Considering buying a 95 metro.. questions

[Mark Rudy]

I am considering buying a 95 geo metro with a 5 spd with 137k miles on it. Seller indicated some problems DOWNSHIFTING from 3rd to 2nd, is this something to be concerned about (like something that is a prelude to strand me on the side of the road tranny failure)?

Also, I live in the mountains of California... do these cars produce enough power to get me up a 5 mile 15% grade at faster than 45 mph without winding out the engine?

another question i have is what is the top speed of these cars? 1/2 my drive to and from work is on a 70 mph freeway, will this be a problem?

Finally, is there any known problems I should watch out for in this model year?

[flashlight]

What price is the 95 metro that you are looking into buying?

Down shifting from 3rd to 2nd could become a potential problem. Eventually it won't go from 3rd to 2nd and you will have to wait until the engine slows down enough to switch into 1st. Having a car with over 100,000 miles on it is not a bad thing it just means that you will need to keep an ear and eye out for any problems that might come to be. When I got mine it had over 164K and so far all I've had to do is change the radiator, alternator,and the oil. If you think about it though if it does become a problem it is always fixable.

Don't get me wrong about these cars. They are great modes of transportation and they get awesome gas mileage. All they take is a little work of up keep on your part. Mine has gotten me on back roads where the big trucks won't go. I even went by mistake on a 4 wheeler trail when I was out hunting.

You should have no problem hitting 70mph on a freeway as I have done it here in Idaho. And I do just fine keeping up with other traffic on the freeway. There are still the people that go faster but in turn make themselves more noticable to the police. The speedometer indicates that these cars can go about 90mph but I have never proceeded to try it.

I don't know if there are any problems that you should be looking out for, for that year as I have a 94 the year before.

[Mark Rudy]

Originally Posted by flashlight

What price is the 95 metro that you are looking into buying?

it's on ebay lol.. I KBB'ed it and with listed problems I am not going to bid more than a grand for it. going to go and take a look at it in a few days (it's about 100 miles from me) before bidding, just sent a feeler out there before I went to look at it so i knew what special to vehicle problems to look at it.

[91Caprice9c1]

The third to second gear downshift problem is due to a worn synchronizer. It will not leave you stranded, and you can downshift from 3rd to 2nd regardless of how thrashed the synchro is with a lost art known as 'double clutching.' Read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_declutch
Otherwise replacing the synchro is either a long or expensive process, and if you can't live with it, I'd suggest not purchasing the car - as this condition will only get worse.

Otherwise these cars are quite reliable, I have one in my fleet in excess of 300k miles.

-MechanicMatt

[leonbentz]

Yea, if the tranny decides to go kaput, then JDM's are still very reasonable. I bought a JDM Automatic for mine and it was only $295 including shipping. If that car has only 137,000 on it, then it may be worth purchasing. I had a '96, but I didn't like it quite as much as my '91. I think the first generation Metros are the best. The '95 - '97 have a small wiring issue, with a plug from the headlight/turn signal combo, that goes into the fuse box. This plug would be found on the fuse box, closest to the firewall. Also, another thing to look for is the bushings in the lower control arms. These rubber bushings tend to degrade a bit faster than the older models. My '96 had 167,000 and I replaced the drive axles and plus the bushings and spent well over $400.00 for parts. My '91 has 208,000 on it and the front end is still tight and it goes down the road straight and narrow. So bottom line is: Make sure the front end is in excellent shape and make sure the lights all work good. Good luck with your next purchase.

Leon

[Woodie83]

You're arguing from the specific to the general, taking your experience with one car from each generation and claiming that they are all like that. My 89 had the headlight wiring problem and my 98 with 100 watt bulbs has no problem at all.

The front suspension is identical so any difference there is due to type of use or blind luck.

[leonbentz]

Ahh, it probably was just blind luck, but the front end was sure in rough shape, for as nice of condition the car was. I thought that was odd. It probably saw a lot of bumpy roads. All the up and down actuation in the lower control arms, made the rubber separate from the metal in the bushings.

As far as the light issue, it seems that several of these, the same year as mine had one wire in the plug get hot and melt the erea around it. My analogy has shown that the little tongs, that go into the plug are real small, for the load they carry. Here in the U.S., it may not quite meet UL requirements. If the lights have any issues, then this point gets hot. There's nothing like having your lights shut off, while your taking a corner in a cold rainy night. From what I have seen, a lot of people replaced the headlight/turn signal combo switch, when there really isn't anything wrong with it. It's usually the fuse box and the little plug, closest to the firewall, that has the problems. The '95-96 still had the sealed beam, and these draw a lot of juice, compared to the composite beams your '98 has and since the wiring problem goes back to the earlier models, they likely added the DRL feature also, to work as a "back up remedy". My headlamps worked with the DRL module, but not in the ON position. If my lights didn't work in the ON position, then I just drove in the parking light or OFF position. The one wire that got hot, may have came out of my dimmer switch. I don't know, I didn't keep it long enough to research it further.
With the sealed beam system, if there is any problems, they usually heat up, the fuse box connections or other weak points in the wiring. It was either '97or '98 when they converted the lights to a composite beam and redesigned the wiring for the lights. Even the DRL Module was redesigned.

Ah!! It's done and over with. Bottom line is: Mark Rudy should check those two important points, before he makes his purchase and go from there. I have lived and learned and I hope all the rest of us can the easy way.

Good Luck Mark, I hope it all works out well for you.

Leon