Test drove two cheapass cars this weekend (and went to Ikea!)

Buddy wanted out of his 2010 Mini Cooper S because it's a gigantic pile of E36 M3 at 52k miles. Decided he hates cars and wants a bike, so he wanted something as cheap as possible, brand new, with a warranty.

I convinced him that we should go test drive a new Mirage.

After driving it for 15 minutes, we couldn't figure out how these sell, or how they're even LEGAL to sell. "Hi, i'd like to test drive a new Mirage to replace my old 200k mile 1993 Ford Taurus."

Drives car

"On second thought... my Taurus isn't so bad."

I don't even understand how this thing is LEGAL. It's absolutely terrifying at speeds above 40mph. We damn near rolled it taking a right hand turn at a green light at a speed i would have taken the turn in in our lifted Cherokee. The gas pedal throw is about 2", but that doesn't matter, as it needs to be treated as an on/off switch 0%/100% anyways to avoid getting run over at every intersection by a loaded 18 wheels. (And still, no guarantees)

It's loud as E36 M3. Buzzy as E36 M3. The motor sounds strained at anything above 2000rpms and vibrates the whole car BADLY.

We didn't even have the balls to get it over 60mph. It refuses to drive straight, requires constant white-knuckle steering corrections.

AND IT'S $16K OUT THE DOOR.

Went across the street, test drove a new Versa sedan. Sticker price $12,900. Wasn't half bad. Sure, it felt cheap, but it actually felt like a CAR. It drove like a CAR. The closest analogy i can think of is "You're buying a brand new 1992 Sentra, but it's a 2015 model year."

And that's not an awful thing.

Needless to say, he went with the Versa. Dead base model with the Bluetooth package, was $13,200 out the door. He already found oem PNP fog light package for $75 shipped.

So i ask: How in the HELL is the Versa $3k cheaper than the Mirage, despite being 1000% the car the Mirage is?

Oh, and i went to Ikea. SO MUCH GOOD THINGS.

Never drove a Versa, but a 1st gen hatch had been top of my list. Stupidly large inside. If the new ones had cruise with a stick I would have bought that.

You must have driven the fancy model. The base Mirage is $13k. There's $750 cash back on a 2015, and a grand on a 2014.

I've also driven the Mirage. It's the same car as a 1993 Geo Metro - for better and for worse. Would I take one over a Versa? Tough choice. The cheap Versa is a sedan, and I hate sedans. The Mirage has a few more features. I don't want to crank my own windows.

Nope. if I had to buy a brand-new car at the bottom end, I'd spring a couple grand more and buy a base Hyundai Accent.

That being said, the Mirage is a very honest car. They know it's a cheap car, but at least they throw you a few bones, like power windows and cash on the hood.

We couldn't find a Mirage on the lot under $16,100 out the door, and they had only 2014 models.

Base Versa was a sedan, yes... but still had more room everywhere than the Mirage.

Personally, i wouldn't be caught dead in either, but i have to admit i was pleasantly surprised at how entirely DECENT the Versa was for such a low price tag.

I actually test drove both those cars extensively just a few months ago when shopping for my new 100+ mile per day commuter.

While the Mirage wasn't a nice car by any stretch, I didn't find it quite as terrifying as you. I had it on the highway and reached about 70mph. Buzzy it definitely was, but otherwise it did alright. It leaned and wallowed in corners, but it never did anything unpredictable. It just felt very cheaply built. I'm surprised about the prices they gave you. I was offered a fully loaded ES model for right around $12k. That had power windows/locks, bluetooth, push button start, auto climate control, cruise, etc...

The Versa I drove was the Versa Note, but very similar car. It definitely felt more substantial, like a decent car. You described it well...a modern day version of a 1992 Sentra. No frills, just get you from point A to point B. I wanted at least to get power windows and locks, and that options package just put the car at a price higher than I wanted to spend. IIRC, a Versa Note with power windows/locks was around $14k.

I wound up getting a 2010 Prius, which is a much better car than either of those two. Though I have to say that the Prius handling is about as "sporty" as the Mirage was...which is to say wandering and wallowy.

In reply to Klayfish:

You're right, of course, for most GRM readers, the best car under $15k is a well-bought used or CPO car.

Mitsubishi in general, and the Mirage in particular, generally appeals to the buyer with poor credit and not much understanding of cars.

When a buyer has poor credit, a new car will typically finance for less than a used/CPO car. I'm talking about the sub-prime buyers here, who are lucky to get a 12% loan. These folks are likely coming out of beater cars, so the warranty means everything to them (and they might not know that CPO cars have a warranty). They're probably also unaware that Mitsu is on its last legs in the US, and the warranty might become totally meaningless soon.

I don't have access to sales figures, but I'm sure Mitsubishi is selling a handful of these, enough to give a tiny bump to the meager bottom line.

I know they're selling them... i see tons of them around town, but after driving one, i wish i didn't see them around town.

This lot had every bit of 30 of them on the lot a month or two ago. Only 5 left including the two in the showroom when we were driving them on Saturday.

EvanR wrote: Mitsubishi in general, and the Mirage in particular, generally appeals to the buyer with poor credit and not much understanding of cars.

I think you nailed it right there. They appeal to a certain market segment where easy financing and an advertised big warranty are selling points, car quality be damned. The first thing the dealer said to me was crap like "Don't worry about financing, we can get it arranged for you" and then tried to point out the floor mats and how to fold the back seat down. When I explained my financing situation and that I knew about cars, he was a bit surprised. I'm sure a lot of Mitsu buyers are rolling other loans in, etc...and if they don't buy at Mitsubishi, they'd be at a "buy here/pay here" lot.

I remember back in the late 90's...could have been early '00s...Mitsubishi offered a 0/0/0 program. It was something like $0 down, 0% financing and 0 payments for 12 months. They were trying to bring buyers in. Well, they did, but what a disaster. I was working as an auto claims fraud investigator at the time. I can't tell you how many Mitsubishis mysteriously caught fire or were stolen 11 months after purchase.

So tell me more about your trip to IKEA.

are those the only 2 that he test drove? I would probably take just about ANY other new subcompact base model over those two. (except in reality I wouldnt, I am done buying new cars)

I havent priced anything new lately but I think there are probably at least a handful of new cars that fall in that price range.

This makes me sad, I like the looks of the new mirage and was interested in looking at them when I get back on my feet, whenever the hell that is.

The thing I find funny is that the old mirages were great as far as E36 M3ty cheap cars went. All the ones we had over the years were base as hell, but they were nice about it.

Mirage and stopping producing the EVO. WAY TO GO MITSU!!!

I bet those 10 year warranties work real well when Mitsu goes bye, bye North America.

I will stick with my used cars.

Seems like Mitsubishi is where you go if the local Hyundai/Kia/Dodge dealer can't get you financed...

failboat wrote: are those the only 2 that he test drove? I would probably take just about ANY other new subcompact base model over those two. (except in reality I wouldnt, I am done buying new cars) I havent priced anything new lately but I think there are probably at least a handful of new cars that fall in that price range.

Yep, those are the only two. He wasn't interested in having a fun car anymore, just wanted a dirt cheap appliance with a warranty so he can build a bike.

The Versa really wasn't terrible. It's a great alternative to having no car at all, and really wasn't offensive in any way. He did at least get it with a 5spd.

I was trying to get him in a Mazda2, but at the end of the day, it was more money.

mndsm wrote: So tell me more about your trip to IKEA.

Well... we spent about $100, and got:

1) thick white plastic cutting board to go in between the two sizes i already had
2) Pair of thin floppy cutting boards because i always wanted some
3) Citrus juicer thing (broke the glass base of our old one moving)
4) Two sets of fabric/foldable organizer boxes, one white, one black. (6 boxes per set)
5) Two big grey/pink heavy duty organizer boxes (for her hall closet, sort makeup and stuff)
6) Two sets of 4 grey/pink heavy duty organizer boxes (also for hall closet makeup things)
7) 43" black "floating" shelf to serve as a mantel-ish thing over the TV
8) Two 24" black shelves/4 brackets that i'm going to make into a cat shelf under the huge living room window
9) Set of 6 matching shot glasses (all my current ones are oversized non-matching deals, annoys my OCD)
10) Box of screws/hangers/E36 M3 for shelves and such
11) 2 pairs of dish towels (one grey, one black)
12) Oven mitt (grey)
13) Pair of pot holders (grey)
14) 6 pack of cinnamon rolls (hot and fresh!)

I THINK that's it...

In reply to Swank Force One:
I'll also bet you were in Ikea for 4 hours.

I've rode in the back of a Versa Sedan and it's more pleasant to ride in than some bigger more expensive sedans. Also, I work for a Nissan dealer and have driven a newer Versa Note with no power options and stick shift and it wouldn't be a bad commuter car to rack on the miles. For $16k, you can even get a base Sentra sedan with a 6 speed manual.

Those cutting boards make KILLER ghetto rally armors.

JohnRW1621 wrote: In reply to Swank Force One: I'll also bet you were in Ikea for 4 hours.

Ehhh.... i think just under 3, but yes.

mndsm wrote: Those cutting boards make KILLER ghetto rally armors.

DAMMIT. WHY DIDN'T MY BRAIN REMEMBER THIS?!?!?! I COULD HAVE HAD $8 RALLY ARMORS.

In reply to Swank Force One:

They shatter in the cold real well, but this may not be an issue in your area.

fidelity101 wrote: In reply to Swank Force One: They shatter in the cold real well, but this may not be an issue in your area.

Honestly it doesn't matter much. My car already ground off about 1.5" of my factory flaps, so these wouldn't do much but make some noise.

EvanR wrote: Mitsubishi in general... appeals to the buyer with poor credit and not much understanding of cars.

Has anybody but people meeting that description bought a new Galant within the last decade?

That's how Hyundai and Kia made their bones.....

The Versa had the worst auto transmission I've ever had the misfortune of encountering, and I used to drive a 3 speed automatic Cavalier.

The Versa seemed like the engine was going to stall every time I stopped the car.