Would you get a Geo Metro? (1 Viewer)

[gbell210]

OK.. I'm not selling the 80... no matter what. But I'm looking to get a commuter car that can get at least an average of 30miles/gal. I'm also only looking to spend around $2500 and would rather not have a diesel. Also, I don't care about the "image" just the mileage and something reliable.

Some options I've looked into are early/mid 90 Corolla and Tercels (cuz I'm partial to Toyota)
I haven't found many civics in that price range either.
But I was also wondering about Geo Metros? Specifically I found a 97 hatchback for $1800 w/ 137k miles. Does anyone have any first hand experience with these and would recommend or tell me to stay away from them? This one is the 1.3L 4cyl automatic. I know the manual w/ 1.3L or 1.0L 3cyl would be better on mileage, but I haven't found one in the area yet.

Any other recommendations while I'm open to cheap effiecent cars. And the reason I was looking at newer metros was... if I am going to be driving in a shoe box, it better have airbags to help in an accident
Thanks

 

[NorCalDoug]

Me? No. I wouldn't own a geo metro. Everyone I've know who's had one has hated theirs. Were they all 3 cyclinder engines?

I'd say Toyota Echo, but that's not in your price range. Tercel or Corolla would be the next bet. Civics tend to be absorbed by the speed racer crowd.

 

[Gumby]

No. Metros are junk. The best use I've found for one is the short block I use as a door stop.

It has a big hole through the block where #3 let loose. Not uncommon.

I like my Echo, but if you're considering a Metro the Echo might be out of your price range. They are holding their value big time. For good reason.

Tell me this isn't flippin amazing. I bought mine brand new for $11K 5 years ago. Now it has 29,000 miles on it.
http://www.internetautoguide.com/usedcars/11-int/toyota/echo/index.html

$2000 in depreciation in 5 years. An Escalade looses about 10 times that in the first year.

 

[beaufort-fj60]

how about a 90's civic cx,vx,px or whatever the name was of the one that got 60 mpg

 

[Cruiserhead05]

I'm buying a Corolla in a few days.
1992 200k miles. The interior is perfect and has a new tranny. Everything works like new and it gets 35mpg!!!!


Price- $600

 

[Bob_Garrett]

Try looking for a Geo Prizm. Uses Toyota Corolla engine/drivetrain. Around here they are 15-25% cheaper than the equivalent Corolla. 30-32 mpg in mixed city/hwy driving w/auto tranny (not sure if they were available with a manual). Fun to drive, too. Seems to have a slightly stiffer suspension than the Corolla.

 

[mot]

how about a 90's civic cx,vx,px or whatever the name was of the one that got 60 mpg

Same here, an early '90's VX (3 door) or a CR-X HF would be what I would be looking at (Both 3-door hatchbacks).

 

[cruiser88]

try a geo storm or a hy.accent those 2 are great cars but both with a 5 speed

 

[stinkyfj60]

old 4Runner. mine out of tune gets 22mpg. Nothing too great, but it helps. specially considering the low overall price of the truck and insurance. With a tune I might squeeze out a few more.

 

[swank60]

We get close to 30mpg in-town with the 95 Corolla - you just can't beat 'em. We've been considering a new(er) one as our around-town car. Corollas hold their value pretty well, too. I've seen one comp. to mine go for about $6500. I paid $12.5k 10 years ago for it.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Corolla. I got my son one to drive while he is in school. I drove it around for a week or so to make sure there was nothing wrong with it. It was hard to let him have it, fun to drive easy to park good miliage. I paid $2500 for it then put a couple of hundred more in for a tranny flush (auto) and some new bushing in the front end.

One thing to look for is a car with cosmetic body damage. The one I bought had a couple of minor dings in the front fenders. If it had been clean it would have sold for +$1000 more around here. This summer we will probably pick up a couple of fenders, the boy found them on line for around $200 (set) from a junk yard in CA.

 

[honk]

NEVER !!

 

[cary]

I'll throw out an entirely different model and brand. A BMW E30, either a 325e or 1991 318i or 318is. Both can be had in good shape for less than $2500 with less than 200k miles. Both are very reliable and were among the best BMW's ever made. The 325e has a 2.7l low reving I-6 that puts out 120hp and 170ft/lb torque. The 318i (M42 motor), puts out 140 hp and 140ft/lb torque. Both will get mid to high 30's mpg on the freeway and mid 20's in town. The 318 is more fun to drive as the motor is tuned to be more sporty, the 325e has a very broad but uninspiring powerband with a low 5000 rpm redline.

 

[Gumby]

No way is a 525 gonna cost you less to keep than a corrolla. The maintenance and regular repairs will drive the cost of ownership way up.

I was recently looking at putting an engine in a 535. Common advice was to replace all the sensors as they would all need replacing before long as well as all the suspension bushings. It's a shame as it's a nice looking car, but it's not worth putting a $600 used engine in it.

This one ate a valve seat due to an overheat. Fairly common to see these things overheat and blow HGs.

$2000 is pretty common for a 3 or 5 and even high mileage 7 series around here. What makes a car only worth a couple of grand for a 10 year old model? That's the question to ask.

 

[whodat]

IMHO....No to Geo and no to BMW

Stick with Honda and Yota's or the gas money you save will likely be eaten by repair costs.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I notice nobody mentions Suzukis. Anything wrong with the Swift etc.?

 

[gbell210]

Thanks for the input guys, probably won't be going after the Geo now unless its a prism with the corolla engine or has all service and corresponding records.

-As far as the BMW, I wouldn't look at them. My roommate has a 96 5-series and when there are no problems it is great. Problem is finding a cheap one that isn't neglected, as he even says its a bit of a maintenance whore until its back in top shape.

But since I'm not in a huge hurry, I'll take my time to find the right one, and hopefully prices of these commuter cars don't shoot up before I find mine.


BTW, the Geo metro is basically a Suzuki Swift rebadged, I believe.

 

[koop]

Geo Metro? Ugh. Why would you do that to yourself? How about something like an Infiniti J30. Not quite 30MPG, probably high 20's but a decent comfortable ride on the cheap.

 

[firetruck41]

My friend has one (he can afford much better, but is saving for home projects), which replaced his Audi S6, and Subaru WRX. He doesn't mind driving it except for the fact that everytime he sees a Full size pickup (all over the place around here), he can't help but reflect on the fact that his head is at the perfect height to bounce off one of those bumpers, and theirs not a whole lot of protection in the sheetmetal and glass he is riding in.

 

[honk]

My friend has one (he can afford much better, but is saving for home projects), which replaced his Audi S6, and Subaru WRX. He doesn't mind driving it except for the fact that everytime he sees a Full size pickup (all over the place around here), he can't help but reflect on the fact that his head is at the perfect height to bounce off one of those bumpers, and theirs not a whole lot of protection in the sheetmetal and glass he is riding in.

Tell him to practice (by visualization) quickly lying down across the seats and let the truck take off the top of the car without his head.

There's reason behind this: years ago I bought a Mazda GLC for commuting the 80 mile round trip over the Hwy 17 summit in Santa Cruz county, CA from home to work. I left home at 0400, 4:00 a.m. One foggy morning I came around the corner just over the top and there was a semi truck with trailer jackknifed across both lanes. They have 'safety' walls on both sides of the two lanes each way and there was no place for me to go. I stopped with the nose of my car just short of the trailer, knowing that someone would come barreling around the corner any minute. I lay down across both seats and adjusted the mirror so I could see behind me. The first thing to arrive was a 4x4 chevy truck. He made it to a stop with that juddering kind of panic stop. so did the car behind him. but the third car, a Buick, didn't quite make it - went sideways across both lanes and got slammed by the next car in the left lane. All the time I was just there, waiting for the inevitable pileup that would push my car under the trailer.

The truckdriver was working to get himself straight, and he finally did. He drove on and so did I. When the guy in the Chevy truck passed me I could see him look over and give me a thumbs up and I answered by wiping my brow. It was memorable.

I figured that my only hope would have been to have my car driven right under the trailer. It would have took off the top, but I might have survived it. Glad I never had to prove the theory!