Which Despised Car Could Be Your Hero? 2007 Dodge Caliber vs 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage

There are some cars that are almost universally loved: the Mazda Miata comes to mind, as does the original VW Beetle. They may not be your cup of tea, but you still can’t actually dislike them. But then there are cars that it seems nobody likes, sometimes not even their owners, and that’s what we’re going to spend this week looking at. It’s time to give some long-despised cars a second chance, starting with these two.

Last week was a strange one because I was working through a vacation, so today I have to report on the results from both Thursday and Friday. And something interesting happened: the Pontiac Firebird won its Showdown against an Olds Cutlass convertible pretty handily, then it proceeded to come in dead-last in Friday’s four-way shootout. But there wasn’t much of a gap between second and fourth place on Friday; the Corvette pretty much ran away with the vote, and left the others to fight over the scraps.

I think for my money, that Vette is probably the most interesting choice there. I’m not a huge fan of the 4+3 transmission; I’d rather have the later six-speed manual, but then so would everyone else, which drives up the prices of them. This is a good spec for the price, and brakes on a C4 should be a straightforward affair, even if you have to replace calipers and lines.

All right, let’s go visit the Island of Automotive Misfit Toys. But first, I have to get something off my chest quickly: It bothers me a little bit when I feature a car and many of you comment that it’s “complete garbage,” that it has no redeeming features, that it should simply be crushed and forgotten. I don’t think that’s true of any car. The amount of engineering prowess and manufacturing might it takes to build even a short run of cars is worthy of respect, even if the end product isn’t everything it could be. Nobody sets out to design shitty cars; nobody works a factory floor and intentionally puts stuff together wrong (at least, not if they want to keep working there), and nobody is trying to put one over on the consumers by selling a car they know to be crap. Everyone involved, from the product planner who sits in focus groups listening to what consumers want, to the line worker who torques the head bolts to spec, to the graphic designer who lays out the brochures, believes that they’re making a good car. They have to, or the car wouldn’t get made at all.

So let’s cut these cars a little slack, OK? They deserve to be on the road as much as anything else. Let’s check them out.

2007 Dodge Caliber SXT – $1,500

Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter DOHC inline 4, CVT automatic, FWD

Location: Bridgeview, IL

Odometer reading: 300,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

To understand why the Dodge Caliber was such a letdown, you have to look at its place in the history of Chrysler’s compacts. First came the Dart and Valiant, which lasted for fifteen years and were beloved by nearly everyone. They didn’t do anything brilliantly, but they did everything well enough. Then came the Omni and Horizon twins, dull but effective little mileage-makers that were redeemed by comfortable seats and the existence of the GLH model. Next came the Shadow and Sundance, the last hurrah of the K-based architecture, and they didn’t exactly set the world on fire either. But then came the Neon. And it was a tough act to follow.

The Caliber, introduced in 2007, was everything the Neon wasn’t: dull, clunky, and hideous. It was a hatchback, which made it more versatile than the Neon, and it was available with a hot turbocharged engine, a six-speed manual, and all-wheel drive, but it still felt like a step backwards. You could say it was a worthy successor to the Omni and Horizon, but only if you forget the Neon existed. This one doesn’t have AWD or a manual transmission; instead, it has an efficient but joy-sucking CVT driving only the front wheels. You can’t say it hasn’t earned its keep, however. This car has 300,000 miles on it and is still going strong.

It looks well-kept for having so many miles on it, but we have no way of knowing what’s under those seat covers. I think I’d try peeking underneath, though, just to see, because the red and gray two-tone upholstery is the most interesting part of this interior. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of Rubbermaid-grade plastic. This was not a great era for Chrysler interiors.

Before you ask: No, I have no idea why the seller chose to photograph this car with all four doors and the hatch open. I’ve seen it before, of course, but usually there’s a shot or two of it with everything closed as well. This makes it harder to tell its overall condition. The good news is that even though it’s in the Chicago suburbs, it wears South Carolina plates, so chances are it hasn’t been bombarded by road salt its whole life.

2015 Mitsubishi Mirage – $2,000

Engine/drivetrain: 1.2-liter DOHC inline 3, CVT automatic, FWD

Location: Chicago, IL

Odometer reading: 126,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

The sixth-generation Mitsubishi Mirage was sold in the US for ten years, and for all that time, it was the car world’s whipping boy. Nobody (except Jason) professed any love for this car at all, and yet, you see them all over. I saw one just today in a parking lot, absolutely beat to hell, but still fighting the good fight. It seems like every time I see one on the freeway, it’s going ninety miles an hour, weaving in and out of traffic like Max Verstappen trying to make up for a bad pit stop. People use the ever-loving shit out of these cars, and they just keep coming back for more, and that deserves some respect.

The Mirage’s tiny three-cylinder engine was available with two transmission choices: a five-speed stick or a CVT. This one has the CVT. It may not be as engaging as shifting gears yourself, but it’s efficient. This Mirage used to be rented out through Turo, which means it has suffered who knows how many enthusiastically abusive drivers, but even after 126,000 miles of such abuse, it still runs great.

However many butts have filled this car’s driver’s seat, it remains in good condition. It has a little wear, but no real damage, and it looks like it has been kept clean. I guess that’s to be expected if you’re renting it out on Turo. The seller doesn’t mention any broken stuff, but the usual rules apply: push all the buttons before buying and make sure they do what they’re supposed to do.

Looking at the exterior, you can tell this car has seen some action. It’s got dents and wrinkles all over. That seems to be a common state of affairs for Mirages; the one I saw today had one side of its rear bumper held on by duct tape. If this keeps up, there won’t be a single Mirage left that isn’t damaged in some way, and no one will remember what they actually looked like new.

These cars may have been hated when they were new, and they may not have a lot of fans these days either, but you can’t say they haven’t delivered. Three hundred thousand miles is an achievement for any car, and rental use is hard on anything. Yet both sellers say these cars are ready for more. Dislike them all you want; they’re just going to keep doing their thing for their new owners, who will frankly be getting them for a song. Which one would you pick? And remember, “neither” is not an option.