1992 Geo Metro from North America - Comments

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.

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.

This three cylinder engine is very reliable if it is kept up. I believe you can trace its roots all the way back to 1985 in the Chevrolet Sprint.

Do you honestly believe you trick your car running oil in the engine? Get real, the only thing your doing is making blue smoke out the pipe. So you did not have any engine damage after your timing belt broke?