Nothing has gone wrong with the car. Anything that has been replaced is normal maintenance (i.e:Timing belt at 60000 miles, spark plugs, oil, coolant and the distributor cap and rotor and wires at their recommended intervals)
First off, the car is not the fastest car on the planet. I drive from light to light and I typically am faster than traffic, yet I still get 45+MPG. Out on the open road cruising above 70MPH is not an issue, on really steep hills in high altitude the car does need to shift down to 4th and it will still hold 60-65MPH. It will go 100MPH on flat ground if you dare. And even with going over the speed limit, you'll get 50+ on the open road.
The seats feel a little firm after about 2 hours.
The suspension is somewhat stiff and harsh, but you definitely feel safe and secure while driving it.
The car is a very reliable car, nothing has failed on me, and it will give you plenty of warning before something finally goes, like a spark plug, it's a very forgiving car. Like a good pet.
Driving is a no brainer, it makes tons of bottom end torque pretty quick which makes it easy to drive, stop and go, or in use as any other type of vehicle.
Its incredibly tough, I launched the car off of a nice size berm, maybe 3 feet of air, nothing broke or bent. I drove it into a 2 foot ditch, nothing broke or bent, I did scratch a fender, but what do you expect. I actually submerged the front of the car in soupy mud, completely over the hood and about 2 inches onto the windshield. I had to crawl out the hatch I was so deep (my doors couldn't open). I was smart enough to turn off the car as soon as the mud started coming over the hood, I got pulled out of the mud, and it took maybe 20 seconds to start again. Runs great still.
If you want the absolute cheapest vehicle to drive this is it. No problems, its fast and tough for what it is, and just plain reliable.
It will do OK burnouts.
I have owned a Volvo 164 E, a Toyota Pickup and a Chevy 1 ton truck, this is the best vehicle I have ever owned. I have worked for an Air conditioning repair man, and this is the most "attached to the road" car I have ever driven. Even my moms new Volvo and my Dad's new Ford pickup aren't as reliable or as nice to drive.
With the economy going down hill still, I'd say this is the vehicle of choice, drive it, park it or take it anywhere and never worry about it.
The performance is average, not super fast, but not slow.
The dependability is superb.
The comfort a little stiff.
The value is awesome.
I have one of these vehicles I agree with you it is a great little car.
It sounds like you are using your Metro in Motocross races!
The engine IS smaller than many motorcycles and I guess being able to knock motorcycles out of the way is a plus!
Kidding aside, this IS a great little car! IF it were being sold today I have no doubt they would have a 1 year or more waiting list by now. Low price, killer MPG and even reliable! I guess we can all see why Detroit killed this car... It goes against their auto standards...:-)
Just my .02 cents.
Ras.
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