New Mitsubishi Mirage?
- Thread starter NibbanaBanana
- Start date
200k?
Not a bad lifespan.
On the Mirage forum, there are owners with over 300k on them. But like anything else, one has to take care of them.
But I don't think you have to drive gently (and thus turtle slow) in order to make the Mirage last. Cruising at high speed is not a problem, maybe WOT from every stop is, but there are those with high miles.
Too bad the CVT is the only to be had, those do seem to be a weak spot.
My outlook is pretty similar for cars, my current Focus does everything I need and averages 33mpg over a year. 40mpg would be better but there's no cheap simple wagons left that do that. I like the space of the wagon and all the newer hatchbacks are a bit small in the back.
I don't now how hard it is to bring a Quebec car into the US but that is place where smaller efficient cars did/do sell well and are pretty cheap at the moment, $20k US buys something lightly used and pretty nice in Quebec. I was amazed driving on the weekend there how few full size pickups and SUV's there were on the roads.
As I stated in my previous post: I bought two new Geo Metros, a 1996 and a 1997. They had 1 liter, 3 cylinder motors. They rotted to death at 185K and 186K miles. The motors still ran fine when they got towed to the boneyard. 7500 OCI's with M1 5w-30. That was it. No engine problems with the cars.
Three cylinder engine is an excellent engine. It is perfectly balanced rotationally. Unlike an inline four.
Bringing in a car from Canada sounds like it could get very complicated very fast.
I think a new base model Subaru Outback would go out the door for a little over 30K USD now. Probably a little more room than your Focus, AWD, and 2700lb towing capacity if you can believe it. Lots of sophisticated electronics though, so not at all simple. One trip to the dealer for repairs can really break the budget.
Balance shafts are typically used with triple engines.
They rock lengthwise. That's why inline six is such a great motor design.
I can't remember if I posted this one here or not?
I thought these the Mirage's were junk when I first saw them in 2014. After maintaining a fleet of them at work and seeing how well they hold up and how easy they are to work on I finally bought a used 2014 a few years ago. Actually on my second one. I sold the first clean low mileage car after a cheapo high mileage basketcase came my way. They're easy to work on. I drove mine into a river, filled the engine, fuel tank and interior(over the seats) with water and managed to get it going again a day later and drove it 4hrs home with just a few tools and no parts. It's still running a year later.
Pros:
-crazy low cost of ownership
-low maintenance
-easy to work on (spark plugs, air filter,oil change, cabin filter, every light bulb{except fog} is simple to access)
-hard to beat fuel economy
-10 year/100,000mile powertrain warranty
-Doug Demuro hates them
-Small and nimble-can pull a u-turn almost anywhere
-They won't leave oil stains on your driveway
-Poor handling,more so on the 14-15's but even newer ones sway a lot when pushed.
-It can be fun to drive a slow car fast.
Cons:
-They are slow
-They are the Rodney Dangerfield of cars
-You'll get blown around on the highway on windy days(2000lb car problems)
-You'll probably die if a Dodge Rams into you head on but likely have the same outcome in many other dinky cars.
-Cvt. The newer ones I drove seemed more refined and less clunky.
-High insurance rates. The Mirage is my cheapest vehicle but costs the most to insure.
-Poor handling,more so on the 14-15's but even newer ones sway a lot when pushed.
They're not for everyone. I see lots of people buy one then start trying to make them fast with "chips" or cold air intakes. I don't get it... Buy cheap economy car then spend thousands trying to make it as fast as a kia rio.
I thought these the Mirage's were junk when I first saw them in 2014. After maintaining a fleet of them at work and seeing how well they hold up and how easy they are to work on I finally bought a used 2014 a few years ago. Actually on my second one. I sold the first clean low mileage car after a cheapo high mileage basketcase came my way. They're easy to work on. I drove mine into a river, filled the engine, fuel tank and interior(over the seats) with water and managed to get it going again a day later and drove it 4hrs home with just a few tools and no parts. It's still running a year later.
Pros:
-crazy low cost of ownership
-low maintenance
-easy to work on (spark plugs, air filter,oil change, cabin filter, every light bulb{except fog} is simple to access)
-hard to beat fuel economy
-10 year/100,000mile powertrain warranty
-Doug Demuro hates them
-Small and nimble-can pull a u-turn almost anywhere
-They won't leave oil stains on your driveway
-Poor handling,more so on the 14-15's but even newer ones sway a lot when pushed.
-It can be fun to drive a slow car fast.
Cons:
-They are slow
-They are the Rodney Dangerfield of cars
-You'll get blown around on the highway on windy days(2000lb car problems)
-You'll probably die if a Dodge Rams into you head on but likely have the same outcome in many other dinky cars.
-Cvt. The newer ones I drove seemed more refined and less clunky.
-High insurance rates. The Mirage is my cheapest vehicle but costs the most to insure.
-Poor handling,more so on the 14-15's but even newer ones sway a lot when pushed.
They're not for everyone. I see lots of people buy one then start trying to make them fast with "chips" or cold air intakes. I don't get it... Buy cheap economy car then spend thousands trying to make it as fast as a kia rio.
Maybe in a Mirage without OD. My 2018 runs 2200 at 65 mph.
CVT? I could see the 5M spinning way faster, but the cvt attempting to get sane rpm (but jumping on anything that looks like an incline).
Doug Demuro This guy drives me ! can't stand watching his videos ! think i would buy one just to piss him off if i could LOL.
Correct. CVT on flat ground.
Sad this is the choice we are left with. I used to be a subcompact fan for "sporty", economical commuting to work.
Owned an '86 Suzuki Sprint (before GM ruined the design) an '88 Yugo GV, a '93 Subaru Justy, a '95 Accent L
All were fair to very good - the Subaru was the worst. Suzuki and Accent tied for Best. Loved the Yugo also.
Also had a 2wd and a 4wd Tracker that were fun.
Ahh, the days of good, cheap Hungarian Wine and Silk roses!
Sigh.
1995 Hyundai Accent - Design refinement by Porsche (!)
Owned an '86 Suzuki Sprint (before GM ruined the design) an '88 Yugo GV, a '93 Subaru Justy, a '95 Accent L
All were fair to very good - the Subaru was the worst. Suzuki and Accent tied for Best. Loved the Yugo also.
Also had a 2wd and a 4wd Tracker that were fun.
Ahh, the days of good, cheap Hungarian Wine and Silk roses!
Sigh.
1995 Hyundai Accent - Design refinement by Porsche (!)
For as much abuse that is heaped on CVT's.... they can do this sort of thing, bring rpm's right down. I have come to like mine. It serves a purpose.
But I'd rather have the 5MT.
JHZR2
Staff member
My parents had these cars when I was growing up. Plymouth champ, Dodge Colt vista, Dodge Colt. They all had double digit hp, nothing special, but they ran fine and cruised the highways at legal speeds just fine. There were times when we would go as a family of four in the car.
You really don’t need more than about 72 hp to drive anywhere across the country.
You really don’t need more than about 72 hp to drive anywhere across the country.
In a semi-aerodynamic 1900lb car.
Surprising to me the Mirage is still just over 1 ton empty at 2193lbs
It is a box of air and mild steel.
link to IIHS Mitsubishi Mirage page:
https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/mitsubishi/mirage-4-door-hatchback/2024
Safety wise, I might prefer a 7 year old Civic instead**
Both still images taken at full deformation from the IIHS 40MPH road speed impact
The previous gen Mazda CX9 performed poorly also - so this is not just a subcompact issue (below)
______________________________________________________________
** In a quick search, I did not find a crash test of the latest gen Mirage to post.
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JHZR2
Staff member
I was one of the first on site when that essentially happened in real life to a Chevy Aveo doing about 55 on a road. It was amazing how the passenger box held together with a family of four inside. The Cadillac that was involved didn’t really fare any better.
Having a longer hood in front does seem sensible to always being favorable.
I just came back to pull my post as I thought in retrospect it is a bit harsh, but my edit button left the building - timed out I suppose.
Yeah, poking around I saw the little Spark got a decent rating. GM structure and design assistance and anticipation of upcoming standards and new tests. But I might bet the Mitsu is more reliable than Aveo derivatives. Dunno.
IIHS small overlap is a severe crash test, like clipping an overpass stanchion with your left headlight at speed, many vehicles fared poorly.
Still, I miss the little runabouts.
