Meet the 414,000 Mile Mitsubishi Mirage
People criticize the Mitsubishi Mirage for being inexpensive, having three cylinders, and being basic. But guess what? The Mirage is the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid gasoline-powered vehicle in the U.S. Oh, and guess what? It’s one heck of a runner.
This 2014 Mirage—and yes, it has a CVT—has taken a Minnesota couple 414,000 miles (that’s 666,268 km) until Jerry and Janice Huot decided to trade it in at White Bear Mitsubishi in White Bear Lake, MN. And what did they trade it in for? Yes, another Mirage.
According to a press release sent by Mitsubishi, the Huots dubbed their Mirage the “Purple Won,” and outfitted it with a vanity plate that played off the car’s color and the nickname of Minnesota’s favorite son and rock legend Prince. The paint color also closely matched that of the Huot’s favorite NFL team, the Minnesota Vikings, which at one point, prompted Jerry to dress up the Mirage with Viking horn decals for Janice’s birthday. Listen, we at Subcompact Culture may be Green Bay Packers fans, but we totally respect this.
On the way to 414,000 miles, the Purple Won was a commercial delivery vehicle, hauled rocks and mulch for a landscaping project and required nothing but standard maintenance. To me, this only highlights the fantastic versatility of subcompact hatchbacks.
Like … how?
So how (and where) does one put the better part of a half-million miles on a 74-horsepower car? According to Jerry, “Janice drove it mostly for the first 7,000 miles or so, but when winter came, she wanted all-wheel-drive, so she got a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. But then I started using the Mirage for my business. I am a courier. I deliver samples from various doctors’ offices to labs, so I drive up and down the state and around town in Minneapolis all the time. The Mirage never missed a beat. It got me up and out of our gravel driveway, even in the middle of winter, when others got stuck in the snow.”
The couple says there weren’t any major issues with the car, either. They had to replace the wheel bearings sometime after 150,000 miles, and the starter motor was replaced at somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 miles, but that was all covered under warranty. And other than regular oil changes, nothing else was done.
In Purple Won’s place is a 2020 Mirage with a few more bells and whistles, like HID lights, heated seats, and a nicer stereo. As a Minnesota native, I can attest to the value of heated seats. Good choice, Huots! We love our 2017 Mirage, and we hope they love their 2020, too.
Not only is this a testament to the Mirage’s durability, but also showcases how cars overall have greatly improved. Even a car as inexpensive as a Mirage has the ability to run a very, very long time. Just keep up on the maintenance and you’re likely good to go. Who know, maybe even more than 414,000 miles. FYI, the restyled 2021 Mirage is set to go on sales Q1 of ’21.
