2023 Mitsubishi Mirage or City Bus: which one is cheaper?
The answer to this question might seem more obvious than it is. The tricky part is, to be fair, here. Of course, if you consider the purchasing price of the vehicle and all the expenses for the first year, taking the bus will be cheaper. Hover, if you keep the vehicle long enough, the scenario is totally different.
What we will need to do first is to determine a time which I think ten years makes sense here. The 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage comes with a 10-year limited warranty which means that any major issue related to the engine or the transmission is covered by the manufacturer.
How much Is the 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage?
The starting price of the 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage is $14,298. Let’s say that we stick with the base version here, and we don’t take any extra options except for those that are an obligation, like the color. The total cost of the vehicle, including taxes, transport and preparation fees, and the admin fee from the dealer, is 19 269$. So, for the cost of the vehicle itself, we are talking about $1,926 per year for ten years.
The maintenance of the 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage won’t be very expensive in the first few years. However, you will probably change the tire twice in 10 years, and we must think of winter tires as well. If you add an oil change and other regular maintenance stuff, it comes to around $500 per year on average.
Finally, you have to consider insurance, license, and gas. Insurance is around $500 per year for the Mirage, and the license plate is about $200 here in Quebec. It might be very different somewhere else in the country. Luckily, the 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage is one of the most economical cars on the market. The total gas cost for a year is around $1,200 if you drive 15 000 kilometers on average, with a price of $1.70 per liter for fuel.
So the total comes to $4,326 per year to drive the Mitsubishi Mirage for ten years.
How much does it cost to take the bus all year long?
If you decide to use OC Transpo prices since it is the nearest major city to where I live, you will probably be shocked to learn that a bus pass is only $125.50 for an adult without any discount per month. Of course, it is way cheaper for seniors or students. This brings the grand total to $1,506 for the bus pass per year. So, even if bus prices go up a little bit in ten years, you will still be in your money. However, if you have a family with at least one child, the Mitsubishi Mirage might become less expensive than taking buses.
I think the most shocking thing here is the fact the 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage is one of the cheapest cars currently available on the market. So any other car is just much more expensive to own. Nevertheless, I think the 2023 Mirage is a better option than taking buses since it is giving you full control over your movement from point A to point B.
Jean-Sébastien Poudrier