I'm back!

[Jibles]

Well I'm not new to the forum but I'm officially back in a mirage. I've bounced all over trying different new vehicles and thanks to the crazy market over the last 2 years I've done the switches with very little to no cost to me.

I'm back in a mirage because I just want something simple and efficient to ride out the car market. Eventually I'd like to pick up a corolla hybrid once they get a mid cycle refresh but until then it's mirage life for me.

Feels good to be back in a mirage. It's nothing special (no offense) but it just does what you need it to in an acceptable manor. Nothing offensive or annoying, also nothing exciting. Just an adequate vehicle. That's what I really love about the mirage.

[Fummins]

Welcome back. I consider getting something different all the time but keep circling back to keeping this turd making the most sense. Unless I can find something that's cheaper to insurer that'll offset the extra fuel cost of something "better".

What other cars did you have lately?

[Jibles]

Since my last mirage i had the following:

2020 Chevy sonic LT
2021 Chevy spark LT
2021 Nissan Versa SR
2021 Ford Ecosport SE AWD
1998 Ford Escort
Briefly drove my wife's 2021 Chevy spark 2LT

[Fummins]

Holy crap.

[Dirk Diggler]

Since my last mirage i had the following:

2020 Chevy sonic LT
2021 Chevy spark LT
2021 Nissan Versa SR
2021 Ford Ecosport SE AWD
1998 Ford Escort
Briefly drove my wife's 2021 Chevy spark 2LT

Man I really wanted to believe in the Sonic but after reading Fummins opinions on it I'm glad I stayed with the Mirage. The Spark and Versa, I'd only trust if they were manuals, and the Ecosport had worse mpg than it's big brother the Escape.

[Fummins]

Man I really wanted to believe in the Sonic but after reading Fummins opinions on it I'm glad I stayed with the Mirage. The Spark and Versa, I'd only trust if they were manuals, and the Ecosport had worse mpg than it's big brother the Escape.

The ones we have are 2012 and 2013's with the 1.8L. They have timing belts that have to be changed or you'll need a new cylinder head or engine. I just had a second car have one break a few months ago...Overall they just seem to wear out parts more than the Mirage. More powers will do that I guess. They don't have a transmission dipstick, to check the fluid level you get it up to temp, then pull a plug on the side of the transmisson. Pretty much need to have it on a lift to do this, or jack up the entire car so it's level then give it a try. All the cars have crappy coolant hoses that swell up then blow, coolant resivoir cracks, thermostat housings crack and leak, engine oil coolers leak oil into the coolant, there's a rod on the side of the intake manifold that controls some tuning valve that breaks off, wiper transmissons corrode at the pivot points where the arms bolt on and the plastic joints wear out and break(I've never replaced a Mirage wiper transmission)ball joints, sway bar end links, and tie rods are pretty common wear items. The hatch opens via an electric button, the wires can/do break so you can't open the hatch, we have one car where the odometer doesn't work, changing the accessory belt is a pita, changing the starter is a pita.

They do handle nicely and have 1000000x more power. They will spin the tires on asphalt in a straight line even with 400k kms. I dunno, I'd consider one with really low mileage if I didn't intend on keeping it very long. They aren't built to last in my opinion. Your experience may differ. Sadly the Mirage is the only newish vehicle that I would recommend to someone that wants something reliable. I'm pretty biased and don't get the chance to work on many other vehicles though. The ones that I do work on when I do side jobs are pretty craptacular as far as being built to be worked on or even maintained. I maintain a family members Murano, you gotta pull the rf wheel and part of the inner fender to get to the oil filter, I changed headlights in a 2015ish Fusion twice. You gotta remove the entire bumper cover, then unbolt the headlight then you need needle nose pliers to reach in and get the bulb out. Great job ferd. My sisters have 2012 ish caravans, they don't have a transmission dipstick either. One van has barely 100,000km, it has multiple transmission and engine oil leaks, it's unbelievable. The only leak on a Mirage I've seen was axle seals, and that was after replacing an axle with a used one so that's pretty understandable. Get off my lawn.

[Dirk Diggler]

The ones we have are 2012 and 2013's with the 1.8L. They have timing belts that have to be changed or you'll need a new cylinder head or engine. I just had a second car have one break a few months ago...Overall they just seem to wear out parts more than the Mirage. More powers will do that I guess. They don't have a transmission dipstick, to check the fluid level you get it up to temp, then pull a plug on the side of the transmisson. Pretty much need to have it on a lift to do this, or jack up the entire car so it's level then give it a try. All the cars have crappy coolant hoses that swell up then blow, coolant resivoir cracks, thermostat housings crack and leak, engine oil coolers leak oil into the coolant, there's a rod on the side of the intake manifold that controls some tuning valve that breaks off, wiper transmissons corrode at the pivot points where the arms bolt on and the plastic joints wear out and break(I've never replaced a Mirage wiper transmission)ball joints, sway bar end links, and tie rods are pretty common wear items. The hatch opens via an electric button, the wires can/do break so you can't open the hatch, we have one car where the odometer doesn't work, changing the accessory belt is a pita, changing the starter is a pita.

They do handle nicely and have 1000000x more power. They will spin the tires on asphalt in a straight line even with 400k kms. I dunno, I'd consider one with really low mileage if I didn't intend on keeping it very long. They aren't built to last in my opinion. Your experience may differ. Sadly the Mirage is the only newish vehicle that I would recommend to someone that wants something reliable. I'm pretty biased and don't get the chance to work on many other vehicles though. The ones that I do work on when I do side jobs are pretty craptacular as far as being built to be worked on or even maintained. I maintain a family members Murano, you gotta pull the rf wheel and part of the inner fender to get to the oil filter, I changed headlights in a 2015ish Fusion twice. You gotta remove the entire bumper cover, then unbolt the headlight then you need needle nose pliers to reach in and get the bulb out. Great job ferd. My sisters have 2012 ish caravans, they don't have a transmission dipstick either. One van has barely 100,000km, it has multiple transmission and engine oil leaks, it's unbelievable. The only leak on a Mirage I've seen was axle seals, and that was after replacing an axle with a used one so that's pretty understandable. Get off my lawn.

You see if you mailed experiences like this in to Jalopnik as a guest writer, it'd get the point across very well that a Mirage is a solid choice if you care about saving money and ease of maintenance.

I think with spending power way down for many in North America, the other big Japanese are going to give considerable thought to once again reviving the subcompact econobox. Toyota could make a cheap Mirage like subcompact, one cheaper to produce than the Yaris and sell it here.

[defensivetackle88]

Honda Fit possibly?? Only I can dream

[defensivetackle88]

What your opinion on the Versa 5 speed? I thought it not a bad vehicle as G4?

[Mark]

I was just minding my own business, & Ford articles kept popping up on my phone today.

I like how they justify 3 Maverick recalls -

"The 2022 Ford Maverick has already racked up three recalls. This doesn’t seem too bad compared to other options. For example, the 2021 Ford F-150 already has 11 recalls."

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/2022-fo...arting-emerge/

Bronco vehicles with engine failures -

"A thread concerning the 310-hp 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 Ecoboost powertrain blowing up first appeared on December 29, 2021. One blown engine is not a cause for concern, as there could be various reasons. But as of April 22, there are reports from 46 different Bronco owners, all complaining about the same engine."

https://carbuzz.com/news/ford-bronco...s-on-the-clock

My guess is that most Bronco owners have been wanting one for a long time (more than a year even). Imagine the long wait, & the engine blowing up on you!

I have very little faith in the current auto industry (especially Ford & GM).