Ethics vs monetary value vs being hosed long on term ownership

My dilemma:

This morning I was cruising around ecomodder and I found a thread where a guy bought a 2012 Mitsubishi i-Miev for $7k. Intrigued I checked local listings and found some smoking deals on new Mitsubishis. I found a '15 i-Miev for $12,900 (just over half of the original MSRP, sadly not enough range for my needs), a '15 Lancer ES for $12,900 (about $6,000 off original MSRP, 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty, 10 year/100,000 powetrain.) and a '15 Mirage DE for $9,900 (phenomenal MPG, 5 year/60,000 mile basic warranty, 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain).

These are very tempting but:

1. The recent closing of the central Illinois Mitsu plant has soured me a bit on them, warranted or not that's how it is, so I don't WANT to buy one of their cars.

2. They are ceasing all U.S. production and that makes me a bit skittish as far as future parts availability and resale value.

Anybody else looking around for a model year closeout or other opportunistic new car purchase?

The Mitsu's are good bargains, but are they good cars? I've driven the Mirage a few times, and I didn't find it to be as bad of a car as others say it is. But for that money, I think I'd prefer a used Corolla or Civic.

I-Miev is certainly an interesting proposition if it fits your lifestyle.

Not if, but when, Mitsu pulls out of the US, that warranty will cease and your depreciation will escalate even faster than it already will.
Big risk.

In reply to JohnRW1621:

That's what I was afraid of.

Here is my "thing" with Mitsu's: Ignoring everything about the cost and the ethics, there are only two that I'd ever buy: The iMiev and the EVO. Since the EVO is to me less attractive than a STi, that takes out that option. The iMiev? It isn't a real car. More like an enclosed golf cart. Not really worth it for most folks, although I did come close to buying it once. The reason that I came close? The lease payments were less than I was paying monthly in gas at that point.

I ended up not being able to make it work out--it needed to have just about 15 miles longer range.

After those two cars though, I'd really just hit the used market for anything else. Sad about the plant closing, I had quite a few friends who worked there or had in the past.

Based on my experience owning a Suzuki, the warranty is still valid and handled by someone else. In my case it's a Toyota dealer here in town. Here's some reading; http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/suzuki-owners-what-you-need-to-know-post-bankruptcy.html

Semi-rhetorical question; are you this amendment about other things not made in America or no longer made here?

Suzuki, Isuzu, Pontiac, Saturn, etc... all transferred their warranty service to someone else when they stopped selling cars. As a Mirage owner I don't worry about that end of the deal, and parts are readily available from overseas via the internet.

If you like the iMev then go buy a used leaf with no miles for sub 10K they are everywhere. Plus longer distance on the batteries.

In reply to pres589:

Interested if warranty continues.

pres589 wrote: Semi-rhetorical question; are you this amendment about other things not made in America or no longer made here?

I'll let Jed answer for himself, but for most of my friends down there it is that they pulled out and took away one of the larger local employers. Purely a local thing--he is about 35 miles from that plant.

In reply to JohnRW1621:

Uh, what? You think they just dropped all warranty obligations even after I posted a link describing how they are meeting warranty obligations? Maybe I don't understand the question?

mtn: Ah, could see that being more of a sore spot, with an employer leaving an area local to Jed.

The people of Flint, MI still love GM even though the company burned the place to the ground and salted the earth on their way out the door.*

*Yes, there is still the truck plant and some miscellaneous service group buildings left.

Yep, I'm becoming more and more of a made-in-the-USA kind of guy as I age and I'm a little miffed at Mitsubishi...and Caterpillar and...

Also just noticed my typo in the title. Lol!

In reply to The_Jed:

Mitsubishi Motors and Mitsubishi have nothing to do with each other anymore....if that helps

The_Jed wrote: I found a '15 i-Miev for $12,900 (just over half of the original MSRP, sadly not enough range for my needs),

uhhh, Mitsubishi didn't import the iMiEV for 2015 or 2013 to help dealers move existing stock....

What's happened with Mitsubishi over the years? Although not a "major" brand, they have made some good vehicles. A co-worker has had an Eclipse convertible for well over 15 years without any major issues. I've rented a few Eclipses on vacations and they seemed like good cars. Probably would have bought one but then we started having kids and needed more room. Maybe the lack of a pick-up or big SUV in their American lineup has contributed to them leaving?

Flight Service wrote: In reply to The_Jed: Mitsubishi Motors and Mitsubishi have nothing to do with each other anymore....if that helps

The_Jed wrote: I found a '15 i-Miev for $12,900 (just over half of the original MSRP, sadly not enough range for my needs),

uhhh, Mitsubishi didn't import the iMiEV for 2015 or 2013 to help dealers move existing stock....

My mistake.

http://www.obrienteamnormal.com/vehicle-details/new-2016-Mitsubishi-i-MiEV-normal-il-9559

Mitsubishi sold Mitsubishi Motors and Fuso trucks. They went to Chrysler and Daimler and have been tossed around and destroyed over the years.

Mitsubishi is just a supplier to Mitsubishi Motors and Mitsubishi Fuso Trucks, and those two aren't related either.

Mitsubishi is not Mitsubishi anymore.

I've seen the i-Miev for under 9 grand. There are 5 of them at that price on Auto Trader within 200 miles of me. A Leaf is generally a few grand more.

I have seriously considered getting one. My commute is 13 miles round trip. All I have in the garage is 120V, but topping off the battery after such a short commute should be fine on 120V for 8-10 hours.

Even then, the math isn't there. I spend maybe $6/week on gas for commuting. Driving an electric car saves me $300/year. So what?

Now, maybe if I could buy one with a mostly used-up battery for $3k, I might be on to something, but even then...

I used to live in Flint, and after seeing what GM did to the town that basically created it along with the bailout really soured me on ever owning a GM product.

But I really really like the new Canyon, being a 6' bed crew cab diesel that's midsize only in marketing and pricing compared to the 1/2 tons that can get 30+highway might get me in the dealership as it could replace my high mpg commuter and my yard truck in one vehicle. The 16+ Volt also interest me greatly as a commuter if we stay a 3-car household. They've really tried it seems to turn the ship around, at least on the product front, and are making competitive and interesting vehicles again.

Mitsubishi on the other hand is basically clearing out excess inventory at clearance in order to exit the market. Just because it's cheap doesn't make it a good deal.

EvanR wrote: I've seen the i-Miev for under 9 grand. There are 5 of them at that price on Auto Trader within 200 miles of me. A Leaf is generally a few grand more. I have seriously considered getting one. My commute is 13 miles round trip. All I have in the garage is 120V, but topping off the battery after such a short commute *should* be fine on 120V for 8-10 hours. Even then, the math isn't there. I spend maybe $6/week on gas for commuting. Driving an electric car saves me $300/year. So what? Now, maybe if I could buy one with a mostly used-up battery for $3k, I might be on to something, but even then...

That's the thing--the math just doesn't work out. IF it got a few more miles on a charge, making it able to do a 75-90 mile commute, it might work out. But even if you were driving a Hummer I don't think you'd make the math work out (assuming one already owns said Hummer outright). If it were a plug-in hybrid like the Volt, again, maybe. Or, if it were a nice car, it might be worth it.

I never could get the math to actually work out without being on the edge of its range. I couldn't get the math to work out on a Volt either, but I was closer to buying a Volt than the iMiev due to the fact that it is a real car, and a nice one at that.

oldopelguy wrote: Suzuki, Isuzu, Pontiac, Saturn, etc... all transferred their warranty service to someone else when they stopped selling cars. As a Mirage owner I don't worry about that end of the deal, and parts are readily available from overseas via the internet.

At first they were douchebags about the warranty stuff, took 3 Chevy/GMC dealers before one would warranty my Ion's catalyst in the immediate aftermath of the Saturn/Pontiac shuttering....

I think used Leafs are screaming bargains these days. In regards to Mitsubishi, the regular Lancer and the Outlander Sport are decent. I have a friend with the regular Outlander and he has no issues with it.

One note to point out, why is the Normal plant closing seen as a negative? While it churned out popular cars, they also were the worst built out of all the Stars....

Had a galant rental car for a week in 2012. Had less than 10k miles on it.

The interior accommodations were impressively dated. The build quality and features were what I would have expected for a car built in 2002. There were literally no other redeeming qualities about the car.

I immediately feel sorry for the owners when I see them on the road now. I would rather drive just about anything else.

With cars like this their lack of success does not surprise me.