1993 Geo Metro Base review from North America

Wheel bearings. $28 at Canadian Tire for inner and outer bearings.

Rear right door won't open.

Front right window doesn't roll down properly, but can still be used.

Gearshift linkage badly worn, makes it hard to get in gear sometimes.

Engine worn out, despite being 'rebuilt' according to person who sold it to me.

Oilpan drainplug fell out while on highway, luckily I stopped before the motor seized up.

Handbrake doesn't work.

Brakes need adjustment.

Well, I bought this car about a month ago for $500 bucks. The guy I bought it from told me the motor had been rebuilt. I doubt that, as the cylinder head has at least 1 burnt valve, and a hell of a lot of cam noise. As a result, I am afraid to run the engine at higher RPM's, I don't want anything to blow apart. Despite the worn engine, I still get about 36 mpg around town, more on the highway. I'm in the market for a good head, anyone have one for sale?

The gearshifter's linkages or something are worn badly, it just flops around. I can still shift fine, but occasionally I have trouble getting it into 5th or reverse.

The body is a bit rusty, it's had some bodyfiller used on it.

Tiny little 12 inch tires don't offer very much roadholding ability, but hell, they're only 20 bucks at Walmart for the Ulysses KH.

Handbrake doesn't work at all. The guy I bought the car from told me he had it reinspected just prior to selling it, I am seriously led to believe that he may have bought the sticker illegally, due to the handbrake problem, and a obviously leaking rear shock that any good mechanic would have noticed.

Lots of squeaks and rattles, general noises. Annoying, but not detrimental.

My clutch pedal has too much play in it, leads me to believe the clutch itself may be worn.

This Metro, being the 4 door hatchback, has a fair amount of room inside. It can carry a lot of stuff in the back, providing the rear seat has been folded down first.

As I said earlier, my cylinder head is bad. I suspect a burnt valve. I've never changed a head on any car, but from what I hear, they can be changed in less than a day.

Despite all it's problems, I like this little car. It rides rough, but it's not too bad. This thing has one heck of a heater in it, that'll be a good thing come winter.

These cars are cheap in every sense of the word. They were cheaply made, despite the oddity all aluminum engine. Cheap to run, it gets great fuel mileage. Cheap to buy, you can get a good one for less than $1000. Cheap to insure, only a few hundred a year for me. Cheap to repair, parts are plentiful, repairs are surprisingly simple. Too bad the new Swift/Aveo aren't the same anymore.

Anyone want to chat about their Metro/Firefly/Swift or have any parts for sale? Email me jason.bright@gmail.com.