1996 Geo Metro Base review from North America

Absolutely nothing mechanical.

Cosmetically the car's interior is cheap, so it has some cracks here and there. The plastic vents are notorious for breaking.

This car isn't going to win any awards for quality or comfort, but it's designed to get incredible fuel economy. I've averaged 47 mpg the 1700+ miles I've owned it and if you're patient enough to drive it 55mph, it will return 55 mpg!

The purchase price was also inexpensive. Only $2,000 for a 10-year-old vehicle.

Even though the 1.0L 3 cylinder engine is known to be reliable, it's barely adequate for this vehicle. If I have the gas floored in 5th gear, the car only goes up to 80mph due to wind resistance (and the car will get only 35mpg at that speed).

If only they made the Geo Metro lower and more aerodynamic, the car could have performed better at highway speeds (they would've sold lots if they got a wedge-like design like the Pontiac Fiero from the 80s).

There are virtually no options on my car, but the fit-and-finish is still an improvement from previous Metros.

Because the small tires are very thin, the breaking/handling is marginal.

The crash test for this car isn't too bad (four stars for both the driver and passenger) and for those of you that think a car this small is a death-trap, it's inarguably safer than a motorcycle!

Highly recommended if you want great fuel economy and don't care about "bells and whistles" in your car. I would however recommend installing an after-market cruise control for highway driving (the best investment I've made).

Just imagine filling up the car for $18.00 and driving 370 miles. It's definitely worth it!