I now exactly nothing about car repair, and i am not a wealthy man. These two things together make an ugly combination.
My 97' 3 clndr Metro will not start regularly. Some times it starts right up no prob., other (most) times it won't even make a sound. Sometimes, if i shake the entire car while turning the key it will start.
i have replaced spark plugs, starter and the distributor cap. I am at a complete loss here people, this car is my only mode of transportation. I am open to any suggestions or comments (or rides to work).
I appreciate your help thanks in advance.

Perhaps your battery connections are a little bit loose or corroded. Take them off, clean them up and tighten.

Good luck!

I did try that, in fact i bought new battery termanals and connectors... and still nothing... the battery is new too!
Thanks for the help though.

there's a connector on the back of the starter. It's a plug-in blade terminal. It gets corroded. Gotta clean that out, and tighten it up a bit. Common issue.

I had same situation once and found loose starter mounting bolts caused a bad ground...tightening fixed it!

Same issue on my '90 metro. Wire brushed off the corrosion on the starter connector and popped it back together. Worked like a charm.