Jalopnik Article on Mirage discontinued in 2025

[7milesout]

I really like my Mirage. I value a vehicle that's affordable, reliable, & economical to drive. Having said that, I don't know a single soul outside this forum that would have any interest in a car like the Mirage. Yet, most everyone I know owns multiple vehicles.

Mark - I agree with you 100%.

Which I guess makes me very abnormal. I have more than 1 vehicle. And I really like my Mirage. Is it my favorite? Well, I can't exactly say that. It is my favorite for pounding miles onto. Each of my vehicles has its strong points though. I guess my favorite would be the one I would choose to be the last remaining vehicle in my driveway. Which would be ... blue truck. My favorite would be based on which one is most useful combined with it being interesting, which in the end makes it the most valuable to me. Blue truck would win that for me, here it is waiting to get loaded up to bring all my son's crap home from his college (recently). Still blue, and still truckin'.

I'm jealous of your Ford Festiva experience...

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[Mark]

I really don't understand the lack of interest in economy vehicles, but the whole EV thing might be a big part of it? Those who might consider an economy vehicle as their 2nd or 3rd vehicle (depending on family needs) may be looking at EV alternatives. An economy vehicle has to be affordable, reliable, and economical in my opinion.

The $7,500 tax credit for EVs has made a vehicle like the Chevy Bolt seem more appealing. I know two young couples that have bought them this year, and the EVs serve their needs. Is it their only vehicle? No! They both have either a full size mini-van or a full size pickup truck, too. In all honesty, their Chevy Bolt was not all that more expensive than today's Mirage after the tax credit. One of the spouses drives 35 miles (one-way) to work each day. The Bolt is a great vehicle for that. If that's all you need it for, I can see going that route.

Would I want to take that same Bolt to visit my parents 4+ hours away? No way, & that is why I prefer something like my Mirage. I will be taking a 650+ mile/10 hour fishing trip with friends in a couple weeks. We all have different plans & drive out separately. Would I want a Bolt for that trip? No way! If i was forced to take my Forester because of the limited range of a Chevy Bolt, it defeats my reason for owning a 2nd vehicle.

I like my Mirage. If I had to cut back to one vehicle, I would have to keep the Forester. The Forester does some things my Mirage can't do. My trailer is my truck, and I use it a lot. A Mirage is not built to tug the things I haul around. I also value AWD with snow tires a few times a year. A Mirage falls short on that, too!

Having a Mirage has extended the life of my Forester, and I do appreciate that! I hope I go another 10 years before replacing either one.

I think the vehicle market is out of whack. The average vehicle age on the road is now 12.5 years old. I really don't know how middle-class families afford today's new vehicles?

I have never wanted to be a slave to my vehicle & car payments. New cars like my $5,300 Festiva & $9,300 Mirage have been easy for me to embrace. They are affordable & under my care from day one. I like that option over buying used, but I would be back to buying used today.

Despite those two deals, I feel my 2000 Honda CR-V LX, AWD, 5-speed manual) with 20,000 miles for $12,000 in 2004 was my best vehicle purchase ever. That was also my favorite vehicle. It could pull off most anything I wanted a vehicle to do without being flashy. The dumb thing I did in 2004 was sell my Festiva at the same time. If I hadn't done that, I would probably still have the CR-V today.

I'm not making that mistake with my Mirage. If it's still running good, it's not going anywhere!

[7milesout]

I think the vehicle market is out of whack. The average vehicle age on the road is now 12.5 years old. I really don't know how middle-class families afford today's new vehicles?

Gobment interference in what is supposed to be a free market society is what is lead to your feeling. I think your feeling is correct.