3rd time lucky! Bought yet ANOTHER cheap, 3-cyl Mirage eco-appliance!

[aerohead]

With the fuel savings you can spend more on wind for the sailboat!

[MetroMPG]

This month marks the 3rd anniversary of ownership of Mirage #3!

This is the longest I've gone in my adult life without having bought or sold another car. Is this my forever car? Sort of?

Life has gotten busier in the past 3 years, and I've pretty much abandoned the habit of perusing the local ads for cheap, efficient cars.

---

MPG in my hands over the past 3 years: 62 MPG US = 3.8 L/100 km.

---

Recent Mirage-related milestone!



A week ago was the first time I've ever seen another Mirage behind me in traffic while driving mine. He was in more of a hurry... and wasn't behind me for long! And I'd bet there was no ScanGauge on his dashboard.

[airbiteses]

What was the average speed you were driving at?🤔
The green Mirage probably had its engine replaced with a bigger and more powerful one and overtook you without any problems.😎

[y2kbug]

nice car! its cool to read about people who own these cars
i almost bought one a few years ago brand new. with a manual transmission
then i found out insurance was $265 a month to insure the car. ouch way too much! i see those cars quite often where i live and 9/10 its been wrecked. i still want one maybe some day.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by airbiteses

What was the average speed you were driving at?🤔

My driving environment is about as MPG-friendly as it gets: rural back roads, maximum 80 km/h = 50 mph posted limit (with many lower sections). Little traffic, making it practical to approach stops & turns with extended coasting with the engine off.

The green Mirage probably had its engine replaced with a bigger and more powerful one and overtook you without any problems.😎

Ebay turbo kit, probably.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by y2kbug

i almost bought one a few years ago brand new. with a manual transmission
then i found out insurance was $265 a month to insure the car.

Wow - that's nuts!

Mine has liability only on it, and costs around 350 a year, if I recall.

[bandit86]

Would be nice to get a little Mirage and swap in a little 1 liter Kubota 3 banger. 27 horses ought to be enough, the Trabant 601s only had 21 to 24 horsepower

[MetroMPG]

^ In some parts of the world (eg. Europe, Japan) you could get the Mirage with a 1.0L engine instead of the high-power 1.2L monster truck engine we get in North America.



And their manual transmission had a slightly taller final drive too!

It's no Kubota, but altogether is probably good for around a 8-10% boost in fuel economy at steady cruising speeds.

Forbidden fruit!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by bandit86

Would be nice to get a little Mirage and swap in a little 1 liter Kubota 3 banger. 27 horses ought to be enough, the Trabant 601s only had 21 to 24 horsepower

Torque would be even more important, and those small Diesels with indirect injection and natural aspiration operating at a much narrow RPM band are usually too gutless for a regular econobox

[Charles2024]

Why did it become so crusty?