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Post by epaul on Sept 4, 2023 12:52:36 GMT -5
Excerpts from Car and Driver's review of the Mitsubishi Mirage. (a car that can sell new for under $20,000)
- That said, the Mirage is a rather disappointing vehicle: it's slow, not especially comfortable, and its interior feels chintzier than a watch from TK Jewelers. Much as a mirage taunts the dehydrated desert wanderer, the Mirage teases consumers in search of a reasonably well-equipped new vehicle on a budget. Unfortunately, it's like discovering that the desert oasis out in the distance is indeed mere heat waves; the Mirage looks like a great deal from afar but its value quickly vaporizes upon closer inspection.Slow, unrefined, an interior that's cheaper than a Palm Beach retiree.
- A continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) is standard across the board, and it only exacerbates the little car's uninspired nature. Blame the transmission's tendency to hold the engine at higher revs in a vain attempt to make the most of its limited power. The resulting drone makes the Mirage's straight-line acceleration seem even more tedious than it is—and it is tedious.
- The Mirage is among the cheapest new cars sold today, and its interior reflects this. Hard plastic abounds, and the cabin's design is as plain as an unsalted rice cake.
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Post by Cornflake on Sept 4, 2023 13:05:46 GMT -5
I think you've convinced me not to buy one, epaul.
When I get my license back I plan to retire my 2008 Jeep and get a new used vehicle. I don't know anything about cars. Mine needs to have 4WD and it needs to get me where I want to go. I'll probably be happy with whatever I get.
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Post by billhammond on Sept 4, 2023 13:06:47 GMT -5
I saw one of these today, an Encore GX, pretty good looking for a Buick, I thought.
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Post by david on Sept 4, 2023 13:21:56 GMT -5
I am not familiar with "TK Jewelers," but I enjoyed the mirage analogy.
I have been looking at 4WD pickup trucks, but with gas prices sticking between four and five dollars, I am reluctant to pull the trigger. Even my little 4runner costs around $90 to fill up.
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Post by Marty on Sept 4, 2023 17:49:28 GMT -5
I think you've convinced me not to buy one, epaul. When I get my license back I plan to retire my 2008 Jeep and get a new used vehicle. I don't know anything about cars. Mine needs to have 4WD and it needs to get me where I want to go. I'll probably be happy with whatever I get. I have a 2012 Ford Escape 4WD, V6 and a very good tow package. I bought it with exactly 40k on it, lease car, it now has over 80k. I see them all over and most, like mine, are in very good condition because the owner likes it and takes care of it. Ford lists it as a truck as it is built on a Ranger frame. You know what I don't see? One of the coolest and hottest selling cars to come out in the last 30 years, a PT Cruiser. Everybody had to have one and you saw them everywhere. Now, you see none, nada, zip-o-roonie. They sold a whole lot of PT Cruisers and dealers could not get enough to meet the demand. But they were not built to last and/or the novelty wore off and owners didn't take care of them. I do see a few Chevy HHRs from that craze but not many. Before you buy look around at what is still on the road and in good condition. Yah I know Toyoda Camry. The Robots that take over from us will be driving old Camrys.
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Post by billhammond on Sept 4, 2023 19:08:48 GMT -5
You know what I don't see? One of the coolest and hottest selling cars to come out in the last 30 years, a PT Cruiser. Everybody had to have one and you saw them everywhere. Now, you see none, nada, zip-o-roonie. They sold a whole lot of PT Cruisers and dealers could not get enough to meet the demand. But they were not built to last and/or the novelty wore off and owners didn't take care of them. I do see a few Chevy HHRs from that craze but not many. PT Cruisers were crappy cars (ask Kate). Doug owned an HHR; I rented one once on a vacation trip and its lack of visibility triggered my claustrophobia big-time.
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Post by epaul on Sept 4, 2023 19:44:29 GMT -5
209,453 miles on my 2012 Kia Sorento.
Runs like a top. Just routine maintenance (except for the non-routine anti-theft ignition update which was free). Not unusual for cars to make 200,000 miles and still run like new. But, with this Kia, there is more. The car has never spent a night in a garage, it spends it time outside in front of the garage, yet there is no rust to be found and the paint looks like new. Washed up it still looks like a new car.
And I am not the lightest guy, yet the seat suspension and fabric is in fine shape. And the interior of the car still looks new. No dash cracks or splits, no broken knobs, all buttons work. And on the road, no rattles, squeaks, or undue wind noise. The car is solid as a tank.
I really like this car. I don't how long it can go, but right now I wouldn't bet against 300,000. And if the paint hasn't faded yet, maybe it never will (it is some kind gray, not sexy but very practical).
All of which is leaving me a bit of a pickle. I am thinking it is soon time to buy a new car, timing the market before EV regs price conventional cars to the moon. But, I still really like this car. The only reason I would want a new car is for some of the safety features (particularly those that wake you up when you are on the verge of dozing off while on long, sunny trips). I don't know how long the window will stay open for decent buys on gasoline powered cars, but I don't want it to shut before I can get through it.
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Post by epaul on Sept 4, 2023 19:47:52 GMT -5
If I had to buy tomorrow, I would get one of Hyundai hybrids. Hyundai is the same as Kia, but I like the current models styling better.
(the performance advantages (speed and pep) offered by the hybrids over the gas only models is just too tempting to pass up. It's true with Hyundai/Kia, Honda, Toyota, Everybody. The hybrid versions are much peppier than the gas only models.)
((and they get better mileage. 8-10 mpg better.))
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Post by Village Idiot on Sept 4, 2023 20:34:11 GMT -5
I think you've convinced me not to buy one, epaul. When I get my license back I plan to retire my 2008 Jeep and get a new used vehicle. I don't know anything about cars. Mine needs to have 4WD and it needs to get me where I want to go. I'll probably be happy with whatever I get. It sounds to me like you might want to keep what you've got.
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Post by Cornflake on Sept 4, 2023 21:01:21 GMT -5
"It sounds to me like you might want to keep what you've got."
I'd be tempted except for three things. One is that when it needs repairs, sometimes the Jeep Service Department can't get the parts.
Second, it gets about 16 mpg. Gas isn't cheap.
Third, maneuvering it into small parking spaces is all but impossible. As Phoenix gets ever more dense, small parking spaces are the only kind.
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Post by Rob Hanesworth on Sept 4, 2023 21:09:12 GMT -5
Tried to look at a Mirage, but I wasn't sure what I was seeing.
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Post by epaul on Sept 4, 2023 22:06:34 GMT -5
If I lived in Phoenix, had money and a nice garage, didn't have to do daily driving or long distance driving, I would be tempted to get an EV and grab the govt. money to help pay for it.
In some situations, EVs are a pretty nice fit, and the rebates are a good deal. (make sure what you get qualifies for the Fed subsidy)
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Post by John B on Sept 5, 2023 4:47:45 GMT -5
Second, it gets about 16 mpg. Gas isn't cheap. We have a new Jeep. It gets 16 mpg.
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Post by Cornflake on Sept 5, 2023 6:58:47 GMT -5
"We have a new Jeep. It gets 16 mpg."
My wife's Mazda gets about 25 mpg. The Mazda model with 4WD gets about the same. Jeeps are great but....
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Post by majorminor on Sept 5, 2023 8:18:33 GMT -5
"It sounds to me like you might want to keep what you've got." I'd be tempted except for three things. One is that when it needs repairs, sometimes the Jeep Service Department can't get the parts. Second, it gets about 16 mpg. Gas isn't cheap. Third, maneuvering it into small parking spaces is all but impossible. As Phoenix gets ever more dense, small parking spaces are the only kind. How 4 wheel drive does it need to be? We bought a new Chevy Traverse in 2021 and as a lifelong big 4x4 truck guy I love that thing. Front wheel drive with on demand 4WD. Plenty of driver and passenger room - heck I fit in it. Can seat 7 or 8 but everything folds down in back. We are in the 26MPG hiway range. We put studded snow tires on it in the winter and it's the best winter car we have in terms of traction. But if you need something small to do more Jeep-like bad dirt roads in the desert/mountains stuff I can't think of much other another Jeep or a Subaru.
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Post by Marty on Sept 5, 2023 8:41:21 GMT -5
If I was going to Get DaWife another car it would be a Subaru Forester or Outback. I know what features she wants and the Subaru ticks all the boxes.
And you still see a LOT of old ones on the road. Russell still drives the one he got like 40 years ago.
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Post by epaul on Sept 5, 2023 8:46:50 GMT -5
Honda CRv hybrid, Toyota RAV4 hybrid, Hyundai Tucson hybrid, Mazda CX50 hybrid. (Forester won't come as a hybrid till 2025 model year) (Kia Sportage runs well but is just too goofy looking ((for kids that like video game creatures)). (((Chevy Equinox and Ford Escape just aren't up to the competition))) The Hyundai PHEV (plug in hybrid) runs on battery power for the first 30-35 miles, then switches over to its gasoline engine (and starts recharging the battery through regenerative braking). Qualifies for up to $7,000? Fed tax credits. www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/vehicles/tucson-plug-in-hybrid
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Post by RickW on Sept 5, 2023 8:54:54 GMT -5
Excerpts from Car and Driver's review of the Mitsubishi Mirage. (a car that can sell new for under $20,000) - That said, the Mirage is a rather disappointing vehicle: it's slow, not especially comfortable, and its interior feels chintzier than a watch from TK Jewelers. Much as a mirage taunts the dehydrated desert wanderer, the Mirage teases consumers in search of a reasonably well-equipped new vehicle on a budget. Unfortunately, it's like discovering that the desert oasis out in the distance is indeed mere heat waves; the Mirage looks like a great deal from afar but its value quickly vaporizes upon closer inspection.Slow, unrefined, an interior that's cheaper than a Palm Beach retiree. - A continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) is standard across the board, and it only exacerbates the little car's uninspired nature. Blame the transmission's tendency to hold the engine at higher revs in a vain attempt to make the most of its limited power. The resulting drone makes the Mirage's straight-line acceleration seem even more tedious than it is—and it is tedious. - The Mirage is among the cheapest new cars sold today, and its interior reflects this. Hard plastic abounds, and the cabin's design is as plain as an unsalted rice cake. We’re all getting spoiled. Sounds like the kind of cars my parents bought, back in the 50s and 60s. Except instead of being small and slow, they were big and slow, and handled like a barge. Our Outlander, with 100,000 miles, still runs like brand new. Our middle daughter’s ancient honda civic, that we bought her to go to university, is still running 10 years later. She’s put some $$$ in it, but it just keeps going.
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Post by Cornflake on Sept 5, 2023 8:56:40 GMT -5
"How 4 wheel drive does it need to be?"
Not as much as it used to be, Steve. I've reluctantly concluded that in the future I won't be visiting the kinds of uber-remote places that you can only get to via very bad roads. I'll still be visiting places with ordinarily bad roads where getting stuck in mud or snow is a real concern.
You mention Subarus. I forgot to check those.
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Post by dradtke on Sept 5, 2023 9:16:32 GMT -5
I think you've convinced me not to buy one, epaul. When I get my license back I plan to retire my 2008 Jeep and get a new used vehicle. I don't know anything about cars. Mine needs to have 4WD and it needs to get me where I want to go. I'll probably be happy with whatever I get. Sounds like a Subaru to me.
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