Looking For Economical Vehicle

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: andrewg
If real economy is your aim here, I would strongly consider the Mitsubishi Mirage.

It's been rated well by many auto reviewers and gets absolutely ASTOUNDING MPG's.

You can walk off the lot with one for under $15k easily.

But....that's only if you really want economy.
.

I see those things all over the place. That car seems to be selling very well. Hopefully it'll help get Mitsubishi out of the gutter.
Those are $8500 cars the second you drive off the lot. I only paid $12,700 for my Note out the door - But its a POS.
Better off with a lightly used Honda Fit - but run synpower in it! or else!

The good appearing and roomy yet "fall apart quality" Nissan Versa Note:

The tired old..."...the minute you drive it off the lot" argument is senseless in this thread. The OP was interested in new cars.

The Mitsubishi Mirage is a very good car for the money. Best in value as interpreted by many that have reviewed it....including long term.

But yes....it's a true ECONOMY car. The Fit and some other cars in that vein are WAY over priced cars. Certainly good cars though....but not a great value in my opinion.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

That mirage is way overpriced for a sub 100hp 3 cyl car and most ikely due to a yen dollar imbalance ( which should be improving). I like these kinds of cars; I owned a Subaru Justy ( $5500- NEW) AND A cHEVY sPRINT (the better early twist beam axle model) The SPrint was a dang good lil car. My Roomate had a GLC - another good little car.

I would buy an off lease 2012 low mileage Kia Forte sedan for 9G's before buying the mirage.MAybe im gunshy after my new Nissan purchase showed me how unrefined a 2014 car can be.

 

[BearZDefect]

Originally Posted By: kam327
...

You can easily get a Focus for $5k off sticker. ...

Good idea, but where do you find such prices?

Ford currently offers $2,000 off the Focus S and $3,000 off the Focus SE. Dealers give another few hundred off. That's it.

A plain Focus SE with no upgrades is well over $16k + fees and taxes. Where is that new Focus with leather for $15.7k?

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
That mirage is way overpriced for a sub 100hp 3 cyl car and most ikely due to a yen dollar imbalance ( which should be improving). I like these kinds of cars; I owned a Subaru Justy ( $5500- NEW) AND A cHEVY sPRINT (the better early twist beam axle model) The SPrint was a dang good lil car. My Roomate had a GLC - another good little car.

I would buy an off lease 2012 low mileage Kia Forte sedan for 9G's before buying the mirage.MAybe im gunshy after my new Nissan purchase showed me how unrefined a 2014 car can be.

Well...I'll tell you what. If the OP can find a deal on a brand new car that gets as good as mpg's, and an equal purchase price...then he should buy it (if value is what he is looking for). The number of cylinders doesn't determine the price of a car, does it? Plenty of 4-cylinders cost over $25K. And the horsepower suits the car very well according to the reviews and for an economy car. It comes down to value. You simply can't buy a new economy car with the kind of mpg's and features a Mirage has. The Justy and the Sprint were how many decades ago? You can't compare those prices to todays. The Mirage is miles ahead of those cars in terms of reliability (at least early signs show this) and modern design/technology.

http://www.autoworldnews.com/articles/95...best-in-u-s.htm

Anyway....it doesn't much matter as the OP doesn't seem interested in the Mirage.
Can't blame him. It's not exactly a "cool" car or one to be seen in.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
That mirage is way overpriced for a sub 100hp 3 cyl car and most ikely due to a yen dollar imbalance ( which should be improving). I like these kinds of cars; I owned a Subaru Justy ( $5500- NEW) AND A cHEVY sPRINT (the better early twist beam axle model) The SPrint was a dang good lil car. My Roomate had a GLC - another good little car.

I would buy an off lease 2012 low mileage Kia Forte sedan for 9G's before buying the mirage.MAybe im gunshy after my new Nissan purchase showed me how unrefined a 2014 car can be.

Well...I'll tell you what. If the OP can find a deal on a brand new car that gets as good as mpg's, and an equal purchase price...then he should buy it (if value is what he is looking for). The number of cylinders doesn't determine the price of a car, does it? Plenty of 4-cylinders cost over $25K. And the horsepower suits the car very well according to the reviews and for an economy car. It comes down to value. You simply can't buy a new economy car with the kind of mpg's and features a Mirage has. The Justy and the Sprint were how many decades ago? You can't compare those prices to todays. The Mirage is miles ahead of those cars in terms of reliability (at least early signs show this) and modern design/technology.

http://www.autoworldnews.com/articles/95...best-in-u-s.htm

Anyway....it doesn't much matter as the OP doesn't seem interested in the Mirage.
Can't blame him. It's not exactly a "cool" car or one to be seen in.



Ummmm I'm thinking your mistaken about number of cylinders factoring into the price of the car.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
That mirage is way overpriced for a sub 100hp 3 cyl car and most ikely due to a yen dollar imbalance ( which should be improving). I like these kinds of cars; I owned a Subaru Justy ( $5500- NEW) AND A cHEVY sPRINT (the better early twist beam axle model) The SPrint was a dang good lil car. My Roomate had a GLC - another good little car.

I would buy an off lease 2012 low mileage Kia Forte sedan for 9G's before buying the mirage.MAybe im gunshy after my new Nissan purchase showed me how unrefined a 2014 car can be.

Well...I'll tell you what. If the OP can find a deal on a brand new car that gets as good as mpg's, and an equal purchase price...then he should buy it (if value is what he is looking for). The number of cylinders doesn't determine the price of a car, does it? Plenty of 4-cylinders cost over $25K. And the horsepower suits the car very well according to the reviews and for an economy car. It comes down to value. You simply can't buy a new economy car with the kind of mpg's and features a Mirage has. The Justy and the Sprint were how many decades ago? You can't compare those prices to todays. The Mirage is miles ahead of those cars in terms of reliability (at least early signs show this) and modern design/technology.

http://www.autoworldnews.com/articles/95...best-in-u-s.htm

Anyway....it doesn't much matter as the OP doesn't seem interested in the Mirage.
Can't blame him. It's not exactly a "cool" car or one to be seen in.



Ummmm I'm thinking your mistaken about number of cylinders factoring into the price of the car.


I don't see it that way, but everybody has an opinion.

As I noted....plenty of cars with only 4 cylinders are more expensive than many cars with 6 or even 8 cylinders.

Sorry....but facts are facts and cylinder count is only one small factor in a price of a vehicle. Besides....at the price point of a Mirage, I think it is reflective of a 3 cylinder.

 

[sciphi]

Surprised nobody has suggested a Cruze Eco manual transmission yet. It's a fuel-sipper that's fun to drive and is not a penalty box on the inside. Although it's getting a bit long in the tooth by now, especially with the new and stylish Mazda3 hatch being out. But the engine is pretty reliable with the exception of a flaky water pump (replaced under the 100k mile powertrain warranty). The rest of the car is also pretty reliable since it's had time to get the bugs worked out. And, it handily meets/beats its 42 mpg EPA highway rating. At least around me there are a lot of them, so parts will also be available fairly inexpensively for a long time. It's also fairly DIY friendly for routine maintenance, and has a few active forums to help out with issues.

 

[13Tacoma]

The diesels are interesting to me. How would a Jetta TDI with a manual transmission be?

Although do the diesels suffer from the same carbon build up issues?

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: 13Tacoma
.... But I was just wondering what has a good track record?



I've done a lot of research on Subaru in the last year or so, and they are extremely reliable. I know 3 people that own Subies, 2 with the Legacy('09 and '13), 1 Forester('14), without exception they love their vehicles, which have all been trouble free and are between 30k and 70k miles. The head gasket issues are in the past for at least a couple years, and afaik the excessive oil usage has been solved for the 2015 MY.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: BearZDefect
Originally Posted By: kam327
...

You can easily get a Focus for $5k off sticker. ...

Good idea, but where do you find such prices?

Ford currently offers $2,000 off the Focus S and $3,000 off the Focus SE. Dealers give another few hundred off. That's it.

A plain Focus SE with no upgrades is well over $16k + fees and taxes. Where is that new Focus with leather for $15.7k?
We have one of the lowest cost ford dealers in the country here (Portsmouth ford in NH) and I think the best you can do ( reading the flyers) is about $3500- off on a near-base car $17500 to 14000. And no doc fees at this dealer.
Base cars aren't as stripped as they once were (unless you are talking my Nissan Note which doesn't even have PW or PDL!)

Just don't bring a trade - they'll kill you on the trade.

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: andrewg
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: andrewg
If real economy is your aim here, I would strongly consider the Mitsubishi Mirage.

It's been rated well by many auto reviewers and gets absolutely ASTOUNDING MPG's.

You can walk off the lot with one for under $15k easily.

But....that's only if you really want economy.
.

I see those things all over the place. That car seems to be selling very well. Hopefully it'll help get Mitsubishi out of the gutter.
Those are $8500 cars the second you drive off the lot. I only paid $12,700 for my Note out the door - But its a POS.
Better off with a lightly used Honda Fit - but run synpower in it! or else!

The good appearing and roomy yet "fall apart quality" Nissan Versa Note:

The tired old..."...the minute you drive it off the lot" argument is senseless in this thread. The OP was interested in new cars.

The Mitsubishi Mirage is a very good car for the money. Best in value as interpreted by many that have reviewed it....including long term.

But yes....it's a true ECONOMY car. The Fit and some other cars in that vein are WAY over priced cars. Certainly good cars though....but not a great value in my opinion.


$15k is no bargain for a car that won't satisfy many people longterm. Beyond purchase price and fuel consumption the most expensive part of car ownership is depreciation. I guarantee with three diamonds and type of car it is the car MASSIVE depreciation. This car likely is not a long term model for many and they will get burned at trade in. Spend the extra few thousand and get something you want that fits your budget and hopefully it will have longer term ownership.

That is the premise behind the non-bargain basement vehicles in the USA.

 

[andrewg]

^^ Depreciation wasn't a factor in the OP's original question. He is apparently planning on driving it until it's life-cycle is pretty much finished.

While the little Mitsubishi isn't exactly a car for an 'enthusiast' of high end automobiles....it fits the bill as an economical car for a commute. But as a point of note....many folks that drive one find out they really enjoy the little car and are surprised by it's abilities. It's not a Yugo. Plus, from a consumer standpoint, the Mirage is a good seller.

But....you may be right about the long term as I've never owned one and can't say that If I would still enjoy one after a year or two. But who's to say the Civic, Fit, or Corolla would be a car I'd enjoy long-term? All of these choices are far more expensive....yet serve the same purpose. Only real mark against the Mirage would be trade-in. But then if the Mirage is driven until it's full life-cycle....it's a great value.

 

[supton]

Is the Mirage a "global" platform? I mean, if they sell say 50k in the states it'd be a rare model, and parts might be hard to come by. If they sell 50k here and 1M around the rest of the world per year then perhaps parts availability isn't a problem.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: supton
Is the Mirage a "global" platform? I mean, if they sell say 50k in the states it'd be a rare model, and parts might be hard to come by. If they sell 50k here and 1M around the rest of the world per year then perhaps parts availability isn't a problem.

I'm sure it is a global model.
As for resale, it doesn't have far to go before it hits the minimum value that a decent functioning car of any sort has, plus its way better on gas than most other cars. For a used buyer just trying to get around without getting wet or taking a bus, a simple car is what they want. 3-4-5-6 cylinders isn't important.

 

[supton]

I have to wonder when they will get cheap on the used car market. A 3 cylinder might be fun. At least cheaper when it comes time to change plugs.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: supton
Is the Mirage a "global" platform? I mean, if they sell say 50k in the states it'd be a rare model, and parts might be hard to come by. If they sell 50k here and 1M around the rest of the world per year then perhaps parts availability isn't a problem.

I'm sure it is a global model.
As for resale, it doesn't have far to go before it hits the minimum value that a decent functioning car of any sort has, plus its way better on gas than most other cars. For a used buyer just trying to get around without getting wet or taking a bus, a simple car is what they want. 3-4-5-6 cylinders isn't important.


Exactly.

 

[Mr Nice]

I saw a Mirage on the road today, they are very small.

A Civic coupe would be a better car.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I saw a Mirage on the road today, they are very small.

A Civic coupe would be a better car.

I agree it is a better car in terms of room, comfort, and probably appeal. But it is far more expensive than a Mirage and delivers substantially lower mpg's over the life of the vehicle....that's a factor IF real economy is the goal.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
I saw a Mirage on the road today, they are very small.

A Civic coupe would be a better car.

A Civic coupe is nearly 50% more expensive at 18,300 vs. 12,900. I'd rather have the Civic too, but if funds are tight, $6k is a large difference! Plus a 10yr 100k mile powertrain warranty.

 

[13Tacoma]

I'm actually seeing a lot of focus drivers here on the forum. How do you guys think they will be long term? I did watch a video of a mechanic talking about the carbon build up problem.

By the way, the is250 is going in tomorrow for problems with carbon build up and apparently Lexus offers 7 year unlimited mileage valve cleaning and have extended it to us for this problem...