2014 Mitsubishi Mirage 5 speed build thread

[Daox]

Just got in from the first night of working on the Mirage. It was pretty productive.

First thing I did was check out the cabin filter. Should have done it at the dealer! Oh well. I've seen worse. I cleaned it out for now and put it back in.





Next up, new shoes for the new set of wheels. I had these Sport Edition D5 wheels with Fuzion HRI tires laying around for another car I have. They'll suffice until a deal rolls around on some RE92s or Enasaves for the stock steelies. They aren't quite the right size, but they're pretty close. The tire is a 185/55/R14. I'll have to get some better pictures in the daylight, and clean up the tires. They've been sitting a while...









Last, but not least. Here are the tires that came off the car. I examined them to see the wear pattern. Both the fronts and rears show signs of toe in. They don't appear horrible, but could be improved upon. Of course I have no idea how often the other owner rotated his tires, so it has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Here are the fronts.





Here are the rears. It looks like the driver's side tire has more tread, but it really doesn't. It was just the angle of the light.

[Daox]

First trip in to work this morning was a good test. It was a brisk 16F out today. The Mirage did quite well coming in at 44.3 mpg this morning. I wasn't really trying hard, and I idled a bit trying to get my scangauge working to no avail. It wouldn't connect.

I also got a nice shot once at work with the new wheels. Sadly, they do rub if you turn too sharp, so I have to be careful until I can get new OEM sized tires.

[Xist]

It is way too much effort to go to KBB, but I looked at both Miragen in the Phoenix area, a 2015 with 46,000 miles for $6,900 and a salvage 2015 with 36,000 miles for $4,800. Both are autocraptastic. I also found a 2000 HX CVT with 187,000 miles for $2,000 and a 2002 HX five speed without pictures for $1,500.

Plus some Accords and Prii. Huh. A 2002 Accord "Mechanic's Special" that needs a new rack and pinion, but it has a new catalytic converter!

Anyway, I am going to attempt to do some "work."

Come on! Boat tail it! You know you want to! :P

[MetroMPG]

Fancy wheels! Hide 'em under a coro disc!

[jcp123]

Nice deal! I'd be lying if I said I weren't a little jealous. The Mirage is a car I wouldn't want to admit I own, but want to own anyway.

[MetroMPG]

Where does a Mirage lie on the Metro Smart car spectrum of shame?

[MetroMPG]

Ps... I'm pretty immune to automotive embarrassment. Every time you tape something cardboard (small or large) to your car and use it in public, its like another innoculation!

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Where does a Mirage lie on the Metro Smart car spectrum of shame?

Definitely higher than both. Probably more as a function of its modernness than anything. Public shame aside, I'd take a Metro over a Mirage just for simplicity's sake. The Smart is an abject piece of crap (I've driven one) and deserves its ridicule.

I'm still vain when it comes to the car I'm in, but I've adopted a kind of Jalopnik halfway point as a way to make peace with having come down from baller status in my Mustang to a totally beat Echo. I'd like to think my Civic in its 5-speed, manual steering, nice interior and hail-dent-and-Honda-paint-fade glory is a Jalopnik article which hasn't been written yet. It's certainly nicer than my Echo, if not actually a better car. More of a lateral move, in a lot of ways..

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Driving a small car is not what I qualify as embarassing. As long as it's not riced-out and doesn't break down frequently, I'm OK with most subcompacts, but I do understand their eventual limitations.

[MetroMPG]

The Smart is an abject piece of crap (I've driven one) and deserves its ridicule.

I drove one a couple of years ago, and was impressed by its efficiency... but it was the diesel version that never made it (officially) to the States. And it was the cabrio... and it was a nice day. I didn't hate the automated manual trans as much as I was expecting (trained by all the negative reviews).