1996 Geo Metro review from North America

By 140,000 miles, 2nd gear is broken. It constantly slipped out gear to the point of being unusable. For the last two years I have been shifting from 1st to 3rd gear.

Driver's side window needs maintenance about every 3 months. The rolling mechanism falls out of its track, and the inner panel of the door needs to be taken out to put it back in place.

Driver's side door lock doesn't work from the outside.

Passenger's side door lock doesn't work from the inside.

Muffler has been replaced once, and needs to be replaced again. The car runs very loudly for now.

Glove compartment latch had to be fixed.

Overall, this car has been a good value, considering its costs--low sticker price and high gas mileage.

What you save in price and gas expenses, you give up in other ways--comfort and power.

During the first 4 years I got about 50 mpg on the highway, and even today I still get about 38 mpg, but the lack of power from the engine is drastically noticeable.

I have even noticed that my acceleration suffers when there are 4 people in the car.

The car also feels unsafe to drive at more than 70 mph.

As for comfort, body room is cramped in all respects, although the interior is actually roomier than the outward appearance would suggest.

I have the hatchback coupe model, and cargo space is amazing with the back seat folded down.

No A/C, weak heat, and uncomfortable seats make getting into this car a chore and not a pleasure.

Wear and tear and general maintenance has been very good besides 2nd gear, but this surprisingly has not been that much of a problem so far.

In general, you will save money with this car, but you will pay in other ways--but it may be worth it!