I’ve had 3 (the last two were actually Chevy Metros, after Chevrolet killed the Geo line). Loved 'em. All stick shifts, all base models with .8L, 3cy engines. Top speed was about 80mph with a tailwind and just the driver, 0-60 was ‘eventually’, didn’t ever get warm inside when I was commuting in the winter, the crumple zones ended at the rear bumper, there was no a/c, and all of them died at around 120,000mi. The last one died when the frame rusted through and the wheel collapsed into the wheel well.
…But they were under $12k ea. brand new (the 1st was under $8k), insurance was cheap as hell, and I got 45+ mpg when gas prices were going sky high.
I had a friend with a Suzuki Swift (pretty well the same car) I have no idea how that car lasted as long as it did carrying around nearly 1000lbs of fat asses. Although one day it gave up and dropped the engine and tranny
If he was in the midwest, probably rust killed the frame.
They weren’t good cars, but they were great cars for the money. When you couldn’t afford a Nissan Sentra, a Metro/Swift looked great.
Also, they were so easy to work on, because they were as simple as a lawnmower. One person could realistically pick up the whole engine and transmission, and there was tons of space to work inside the engine compartment. Unlike the old BMW 540i that I had, where you needed to take off the whole front end in order to get the brake master cylinder off (I think it was the master cylinder; might have been the booster or slave cylinder).
I’ve had 3 (the last two were actually Chevy Metros, after Chevrolet killed the Geo line). Loved 'em. All stick shifts, all base models with .8L, 3cy engines. Top speed was about 80mph with a tailwind and just the driver, 0-60 was ‘eventually’, didn’t ever get warm inside when I was commuting in the winter, the crumple zones ended at the rear bumper, there was no a/c, and all of them died at around 120,000mi. The last one died when the frame rusted through and the wheel collapsed into the wheel well.
…But they were under $12k ea. brand new (the 1st was under $8k), insurance was cheap as hell, and I got 45+ mpg when gas prices were going sky high.
I had a friend with a Suzuki Swift (pretty well the same car) I have no idea how that car lasted as long as it did carrying around nearly 1000lbs of fat asses. Although one day it gave up and dropped the engine and tranny
If he was in the midwest, probably rust killed the frame.
They weren’t good cars, but they were great cars for the money. When you couldn’t afford a Nissan Sentra, a Metro/Swift looked great.
Also, they were so easy to work on, because they were as simple as a lawnmower. One person could realistically pick up the whole engine and transmission, and there was tons of space to work inside the engine compartment. Unlike the old BMW 540i that I had, where you needed to take off the whole front end in order to get the brake master cylinder off (I think it was the master cylinder; might have been the booster or slave cylinder).
Onterrible Canada, salt in the winter lol. And like I said there was 3 people over 300lbs plus the driver.
I don’t know how it lasted as long as it did.
Had a teacher in highschool with a Metro and we would pick the car up and rotate it 90 deg in the spot or take it for a walk down the street