Should you buy an imported Daihatsu Mira? Honest answer.

The Mira is the cheapest "real car" in Pakistan you can buy with AC and four doors. Imported 660cc Japanese auctions are landing in Karachi every week. Should you buy one?

The case for the Mira

• Cheap to buy: PKR 14–18 lakh for a 2018–2020 unit, fully duty-paid.
• Fuel economy: 16–19 km/l in city if driven gently. Half the petrol bill of a Cultus.
• Auction sheet trust: every Japanese import comes with a grading sheet (4.5/B is the sweet spot — clean exterior, minor cosmetic).
• Insurance: cheap. PKR 18,000–22,000/year takaful.

The case against the Mira

This is the part dealers don't tell you.

1. Parts are slow and expensive

A front bumper for a Mira: 6–8 weeks order time from a parts importer, PKR 22,000–28,000. A Cultus bumper: in-stock at any auto-bazar, PKR 6,500. If you crash a Mira, you wait. If you crash a Cultus, you drive in a week.

2. The 660cc engine in Pakistani heat

The Mira's 3-cylinder 660cc engine was built for Japanese cool-climate city driving. In Karachi summer with AC running and three adults inside, you'll see the temperature gauge creep up if you sit in traffic for more than 20 minutes. Long highway runs at 110+ km/h sustained are stressful for the engine.

3. Resale anxiety

The PakWheels secondary market for 660cc imports is thin. You'll list at PKR 16 lakh, get offers at PKR 13.5 lakh, and probably sell at PKR 14.5 lakh after a month. Meanwhile a Cultus listed at 16 lakh sells at 15.5 in a week.

4. The CVT is fragile

Most Miras come with an automatic CVT designed for short Japanese commutes. In Pakistani conditions (potholes, dust, heat, long idles), it tends to fail at 1.4–1.6 lakh km. Replacement gearbox: PKR 2.8 lakh.

So — buy one?

**Buy a Mira if:** you do under 8,000 km/year, mostly in cool morning/evening city traffic, and you have a separate primary car for highway / family trips.

**Don't buy a Mira if:** it's your only car, you do school runs in 45°C summer, or you commute on the motorway weekly. The Cultus or used Wagon-R is a better fit at a similar budget.

We currently stock both. We'll show you both. You decide.