This 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage is purple with a heart of Gold.
The Mitsubishi Mirage is perhaps not the most glamorous car. It’s currently one of the most affordable new cars in America at a starting price $13,995, but the purple Mirage is not new. Janice and Jerry Huot purchased the 2014 model from Minnesota. They drove it almost non-stop for six years. The Purple Won little hatch covered 414,000 miles during that period.
This kind of mileage is remarkable for any car, even a budget-friendly one like the Mitsu. The Mirage was reborn in 2014, but it didn’t make the top of anyone’s wish list. It had a 1.2-liter three cylinder engine that produced just 74 horsepower. Consider this Mitsubishi The stable once featured powerhouse machines such as the turbo Eclipse and the legendary Lancer Evo – not to forget a very cool turbocharged Mirage back then – but the reborn version was disappointing for many.
This is not meant to be demeaning, in fact it’s the exact opposite. It is remarkable that a vehicle can travel 400,000 miles. This subcompact car is best suited to zipping around cities. The price of the 2014 Mirage was $12,995, with the Huots stating that the car required only minimal maintenance. The starter was between 200,000-300,000 miles and the wheel bearings were around 150,000 miles. However, that’s impressive mileage. It was used for both work and pleasure, and was left at the Huot’s house for the few hours it wasn’t on the road.
Although the car has moved on, it is still in good condition. After the Huots had their basic maintenance done at their Mitsubishi dealer, the owner of the dealership learned that the Mitsubishi had covered 400,000 miles and was eager to purchase the car for advertising purposes. The advertising move was smart considering we are writing an article about it. Jerry said that the Huots got a new 2020 Mirage as a “great deal”. The exposure Mitsubishi gets from the deal is impressive. It should have been more than a couple of grand and additional scotch guarding.
While we aren’t convinced that a Mitsubishi Mirage would be the best place for 414,000 miles, when you consider the low price and distance it covers, not to mention how fuel-efficient the 1.2-liter engine is, it might well be the most cost-per-mile winner in the world.