New Mitsubishi Mirage $3500 factory discount (50+ mpg for $9495 US) - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

MetroMPG · 03-21-2016, 01:49 PM

Old Mech mentioned this in his Mirage thread, but I thought I'd post a dedicated topic in case anyone's in the market for a super cheap, high MPG new car:

Mitsu is having a blow-out sale on the 2015 Mirage because the updated/redesigned 2017 model is just around the corner. (They are skipping the 2016 model year.)

From: Mitsubishi Dealer Incentives & New Car Deals | Mitsubishi

$3500 off (cash or do your own financing) makes it $9495 before delivery, etc. But we've seen people getting them for even less than that with additional negotiation (like under $10k out the door). Also, that discount can be stacked with additional $500 military and $200 loyalty (own another Mitsu) discounts.

This is ridiculously good pricing. And people are jumping to take advantage of it. (Traffic at MirageForum is through the roof.) If I actually needed a car, I would be seriously considering this, and I've never considered buying new before.

Unmodified, it's easy to get 50+ mpg US from this car with the manual trans and basic eco-driving.

With moderate mods and serious hypermiling, 70+ mpg tanks are doable.

Mirage-related EM threads:

MetroMPG · 03-21-2016, 01:55 PM

PS: one caveat worth mentioning is the rear axle alignment on some cars has been found to be off (and it's non-adjustable). The company has been doing some warranty replacements.

Personally, as a condition of sale, I'd require an alignment check by an independent shop. Out of spec rear alignment will accelerate tire wear and hurt MPG. Some feel it adversely affects the handling too. Which isn't stellar to begin with (super soft).

Old Mech has shown it's possible to DIY correct this issue, but it's still a pain in the butt on a new car. Check his thread (link above).

MetroMPG · 03-21-2016, 01:58 PM

Canada is offering the $3500 deal as well, which makes the car $8998 before shipping & fees.

But unlike the U.S., it only seems to apply to the base car.

Fun fact: that's $6800 USD at today's exchange rate.

And no, it's not possible to buy in Canada and import to the States. Someone already checked.

MetroMPG · 03-21-2016, 03:08 PM

I was just wondering: this may be one of the best new car deals ever. Adjusted for inflation, this is cheaper than anything I can think of except for the Yugo:

Quote:

In 1985 he turned his attention to the Zastava company in Yugoslavia. Their tiny, Fiat 128-based Yugo entered the U.S. as the cheapest new car available that year, starting at $3995. The Hyundai Excel, which debuted concurrently, was a full grand more. source

$3995 Yugo, 1985 dollars
$4995 Excel, 1985 dollars

$8803 Yugo, 2016 dollars (inflation adjusted)
$9495 Mirage, 2016 dollars
$11,007 Excel, 2016 (inflation adjusted)

So the Yugo still beats it by 600 bucks.

Fat Charlie · 03-21-2016, 03:33 PM

Some years ago a local Nissan store was advertising Versas for $8k. Leftovers that they hadn't been able to sell, but my Subaru still had a few years left at that point. If they'd had that two years ago, I'd be in one of them now instead of spending almost twice as much on the Fit.

MetroMPG · 03-21-2016, 04:53 PM

Price sells!

It makes me wonder why Mitsu didn't just aim for "cheapest car in America!" from the outset.

That approach definitely worked for Nissan in Canada: the Micra is totally dominating the small car segment here.

Frank Lee · 03-21-2016, 05:55 PM

I hope tons are sold so that the used car pool in a few years is well stocked.

MetroMPG · 03-21-2016, 06:15 PM

Yup, good thinking.

And they've sold about 45k of them in the U.S. so far. We're seeing some used ones in the $6-7k range now.

When the time comes to hunt for a used one, a manual transmission shouldn't be too hard to find. Mitsu won't say, but we figured around 16% have a stick, just going by national searches for used ones on cars.com. (If that's a valid method.)

Daox · 03-22-2016, 09:29 AM

CVT is definitely still more common, but since it does add about $1k to the price and this is a cheap car to begin with there are more 5 speeds than normal. That being said, when I a had CVT Mirage for a week, the CVT returned some great MPG for almost zero driving effort. I typically set the cruise and was golden (50+ mpg). It is programmed for economy.

user removed · 03-22-2016, 11:19 AM

Why not just import a Trablant.

After driving THAT a Mirage will seem like a "new century" car which it is. Anyone want to drive mine stop by if you're near. I leave virtually everything behind me on cloverleafs. The handling on mine is very neutral, so caution is the rule when approaching the limits.

I've driven significantly better, capable of 70MPH on the standard Interstate cloverleaf.
Routinely doubling the max safe speed on any corner. I won't try that on my Mirage, but with decent camber readings (one side barely out of specs) and toe close to 0, it works great for me and I have driven a Nissan NX2000 around an auto cross on 3 wheels.

The 70 mph Interstate cloverleaf car was a 1959 Corvette, which had no rubber in the front suspension with threaded steel bushings, requiring 3k lube intervals. Basically a 1953 Chevy front suspension, with manual steering and manual drum brakes.

regards
mech