.

Plus I got free cruise control, which is not something I don't think I could have got on the Nissan Micra or Suzuki Alto without significantly more expense.

If/when my Mirage dies, I will buy something that's like the Mirage but electric or maybe even convert the Mirage if the cost of that comes down in price.

[7milesout]

For years before buying my Mirage, I use to do internet studies on the North America's lowest TCO vehicle. The Mirage may or may not have won that prize (I think it did get that honor a time or two from various car researchers), but the Mirage was always in the top 5. I kept researching those top (lowest TCO vehicles) and the Mirage was one of the more interesting vehicles. No way was I getting a CVT.

Then the nerd guy (forget his name) came out with his idiot video about the Mirage being the worst vehicle one can buy. And as I watched it I disagreed with nearly everything out of his mouth. And I was sold. I hunted down my Mirage after that. Glad I did. The combination of the Mirage being one of, if not the lowest cost vehicle of the top 5, combined with the vehicle with the highest mpg of all non-hybrids. And believe it or not, I think the low hp still had an effect of some of the researchers ranking of the Mirage. Shouldn't have, but I believe it did.

I look at the Mirage as a tool to keep my running tax contributions at a minimum. Meaning fuel tax is low by using less fuel, and sales taxes was as low as it gets these days. The last thing I want to do is give money to the idiots in Washington (all of them).

[Cobrajet]

Interesting article, but the comments section is about what I expected: "Don't be idiot and buy a new econobox, be a genius like me and buy a CPO Civ-rolla!"

[2of9]

The comment section is hilarious.

Anyways, I don't really care what kind of car people buy. They just have to understand what they are driving. But, recently I've been asked how much MPGs I get out of the Mirage. I've been asked 3 times at the Costco pump, all from Truck owners. Just a few weeks ago, I was pumping gas and a guy right next to me asked me how many gallons it takes, when I told him, he said "dang, might need one" haha. "I'm only at halfway at 10 gallons", and around gas prices around here, I'm assuming it's going to be close to $70 for a full tank of gas. It's interesting experiencing those people ask me. It looks like people are now looking for those "small, gas saving cars" now.

The times of buying a brand new Mirage for under $10k are not here anymore. I remember seeing White Bear Mitsubishi having a huge sign that stated they have 'brand new/used cars under $10K!" i wish i took a picture of it, this was back in 2015/2016.

[Top_Fuel]

This was from White Bear's website 10 months ago...

[Mark]

The comment section is hilarious.


The times of buying a brand new Mirage for under $10k are not here anymore. I remember seeing White Bear Mitsubishi having a huge sign that stated they have 'brand new/used cars under $10K!" i wish i took a picture of it, this was back in 2015/2016.

As Top Fuel already pointed out a 2021 Mirage ES manual could be had for under $10,000 earlier this year (2021). There was a $1,000 loyalty rebate for a time that most of us on this forum would have qualified for. This was not a one week deal. It ran for quite some time. That loyalty rebate made it $9,999. If you qualified for the military & VIP rebates, you could have bought a brand new 2021 Mirage for as low as $8,999.

I could have bought a brand new model 2017 Mirage ES manual for most of 2017 for less than $10,000 OTD @ White Bear. My closing costs (tax, registration, new plates, documentation fees) at White Bear were about $855 (using Wisconsin sales tax).

My point - This wasn't common knowledge at the time. Four years later not much had changed. I know for certain I could have bought a brand new Mirage for under $10,000 ($11,000 OTD) in early 2021.

Even when I first started out hanging on this forum in 2017, it wasn't obvious to me a Mirage could be had for so little. My local Mitsubishi dealer wanted about $13,800 OTD when I bought my Mirage from White Bear. White Bear delivering the car for free (4-hours away) really sealed the deal for me, however.

This car would be a bigger seller if it was marketed better and had better dealerships. Some are dealerships are great, but many are not!!!!

[Fummins]

I don't think high gas prices are gonna make the majority of people start looking at buying a Mirage. Some yes but the majority of sheeple, probably not. How do you keep up with the Jones' in a Mirage?

[7milesout]

I don't think high gas prices are gonna make the majority of people start looking at buying a Mirage. Some yes but the majority of sheeple, probably not. How do you keep up with the Jones' in a Mirage?

Ed Zachery.

This is sort of beside the point, but it points out the fact how versatile this vehicle is. Also I think DT88 is kind of waffling between a GeeFoe and a HB. This is not meant to sway, just something to ponder.

I've got a bunch of vacation days to burn, but a burning project so I'm not sure I'll get to burn them all. I took off last Friday. I manage an apartment in Marietta (Dirk) that I rent for my son and rent out 2 other rooms. A roommate told me on 10/25 that he was moving out, too bad, he is a good guy. Luckily I quickly found a new guy to move in. The new guy is from Utah, and was flying in Friday at noon. He's a kid, just like my son, flying in with the clothes on his back plus suitcases.

I told him I'd pick him up at the airport, because I needed to burn a day, would be coming right by there, needed to clean up the room he was moving into, and I wanted to meet the other roommate too (which I had not). He was elated as he was going to have to spend like, what $40-$60 to uber to Marietta, and even more to get supplies from Wallie. I was happy to support him as I'm a dad, I would hope if my son flew away he'd have someone nice to support him. I go to pick him up, I already had a vacuum cleaner in the back with the seats laid down.

He had 4 huge hardcases stuffed full and heavy, plus a back pack. It was somewhat tight but it all fit in there. It would not have fit in a trunk with the trunk closed. It probably would not have fit in the back seat. But the HB took it all.

We went to the apartment, dropped his bags and vacuum cleaner. Then I dropped him off at the local Wallie, and went back to the apartment and vacuumed his room, living room and hallways. Set a bunch of clocks (oven, microwave, thermostat, etc). Set the thermostat to heat cause I'd say those knuckleheads would let the pipes freeze before they'd fidgit with it. Then the new guy texted me and I went and got him at Wallie. He had just as much or more crap than the airport pickup. I took him and all that crap back to the apartment, and got all his stuff in his room. Good kid. My son came in from classes, and the old roommate stopped by to drop the keys. Bunch of good kids and me. But dern, that Blueberry was handy.

And, I left my house with 4 of 8 fuel blocks (~half a tank). I got home and had 1 block left and no blinking. I averaged about 47 mpg and put over 100 miles on the Mirage. A helluva vehicle. It helps me give as little to our idiot politicians (all of them) as is possible. Thank God for our smart politicians / founders way back yonder. Anywho - A helluva car.

If GM were smart, they'd make as close to an equivalent Mirage with a pickup bed as is possible, like a Metro with a pickup bed, and call it an El Camino (like Ford is doing with the Maverick). But make it basically a Metro pickup. 3-tapper and all. Heck, they could slap the Volt drivetrain to it. The Volt drivetrain still is the best electric / hybird concept out there.