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Chevrolet/Geo Metro
Howdy!
I'm in the market for a hatchback and looking for
owner experiences to go by. I like the mileage on
the Metro hatchback. I'm hoping that the way low
pricing (another great feature) doesn't mean that
the thing's more trouble than the savings.
Give me some good news, folx. Or warn me away.
I'm in the market for a hatchback and looking for
owner experiences to go by. I like the mileage on
the Metro hatchback. I'm hoping that the way low
pricing (another great feature) doesn't mean that
the thing's more trouble than the savings.
Give me some good news, folx. Or warn me away.
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0
Comments
Good luck!
Good luck!
I owned a 4-door '92 Metro hatchback for over 6 years and 88,000 miles. They sip fuel, are easy to park, make great commuter cars in-town, do well on medium-length trips (4-5 hours or less) and will probably never be stolen or broken in to.
As long as you keep regular service up, they are pretty reliable ('92 and earlier Metros do have an issue with their A/C coolant, though, in that it is no longer available...if you loose your coolant for whatever reason, you need to spend $$$ to retrofit the A/C system) and relatively trouble-free. Just make sure you stay on top of your service, though: they do not tolerate "neglect" very well, and can quickly develop chronic problems as a result, much more readily than more expensive (and more quality) vehicles.
If you do opt for a Metro, though, I _strongly_ recommend the 4-door. It is 4 inches longer, and the hatch is more "vertical" than the 2-door, giving you lots more storage space. Contrary to popular belief, you can cram a lot of stuff into a 4-dr Metro hatchback with the seats down including
a bale of hay, mid-size chairs, 27" televisions not the buses-- and half of a college dormroom...I did all of these in my old Metro with room to spare).
Cheers,
John
Service it has needed has been a new muffler, rear bearings and the window on the drivers side not going up and down easily.
The big thing I have found with this car is to keep up on the basic oil change, tune up program.
I know I'm not going to get a lot for this on a trade in, and plan on keeping it till it pushes up weeds in the garden.
I get razzed about this car, but as I told one friend, "at least I can pass a gas pump!"
Well, then I am one of the few. I just got a new 99 Metro a month ago, which since the 98 model has the Chevy logo rather than the Geo. It's a beautiful dark metallic green, which makes it look like an insect. And for less than half the price of a new VW Beetle, it's just as cute.
It's a perfect city car, gets an amazing 41 mpg. Even with sky-high L.A. gas prices I can fill up for $10 and go over 400 miles without a drop of fuel. However, the tiny 3 cylinder, 55 horsepower engine has a hell of a time going uphill. When climbing a mountain, the best thing to do is downshift, get in the far right lane and just let people go around you.
The car is the perfect size for parking, even parallel is easy. But it can fit a lot in it with the back seat down. I'm a film student and I fit a betacam case, a miller tripod, a light package and all the trimming with room left to fill in the back. It's also very reliable, probably the most reliable among American cars. While it's often true that American cars (namely Ford and Dodge) have a tendency to burn themselves out after 3 years, cars like the metro with such a small engine don't have nearly the potential to do the same. My aunt the very first metro model to come out, the '89, and it lasted great through six or seven years and two accidents (the only reason she lost it was because she let my cousin drive it and he got it impounded through a run-in with the cops).
To address the metro's safety: Most people think bvecause the car is so small it's a death trap. Well, if you're in a serious accident most compact cars aren't going to do a whole lot to save your skin, but the Metro does have dual airbags and a steel safety cage with "self-sacrificing" design. Plus, the 99 model has a new and improved extra-tall bumper. Trust me, this a huge asset. My girlfriend was in an accident the other day in the metro, one of those 4-car chain reaction rear-enders, and after getting hit from behind by a honda at 15mph, the bumper was only scartched up and dented a little. The bumper is so big that the body wasn't touched at all. So now it's as simple as slapping on a new bumper (which the other party's insurance will pay for, of course).
So, all in all, I think the metro is great car. And itsets you apart from the Honda Civic hatchback mainstream.
carlady/host
But this brings up an important safety issue about the metro's wheel size. The stock wheels are only 13" by about 6" at the most. I am seriously considering buying new rims and tires after my car gets out of the shop, not only for looks but to add more weight and a fatter, meaterier wheel on the car. Pep Boys is offereing a deal on a set of no-name brand 14" x 7" wheels for about $600 total (including installation and balancing). Anybody out there have any other suggestions for making my metro better at handling the road?
What do others think?
carlady/host
BTW, count me in as a Metro enthusiast. This little car has been nothing but reliable. In five years of ownership, I have had NO troubles. I have replaced the front brakes and all four tires, and that's it. I live in northern NJ and my Metro is great for city driving and parking (just don't expect true comfort or refinement). Plus, you can fill the tank with regular for $9.00 and drive for a week. I even managed to squeeze three mountain bikes in the hatch.
Question: is it possible or practical to retofit a '93 with A/C?.
And IMHO a car is not loosing control....but a driver will...
You were probably not the only one who hitted this black ice.Do you really believe that 1/2 wider on four tire would have made any difference ? Personnally I dont think so.A bridge is the worse place to be in winter,and on black ice you can drive a semi and put yourself in trouble.So the Metro lost control....probably because where you leave they haven't put a sign at the entrance of the bridge saying that the road might be slippery below zero like we have here in Canada,so the poor little car ignoring the fact made a mistake !
Maybe 55mph was to fast on that bridge that day ?
Maybe this, maybe that,so till the day I die I will insist that the DRIVER lost control,not the car.;-))
Richard
You probably think that my English sucks,but it's not me......It's that frikin keyboard.....! ;-)
Take care
I'm getting worse....i can`t write and now i can`t read... :-(
I wish you good luck with your new car.
Are you upset..? ;-)i hope not....
Richard
p.s that bother me ,you hitted a patch of what...?
Metro drivers beware of bridges (and, for those of us in the Northeast, that tricky "grooved pavement")!
I really don't think it's all that gutless. Try driving a Ford Aspire or as I call the (perspire).
Suzuki makes a really good small motor. I have other friends that have Metro's and most have gotten 175,000 miles before they dump them for a couple of hundred bucks and go out and spend $1500.00 on a 3 or 4 year old one with 50K-60K miles.
I've done nothing to mine except install new spark plugs and change the oil.
ALEXT: The Goodyear Invicta GL tires that come on all Metros ARE cheap tires. Goodyear doesn't advertise them and you can ask for them and purchase them but there are many tires that will do ten times better than Goodyears. No matter the brand name, you have to look at the ratings on the tire, and how well the tread looks. If you look at the tread on an Invicta GL, versus the cheapest $14.99 tire found at some discount place, they are both cheap-looking. Look at the tread on a Firestone Affinity and it looks good, as does the tread on Michelin tires.
OTHERS: wider tires help a little. 175/70R13 tires are the same circumference as 155/80R13 tires but have more tread (larger contact patch=better braking and roadholding) and you can buy much better quality tires in 70-series sizes than 80-series sizes.
JENNVACCARO: if you hate your Metro, I would love to buy it at black book wholesale if you want to dump it. What year, what model, three-or-four cylinder, stick or automatic, two-or-four door, does the air work, and how many miles? I work for a courier and we are looking to buy cars all the time. Here in Columbus, people don't buy Metros because they would rather have a used Corolla or Civic. I don't know why, but that drives down trade-in values and I can sit around a car dealer all day and buy people's trade-ins for $1500-$2500. It's great, so if you don't want yours, I'll take it!
I have 95,000 miles on my Metro. Other than the fact that my rear brake shoes cracked at about 80K and ripped my drums up real bad, and putting in about 6 alternators until we determined that the wires going to the alternator had corroded, I have had no trouble with it. The car is a bass tube on wheels and with a better head unit and some speakers not made from grocery sacks, it would sound incredible. Just my two cents...
No big deal if they don't, I'll just go with 14" since I can get them for the same price at Pep Boys.
I currently own a 93 Metro 2dr, and I'm thinking about buying a used Metro for my girlfriend, who needs to drive about 20 miles to work every day. Sadly, she is an avowed stick shift-hater and loathes my 5-spd.
The car I'm considering is for sale by a private party and has auto, a/c and 109k on the clock. It looks to be about a 92 or 93 model. Asking price is $1300. Should I jump?
I've had my Metro for over five years with absolutely no troubles. I think they're very study, no-frills cars. My question: how will one with 109k already on it hold up? She'll probably have to drive it daily for at least a year.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
miles per gallon? The best I've ever gotten is
42 and I drive ALL highway miles. 126 of them a day as a matter of fact.
I thought when it got broken in it would get better, and at 3700 miles, it should be broken in.
Anybody else go through this?
I have a new 99 Chevy Metro with the 1.0L 3-cylinder that is supposed to get 41/47 mpg but I get much less. I just got my second oil change yesterday, so at just below 6000 miles I figure my metro is pretty much broken in.
Now let me tell you about a trip I took over the weekend to San Diego. From L.A. San Diego is 127 miles, and over the entire weekend I racked up 486 miles there and back with more than half of them highway miles. I filled up twice with 87 octane as I always use, and yet after doing all the math I found out that I had only reached 36.3 mpg! That's below the reputed city mileage, and I did most of my driving on the highway!
Now, my only explanation for this is that I was doing an average of 75 mph on the highway, which is fast for a car with a top speed of 90, and the combined weight of myself and my girlfriend is 455 lbs, plus our luggage makes 500. Add in the times when I had to go all the way down to first gear to get up some steep hills in San Diego, and maybe it makes sense, but it's still off of what I would expect to get.
Now, I know 36 mpg is very good mileage compared to most cars, but I was really hoping to get at least 42-45. I'm thinking about getting a K&N air filter, but I'm having a hard time finding one for a Metro. Anybody out there have any other suggestions to improve the feul economy?
I don't think you can mess with timing without removing and improperly reinstalling the timing belt. Personally a freer flowing exhaust and a better intake would help...
Speaking of...there is NO K&N filter to fit the "ribbed Frisbee" type air cleaner. Now that is for the 4-cylinder '95. I haven't looked for a 3-cylinder air cleaner but I will if I get the '99 that I want (base with AC, cassette, tach, 5-speed, silver, there are 44 available exactly like that across the country in that color and 4 are at Blossom in Indianapolis)
about a year ago i was looking for a cheap reliable car for my 130-mile round trip drive to work, I went to a Chevy dealer with a small pickup in mind but as i wandered the lot i noticed the metros. I test drove a 5 speed and liked it right away, because it was easy to handle, easy to park, wouldn't get stolen, gets good mileage, and i like sticks,but my wife was worried that it was too small and unsafe. I found a new 96 leftover (in June 98!!) that hadn't sold yet. no air, no nothing (it has a radio). The dealer told me to make an offer, I offered 1500 below sticker and he gave it to me off the bat, plus 2 rebates (college grad and manufacturers)! (maybe i could have done better...)
so i got a new car for 7000
the very next day, we were in the metro coming home from the store and some kid in a jeep runs a stop sign---smack! no one was hurt, thank god, and the damage was minimal (new bumper and bumper cover, courtesy of this jerk's mommy)
about three months later, i was on my way home from work on 287 (N.J.) and again, some kid in a jeep cherokee (ON A CELL PHONE!!!!!!) smacks into me at about 35. again no one was hurt and all my car needed was, guess, a bumper and bumper cover (courtesy of his insurance), but his front end was bashed in and all the lights and the grille were broken.
i've got the car for sale because i do feel i need something safer and bigger (anyone in NJ driving 130 miles on the parkway and 287 everyday would agree) but with ads in the papers and on the web i haven't had one call yet....i guess i'm keeping the car.
btw, saturn offered me in trade 3500 LESS than what i owe the bank
be careful out there........
To advance the timing you will need a timing light. Any old run of the mill timing light will do. Hook the timing light up, one lead goes to positive 12v power source (battery), one lead goes to ground (battery) and the third lead that looks like a large clip goes over cylinder #1 plug wire. No #1 cylinder is the one closest to the pulleys on the engine. Do not unplug the plug wire from the engine. Just clip this big lead around the plug wire.
Find your distributor on the engine. You will see on bolt along the side the distributor cap, I believe it is a 12mm. With the engine cool loosen that bolt, do not remove it!!. Re-tighten it barely more than hand tight. Start your engine and let it warm up. Once it has reached normal temp turn off all accessories (fan, headlights, a/c) and continue to let idle.
With the engine running point the timing gun at the bottom pulley and squeeze the trigger. The timing light will begin to flash in conjunction with the spark going to the #1 cylinder.
A mark will be visible on this pulley while the gun is strobing. Loosen the distributor bolt again so that you are able to twist the distributor with a small amount of force. The distributor should not be floppy loose. It should be loose enough that in order to twist it there is a small amount of resistance to overcome.
With the engine still running squeeze the strob light trigger and point it at the bottom pulley. A mark will appear on the the pulley everytime the timing light strobes. You will also see a metal tag or some other indicator that usually has a range of numbers. Usually from 0-15 with graduated marks in between. Whatever number the mark on the pulley matches up to while the engine is running is your degree of timing advancement.
So if the mark is aligned with 0 then your timing is Top Dead Center (TDC). If your mark is aligned with the 2 then your timing is 2 degrees Before Top Dead Center (BTDC) and so forth. If the number is aligned with a negative number -2 then your timing is After Top Dead Center (ATDC).
While continuing to squeeze the timing light twist the distributor cap ever so slightly clockwise. You will notice that the mark will move in relation to the numbers. Keep twisting the distributor while checking the timing.
So if you started with +2 continue until you are at +7. Or if it was 0 you should continue until you are at +5. You should notice a increase in idle speed. This is normal.
Tighten the distributor bolt (not too tight, they really don't have to be that tight) and drive around. You should notice a increase in power and more eagerness to rev.
If the engine is pinging (spark knock) when you accelerate or driving then you have only a couple of choices. You must either run higher octane fuel, reduce the timing advancement (smaller number), or install colder range spark plugs.
If your engine is pinging you MUST make changes so that is does not. Spark knock will destroy a engine if it is severe enough. It will burn holes right through pistons.
So it will require a small amount of experimentation on your part to find what timing setting is best for your engine. For example on my metro it is set at +12 degrees. But I also run 91 Octane and spark plugs that are 2 heat ranges colder than standard.
You should find that your mileage will improve, your performance should improve. I know that this is kind of a wordy reply but it is important to do this carefully. If you find that there is no benefit or the engine just pings all of the time no matter how little you advance the timing, just set it back to your orignal setting and you're no worse for the wear. But I've never seen a engine yet that won't take +5 advancement from factory settings.
You have to remember that they are set from the factory to run on the lowest grade fuel possible and then detuned slightly. So try it, or have a friend help with you. It won't take that long once you've done it once. Less than a minute once your figure it out.
Hope this helps: Inuvik
All I know is that my 1989 Geo still has a distributor. My guess is that the change was probably made sometime around 1994.
My fault for not qualifying the information that I posted.
A local speed shop which caters to...hmm...how shall I put this...young males with nothing better to do with $15K then spend it on a 10-year-old Civic Si...has parts for Geo Metros and Suzuki Swifts. But the throttle bodies and other parts they have fit only the Twin Cam 1.3L engine. Which means you must have a 1998 or newer 4-cylinder LSi Metro or a Swift to use them. I think a 1996-1999 Taurus SHO spolier would look good on the top of the hatchback. I also know 175/70R13 tires fit fine, and larger 185/65R14 tires should also fit if you get 14" wheels. My favorite (on the Tire Rack) is the Borbet Type M. I like the look of doubled 5-spokes. You can get a 2.5" exhaust made for your car with one of those Maxwell House sized chrome tips. You could get your car lowered 1-2" for a...um...dare I say "aggressive" stance?
Thanks Maureen, I feel more creative now.
carlady/host
Maybe some relay is dead. Any ideas will be welcomed. Thank you all in advance.
http://www.raven-rotor.com/html/ultralight.html
Take a look. I'm interested in the headers right off the bat.
Now one word of caution, if you do this make sure that you install spark plugs that are at least 1 heat range colder, preferably 2 heat ranges colder or you will melt the spark plugs rather quickly.
If your metro has distributorless ignition system I do not know the upper limit of advancement the computer will allow. I still would install colder spark plugs. Otherwise you are going to have a meltdown.
I would also add 4 ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil to the fuel tank before filling up with the racing fuel. This will help keep the valves cooler and better lubricated because the outer edges are going to get mighty toasty with that much advancement.
I mean what the heck, I'd try it.
Inuvik
Seriously, though, the 85 hp turbo 3 cyl. sounds like a hot motor. You could probably pull at least 100 hp out of it in a metro with the right modifications (intake, exhaust, etc.). Now if only I had a few thousand dollars laying around to buy one. I think we could start our own suzuki-subcompact racing team pretty soon!
In fact a higher octane fuel will run cooler in your combustion chamber because of it's resistance to predetonate. High octane fuels did not cause your valves to fail. The likely culprits were probably incorrect ignition timing, too hot of range of spark plug, or improper valvetrain lubrication. The most likely of all these are probably improper valvetrain lubrication.
The 3 cyl Suzuki engine is critical when cold to have good oil flow to the valvetrain. Running too thick of viscosity oil can damage the cam, valves rather quickly. Also dirty oil can cause lubrication restriction to cylinder #3 especially because of lower oil pressure due to dirty oil filters.
If your vehicle only requires regular unleaded fuel and has static timing like the 1985-1993 Metros the only thing that will happen when you run premium fuel is that you will spend 20 cents more a gallon for gas.
Now of course if you run premium fuels and start to tinker with ignition timing to take advantage of the higher octane, then most certainly you have to be careful about the edges of your valves overheating and burning.
I run 91 Octane in my Metro with 4 oz's of Marvel Mystery Oil per tank to keep the valves cooler. But the reason I do this is because although factory settings for ignition timing is 6 degrees BTDC (Before Top Dead Center) my timing is currently set at 12 degrees BTDC.
If I didn't change my timing I wouldn't need to do anything to run premium fuel day in day out. I have run with these settings for almost 50,000 miles with no problems. This Metro had 112,000 when I got it and now has a little over 160,000 with no breakdowns.
Sorry about your Metro engine going bad, but it wasn't due to higher octane fuels.
Hope this clears up some of the mileage debates. I'm looking for a metro myself for less than $2k. Anyone got one for me?
Anyway back to all seriousness...the 1995-1999 models have the 55hp 3-cylinder as code 6 and the 70 or 79hp 4-cylinder as code 9. I also know that the 55hp engine is the fuel injected one and the 49hp engine is carbureted. Carpoint is incorrect. The only difference between the XFi model and the regular Metro is the final drive gearing. The XFi has lower gearing for lower RPM's at highway speeds. The base Metro I think is 3.2 something and the XFi is like 2.9 something. I could look this up but I am sleepy.
OK I have exhausted my photgraphic memory for the night...see ya...
So if you don't care about the intake noise (which I don't) give it a try. I think you'll be pleasantly suprised.