Need everyone's advice - thinking about getting a Metro!

[andrgo]

Hey guys,


I seriously need some advice here! I am an 18 year old high school student and I have to pay for all of the gas to put in my 1987 F150 that gets 11MPG and goes through a quart of oil every 3 weeks!
I have to fill my truck up 6 times a month with unleaded, each time it's about $35.00. That's almost $2,500/yr on gas. It is ridiculous!


I need a car that gets good gas mileage, and I have forever known about the miraculous Geo Metro. I recently found one for $2,750 OBO.


Here's a picture of the one I found locally:

Here's the specs on it as the guy told me:
- 1992 Metro LSI 1.0 3cyl manual
- 98,000 miles
- He says everything is working with it mechanically/cosmetically and no underneath rust either.
- Only thing is that he says the car had some "minor front end damage" a few years back (he didn't tell me the specifics but I am going to ask) in which he need to put a new hood on.


Should I get a Geo Metro? I already know all of the good things about them (gas mileage at the top of the list of course.) Would you recommend I get a Geo Metro, why or why not?


I need something that's good on gas, dependable name, and is no newer than 1996 (to avoid higher insurance costs.)
Is a 90-96 the Geo Metro that car?



I know for a fact I can't keep driving that 11MPG truck...

[Crvett69]

he is asking way to much for a 92, especially one that was previously damaged. you should expect to pay between $1000-1500 for one in decent shape. check craigslist and look on e-bay for ones in your area. you can make the guy a lowball offer on the car but no way its worth $2700

[andrgo]

Originally Posted by Crvett69

he is asking way to much for a 92, especially one that was previously damaged. you should expect to pay between $1000-1500 for one in decent shape. check craigslist and look on e-bay for ones in your area. you can make the guy a lowball offer on the car but no way its worth $2700

Wow man, you're right on according to Edmunds, KBB, and NadaGuides.


Why is this guy asking for so much money for a car worth half that? I investigated him on the internet (using his name, city) and found out he's a high school teacher, so it's not like it's some crazy kid trying to put an astronomical price on their "awesome" car or anything. I mean of all people, I would expect a middle-aged teacher to be the most sensible.

Are there any good techniques I could try to use to talk him down to at least $1,500?

[Crvett69]

some people think just cause its theirs its worth more, thing to do is make him a low offer and leave your phone number with him. lot of times i will get a call back a week or two later when they get tired of looking at car and take my offer

[serenity]

If you can get a better price then what he is asking. Thats way to much. Also keep in mind that the geo is not a high preformence car. If you have a habit of pushing it hard it will likely leave you stranded some where on the side of the road soon. However if you use it wisely and keep in mind that it is a vehicle made to get you from point A to points BC&D and don't push it to hard it could last you a very long time, and save you a bundle of money! good lucy S.

[Mike_Van]

He's asking way too much. Offer $1500 tops.
Though perhaps a rare case, I paid $500 for my '96 with 134k three years ago.

These cars have a few electrical system weaknesses/quirks, but I'd call it reliable basic transportation, when treated nicely.
Do not expect it to be fast, quiet, or luxurious.

-Mike

[andrgo]

I'm definitely not a "tough guy" on cars. I mean, yeah, there's been a few times where the pedal has literally been down touching the floor (because every morning I have to pull out onto a busy state highway to get into town.) Other than those FEW times I have to put the "pedal to the metal" so to speak, I treat my vehicles very decently.
I despise people that abuse their vehicles!

The main reason I want a Metro is because I'm a young guy and like I said earlier I've got a ton of money to pay off (mainly my truck) and my truck's costs altogether are insane (insurance, gas, adding a quart of oil every 3 weeks, tune-ups, etc.) all add up to about $3,800-4,000 per year! And since I'm a student, that amount is over HALF of what I make in ONE year!

I'd also like to go on some road trips while I'm still young. A Metro seems perfect for that. Might I also mention that I am a very plain-jane guy, I don't care about having a fancy/quiet/high-performance car. I want to be as economical as possible because I think that's what really matters.



Can I ask some more questions too...

• How much do you folks pay annually (in one year) for car insurance on your Metro? Please also give your gender/age if you don't mind.
• How much MPG YOUR Metro get averaged out?
• Are there any common problems with Metros generally speaking?
• How do Metro's HANDLE in snow/ice/rain?

Thanks you guys, you have no idea how much I appreciate your help in this topic!

[Crvett69]

for long trips the newer metros (95-2000) ride better and handle nicer but don't get as good mpg as the 89-94 version. the 5 speed 3 cyl in good shape should average between 40-50mpg depending on your driving habits. liability insurance costs me about 350 a year for a metro, i get most of mine cheap and broken and put new motors in and don;t see any reason to put full coverage on them. if you want something that still gets good mileage and is faily fast look around for a 89-94 suzuki swift GTi. its a metro body with a 100hp DOHC 4 cyl. has 14" tires, 4 wheel disk brakes, rear spoiler, ground effects kit and nicer interior. i have one of them and it still gets 38 even though i tend to drive it hard

[floridabuckeye]

I suggest you keep an eye out... I recently found a 98 that needed just a little tlc (new window regulator, hubcaps, alternator, and headliner glue) with 89,000 miles on it for a grand... It has been a perfect little car for my wife to drive around...

If the car was insured by it self it would cost about 160 every month... we have two cars and get a multi-car discount, it ended up costing us an extra $1.68 every 6 months to insure... I'm 27 she is 23

Ours is an automatic and the 1.3L (slightly less gas mileage). We get about 34 to 35 mpg so far... (about 270 to 280 miles per 8 gal. fillup)

No idea on the snow and ice since the car has never left Florida, but it does just fine in the rain.

[idmetro]

We have an 86, 92 and 94 version. All handle surprisingly well in the snow. A large part of that depends on your driving style though...

[Mike_Van]

Insurance on a '96 is just under $300 a year, but a 37 year-old female (wife) is the primary driver, and we only put maybe 6,000 a year on it (primarily a pleasure vehicle - we both bike to work most of the year).

The only major issues I have had are of an electrical nature:
1) A wire going to a sensor that happened to be on the same circuit as the ECU shorted out. The result was no ECU circuit, thus no fuel delivery.
Quite hard to find, but no such issue since.

2) the factory fusebox is crap and thus the circuits that carry the most current (headlights) run a risk of running too hot for the plastic parts used, and can melt. I've read that rebuilding it is a chore, but that it solves the problem.

3) my brights do not work intermittently, unless I have the level pulled toward me. Related to the fusebox weakness/issue, I think. When they do work, the headlight switch does allow me to turn them on.

MPG: 40 city 45-48 Hwy, if I don't go over 60.

Snow: with 4 studless snows (Nordman) I have great traction.
With summer tires, it was a little scary on ice & slush.

Starts in very cold (10 degrees F) weather.

[andrgo]

Wow, I read all of the new replies here. Thank you all for the useful information, it's really persuaded me to get a Geo Metro even more. Thank you!

Well, I'm pretty convinced on getting an 89-98 Metro now.


I'm having a real heck of a time trying to find a Metro in the whole state of Minnesota. The ones I have found, I email the people who are selling them and they never contact me back - they're "fresh" listings too not even a few weeks old. I have literally checked every site I know that has any type of cars for sale or classifieds on it (CarSoup, Autotrader, etc.) and no one will get back to me. I have emailed about 6 or 7 people now about their Metro's for sale and not a single one has got back to me!

It is ridiculously crazy, has anyone else has this problem?
If they're selling their cars, you'd think they'd actually want to sell them and give me a jingle back...

[DanMan7]

I have a 92 Metro. It has a burnt valve, but it still gets about 28-30mpg. It has about 160,000 miles. Insurance costs me about $160 a year and I'm 25 years old ($80 every 6 months). Although I own four vehicles, so I get the multi-car discount. I bought my Geo for $500.

[Crvett69]

i never seem to have a problem finding them, got 2 today at a towing auction, a 95 for $60 and a 91 4 door for 75. the craigslist.com in your state and others close to you

[andrgo]

Wow, hah like I've said I've had a real problem finding them! I must be the one here with bad luck! I did find one last week and I got a response from the guy today.

It's a 1998 3-cyl 5-speed "Chevrolet" Metro for $1,500.
The guy selling it seems like a pretty decent person when I talked to him so I don't think he's being phony about the car in any way. He said there were no any mechanical/cosmetic issues with it.

The ONLY thing is that it has over 200,000 miles on it. Since I'm new to Metro's, I don't know how many miles they typically can take in their lifetime. I also don't know how/if you can rebuild the engines and if you could, if the gas mileage would still be the same.

Can I get your guys' opinions on the mileage?