Thank you Eric, I bought my 2017 a year ago. That was before gasoline doubled in price. The dealership sent me a E mail wanting to buy it back also. No I am keeping it! Best car I have ever owned!
@@matthewgutierrez3988 They can't get new cars so they want to buy back cars that they sold so they can resell them at a higher price. It's pretty common these days with the chip shortage and Hyper-inflation. What they sold for 10.5K new is now worth 20K used.
I totally agree. I don't think the auto critics who trashed this car years ago understood what they were test driving. Doug Demuro was the most obnoxious of the bunch. I've noticed that more recently there are more journalists who seem to understand the mission of this car. It's the modern-day equivalent of a VW Beetle, Chevy Chevette, and Geo Metro. Tiny car. Tiny engine. Comparatively cheap to buy and run. It's actually quite a plush and luxurious little cheap car compared to the likes of the Beetle and Metro. People are just getting so spoiled that they can't appreciate the virtues of the Mirage.
Exactly. For a Modern Geo Metro, it's a whole new level of great. Modern in everyway that people like, and still basic and cheap to operate as well. Perfect blend, and I'll bet they gain a following as the years roll on and people realize that these were the best at doing what they set out to do.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Just curious, have you had an issue with either of your Mirages having rear camber problems? My 2014 did immediately after changing all 4 tires at 32k miles. The dealership said the rear camber isn't adjustable on the Mirage and blamed the new non-OEM tires, which I thought was absurd. I've heard Mirages are expensive to get fixed. Makes me nervous to buy another new Mirage, especially at today's non-negotiable MSRP prices.
I have a 1st gen 2014 manual 5 speed 1,2 model with 304.000 km (189000 miles) on it. I change the oil (Shell 5W-40) every 20000 km (12500 miles) and the oil filter every 40000 km (25000 miles) and it only burns just shy of 0,5 liter (1/2 quart) of oil for every oil change. If i drive like my grandpa on long strait country roads with no other traffic on a calm day i get up to 63 mpg (YES 63 mpg) at the legal max speed 80 km/h (49,71 mi/h) However, i did changed the tyre size to 165/65-15 to lower the engine rpm. Original it was 175/55-15. And that lowered the rpm with around 250 rpm and the speedometer is also now gps spot on!! The ONLY thing that has ever broke is one single tpms valve (80,-Usd at the stealership) not even a lightbulb has broke. I just changed the gear oil at 300000 km (almost double interval overdue) and it looked AND LAP TESTED almost like new. (That was 70,-Usd out the window😂). I also still have the original fuelfilter. NO oil leaks any where what so ever. Yes, the car is on the small side but if i put the back seats down, i have a small stationwagon!! Best little car ever!!!! EVEN better than the Suzuki’s and those things are REALLY REALLY good cars. Best regards from Denmark. PS: About the power, my record is 188 km/h (117 mi/h) (real gps speed) on the German Autobahn and i have it on video, because no body belives it.
I am amazed at the 63 MPG- I am glad to see that you take so much care in it- These are great cars- Did you see the article that names the 2024 Mirage the best car to buy? I was amazed when I saw that article
These cars are great! I daily a 2019 CVT Mirage and there is no cheaper way to move from A to B. They can be bought and maintained dirt cheap in comparison to other vehicles and are as stated absolutely trouble free, if maintained.
I love my Mirage's. I have a 2015 CVT version which I gave to my son as his first car, and a 2017 5-speed which I kept for myself. Yes they have very soft suspensions and a ton of body roll (which can be a bit much for a car critic who drives performance cars on a regular basis), but these things are super light and can really carve a rough canyon road in the right hands, especially in the 5 speed trim. The soft suspension takes a little getting used to, but that's great for absorbing imperfections and dips in the road. Trust me when I say these things can be a blast to drive in that "slow car fast" sort of way. Both of the Mirage's are now both over 100k miles and have not yet had ANY problems. Just oil/filter changes, brake pads and one battery. The original battery is still kicking on the 2017!! 😂
I have a 2015 only big issues I have is this screaming goat noise I get when at highway speeds now (got into a bit of a bender a month ago) and it prematurely threw it's serpentine belt within the first year of it's life. Close to rolling over to 100,000 mi
About to do a 2,300-mile one-way road trip in one of these. I'm renting the Mirage, but super excited to drive it. Amazing fuel efficiency and plenty of space for me + my two dogs. Thanks for producing this video!
Point, click and subscribe. $$$ RUclips influencers, TikTok stars. These nitwits make millions sometimes being complete IDIOTS. Luckily there are many more ppl that are helpful and useful to the world. I'm proud to be a Boomer lol
My 2017 Mirage G4 has been absolutely solid for the last 125,000 miles. I remember the reviews when they first came out, they whined about trivia like visible fasteners and how the car didn't corner like a ferrari, which only showed how little they understood the purpose of the car. It's not as comfortable or sporty or fast as a $50,000 Lexus, but it's not trying to be a luxury sport sedan, it's literally a three cylinder economy car. And it's a good one. Also, when people whinge about how the car IsN't FaSt EnOuGh, they forget that they can only go as fast as the car in front of them. My mirage is frustrating to drive, because I'm continually stuck behind cars that are supposed to be much faster. I joke with my wife that it's the fastest car on the road, because we are always waiting for people to move. If you REALLY want the mirage to be the fastest car on the road, take it out on some black ice. It's amazing on icy roads. It's fun watching 4wd trucks and jeeps try to keep up with it.
I agree 1000%, you are spot on. I am not brave enough to take mine out in the snow or ice- They sale the roads here super thick so I try to limit the exposure
I have a 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage and went up and down the mountains in Arizona. Everyone laughed at me because the engine is freaking small and not much energy to it but if your willing to go slow with the semis. Flat she goes pretty fast though taking off she goes from 0 to highway speed - eventually. I even love the rumble the muffler has so it's not as quiet as other compact cars. Feels like I am picking on the people with the loud muscle cars here. The only draw back to a Mirage is please be careful with pot holes, I found pot holes are the true weakness of this car.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs I would not call the Mirage under powered in anyway for what engine it has short of CAs stopping at a light and trying to get up to highway speed in a short distance. I've done a lot of road tripping in this car and really my only issue is I have the gas gauge issue. My car always says I have less fuel then I have, which I guess is a common thing for some models. XD Though thinking I need gas leads for more leg stretching so really isn't a complaint.
From the Philippines here, was mocked when i bought my 2013 Mirage Hatch CVT then, but now my collegues are asking if they could buy it from me.. No chance.. 😄im keeping mine, even though i have an SUV, this little critter does the job ;)
so glad you guys posted these videos about the mirage. i test drove one today, hopefully will order/purchase within a year. seen a lot of undeserved bad reviews on these .
I bought a mirage es from white bear August 2021 for $12,600 from white bear. Drove it for 8000 miles. It really is a great car. I sold it because Carvana offered me $19,500 for it. I ended up getting a Hyundai ioniq blue hybrid as it gives me more space, more comfort and 70 mpg. However I would definitely buy a new mirage again, people are asking way too much for these used. Last time I spoke to white bear, they will still sell you one at MSRP with no dealer markup. My biggest complaint with the mirage is that there are no soft cushions where you put your elbow on the door. It really is a great frugal car. Highly recommend them.
Can’t thank you enough for these videos. I’m seriously looking into these. The only problem is the costs have jumped up about 4-6k above what they used to be. Crazy.
Man thanks for your update definitely going to make my decision on getting the 2021 mirage es carbon edition it makes common dam sense unlike people trying to write these cars off because how the basic made I totally agree I’m more of a stability man and solid to get me from A to Z
I also own two Space Stars (Mirages). The first of my vehicle is 2014 1.0 (71 HP) manual and the second one is 2022 1.2 (71HP with higher torque) manual. I decided not to sell the older one, because it is not worth to sell such a reliable vehicle (I love them both).
Hard to believe it’s been this long since the purchase of the first one . Great cars for sure ! Glad you all are enjoying them . Hope all is well on the farm Erik . I’m sure you’ve been busy churning dirt and planting since spring is here !! 73’s my friend
Time does fly! Yup I spent all day on the tractor yesterday. It was supposed to rain, but at about 10 am I decided to spend a little time on it before the rain came. It never did!
Your channel helped me decide to get mine, 2024. Going to try to make it last decades. I wish Mitsubishi wasn't getting rid of them, but I can be thankful they kept it going as long as they did. I'd buy a second if I could. A blogger called Mr Money Moustache had a great essay called Safety is an Expensive Illusion, I refer to it every time someone asks about safety. Puts the statistics into perspective.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Do you have an opinion how often the CVT pan filter should get changed? I saw your other videos and was thinking about copying your change intervals, but that particular video did not go into the pan filter.
I used to get ALOT of "slack" from others when I purchased my 2020 Toyota Yaris LE Sedan. After purchasing a 2015 Mazda 3 Hatchback for my wife, I fell in love with her car, but I wanted something smaller but reliable. So when I heard that Toyota was collaborating with the Mazda 2, I knew that this was the car for me! I chose the Sedan because it gave more Rear leg and seating room for my 14yo daughter. Sadly my wife's car (heavier and larger engine) would actually get better fuel mileage if she didn't have such a "heavy right foot", and I drive "overly careful" or like a "Senior Citizen" like my wife complains... I am disgusted that American Auto Manufacturers stopped production of all their "Smaller Vehicles" because SUV's and Large Trucks where the "TREND". That's my "Two Cents"! Sincerely, -T🖖 Western Washington State
You nailed the point of American car manufactures making nothing but large SUVs, hindsight is 2020 for them. When gas goes even higher and diesel being scarce people will be wanting the smaller more fuel efficient vehicles. They make SUVs because they have such high profit margins so the companies can make a fortune.I hope they fail hard
2020 Yaris sedan? Wow you got me reliving the decisive moment last year by figuring out which one to get; that or the G4. I settled for the G4 and am VERY HAPPY with it.
Edmunds, I think it was, claimed the reliability was average or less on the 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse I had. In 240,00 miles, the only unscheduled maintenance it needed was a clutch master cylinder and one inner tie rod! It still had original clutch when I sold it, although the engine was going out. Burned valve I guess. It was well built!
We use our " Space Star" more often than our Land cruiser. More than capable to handle our Norwegian mountain winters. We run on studs. I absolutely love the fact that simple maintenance doesn't require the removal of half the engine bay. Clutch replacement in under three hours. I laughed in disgust when the wife wanted to go look at these cars. Humble pie has been served. Mitsubishi really nailed it with this hidden gem. Naturally aspirated. Thats the key. She drove an Alfa romeo 1.0 turbo before. Sexy car, no doubt. Engine eventually ate itself after 193 clicks due to being force fed. Nope!! Simplicity. Yes... Simplicity.
Thank you for echoing my sentiments on the Mirage. My 2021 blue 5-speed, nicknamed "Mr. Bitchy"...is holding strong. I have 24,000+ miles on it and absolutely no complaints or repairs outside of regular maintenance. I deal with a Minnesota winter...and aside from the major blizzards, this little car slices through most weather without a problem. Does this car inspire irrational passion and cultivate a mystique? Hell no...but I get places in comfort without spending a fortune. Keep letting me know how these cars perform for you...and I'll keep High-fiving along the way!
I agree with everything you said. I have had 2015, 2018 and just bought a 2022 SE. I have never had a problem or warranty claim on any of them. The first two I bought I used for Uber and medical transport, lots of hard use and miles and never a problem and never a complaint from customers. I never had that kind of trouble free driving with any Toyota, Nissan, or Honda I owned.
Great video, thank you so much for it, I really don't get the hate for this car, yesterday was at the dealership and ordered one, it's going to be my first car that's mine, been driving my family's seat Leon which is a pleasure to drive, sure gonna miss how speedy it is compared to my soon to arrive space star, but sitting inside the car at the dealership I fell in love with it, don't get people who say it's ugly, I love its looks and it will do exactly what I need, get me to work and home safely, reliably and super cheaply compared to most cars on the road. I'm going to kiss this car when it arrives.
Great video, I purchased my Mitsubishi Mirage new, early 2018, 2017 model, it's a great little car, super cheap to run, no problems mechanically, zippy to drive, it's a keeper!
I have owned 3 Mirages now a 2015 Mirage ES CVT, 2017 Mirage G4 SE CVT and now my 2021 Mirage SE CVT. They are great cars!!! Amazing on gas, have a long warranty, proven reliability, tons of standard features on the base model and step up to the top trim SE if you want standard things like heated seats, led headlights, fog lights, nice 15 inch alloy wheels, sporty plaid cloth and leatherette seats, cloth on door panels and cloth door panel arm rest, fold down driver seat arm rest, upgraded gauges, upgraded interior trim on shifter, steering wheel and around vents. So many features with this car and even a fully loaded one with everything comes in under $20,000.00 which is so hard to find a new car under $20,000.00 today. But now the 2021 and 2022s have tons of standard features you just cant beat it.
Every time gas prices climb, I love mine even more. My CVT 2018 took a 200 mile trip to Raleigh, and got 50.1mpg . That's better than a first gen Prius!
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Dang thats awesome! Yea these are amazing little cars that are rugged and have a super reliable engine that gets amazing MPGs as you can attest to lol! So cool you have 2!!! I love my Mirage!!!
Great video man! I own a 2018 Mirage same red colour as yours and I love it! No matter what others say, I know the value of this car and how much amazing it saves on gas. Three dealerships have begged me already to buy out the car and No & Never has been my answer :)
I like the way you think. It's just comfortable enough. Reliable, and efficient. It's what basic transportation should be. What's amazing is that a vehicle like this is still allowed to be sold anymore. If I didn't already have a Honda fit which gets routinely 35 to 40mpg it definitely get one of these.
Although I really like my 2017 Mirage ES manual (5-years of ownership this coming October), I wish the Honda Fit had not left the North American market. I bought a 2017 ES manual, because a new one could be had for under $10,000 OTD (as low as $8,500 OTD if you qualified for all the rebates at the time). If I could have bought a new Honda Fit for under $10,000 OTD, I would have one of those in my driveway. With today's pricing, however, I would not rule out a used Honda Fit over a Mirage. I really like my Mirage, but I would not pay big money for one! I hope to drive my Mirage for 15+ years. It's nice not having a car payment. Affordable, reliable, & economical - a Mirage is hard to beat. The affordable part is not so good these days, however.
Thanks for keeping us informed on how these cars are working for you. I am going from a larger sedan to a small car again.I have driven a hatch and a couple g4s and they seem reslly comgortable and powerful enough. Mostly a 2 mile commute to work but some long road trips too. I am concerned about getting used to the sound of the 3 cylinder. Its a little louder than most on acceleration but seems to settle down once up to speed
Have a 2015 with 60k miles now. Only things I've had to replace.. Brakes and rotors. Rusted out. Park outside (midwest... snow/salt). Needs a new serpentine belt. Squeals on startup and brown color. Going to change soon. Other than that... hasn't skipped a beat. No other issues. Great a to b car in my opinion. Find parking everywhere. Even in tight spots 😂. Just a heads up if the abs and traction lights ever turn on check your taillights first before taking it to a mechanic or buying sensors. I had no idea these cars threw lights if your tails are burnt out. Found out after buying a scanner and looking up the code online.
I've a 2015 manual transmission Mirage. I've owned several Mitsubishi cars, a Stealth twin turbo, a Talon AWD turbo, and one Lancer. All good cars. Parts can be a bit of bother but Amazon has a good select.
My Toyota Corolla 2004 has 596,000 miles on it's still going strong. Transmission is original and engine. Only thing I replace is the break,filter,tires and oil change.
I think they are cool cars. I guess this is the last year for them to be on sale in the USA! I hope there are some on the lots by Spring. That's when I hope to buy one.
Before this ride, we both drove Toyota Echos. These were later renamed the Yaris, so I am very familiar with your car. Those are also REALLY good cars. Mine had 264K when the transmission (a 5-speed) finally died. That's when I bought the 2018 Mirage. It's not as peppy as the Echo, but it gets 3mpgs better on the road.
Fairpoint, what do you say to an exclusive vid, calling out of Doug DeMuro for completely missing the mark on the Mirage 8 years ago? Two years ago he doubled down on his previous bs in regards to the Mirage i.e. "it's still unreliable, a bad value." Etc.
I just purchased a 2018 and it’s exactly what I was looking for. Appreciate the reviews. Looking at arm rests and the cruise control. How’s your arm rest holding up(which brand? Lots out there) and you installed cruise control yourself?
Its funny how owners of these praise it but so many "review" pages will trash on it. I rented a 2022 on Turo for a few days when my car was in the shop and honestly might go buy it as my replacement daily when one of the dealers near me offers a decent deal... or when my malibu finally dies.
Thanks for mentioning that these cars can go the distance on road trips! I'm tired of reading bullshit from non owners like "Those can't keep up on the highway." or "You will automatically die if you get in a wreck in one of these." and my favorite "You won't be able to merge on the highway without destroying your engine." I have driven all over my country and not one issue with any of the aforementioned. My only complaints are the same you would have for any subcompact on the highway, namely the seats suck for long distance driving IF you don't get out and stretch every few hours and road noise is louder than say in a Chrysler 300. Big whoop. I set my cruise control on 70mph and turn up my factory speakers to medium high to hear my quietly spoken pod casts.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs The age of frugal econoboxes is coming back IMO. Inflation, fuel costs, wage stagnation, housing crises, etc. there's never been a better time to own a Mirage lol. The dealers by me can't keep them on the lots, especially the hatchbacks. There's a few G4s out there in my city though. My wife loves hers. I prefer it over the hatch on the freeway personally.
Do you know is there a way to convert it into an occasional camper to sleep over night without removing the front passenger seat? I am a tall guy and sleeping across - even slightly wider Kia Forte was not wide enough. If I fold back seats down and move front passenger one all the way forward - would it be enough to lie down diagonally on a mattress spanning all the way into a trunk?
i agree with your comment regarding US reviewers..most of them..plus they act like the everyday owners cares about their comments..i dont really becos i test drive vehicles extensively before buying
Bingo! I drove the heck out of a used Mirage that was for sale at a local dealer before I bought either of these. On paper they had every spec I was looking for. Small, efficient, and affordable. I picked a winner.
I also don't understand the opinion from US americans that cars with less bhp are unsafe!? I do drive a 2001 Opel Vectra b 1.6 with 100bhp, weight of 1300kg. It just needs 6.5litres of fuel on 100km and its max speed ist 202kph. See...in the US you can't even go fast but cars have outrageous power outputs. In germany cars have very little power but can drive max speed. 😂
I agree 10000%. People here act like 80hp is dangerous. Dude, my 1983 Rabbit (Golf) GTI made that and it was considered a sports car in it's time. This gets up to speed with no issues no matter how steep the incline, and is a comfy safe ride. I love it, other US owners love it, but the money here is made selling overpriced over hyped garbage to people that don't know any better so this one gets left out. Sad.
My brother Will buy a 2015 tomorrow with just 17398 Miles for just 7K $ only one owner who is a 90 years old lady , who my grandpa and dad has known for 50+ years, she bought it new and has always kept it in a garage so zero rust and mint condition i would even go as far as to say that it is almost in brand new condition atleast interior wise
Sadly the Mirage is going away is the end of the affordable transportation I am in the process of getting one hopefully I can I am looking at 2024 model looking for any recommendations to make it last longer.. Sir may I ask where we could find the seat covers ??
Those covers came from Amazon Inchon was the name I think. These cars are the last (for now) affordable compact cars the USA will see. Someday in less than 10 years, things will change. Money will be hard to get, gas too, and the era of the sub compact will return.
I share your love for this car. It does all that you need and more. And in 7 years of ownership (70.000 miles) zero defects. Not even a light bulb broke. Only fluids, whipers a generator belt (preventive) and four tyres. That's it for in 70,000 miles.
These are great cars! If you don't know the service records, just swap the air and cabin filters and do an oil change. That's about it! They are VERY reliable.
We bought a Mitsubishi Mirage as well. I looked at them from the engineering aspect, and they are great. They are not powerful, but I am still waiting on SUV's to get up to speed. Ours was a 2022 version that just came off the truck. We love out Mirage, it is surprisingly spacious, fits three kids comfortably in the back... we actually took them along and out of all the cars we looked at, they liked the space in the rear for the Mirage the best, next to the Subaru Forester... which was used, expensive and needed some TLC in the suspension. So for the price of this new, or a used 110k mile Subaru we went with this. I did upgrade to having Weathertech floor liners and I installed sound deadening materials in the roof and the floor because that was the only fault I found was the road noise. We only have about 2-3k miles on ours so far, but it has been great. It is a CVT version and we are seeing 48-52 on highway at 65-75 mph. Anything over 75 and it seems to drop to between 42 and 46. It also does surprisingly well in the snow, way better than I expected from a front wheel drive car.
Did the sound deadening work satisfactorily? How much did that cost, as I drove a used Mirage a few months ago and was disappointed with the road noise?
I live in the UK and can confirm the generally negative opinions on these under rated little cars very much extends across the pond. Pay attention to the motoring press and they'd have you believe the Mirage is one of the worst cars there has ever been!. Funny thing though, look at owners reviews and the results are pretty much reversed!. Regarding power and the ability to keep up with traffic on main roads, the comments from some people amuse me greatly, they seem to think that unless you have 200+hp you will be holding up other traffic. The Mirage with the manual gearbox has a top speed of about 112mph (CVT loses a few mph off that), pretty high for a car with its power and a result of it being more aerodynamic than is typical for a small car. The fastest you can legally drive on any road in the UK is 70mph, so I'm not sure why anyone might think a car who's top speed exceeds that by 60% is going to struggle?!. It is very simple mechanically, with little to go wrong, which appeals to me far more than a premium badge, lots of gadgets and an unnecessarily powerful engine. I'm due to change cars in the middle of next year and the Mirage is a prime contender if I decide (as I'm thinking of) to get something 2nd hand rather than new (you can no longer buy new Mitsubishi's in the UK). Have to also say, the general opinion of the motoring press (certainly in the UK) of CVT's, isn't that different from the negativity towards the Mirage. The car we had before our current one was a Honda Jazz (Fit in some markets including, I think, USA) with a CVT. Absolutely brilliant transmission which often seemed to know what I wanted before I did!. Give me a CVT over an overly complex DCT any day!.
Thank you for doing this video all of this just makes sense. Love how you compared them to an Eacort or Chevette. Hard to believe you have had them for that long. Common sense cheap vehicles are kind of tough to find now.
They really are and it kind of baffles me. For the longest time car makers offered a "Value" model. Something cheap to run easy to work on and cheap to own. Ford has the Aspire, the fiesta, the escort, and even to a lesser extent the Pinto. Chevy had the Spark, the Aveo, the Chevette and you could even say the entire Geo line. Dodge had the Omni and the Neon, and the Asian makers always had options. Tercel, echo, Yaris, and so on. Now nearly all of them have quit the market, and this is literally the last option left. Thankfully it's a great option, but I do wonder what there will be when this is gone.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Hyundai KIA Nissan Mitsubishi aren't killing their compacts, they're just going to ask $2k to 4k more than they're worth. It'll still leave customers on a budget, to finance a new car, just with a 20% bigger car note each month vs getting a car pre-covid.
I liked the Spark better….bought one for my daughter. Decent 4 cylinder engine. Will have to drive one of these as another small car is needed and the Spark is discontinued
The spark was cool too, but never got the fuel milage they really should have been able to with a car that size. Mid 30's was just not enough for me to head that direction.
I rented a 2022 model for 8 days recently my only issue was that the steering was slightly wobbly at freeway speeds, but I think it's because I didn't realize when I rented it that the car had anti-skid. Which is the built in stabilization feature and it probably wasn't on the whole time. My Kia soul has that too. Perhaps if I became aware of that feature during the 8 day adventure with this car I would not have experienced the slight freeway steering wheel movement. Other than that, you said this'll do 85 on the freeway? Non-sense I had it up to 98 a couple times! The only time it felt "under powered" was when somebody in a Challenger or Porsche zoomed past at 120 mph. But, that's not what you wanna do in this car anyway.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs that’s my experience. I was looking at the odo and yea the steering wheel needed to be handled very well at 95 mph which I only held very briefly
Hi, thanks a lot for an awesome explanation. Got a quick question, what do you think of the rear collision safety for rear passengers? I always loved hatchbacks, but when thinking about my kid being so close to the rear bumper kinda freaks me out...
These are designed to take a very hard impact from the rear. They have a 4 star safety review, and I'd say that I feel as safe in this car as any. It has 6 airbags as well to help protect folks. If you are still worried, they do make the Mirage G4. It's a sedan version of this car and is a tiny bit longer.
Yeah it's looking like this will be the way I go. One other advantage of a light car is that when the owner does service, he doesn't feel as much like he's about to die when he's doing oil with service ramps. How easy is it to do periodic maintenance? How much work is it to take out the rear seats? My understanding is that you can just unbolt the rear seat backs and take the out through the hatch.
You won't be disappointed! The rear seats come out super easy with just 2 or 3 bolts holding the back in place. The bottom just pops out. I took out my rear for a camping trip and it took less than 10 minutes. Service is super easy. I made a complete service video over on Farpoint Farms. It clocks in a 30 minutes, but I cover EVERYTHING. Enjoy!
I own one of each and I an say that I can't really tell a difference in the performance or fuel mileage from the CVT vs. The Manual. The stick is a little slower overall, but not in a noticeable way.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Well, I was really talking about long-term reliability. I've heard too many bad things about CVT's going bad too early
@@justsumguy2uthat what the warranty is for. 10 year 100,000 miles to back it up. One mirage owner had it for over 400,000 miles and it served them well. No I’m not making this up. Google for your self to believe Beside, it pairs with a reliable 3A92 engine. 76HP is not even high enough to break a CVT. The only way it can be unreliable is by POOR maintenance and care aka negligence.
what grade engine oil did lot of you use? the manual book seems to recommend lot of range of grades. i still use the 0w20. 1 supermarket sells shell fully synthetic 10w30 on a discount. around 25usd after the exchange rate conversion.
@@felgercarb3803 i am using that now mobil semi synthetic 10w-40. the next service i will try that shell 10w-30. hopes that it is selling cheap at that time. thanks again brother. for now everything is fine, not much difference in fuel consumption.
Most of the older cars were slow as molasses and people were fine with them. My vs beetle is slow but I love it. Back in the day if you went 0-60 is 11 seconds it was a great time, now them complain if they can't go 0-60 in under 6
Good vid, Eric, thanks for sharing, I enjoy your channel. But I am missing how many miles do you have on each. 1.5 & 3 yo isn't long enough review for me. I buy ten year old gas-sipping cars with under 150kmi that I know will easily last another 10 years and 100kmi, so Hondas and Toyotas only. In midwest, you hardly ever see cars that old of any other brand. Maybe a Geo (Toyota), Saturn, Chevy, Ford, rarely Suzuki. Hardly ever Nisan, Huyndai, never Mitsubishi or Chrysler product. Talking about cars in daily use. I appreciate you mention Mirages have been here since 2014. What are the average miles on them? What kind of life and where did they live? Sounds like you say all are mostly trouble free? I would love it to be that case. Thanks for your input.
My first car at 16 was a 92 mirage. I had so much fun in that car on back roads with friends, sold it to my uncle ,later he said the motor blew up. Lol oops.
I have a 2012 manual transmission. now 160000 km. engine no problems no oil burning.. only periodic maintenance..fuel consumption.. the most wasteful 1l /14 km. the most efficient 1l/24 km. average 1/18 - 19 km
As I age, having a automatic has been nice. The fuel milage is 2 to 3 mpg's less in the CVT compared to the stick, but we still find both fun and peppy to drive.
I like the utility of a hatch back. The VW Rabbit was my first car and the station wagon/ Hatch back has been a must for me ever since. Not a fan of SUV's though. The Mileage numbers from the EPA are way off. Add 5 to the CVT and 8 to the manual to get the correct readings, and those are in the mountains. When I go on vacations, this thing really shines. I put studded tires on mine this year and it works as well as any FWD car in the snow.
In car biz basically all aspects of it since 1974. I racked my brains trying to decide with all the choices and BS online from ppl that can't even gap a spark plug. Lol Got a 2021, couldn't be happier. Without even trying I sometimes AVERAGE 46 mpg! WOW. Made in Thailand. Mitsubishi Motors/Electric Even I wasn't aware they make cars and parts for so many now. From MB to Toyota and Honda. Look that up wet behind the ears online reviewers smh 🙄
I swear all the people who do the negative reviews must be paid to shill that stuff. These are great little cars- It is absurd to me to pay $750+ on a car payment each month-To me that is a mortgage payment
I'm at a point that I don't pay much attention to what Millenial or GenZ aged auto reviewers have to say about what is or isn't a good vehicle. They think that less gadgetry means it's not a good choice. They also seem to think that anything under $60K is not worth owning. They just don't have the same point of reference that older generations have, mainly because they grew up after things like cell phones and the internet became the norm. I'm not mad at them, but the way they look at things is too different from my generation. I'd like nothing better than the automakers to at least carry some sort of reliable basic transportation or basic truck that was more affordable because of less doodads, but I'm not holding my breath. LOL.
I agree with everything you are saying here. The era I grew up in had many basic cars that lasted for ages due to their simplicity. Car and driver and Consumer reports used to mention the ease of basic maintenance when talking about cars. Now? Now it's a mess of unneeded garbage that integrates into every system and causes all kinds of issues.
thank you for the honest review not like the other guy it tag the mirage as the worst car because he compare it to a muscle car what a stupid comparison
Purchased used 2021 mirage in June Took 1k road trip and did 70 to 75. The issues I see are high winds are an issue in any small car, Stopping distance can be an issue. Very conservative drive. Will consider buying another in the future
We use winter beater cars here since they use so much salt. The heat will smoke you out. There are some great videos of these cars in Canada doing great in the snow. They key is good snow tires
I had 175 65 r14s on my old 2014 Mirage. They worked perfectly, it's barely taller than the OEM size. No tire rub and the selection was much better too.
Got mine from 2018...I had problem with paint the red color...on the roof and spoiler it seems fade up especially on plastic spoiler...I think it because our sun hit too hard on our city 45°c every day in Saudi Arabia even with waxing
Thank you Eric, I bought my 2017 a year ago. That was before gasoline doubled in price. The dealership sent me a E mail wanting to buy it back also. No I am keeping it! Best car I have ever owned!
We got the same call. They offered us more than what we paid for the cars. Still said nope!
@@matthewgutierrez3988 They can't get new cars so they want to buy back cars that they sold so they can resell them at a higher price. It's pretty common these days with the chip shortage and Hyper-inflation. What they sold for 10.5K new is now worth 20K used.
Just bought a 2024 Mirage G4 so far I'm loving it.
Great cars. I just drove 1100 miles in mine and got 46.2 MPG!
I totally agree. I don't think the auto critics who trashed this car years ago understood what they were test driving. Doug Demuro was the most obnoxious of the bunch. I've noticed that more recently there are more journalists who seem to understand the mission of this car. It's the modern-day equivalent of a VW Beetle, Chevy Chevette, and Geo Metro. Tiny car. Tiny engine. Comparatively cheap to buy and run. It's actually quite a plush and luxurious little cheap car compared to the likes of the Beetle and Metro. People are just getting so spoiled that they can't appreciate the virtues of the Mirage.
Exactly. For a Modern Geo Metro, it's a whole new level of great. Modern in everyway that people like, and still basic and cheap to operate as well. Perfect blend, and I'll bet they gain a following as the years roll on and people realize that these were the best at doing what they set out to do.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Just curious, have you had an issue with either of your Mirages having rear camber problems? My 2014 did immediately after changing all 4 tires at 32k miles. The dealership said the rear camber isn't adjustable on the Mirage and blamed the new non-OEM tires, which I thought was absurd. I've heard Mirages are expensive to get fixed. Makes me nervous to buy another new Mirage, especially at today's non-negotiable MSRP prices.
I have a 1st gen 2014 manual 5 speed 1,2 model with 304.000 km (189000 miles) on it. I change the oil (Shell 5W-40) every 20000 km (12500 miles) and the oil filter every 40000 km (25000 miles) and it only burns just shy of 0,5 liter (1/2 quart) of oil for every oil change. If i drive like my grandpa on long strait country roads with no other traffic on a calm day i get up to 63 mpg (YES 63 mpg) at the legal max speed 80 km/h (49,71 mi/h) However, i did changed the tyre size to 165/65-15 to lower the engine rpm. Original it was 175/55-15. And that lowered the rpm with around 250 rpm and the speedometer is also now gps spot on!! The ONLY thing that has ever broke is one single tpms valve (80,-Usd at the stealership) not even a lightbulb has broke. I just changed the gear oil at 300000 km (almost double interval overdue) and it looked AND LAP TESTED almost like new. (That was 70,-Usd out the window😂). I also still have the original fuelfilter. NO oil leaks any where what so ever. Yes, the car is on the small side but if i put the back seats down, i have a small stationwagon!! Best little car ever!!!! EVEN better than the Suzuki’s and those things are REALLY REALLY good cars. Best regards from Denmark. PS: About the power, my record is 188 km/h (117 mi/h) (real gps speed) on the German Autobahn and i have it on video, because no body belives it.
I am amazed at the 63 MPG- I am glad to see that you take so much care in it- These are great cars- Did you see the article that names the 2024 Mirage the best car to buy? I was amazed when I saw that article
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Just bought a '24 BE a week ago. Do you have a link to that article or the name of the publication? Thanks!
These cars are great! I daily a 2019 CVT Mirage and there is no cheaper way to move from A to B. They can be bought and maintained dirt cheap in comparison to other vehicles and are as stated absolutely trouble free, if maintained.
I love my Mirage's. I have a 2015 CVT version which I gave to my son as his first car, and a 2017 5-speed which I kept for myself. Yes they have very soft suspensions and a ton of body roll (which can be a bit much for a car critic who drives performance cars on a regular basis), but these things are super light and can really carve a rough canyon road in the right hands, especially in the 5 speed trim. The soft suspension takes a little getting used to, but that's great for absorbing imperfections and dips in the road. Trust me when I say these things can be a blast to drive in that "slow car fast" sort of way. Both of the Mirage's are now both over 100k miles and have not yet had ANY problems. Just oil/filter changes, brake pads and one battery. The original battery is still kicking on the 2017!! 😂
Glad to hear it! We love our as well!!
I have a 2015 only big issues I have is this screaming goat noise I get when at highway speeds now (got into a bit of a bender a month ago) and it prematurely threw it's serpentine belt within the first year of it's life. Close to rolling over to 100,000 mi
Yes its a great little car love mine 10 years old still going strong
We love ours
Love your review for keeping it real. I was so worried after reading all the hate about no power. Thank you for your review.
I figured these cars needed an honest review. They are way better than some of these paid reviews claim.
About to do a 2,300-mile one-way road trip in one of these. I'm renting the Mirage, but super excited to drive it. Amazing fuel efficiency and plenty of space for me + my two dogs. Thanks for producing this video!
Have fun! I love to take road trips!
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Thank you so much! Looking forward to it!
Point, click and subscribe. $$$ RUclips influencers, TikTok stars. These nitwits make millions sometimes being complete IDIOTS. Luckily there are many more ppl that are helpful and useful to the world. I'm proud to be a Boomer lol
How was the trip?
I'm really curious as to how this road trip went.
I've had my 2020 maraige over 3 years now and I love it
We still love our two. No issues at all, and fun to drive.
My 2017 Mirage G4 has been absolutely solid for the last 125,000 miles. I remember the reviews when they first came out, they whined about trivia like visible fasteners and how the car didn't corner like a ferrari, which only showed how little they understood the purpose of the car. It's not as comfortable or sporty or fast as a $50,000 Lexus, but it's not trying to be a luxury sport sedan, it's literally a three cylinder economy car. And it's a good one.
Also, when people whinge about how the car IsN't FaSt EnOuGh, they forget that they can only go as fast as the car in front of them. My mirage is frustrating to drive, because I'm continually stuck behind cars that are supposed to be much faster. I joke with my wife that it's the fastest car on the road, because we are always waiting for people to move. If you REALLY want the mirage to be the fastest car on the road, take it out on some black ice. It's amazing on icy roads. It's fun watching 4wd trucks and jeeps try to keep up with it.
I agree 1000%, you are spot on. I am not brave enough to take mine out in the snow or ice- They sale the roads here super thick so I try to limit the exposure
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs That I understand. I'm in Oklahoma, and they might put salt on some of the roads once or twice a year.
Shoot, depending on the winter, the roads are salty for 2-3 month straight.
Got my 2023 Mirage GT 2 weeks ago! Gonna baby it till it breaks!
You will love it!
I have a 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage and went up and down the mountains in Arizona. Everyone laughed at me because the engine is freaking small and not much energy to it but if your willing to go slow with the semis. Flat she goes pretty fast though taking off she goes from 0 to highway speed - eventually. I even love the rumble the muffler has so it's not as quiet as other compact cars. Feels like I am picking on the people with the loud muscle cars here. The only draw back to a Mirage is please be careful with pot holes, I found pot holes are the true weakness of this car.
I've never found these to be underpowered. But you are right, sometimes small holes fell huge with this one.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs I would not call the Mirage under powered in anyway for what engine it has short of CAs stopping at a light and trying to get up to highway speed in a short distance. I've done a lot of road tripping in this car and really my only issue is I have the gas gauge issue. My car always says I have less fuel then I have, which I guess is a common thing for some models. XD Though thinking I need gas leads for more leg stretching so really isn't a complaint.
These cars are so underrated and lots of fun to drive. Thank you
thank you for saying that, I agree 100%
From the Philippines here, was mocked when i bought my 2013 Mirage Hatch CVT then, but now my collegues are asking if they could buy it from me.. No chance.. 😄im keeping mine, even though i have an SUV, this little critter does the job ;)
so glad you guys posted these videos about the mirage. i test drove one today, hopefully will order/purchase within a year. seen a lot of undeserved bad reviews on these .
Our pleasure! We get so mad at the reviews that trash them.
I put 222,088 miles on my 2015. The CVT went out. I was so impressed with it, I bought a 2022.
That is impressive miles on a CVT- I hope the 2022 treats you just as well
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs thank you, I am hoping that it will last until after I retire
I bought a mirage es from white bear August 2021 for $12,600 from white bear. Drove it for 8000 miles. It really is a great car. I sold it because Carvana offered me $19,500 for it.
I ended up getting a Hyundai ioniq blue hybrid as it gives me more space, more comfort and 70 mpg.
However I would definitely buy a new mirage again, people are asking way too much for these used. Last time I spoke to white bear, they will still sell you one at MSRP with no dealer markup.
My biggest complaint with the mirage is that there are no soft cushions where you put your elbow on the door. It really is a great frugal car. Highly recommend them.
wow, you made a killing on that one!
Can’t thank you enough for these videos. I’m seriously looking into these. The only problem is the costs have jumped up about 4-6k above what they used to be. Crazy.
I know, the price is crazy. We had an offer to buy the 21 for $16k but we turned it down. I could not buy a new car for that kind of money
Man thanks for your update definitely going to make my decision on getting the 2021 mirage es carbon edition it makes common dam sense unlike people trying to write these cars off because how the basic made I totally agree I’m more of a stability man and solid to get me from A to Z
You will love it. We are on a trip with my 2018 right now and it is a solid car even 5 years later.
I share your love for them. 😊 I have a ‘23 Mirage Hatch, wine red. Wish you many years with them. Love your videos also btw.
Awesome! Thank you! These are our retirement cards, we are hoping to have them when we retire
I also own two Space Stars (Mirages). The first of my vehicle is 2014 1.0 (71 HP) manual and the second one is 2022 1.2 (71HP with higher torque) manual. I decided not to sell the older one, because it is not worth to sell such a reliable vehicle (I love them both).
Hard to believe it’s been this long since the purchase of the first one . Great cars for sure ! Glad you all are enjoying them . Hope all is well on the farm Erik . I’m sure you’ve been busy churning dirt and planting since spring is here !! 73’s my friend
Time does fly! Yup I spent all day on the tractor yesterday. It was supposed to rain, but at about 10 am I decided to spend a little time on it before the rain came. It never did!
Your channel helped me decide to get mine, 2024. Going to try to make it last decades. I wish Mitsubishi wasn't getting rid of them, but I can be thankful they kept it going as long as they did. I'd buy a second if I could.
A blogger called Mr Money Moustache had a great essay called Safety is an Expensive Illusion, I refer to it every time someone asks about safety. Puts the statistics into perspective.
You make an interesting point, even the safest things can still kill you
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs
Do you have an opinion how often the CVT pan filter should get changed? I saw your other videos and was thinking about copying your change intervals, but that particular video did not go into the pan filter.
@@The-BigWeebowski I plan to do mine every 40K. overkill? likely but it's cheap compared to a new CVT!
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs excellent, thank you I'll do the same
The age of car ownership is dying ... Need these to last
I used to get ALOT of "slack" from others when I purchased my 2020 Toyota Yaris LE Sedan.
After purchasing a 2015 Mazda 3 Hatchback for my wife, I fell in love with her car, but I wanted something smaller but reliable. So when I heard that Toyota was collaborating with the Mazda 2, I knew that this was the car for me!
I chose the Sedan because it gave more Rear leg and seating room for my 14yo daughter. Sadly my wife's car (heavier and larger engine) would actually get better fuel mileage if she didn't have such a "heavy right foot", and I drive "overly careful" or like a "Senior Citizen" like my wife complains...
I am disgusted that American Auto Manufacturers stopped production of all their "Smaller Vehicles" because SUV's and Large Trucks where the "TREND".
That's my "Two Cents"!
Sincerely,
-T🖖
Western Washington State
You nailed the point of American car manufactures making nothing but large SUVs, hindsight is 2020 for them. When gas goes even higher and diesel being scarce people will be wanting the smaller more fuel efficient vehicles. They make SUVs because they have such high profit margins so the companies can make a fortune.I hope they fail hard
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs I love my Country, and try to stay vigilant, but man I love my Mazda's and Toyota's!
2020 Yaris sedan? Wow you got me reliving the decisive moment last year by figuring out which one to get; that or the G4. I settled for the G4 and am VERY HAPPY with it.
Edmunds, I think it was, claimed the reliability was average or less on the 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse I had. In 240,00 miles, the only unscheduled maintenance it needed was a clutch master cylinder and one inner tie rod! It still had original clutch when I sold it, although the engine was going out. Burned valve I guess. It was well built!
My wife and I think that Mitsubishi didn't pay off the right people as ever Mitsubishi we've owned has been ultra reliable as well.
I had a Geo Metro and honestly, just test drove a Mirage yesterday and felt the similarities!
I still would love a geo metro! If I can get my hands on a metro convertible, I would be very happy
We use our " Space Star" more often than our Land cruiser. More than capable to handle our Norwegian mountain winters. We run on studs. I absolutely love the fact that simple maintenance doesn't require the removal of half the engine bay. Clutch replacement in under three hours. I laughed in disgust when the wife wanted to go look at these cars. Humble pie has been served. Mitsubishi really nailed it with this hidden gem. Naturally aspirated. Thats the key. She drove an Alfa romeo 1.0 turbo before. Sexy car, no doubt. Engine eventually ate itself after 193 clicks due to being force fed. Nope!! Simplicity. Yes... Simplicity.
Agreed. The non-turbo stout engine on these really helps with their long term life.
Thank you for echoing my sentiments on the Mirage. My 2021 blue 5-speed, nicknamed "Mr. Bitchy"...is holding strong. I have 24,000+ miles on it and absolutely no complaints or repairs outside of regular maintenance. I deal with a Minnesota winter...and aside from the major blizzards, this little car slices through most weather without a problem.
Does this car inspire irrational passion and cultivate a mystique? Hell no...but I get places in comfort without spending a fortune. Keep letting me know how these cars perform for you...and I'll keep High-fiving along the way!
Sounds good!
Just Bought a 2016 with 39,000kms on it. Got to say best move ever and YES NICE TO DRIVE :)
Glad to hear it. It's a very well built car!
I agree with everything you said. I have had 2015, 2018 and just bought a 2022 SE. I have never had a problem or warranty claim on any of them. The first two I bought I used for Uber and medical transport, lots of hard use and miles and never a problem and never a complaint from customers. I never had that kind of trouble free driving with any Toyota, Nissan, or Honda I owned.
Great video, thank you so much for it, I really don't get the hate for this car, yesterday was at the dealership and ordered one, it's going to be my first car that's mine, been driving my family's seat Leon which is a pleasure to drive, sure gonna miss how speedy it is compared to my soon to arrive space star, but sitting inside the car at the dealership I fell in love with it, don't get people who say it's ugly, I love its looks and it will do exactly what I need, get me to work and home safely, reliably and super cheaply compared to most cars on the road.
I'm going to kiss this car when it arrives.
You are going to LOVE it! It's roomy on the inside, cute on the outside, and it sips gas saving you a fortune!
Great video, I purchased my Mitsubishi Mirage new, early 2018, 2017 model, it's a great little car, super cheap to run, no problems mechanically, zippy to drive, it's a keeper!
Thanks for sharing how much you like yours.
I LOVE my Outlander. I LOVED my Mirage. Mitsubishi s a great car. *Mic drop*
Couldn't agree more!
I have owned 3 Mirages now a 2015 Mirage ES CVT, 2017 Mirage G4 SE CVT and now my 2021 Mirage SE CVT. They are great cars!!! Amazing on gas, have a long warranty, proven reliability, tons of standard features on the base model and step up to the top trim SE if you want standard things like heated seats, led headlights, fog lights, nice 15 inch alloy wheels, sporty plaid cloth and leatherette seats, cloth on door panels and cloth door panel arm rest, fold down driver seat arm rest, upgraded gauges, upgraded interior trim on shifter, steering wheel and around vents. So many features with this car and even a fully loaded one with everything comes in under $20,000.00 which is so hard to find a new car under $20,000.00 today. But now the 2021 and 2022s have tons of standard features you just cant beat it.
Every time gas prices climb, I love mine even more. My CVT 2018 took a 200 mile trip to Raleigh, and got 50.1mpg . That's better than a first gen Prius!
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Dang thats awesome! Yea these are amazing little cars that are rugged and have a super reliable engine that gets amazing MPGs as you can attest to lol! So cool you have 2!!! I love my Mirage!!!
I just bought a new '24 LE, I don't understand the negative reviews of these cars, I love mine and I think they are amazing at the price!
Right on! I am not sure who gives those reviews- everyone that I knows that owns one, loves theirs
Great video man! I own a 2018 Mirage same red colour as yours and I love it! No matter what others say, I know the value of this car and how much amazing it saves on gas. Three dealerships have begged me already to buy out the car and No & Never has been my answer :)
They are great little cars, not everyone can or wants to buy a $70k car
I like the way you think. It's just comfortable enough. Reliable, and efficient. It's what basic transportation should be. What's amazing is that a vehicle like this is still allowed to be sold anymore. If I didn't already have a Honda fit which gets routinely 35 to 40mpg it definitely get one of these.
They are great cars, nothing fancy but the price makes it worth it.
Although I really like my 2017 Mirage ES manual (5-years of ownership this coming October), I wish the Honda Fit had not left the North American market. I bought a 2017 ES manual, because a new one could be had for under $10,000 OTD (as low as $8,500 OTD if you qualified for all the rebates at the time). If I could have bought a new Honda Fit for under $10,000 OTD, I would have one of those in my driveway. With today's pricing, however, I would not rule out a used Honda Fit over a Mirage. I really like my Mirage, but I would not pay big money for one! I hope to drive my Mirage for 15+ years. It's nice not having a car payment. Affordable, reliable, & economical - a Mirage is hard to beat. The affordable part is not so good these days, however.
Thanks for keeping us informed on how these cars are working for you. I am going from a larger sedan to a small car again.I have driven a hatch and a couple g4s and they seem reslly comgortable and powerful enough. Mostly a 2 mile commute to work but some long road trips too. I am concerned about getting used to the sound of the 3 cylinder. Its a little louder than most on acceleration but seems to settle down once up to speed
It becomes background noise in no time. Heck, I kind of like that rumble!
Sir,
Three words to describe the Mirage at best are:
Frugal
Dependable
Honest
Perfect!
Have a 2015 with 60k miles now. Only things I've had to replace.. Brakes and rotors. Rusted out. Park outside (midwest... snow/salt). Needs a new serpentine belt. Squeals on startup and brown color. Going to change soon. Other than that... hasn't skipped a beat. No other issues. Great a to b car in my opinion. Find parking everywhere. Even in tight spots 😂.
Just a heads up if the abs and traction lights ever turn on check your taillights first before taking it to a mechanic or buying sensors. I had no idea these cars threw lights if your tails are burnt out. Found out after buying a scanner and looking up the code online.
Couldn't agree more about the durability of these! Thanks for the tip on the ABS system. I'll keep an eye out for it.
5 speed Manuel! Excellent choice.
The 5 speed is great!
I've a 2015 manual transmission Mirage. I've owned several Mitsubishi cars, a Stealth twin turbo, a Talon AWD turbo, and one Lancer. All good cars. Parts can be a bit of bother but Amazon has a good select.
I love these for sure, and I agree getting the right parts can sometimes be a chore.
My Toyota Corolla 2004 has 596,000 miles on it's still going strong. Transmission is original and engine. Only thing I replace is the break,filter,tires and oil change.
That era of Toyota is the best. I had an 2002 Toyota Echo that lasted 246K before the Manual Transmission failed.
How did you get the odometer cluster fixed? It stay stuck at 299.999 miles.
I think they are cool cars. I guess this is the last year for them to be on sale in the USA! I hope there are some on the lots by Spring. That's when I hope to buy one.
You will love it. My 2018 is nearly 6 years old and I've had no issues at all. Great cars!
I agree, people are WAYYY to harsh on these cars! Love it!
Right? Me too!
I just got a 2009 Yaris 3 door because of fuel savings.. your Mitsubishi’s have way more features lol.. love my fuel sipping cars
Before this ride, we both drove Toyota Echos. These were later renamed the Yaris, so I am very familiar with your car. Those are also REALLY good cars. Mine had 264K when the transmission (a 5-speed) finally died. That's when I bought the 2018 Mirage. It's not as peppy as the Echo, but it gets 3mpgs better on the road.
The birds sound so nice i wish i lived here in insted of the city
I miss them as well. winter is so dreary and I can't wait for spring to come
Fairpoint, what do you say to an exclusive vid, calling out of Doug DeMuro for completely missing the mark on the Mirage 8 years ago? Two years ago he doubled down on his previous bs in regards to the Mirage i.e. "it's still unreliable, a bad value." Etc.
I would love to but I think there is a defamation side that he could try on me. He is wrong on all accounts but it is not worth the lawsuit.
Great video, glad to cut through the nonsense!
Glad you liked it! These cars kick butt!
I just purchased a 2018 and it’s exactly what I was looking for. Appreciate the reviews. Looking at arm rests and the cruise control. How’s your arm rest holding up(which brand? Lots out there) and you installed cruise control yourself?
Definitely CORRECT my friend! Drive safely!
Thanks, you too!
Brutally honest. Thanks a lot.
No problem!
Its funny how owners of these praise it but so many "review" pages will trash on it. I rented a 2022 on Turo for a few days when my car was in the shop and honestly might go buy it as my replacement daily when one of the dealers near me offers a decent deal... or when my malibu finally dies.
We love these cars- They are great on gas, dependable, and easy on the budget
Thanks for mentioning that these cars can go the distance on road trips! I'm tired of reading bullshit from non owners like "Those can't keep up on the highway." or "You will automatically die if you get in a wreck in one of these." and my favorite "You won't be able to merge on the highway without destroying your engine."
I have driven all over my country and not one issue with any of the aforementioned. My only complaints are the same you would have for any subcompact on the highway, namely the seats suck for long distance driving IF you don't get out and stretch every few hours and road noise is louder than say in a Chrysler 300. Big whoop. I set my cruise control on 70mph and turn up my factory speakers to medium high to hear my quietly spoken pod casts.
Agreed, the seats could be better for sure. people just got spoiled on super nice cars. Not everyone wants or can afford a $35+ car
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs The age of frugal econoboxes is coming back IMO. Inflation, fuel costs, wage stagnation, housing crises, etc. there's never been a better time to own a Mirage lol.
The dealers by me can't keep them on the lots, especially the hatchbacks. There's a few G4s out there in my city though. My wife loves hers. I prefer it over the hatch on the freeway personally.
I'm glad somebody understands Mitsubishi.
They are great little cars
I'm planning to get one! Thanks for the video!
I have a 2014 5 speed, it has been totally reliable and cheap to run. Looking at upgrading to a new 2022 😊
My wife loves hers!
Do you know is there a way to convert it into an occasional camper to sleep over night without removing the front passenger seat? I am a tall guy and sleeping across - even slightly wider Kia Forte was not wide enough. If I fold back seats down and move front passenger one all the way forward - would it be enough to lie down diagonally on a mattress spanning all the way into a trunk?
I am not sure if there is a way without removing the front seat.
i agree with your comment regarding US reviewers..most of them..plus they act like the everyday owners cares about their comments..i dont really becos i test drive vehicles extensively before buying
Bingo! I drove the heck out of a used Mirage that was for sale at a local dealer before I bought either of these. On paper they had every spec I was looking for. Small, efficient, and affordable.
I picked a winner.
I also don't understand the opinion from US americans that cars with less bhp are unsafe!?
I do drive a 2001 Opel Vectra b 1.6 with 100bhp, weight of 1300kg.
It just needs 6.5litres of fuel on 100km and its max speed ist 202kph.
See...in the US you can't even go fast but cars have outrageous power outputs. In germany cars have very little power but can drive max speed. 😂
I agree 10000%. People here act like 80hp is dangerous. Dude, my 1983 Rabbit (Golf) GTI made that and it was considered a sports car in it's time. This gets up to speed with no issues no matter how steep the incline, and is a comfy safe ride. I love it, other US owners love it, but the money here is made selling overpriced over hyped garbage to people that don't know any better so this one gets left out. Sad.
My brother Will buy a 2015 tomorrow with just 17398 Miles for just 7K $ only one owner who is a 90 years old lady , who my grandpa and dad has known for 50+ years, she bought it new and has always kept it in a garage so zero rust and mint condition i would even go as far as to say that it is almost in brand new condition atleast interior wise
If he does not buy it, I want to- Thank is one heck of a deal
Sadly the Mirage is going away is the end of the affordable transportation I am in the process of getting one hopefully I can I am looking at 2024 model looking for any recommendations to make it last longer.. Sir may I ask where we could find the seat covers ??
Those covers came from Amazon Inchon was the name I think. These cars are the last (for now) affordable compact cars the USA will see. Someday in less than 10 years, things will change. Money will be hard to get, gas too, and the era of the sub compact will return.
Inch empire. Jen said it and I had bought it. Unfortunately I could not get it to work on my G4.
I love my 2023 mirage SE i just picked up. It's not my first mirage. Best cars i have owned.
we both still loves our cars- they are great
I share your love for this car. It does all that you need and more. And in 7 years of ownership (70.000 miles) zero defects. Not even a light bulb broke. Only fluids, whipers a generator belt (preventive) and four tyres. That's it for in 70,000 miles.
glad to hear that yours is doing so well- thanks for sharing
just bought a 2019, pick up tuesday. % speed, any pointers? will be watching all these videos very soon.
These are great cars! If you don't know the service records, just swap the air and cabin filters and do an oil change. That's about it! They are VERY reliable.
Cool, thanks. Which video to watch in need of arm console also
@@JJFO1 Change the CVT fluid out too, every 30k to 50k miles. This is critical. Aamco does a good job for about $200.
@@kylemas2005 I cheated,got a manual lol. Will change that though
Owned a 14 (totaled in a flood 100k miles) got an 18 (current commuter) both 5 speeds no issues. theres 14s and 15s with 300+k on these
Sorry to hear about your car!
im about to buy one
You will have to let us know how you like it.
We bought a Mitsubishi Mirage as well. I looked at them from the engineering aspect, and they are great. They are not powerful, but I am still waiting on SUV's to get up to speed. Ours was a 2022 version that just came off the truck. We love out Mirage, it is surprisingly spacious, fits three kids comfortably in the back... we actually took them along and out of all the cars we looked at, they liked the space in the rear for the Mirage the best, next to the Subaru Forester... which was used, expensive and needed some TLC in the suspension. So for the price of this new, or a used 110k mile Subaru we went with this. I did upgrade to having Weathertech floor liners and I installed sound deadening materials in the roof and the floor because that was the only fault I found was the road noise. We only have about 2-3k miles on ours so far, but it has been great. It is a CVT version and we are seeing 48-52 on highway at 65-75 mph. Anything over 75 and it seems to drop to between 42 and 46. It also does surprisingly well in the snow, way better than I expected from a front wheel drive car.
glad to hear that you are loving it as well as your kids. They are great cars
Did the sound deadening work satisfactorily? How much did that cost, as I drove a used Mirage a few months ago and was disappointed with the road noise?
I live in the UK and can confirm the generally negative opinions on these under rated little cars very much extends across the pond. Pay attention to the motoring press and they'd have you believe the Mirage is one of the worst cars there has ever been!. Funny thing though, look at owners reviews and the results are pretty much reversed!.
Regarding power and the ability to keep up with traffic on main roads, the comments from some people amuse me greatly, they seem to think that unless you have 200+hp you will be holding up other traffic. The Mirage with the manual gearbox has a top speed of about 112mph (CVT loses a few mph off that), pretty high for a car with its power and a result of it being more aerodynamic than is typical for a small car. The fastest you can legally drive on any road in the UK is 70mph, so I'm not sure why anyone might think a car who's top speed exceeds that by 60% is going to struggle?!.
It is very simple mechanically, with little to go wrong, which appeals to me far more than a premium badge, lots of gadgets and an unnecessarily powerful engine. I'm due to change cars in the middle of next year and the Mirage is a prime contender if I decide (as I'm thinking of) to get something 2nd hand rather than new (you can no longer buy new Mitsubishi's in the UK).
Have to also say, the general opinion of the motoring press (certainly in the UK) of CVT's, isn't that different from the negativity towards the Mirage. The car we had before our current one was a Honda Jazz (Fit in some markets including, I think, USA) with a CVT. Absolutely brilliant transmission which often seemed to know what I wanted before I did!. Give me a CVT over an overly complex DCT any day!.
Agreed!
Thank you for doing this video all of this just makes sense. Love how you compared them to an Eacort or Chevette. Hard to believe you have had them for that long. Common sense cheap vehicles are kind of tough to find now.
They really are and it kind of baffles me. For the longest time car makers offered a "Value" model. Something cheap to run easy to work on and cheap to own. Ford has the Aspire, the fiesta, the escort, and even to a lesser extent the Pinto. Chevy had the Spark, the Aveo, the Chevette and you could even say the entire Geo line. Dodge had the Omni and the Neon, and the Asian makers always had options. Tercel, echo, Yaris, and so on. Now nearly all of them have quit the market, and this is literally the last option left. Thankfully it's a great option, but I do wonder what there will be when this is gone.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Hyundai KIA Nissan Mitsubishi aren't killing their compacts, they're just going to ask $2k to 4k more than they're worth. It'll still leave customers on a budget, to finance a new car, just with a 20% bigger car note each month vs getting a car pre-covid.
I liked the Spark better….bought one for my daughter. Decent 4 cylinder engine. Will have to drive one of these as another small car is needed and the Spark is discontinued
The spark was cool too, but never got the fuel milage they really should have been able to with a car that size. Mid 30's was just not enough for me to head that direction.
I rented a 2022 model for 8 days recently my only issue was that the steering was slightly wobbly at freeway speeds, but I think it's because I didn't realize when I rented it that the car had anti-skid. Which is the built in stabilization feature and it probably wasn't on the whole time. My Kia soul has that too. Perhaps if I became aware of that feature during the 8 day adventure with this car I would not have experienced the slight freeway steering wheel movement. Other than that, you said this'll do 85 on the freeway? Non-sense I had it up to 98 a couple times! The only time it felt "under powered" was when somebody in a Challenger or Porsche zoomed past at 120 mph. But, that's not what you wanna do in this car anyway.
Ha! Nearly 100?!? I doubt mine will ever see those speeds, but good to know they can if you push them.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs that’s my experience. I was looking at the odo and yea the steering wheel needed to be handled very well at 95 mph which I only held very briefly
Hi, thanks a lot for an awesome explanation.
Got a quick question, what do you think of the rear collision safety for rear passengers? I always loved hatchbacks, but when thinking about my kid being so close to the rear bumper kinda freaks me out...
These are designed to take a very hard impact from the rear. They have a 4 star safety review, and I'd say that I feel as safe in this car as any. It has 6 airbags as well to help protect folks. If you are still worried, they do make the Mirage G4. It's a sedan version of this car and is a tiny bit longer.
@@FarpointFarms thanks a lot, appreciate it.
Will consider it for sure.
Yeah it's looking like this will be the way I go. One other advantage of a light car is that when the owner does service, he doesn't feel as much like he's about to die when he's doing oil with service ramps.
How easy is it to do periodic maintenance?
How much work is it to take out the rear seats? My understanding is that you can just unbolt the rear seat backs and take the out through the hatch.
You won't be disappointed! The rear seats come out super easy with just 2 or 3 bolts holding the back in place. The bottom just pops out. I took out my rear for a camping trip and it took less than 10 minutes.
Service is super easy. I made a complete service video over on Farpoint Farms. It clocks in a 30 minutes, but I cover EVERYTHING. Enjoy!
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs brilliant! :+ )
I considered buying a new one, but not now----the only way I'd get one is with a manual transmission, and they discontinued them. No CVT's for me
I own one of each and I an say that I can't really tell a difference in the performance or fuel mileage from the CVT vs. The Manual. The stick is a little slower overall, but not in a noticeable way.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs Well, I was really talking about long-term reliability. I've heard too many bad things about CVT's going bad too early
@@justsumguy2uthat what the warranty is for. 10 year 100,000 miles to back it up. One mirage owner had it for over 400,000 miles and it served them well. No I’m not making this up. Google for your self to believe
Beside, it pairs with a reliable 3A92 engine. 76HP is not even high enough to break a CVT. The only way it can be unreliable is by POOR maintenance and care aka negligence.
what grade engine oil did lot of you use? the manual book seems to recommend lot of range of grades. i still use the 0w20. 1 supermarket sells shell fully synthetic 10w30 on a discount. around 25usd after the exchange rate conversion.
I use Walmart brand Supertech full synthetic 0w20 and add 5 oz of Marvel Mystery Oil.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairs thanks... Anybody else use different? I got no snow in my country.
Shell 5W-40
@@felgercarb3803 i am using that now mobil semi synthetic 10w-40. the next service i will try that shell 10w-30. hopes that it is selling cheap at that time. thanks again brother. for now everything is fine, not much difference in fuel consumption.
Everyone loved the old VW Beetle and Bus and they had less horsepower . This car makes more sense than most of what's our there .
Most of the older cars were slow as molasses and people were fine with them. My vs beetle is slow but I love it. Back in the day if you went 0-60 is 11 seconds it was a great time, now them complain if they can't go 0-60 in under 6
I've just never been in that big of a hurry . Lol
Good vid, Eric, thanks for sharing, I enjoy your channel. But I am missing how many miles do you have on each. 1.5 & 3 yo isn't long enough review for me. I buy ten year old gas-sipping cars with under 150kmi that I know will easily last another 10 years and 100kmi, so Hondas and Toyotas only. In midwest, you hardly ever see cars that old of any other brand. Maybe a Geo (Toyota), Saturn, Chevy, Ford, rarely Suzuki. Hardly ever Nisan, Huyndai, never Mitsubishi or Chrysler product. Talking about cars in daily use. I appreciate you mention Mirages have been here since 2014. What are the average miles on them? What kind of life and where did they live? Sounds like you say all are mostly trouble free? I would love it to be that case. Thanks for your input.
Wonderful cars. In my country, these cars sell like hot cakes. It is literally everywhere.
I love mine, and I'm happy to see more and more of them on the road.
Last fill up of my 2021 Mirage was 49.7 mpg ! ( freeway)
That is one of the best parts of them- I was at 48.5 on the way home
My first car at 16 was a 92 mirage. I had so much fun in that car on back roads with friends, sold it to my uncle ,later he said the motor blew up. Lol oops.
They are fun, and those old 90's ones were quite sporty.
I have a 2012 manual transmission. now 160000 km. engine no problems no oil burning.. only periodic maintenance..fuel consumption.. the most wasteful 1l /14 km. the most efficient 1l/24 km. average 1/18 - 19 km
60 - 80 km/h speed is good for fuel efficiency
How’s the rear sway bar ? Any upcoming videos on the performance?
I want to buy one of these so bad right now. Just trying to find one at a good price without all of the stealership fees.
They are all about making money where they can and screwing people over. Maybe you can find one local and from a regular person
How do you like the CVT compared to the Manual?
As I age, having a automatic has been nice. The fuel milage is 2 to 3 mpg's less in the CVT compared to the stick, but we still find both fun and peppy to drive.
@@FarpointRestorationsAndRepairsthat I feel about it now. I went from G4 5 speed to G4 CVT. It day and night.
It is a real good car and
fun to drive it is Time this car be praised thank you farmpoint
you're welcome
Why did you choose the hatch over the G4? Looks like you get better than listed mileage. How does it do in the snow?
I like the utility of a hatch back. The VW Rabbit was my first car and the station wagon/ Hatch back has been a must for me ever since. Not a fan of SUV's though.
The Mileage numbers from the EPA are way off. Add 5 to the CVT and 8 to the manual to get the correct readings, and those are in the mountains. When I go on vacations, this thing really shines.
I put studded tires on mine this year and it works as well as any FWD car in the snow.
In car biz basically all aspects of it since 1974. I racked my brains trying to decide with all the choices and BS online from ppl that can't even gap a spark plug. Lol Got a 2021, couldn't be happier. Without even trying I sometimes AVERAGE 46 mpg! WOW. Made in Thailand. Mitsubishi Motors/Electric Even I wasn't aware they make cars and parts for so many now. From MB to Toyota and Honda. Look that up wet behind the ears online reviewers smh 🙄
They have ZERO knowledge 🛩️ 🎌
I swear all the people who do the negative reviews must be paid to shill that stuff. These are great little cars- It is absurd to me to pay $750+ on a car payment each month-To me that is a mortgage payment
Great for yearly summer gas prices 🎉
Definitely!
I have a 2016 G4 with all the gas savings and the car being paid for, I'm now almost done with my home mortage.
PERFECT! The feeling of being debt free is an amazing one I assure you!
Great little cars we love ours!
Those two togather be 2.4 6 cylinders 😮
You have a point!
And it has a timing chain not a timing belt, a plus for sure.
Agreed! No bent valves!!
I'm at a point that I don't pay much attention to what Millenial or GenZ aged auto reviewers have to say about what is or isn't a good vehicle. They think that less gadgetry means it's not a good choice. They also seem to think that anything under $60K is not worth owning. They just don't have the same point of reference that older generations have, mainly because they grew up after things like cell phones and the internet became the norm. I'm not mad at them, but the way they look at things is too different from my generation. I'd like nothing better than the automakers to at least carry some sort of reliable basic transportation or basic truck that was more affordable because of less doodads, but I'm not holding my breath. LOL.
I agree with everything you are saying here. The era I grew up in had many basic cars that lasted for ages due to their simplicity. Car and driver and Consumer reports used to mention the ease of basic maintenance when talking about cars. Now? Now it's a mess of unneeded garbage that integrates into every system and causes all kinds of issues.
thank you for the honest review not like the other guy it tag the mirage as the worst car because he compare it to a muscle car what a stupid comparison
You are welcome- this car is awesome, I am not sure why they get awful reviews-
Purchased used 2021 mirage in June Took 1k road trip and did 70 to 75. The issues I see are high winds are an issue in any small car, Stopping distance can be an issue. Very conservative drive. Will consider buying another in the future
Hmm. I guess I'm so used to driving tiny cars my whole life, I never noticed any wind issues while driving.
How is the traction the snow. Is the heater good? I have read that with a good set of snow tires they work well in winter.
We use winter beater cars here since they use so much salt. The heat will smoke you out.
There are some great videos of these cars in Canada doing great in the snow. They key is good snow tires
what size tires do you have on it..am wondering if it will take 175/65 R14
I have the stock 165 series tires on them. I'm not sure if you can go larger or smaller, but it may void the 10/100 drivetrain warranty to do that.
I had 175 65 r14s on my old 2014 Mirage. They worked perfectly, it's barely taller than the OEM size. No tire rub and the selection was much better too.
Got mine from 2018...I had problem with paint the red color...on the roof and spoiler it seems fade up especially on plastic spoiler...I think it because our sun hit too hard on our city 45°c every day in Saudi Arabia even with waxing
that high of temps and full sun will do it.
I agree, on my second one now.
glad to hear that you are on the 2nd