Faults:

Can't open drivers door from the outside. Two control knobs have come off and been lost over the years.

General Comments:

Adorable splashie decal on a still beautiful red, roomy convertible! This reliable, economical little car still turns heads at gas stations and still shines like new with the original paint job. Just had the original top replaced before taking it on a trip from south Georgia to NC. Easily averaged 41 mpg and it handled like a champ at 55-60 mph. I only paid $1700 for it in 2002. It had about 47k then and has 99k now. I would buy another!

Faults:

Head gasket blew out a few times, even when replaced.

General Comments:

Reliable little car for the most part.

Excellent for a first car.

Faults:

I had the to have the timing belt replaced, other than that its generally a good, little car.

General Comments:

This car was the cheapest car I ever owned, but it got great gas mileage and was very reliable. The dealer was great and it it a comfortable car. YAY.

Faults:

First week I had the car, timing belt broke. Amazingly simple to replace, and belt cost 1/3 price of belts for other cars.

Nothing since.

General Comments:

This car is simple, and very economic as you may have heard. Every few months I take it for a drive 1,000 miles and back. It runs fine. I drive for the 24 hours straight, and don't have any problems with it overheating.

I average about 50 mpg. I have actually gotten about 60 mpg by tricking the engine to think it is running rich. If I fill up I will put in about a capful of 2 stroke engine oil. I read in one of the manuals that these geos are supposed to get 60mpg, and figured that the computer was calibrated to run too rich. It also runs a lot stronger with the little bit of oil.

People try to say 3 cylinder cars break down all the time, but all I've done for the past 3 years is replace the timing belt. I know 7 other close friends with 3 cylinder cars and they swear by them also. We actually have a 3 cylinder auto club (kind of as a joke.)

I only have power trouble if I carry a full car load and try to go up a steep hill. Then I just go a little slow. I've even got a trailer hitch, and haul a trailer some times.

I can run it 80mph easy on flat land if I want, without much stress.

Love these things, and car manufacturers are idiots for not still making them. A $40,000 car with every add on which cost $10,000 to make would make a lot more money than a cheap car for $10,000 which cost $5,000 to make. But they would sell a lot of 3 cylinders.

But now they only release a 3 cylinder as a "Smart Car" or hybrid. And those cost a lot.