(Above pic from discussion:
Removing the rear seats (turn your Mirage into a mini cargo van)
I would be remiss for not suggesting the Mitsubishi Mirage.
It's surprisingly roomy for its small footprint:
- 47 cubic feet with the rear seats folded
- vs. 53 for the Vibe).
Quote:
Originally Posted by boydwgrossii
Preferably used. I haven't had a car less than 10 years old ever. I plan on getting a 2015 or 2016 (movin' on up!).
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The good news is you can get a 5 year-old Mirage for less than the price of a 10+ year-old Prius. I'm seeing nice used Mirages for $3-4k CAD with reasonable miles/km on the clock pretty regularly these days.
You didn't state if you're looking for manual or auto though!
For the Mirage, go for the manual. I'm not sold on the long-term durability of the CVT for someone who's going to keep the car a long time. The cars are otherwise surprisingly reliable.
And anyway, the real world manual MPG is better than the real world CVT MPG, even though the CVT has a better EPA rating. (Because
EPA ratings handicap manual transmissions.)
EG:
102 manual drivers on the Mirage forum are reporting 44.5 MPG (US) = 5.3 L/100 KM vs. 40.2 MPG (US) / 5.8 L/100 km for the CVT.
I regularly see ~55-65 MPG US in mine, which is ecomodded, and which I drive for max MPG.
Test drive one first, though. You might not like it! The Mirage is a significantly lighter car than the Vibe / Golf / Jetta. And the handling takes getting used to. The suspension is ridiculously soft: it was tuned for comfort for developing markets rather than for spirited cornering.