Here's everything that was/is wrong with my $2600 Mirage

[MetroMPG]

For those who may not know, my Mirage is an "as-is special" that I picked up for $2600 (plus tax) from a Toronto area Toyota dealership back in November. That dealership didn't put any money into it and just wanted to offload it ASAP.

The car was (still is) far from perfect. You could even make a good argument that the price paid was actually fairly reasonable, despite being low as far as used Mirages go.

Here's the complete laundry list of everything that was/is wrong with it:

1) High km/miles for the year.

While not actually a "problem" with the car itself, it did have 145k km / 90k miles on the clock when I picked it up. An average car the same age would have had around 110k km / 68k mi on it. I'm sure this contributed in part to the Toyota dealer's decision to dump the car.

What's funny is: I drive a lot less than average, so in about 2 years this Mirage will have less than average kilometers for its age!


2) Minor collision damage



That's what the car looked like when I got it. A relatively minor impact cracked & scuffed the bumper cover and busted all the mounting tabs on the plastic headlight housing. Minor, but potentially costly: a repair using new parts would have been around $2k-4k. (This is probably the biggest reason the Toyota dealer dumped the car.)

I've since repaired the headlight housing and tried my hand at paintless dent repair on the quarter panel, which turned out reasonably well. The bumper cover still needs work.


3) Miscellaneous cosmetic paint damage

I'd say the car's paint condition is "fair" from a dealership's point of view. The front end shows lots of chips and sandblasting, and there are miscellaneous scrapes, scratches & scars all around - 3 out of 4 corners!


4) Worn out brakes



It needed pads all around. I'm pretty sure the rear shoes (above) had never been changed, but it was on its 2nd set of fronts, according to the service history. It probably could have used new rotors & drums too (corrosion), but I attacked them with a wire wheel on the angle grinder and cleaned 'em up.


5) Busted radio antenna



Since repaired by yours truly, it also contributed to paint damage on the roof (scuff marks from whipping from side to side).


6) Scored windshield

This one may count as nit-picking, but it looks like the previous owner didn't change a wiper blade when she should have, or some grit was trapped and she didn't notice. Either way, there's an arc scored into the glass - fortunately on the passenger side.

The rear wiper blade was also completely shot, so there's a bit of scoring on the back glass as well.


7) No spare key

I contacted the previous owner by e-mail and snail mail to see if she still has the second key, but she never replied.


8) Front washer nozzle plugged up



Did you know that each of the Mirage's four (2 per side) windshield washer streams can be independently aimed?? And that there's an anti-drainback check valve in them? I didn't know any of these things until I removed one nozzle assembly to clear the blockage.


9) Body rust



If you live outside of the rust belt, count yourself lucky! This probably won't be a problem for you, but this 6 year-old car is already needing minor rust repair. Stone chips above the windshield (pic above) that were left bare are the most obvious spots, but I also noticed the seam sealer/caulking on the bottom-inside of the driver's door is starting to peel off because of rust bubbling beneath it.

Mirage owners of the north: rust-proof your cars! Krown treatment or equivalent.

Related thread: This is where your Mirage is going to rust out. (Body/chassis corrosion)


10) So, so dirty



The inside of the car was absolutely filthy... still is filthy. I vacuumed up the worst of the loose crap, but I'm going to remove & shampoo the seats and carpet in the spring.



The wheels are badly stained by brake dust. I cleaned the dust off, but the finish was yellowed underneath. Another project for spring time. I think I've used oven cleaner on rims this bad before.


11) Winter tires only

Given the current season, it's nice that the car came with chunky winter tires installed. But just like the spare key, the summer tires are AWOL. Or they were worn out and were thrown out at the autumn changover. Either way, rats.


12) Clutch out of adjustment



The engagement point was too high, for my liking -- probably hadn't been adjusted since the car was new. Fortunately, we have instructions here for DIY adjustment.

The clutch itself is still healthy -- I think most of the km on the car were highway, based on the stone chips/sandblasting of the front end.


13) Expensive to insure

Holy crap! For 3rd party liability insurance alone, it's about 40% more expensive than my 2000 Metro, and almost twice as much as my 30 year old Miata! Stop crashing your Mirages, people, or I won't be able to afford your exclusive little club!


14) It's a FSP



Compared to the car it replaced, it's a Fuel Sucking Pig! It's heavy, draggy, and it has a huge, thirsty engine. The cruise control is nice, though, and I'm enjoying the squishy soft suspension much more than I thought I would. I must be getting old.

Honestly, I'm having lots of fun with it. I'm looking forward to the return of mild weather to see what kind of MPG it's capable of.

Lastly: it's been a while since I had a car I could just hop in and hit the road without wondering what's going to break next, and should I bring my tools with me? That's very, very nice.