Hey Couriers!

occupant1

If you work in the small package delivery
industry, chat about your car horror stories here
or tell us how your car makes your job easier!

I have a 1995 Geo Metro hatchback, automatic and
air. I have removed the back seat bottom cushion
and the front passenger seat and I have enough room
to carry anything but the loads that require a
van. I can fit things in my Metro that drivers
with midsize sedans can't get in their door or
trunk! The car gets 30mpg or better all day even
with the AC on. And boy do I have Columbus, Ohio
road rage stories!

In the immortal words of Mills Lane...

"LET'S GET IT ON!"

cjaccetta

Just read the above post and I had to add a little story of my own (even though I'm not a courier...sorry).
This summer on my annual "Gears and Beers" bike trip I loaded up my cream-puff 1993 Metro HB with two mountain bikes, an extra 26" wheel, three duffel bags, assorted bike gear and my 6'3" 250-lb buddy in the front seat. The hatch was closed and I could easily see over the load. Drove for nine hours from WV to NYC (pulling long hills on Interstate 68 was a chore) on approx 13 gallons of 87-octane. Try that in a "regular" car.
The Metro is, IMHO, a sorely under-rated little hauler. If I were a city courier, I would want more of these cars.

occupant1

That's what I like to hear...Suzuki builds these cars very well, very tight, and when they are not abused (or sometimes if they are #:-)...) they hold up well enough to perform tasks you never thought they could! Like towing?!! I saw a guy towing a little lawnmower trailer with his 4-door 1992-1994 Metro. The owner's manual says not to tow, but the passengers/cargo limit is 800 lbs so if his trailer is 600-650, he's probably OK. Heck, if it is an automatic with good tires, struts, and shocks, he can probably do even more!

One of the items that is difficult for our other drivers to carry is ten-foot pipe for HVAC and Plumbing contractors. All I have to do is put one end of the pipe in the passenger floorboard and the other end out of the hatch, where it sticks out only a foot and a half, not quite far enough to require a flag...I tie a white cloth around it anyway though...those of you with 1989-1994 Metros and Swifts can probably use your quarter windows on the 2-door models or the left rear door window on 4-door models.

ranchero

geez, was i misled. i thought this discussion might be about the real courier - the ford courier. bet you guys driving suzukis don't even know what a ford courier is. it was ford's sedan delivery for many years, just what you need. make mine a '57 or maybe a '64 or '65 falcon version.

occupant1

My mother-in-law-to-be had a 1980 Courier and she couldn't stand the thing. Mazda made those and they were only a copy of their own pickup which was a typical late 70's Japanese product. Don't get me wrong, I think some of the Japanese products are great, like Datsuns, but Mazda still had that funky truck with small windows and an uncomfortable driving position. Anyway, she needed a little pickup to deliver her baskets in and she now wishes she had bought an Isuzu. Then she bought a Isuzu P'up truck in 1988 and she still has that. 275,000 miles and counting but she uses a quart of oil a week (300 miles).

occupant1

If I could afford a 1957 2-door Ranch Wagon, yellow or sea foam green, six/3-speed, then, yes, that is something I would drive for work.

But for now, I can't beat this Metro. Right now I bent my RF lower control arm thanks to a water truck running me off the road (preferred hitting a culvert @ 30mph than an International medium truck head-on at 30mph plus his 30mph. I have airbags but I also have common sense)

bibs

I had a 90 Swift GT, fast car and very reliable. I loved it and regret selling because the girlfriend couldn't/wouldn't drive stick. Lessons we learn...
My friend had a miserable Cherokee that broke down regularly. One night, one of the belt pulleys broke (!!!) when he was trying to race me. We were in the middle of nowhere, so I towed him home (about 10 miles). It wasn't pretty, but no harm done! I drove it for years after that with no consequence. If I could find a pristine 94 GT (last year) I'd snap it up ASAP. Great used buy for a young guy who wants something different.

charliemike

My friend put 500,000 miles on his 92 VX as a courier. He hit cars, a building (don't ask, but he wasn't drunk), and never had to replace any major parts. Just brakes, clutch, etc. No A/C or motor problems. I was totally impressed with the durability of this car. He traded it in on a 92 Prelude Si with 23k on it. It now has a 100k and runs like a top.

I can't live with the same car for more than 2-3 years, so I can go with something "less" reliable. But, if I kept cars for years on end, I'd definitely look at a Honda.

occupant1

That seems like the most miles I've seen on a Honda. I like to spend my free time (you can tell by this that I have no life) roaming junkyards looking at odometers and searching for obscure Japanese cars. (Found a '77 200-SX last week...the styling on those is pure Japanese horror movie) I haven't seen any Civics yet over 300K. I saw a couple 80's Accords recently with 300-plus. I know maintenance is expensive on those, what with valve adjustments and timing belt and whatnot. Changing the timing belt at the dealer is about $250, times eight, he could have easily spent $2000 on rubber belts in 500K.

spnx

I'm not a courier, but I have to add this:

I really like the SR20DE engine in my NX2000 (also found in the 200sx SE-R, G20, etc.) It's very lightly stressed, because it comes turbocharged in Japan, and has a TIMING CHAIN!

Bulletproof, unlike a belt.

jay1975

I'm not a courier, but I do deliver when I have time (deliver pizza's that is). I drive a 1990 Honda Accord with 190k. Its fun (read fast enough), gets great mileage, almost never gets noticed by cops (2 warnings, no tickets), has plenty of room, etc. I love the car, and I could go on and on about it for a long time...(my friends even named it, but thats a whole other story...)

Anyway, its a great car (from my experience) and I recommend it to anyone delivering pizza's.....actualy, I recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable, fun, and relatively easy to work on car.

dalton8

hey, im an independent courier out of Columbia,SC.Ive got a 97 Nissan king cab 4cyl,5speed....I got it in July with 20k and now (March) its got 111k!!! it still runs good, a/c went out...needs allignment, tires , shocks and the engine light has been on since i got it...but its still goin
im looking at a 94 aspire...ive heard good things about them like 40mpg,,,runs forever...to a courier thats a dream come true.....anyone know anything about them? thaks

occupant1

The aspire is supposed to be a decent car. The courier work I did was almost all in my 1995 Metro. A 1995 Metro can be purchased for $2000-$3000. There is a 1995 automatic in Dallas for $2500 and a 1995 standard in Dallas for $2195. OF course mine would be for sale if I could get enough for it, and I still owe close to $3K. The Metros are great, I would prefer them to the Aspires just because the Aspires are built by Kia and they are falling into hard times, just went bankrupt and got bought by Hyundai. The Geo Metros from 1995 on are built at CAMI in Canada and are great cars. There are a couple for sale on Excite Classifieds and hundreds for sale in Yahoo!. If you can put up with manual steering, a weak fan, a dome light with the power of a single match, and no power, the Metro is a fine choice. Get an LSi with the four-cylinder and either transmission. The automatic is bulletproof and easy to drive but only gets 30-34mpg. The stick is a good stick and gets 39-44mpg but is tedious, and the clutch in the Metro feels cheap, although they don't seem to fail too often.

covington1

Have a l998 swift, would like to know if the geo metro parts will fit? Things like headlight [non-permissible content removed]. air con. fans etc., it seems like I don't know where to go on the net to find suzuki parts? Is the dealer the only place?

mzn

In addition to the help you get here, covington1, be sure to check out our Aftermarket & Accessories conference!

carlady/host

tiresmoke

See my post at topic #96!

Occupant1, you seem like a guru (tip my hat to you), please help: what exactly do you couriers do? Excuse my ignorance but it's just because the excitement: you seem to be doing a lot of driving (which I love) and must be getting paid for it! Come September I will be in Florida with no definite job plans and willing to try something new. How do you get hired in the field, how do you look jobs up? I hope I'm not too intrusive, just curious...

tiresmoke

occupant1

The way I have done it is to be an independent contractor. That way, you do deliveries for the company but are not employed by the company. You pay taxes by keeping track of your income and your mileage, just like you were in business for yourself, which, legally, you are. Each mile you drive is worth a deduction, if you drive enough miles, you pay no taxes because your expenses exceed your income. So if the deduction for the year is 32 cents a mile and you drove 80,000 miles, your deduction amount is $25,600. If you made $25,600 you pay no taxes. Anything over that (and you will make more than that) and that is all you have to pay taxes on. It can get more involved, but that's as simple as it has been for me.

The trick is to drive a car needing little or no maintenance. My Geo Metro cost me $3000 to buy and I spent all of $800 on repairs. Gas costs, insurance, etc, and all accounted for, my actual expenses were only about $7,600 on 49,000 miles driven. I also drove other cars like a Tempo, a Tercel, and a Dynasty, and kept track of those miles as well. I made about $36,000, and only had to pay taxes on about $10K of it.

Just try and find a company that keep you on the road, and not sitting around in the office waiting on a delivery. Dynamex is national, ought to be in Florida, too.

occupant1

I purchased a 1995 Ford Aspire to continue doing courier work now that I have moved back to Texas.

This car has a tiny advantage over my Metro thanks to a standard transmission. I have been averaging 35mpg and got 39mpg on the last tank after some minor maintenance. It also feels larger inside, and I removed the back seat just like I did with the Metro. The hatchback has a larger opening and the doors also seem larger. The Aspire is taller than the Metro so this is probably why it feels so much larger.

I have been told there are medical deliveries available to drivers in the evenings and I can't wait to take advantage of the extra commissions!