I get that everything is getting more expensive but wow. I get why people say they'd rather buy a used Corolla or something else. The Mirage is reliable and cheap to drive but at that price I'd start looking towards 7milesout's favorite Korean brands.
A good used Corolla is hard to come by. When I sold mine I had buyers lining up. The one's who tried to low ball would try to say "i can find X for cheaper." Yeah I can too, higher miles, older and rebuilt title for just slightly cheaper than I was selling.