Making an offer on an 89 Metro XFI?

Hello, I've found the Metro I really want. It's a 1989 XFI. I noticed the car sitting off to the side of a house a couple days ago. When I asked about it the guy said he would be willing to sell it. He said he wanted $800.00 for it. It has a clear title but there's a catch. The thing has been parked since 1995!!!!! He said that it broke down on his wife and he had it towed home and never bothered with it. He let me look it over a bit. To make a long story short I found that the timing belt was broke. (I didn't tell him that). Is this car worth buying? It has been sitting for almost a decade and a half (So long that you can barely see through the dirt and slime thats built up on the windows). I know I don't want to pay $800.00. What would be a reasonable offer? The interior is VERY clean apparently in part due to the sun being blocked by some funky green slime (parked between thick bushy tree and the house) . The engine compartment has signs of rat nests but no chewed wires or hoses. It shows 84,200 miles. What problems can I expect from a car that has sat so long?

It is worth the asking price in my opinion. Since it sat, the gas needs removed, oil needs changed, and probably some brake work. Even if you invest $1000.00 in repairs (not likely) you would have a nice XFi for under 2 grand.

:2cents: I do have to disagree with JM on the price to pay. The car has sat 13 years approx :shakehead . It'll need new tires for sure, brakes;maybe rotors & drums. The oil is probably pure sludge ; same for the brake fluid. The pistons are probably rusted to the cylinders. The carb/TBI is probably gucked right up.Let's not forget the possiblity of lil rodents getting in there and chewing all the wiring....and so on. Going by that I'd offer no more than $300 and you're doing HIM a favour!! :evillol: . I also believe that there's always another one right around the corner.

I have 2 Metros.The 1st (1992) one was $400 and needed a head gasket...parts were about $250 with the head work. The 2nd one (2000)is a WIP.It had 1 dead cylinder, that one cost $350....parts were $300 with a new WP and tensioner/belt plus...more head work.Both of these were running when I bought them so I was able to check brakes,lights...etc. You don't have that option with the 1989 Metro but it could be a good parts car for $300.

Good Luck in your decision.

I agree the car is worth pursing but try to cut the odds in you favor start with a low offer if it’s not up for sale your not competing for it. My 94 XFI is my favorite possession for its extreme fuel economy and fun to drive.

Depending on where you live and especially if you are in a salt zone checks the break and fuel lines for rust out. You mentioned the Geo was covered with sap carefully check around windshield and inside the back trap door groove for rust through. Hopefully the battery went dead to cut electrolysis.

I found a red Monza 2+2 fastback V8 beautiful fast car in showroom condition. Bought it on the spot had been setting north of Chicago for 10 years finish was like new but after maybe 6 months of use I put my finger right through the hatchback channel. The metal had rusted from the inside out paint looked perfect but you could poke your finger through the rear and around the windshield. It also had a wiring harness fire several months later don’t know if this was related to setting or poor engineering. Several months later the heater core went likely anti freeze became acidy and can go after head gaskets also.

All said and done its worth a close look if she is solid. XFIs are a good hedge against loss of life style in the hostile economy we will be living in for the next decade or more. Like operating any high powered machine maintain them well, always operate well with in the design limitations with an eye on safety.

Thanks for the advice. There is no rust on the car or under. That was a big concern so I checked that first thing. It's not sap on the car. It's more like algae. It wipes of to show a nice bright white. In my experience white paint lasts much longer than other colors. It's almost like the slime has preserved the body and kept the interior from hardening fading and cracking from sun damage. There are no chewed wires. I spent a good 45 minutes looking it over and when the guy went in I took the top 2 timing cover bolts off to see the timing belt was broke. There was no battery in the car. According to the guy he took it out and put in in another car shortly after parking the Metro. I bought a van once from my mom that had sat for 8 years with a bad starter. The trunk release motor and driver side power window/ lock switches caught on fire within 2 months and it had numerous electrical issues. That is one of my main concerns. Luckily the metro isn't big on fancy electrical features. I think I will let it sit there a couple months and go back to talk him down a bit. It sat there this long so a couple months won't make much difference. I'll start at $200.00 but not go past $450.00. He kinda acted like it's a rare classic to hear him talk about it. I'll let it rust into a pile of dirt before I pay what he was asking.

Doug, it sounds like this car has potential. If it were me, I would wait to spring then offer him a low figure. This would give you nicer weather to mess aournd with it. Even if it needs a motor, this car could be a good find.

Round up $400.00 cash and see the guy 3-4 days before Christmas ;)

I consider it a parts or project car and offer him $200-$300. Here's about the minimum work I'd do to bring it back to a daily driver. That's if none of the emission stuff goes bad..MAP, TPS, etc...which can add $100s. Valves sitting that long can be rusty and trashed which mean a head job. Rings sticking to rusty cyl walls, etc. Brake lines @ $20 each.

$100 for 2 front calipers (they are likely going to be stuck hard)
$25 rear brake pads
$35 battery
$200 tires
$50 for waterpump and timing belt
$10 crank and cam front seals
$50 fluids change
$10 valve cover gasket
$40 hoses
$15 wiper blades

BillCP

You are wise to examine the challenge before opening the hyena cage. It’s a hard call sometimes because it has 3 values i.e. a hedge in the event Saudi Arabia makes another economic terrorist attack pushing gas to $4+ per gallon, a market value of a 1989 commodity you can find at Kelly book or watch recent sales, and it also has utility value because you have a car that will produce miles at a fraction of the cost of your peers which in itself can be a defense in uncertain economic times.

If in doubt you can hedge your plan by moving the go/no-go decision point back into your project. For example you can take possession replace the timing belt, fire it up do your evaluation at that point but spend no more than your estimated market value acquiring, transporting, and gathering information. Then you are setup to make a fully qualified decision. I never do this I just jump in screw everything up then start squealing and come to auto forums and beg for help.

In my opinion there are some strong points if you can hedge your buy and prevent sinking more than resale value in before deciding to commit to making it roadworthy.
Also the mileage is fixed in time when the belt broke and many wear components may still be in good shape.

Also in planning, Saudi Arabia will almost certainly attack again. In the uncertainty of market imbalances a good business survival model is to have no debt and a lower cost base than you peers. The Saudis won the first strike what’s left of this country is still staggering, another equally devastating strike could change our economic landscape. In that situation combined with political incompetence the Geo would give an element of security and survivability no other car could offer.

Assuming your assessment of a solid body is a good one and you have the time and mechanical skill to see the project through, I can’t see you loosing if you avoid sinking in to much in up front so you can sell and run out the back door before Opra or similar 900 pound gorilla gets hold of you.