Thinking about buying a 93 Metro

[Infinitrium]

Well, I'm looking for a small car that's good on gas, and I took a look at a 93 Metro 5 speed 4 door hatch today. The clutch grabs right off the floor, which I've been told means the clutch is in good shape. The motor sounded rough when I revved it, and I noticed a bit of a ticking sound as well, maybe it's normal for them to sound like that, I hear people say they sound like sewing machines. It's slow getting up to speed, as can be expected, but one I got it up to speed it seemed to hold itself there pretty good. This Geo has rather high mileage, about 160000 miles. How long do these cars generally last? I'm hoping to get at least 2 years out of it. Parts shouldn't be any trouble to find, a junkyard near here has 4 or 5 Metro's and Pontiac Firefly's in it. The guy wants 500 bucks, Canadian, for it. Sound like a good price?

[Infinitrium]

I'd also like to add, the guy said he was getting almost 52 mpg on the highway from this car. I'd say that's pretty good, wouldn't you?

[geojim]

I got my '93 Geo from my mother-in-law about 8 months ago and it's been a good little car. It gets in the mid-40s for mpg and runs good after some engine work due to head gasket and leaky seal problems. They will last if you take care of them: getting close to 310k miles...

[Infinitrium]

I bet that A/C cuts down on the mileage though, right? This one I'm buying doesn't have A/C, which is fine by me.

[geojim]

Of course A/C drops the mpg a little. This time of year its mostly on but I still stay in the 40-42 range with it. Effect is less the more you can stay at a constant highway speed.

[Infinitrium]

Is that 40-42 city or highway mileage?

[geojim]

That's around town. There are not too many "cities" in West Virginia.

[Infinitrium]

I'm paying the guy for the car tonight, I was talking to him a bit about the car and he said he had the motor rebuilt about 80,000 miles ago. I don't know if he meant 80,000 kilometers or 80,000 miles, so then I should be able to get a long time of running out of the motor.

[Infinitrium]

Car's paid for now, going to change over the registration and junk tomorrow. The guy told me he has a spare motor for parts that I can have. The head, cam, valves and injector are good. The block is ok, but there's a spun crank bearing. I even get a nearly new complete left side axle shaft.

[mik13usa]

allthatwanders might be interested in your exhaust manifold if you want to sell?

[Infinitrium]

I'll check tomorrow and see if one's there. I'd sell it to help offset the cost of the car. What do they usually go for?

[Infinitrium]

Originally Posted by Infinitrium

I'll check tomorrow and see if one's there. I'd sell it to help offset the cost of the car. What do they usually go for?

I checked, and yes there is a exhaust manifold on there. I'll sell it, I need the money for tune-up parts.