1988 Chevrolet Sprint Metro review from North America
"The epitome of cheap transportation"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Bought the vehicle for $300 needing some repairs.
Already had a new clutch, alternator and timing belt.
When I bought it, it needed:
Shocks & Struts - $150 + 3 hours.
Manual Steering Box - $25 (salvage) + 1 hour.
New front wheel bearings - $50 + 2 hours.
Tune up - $50 + 2 hours.
New tires and alignment - $170 + 3 hours.
General comments?
Great car! Handles hills 'good enough', have to downshift to 4th on some steeper ones. Gets >45mpg, usually around 50mpg for normal driving at 65mph. Have about $700 invested into a car that costs about $1/day to drive (18 miles one way to work, factoring in insurance, licensing, etc). Handles well enough, although I keep a toolbox in the back end, seems to help when a big semi comes from the other direction. The carb'd engines (88 and earlier) get better gas mileage than the fuel injected models (89 and later). The main problem I have with the car is the fact that it doesn't produce much heat in cold climates (North Dakota) and I've got the radiator completely blocked off with a working 198F thermostat.
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| One Tough Cookie That's Cute and Fun to Drive |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.0L 3 cylinder Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 105000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 140000 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Malibu |
| Date of Entry | 29th January, 2002 |