1993 Rover - Austin Metro Reviews

Alternator failed.

Head gasket blew at 65000.

Gearbox failed and car scrapped an uneconomic to repair.

Central locking failed on passenger side for two yeas, then started working again without problems until vehicle was scrapped.

Very fun to drive, in fact the most fun of any car I've owned.

I really liked the CVT transmission, which in this very lightweight car worked well until it broke.

Steering feel was excellent.

75hp engine was perfect fit for the transmission, and gave good real world performance.

I bought the car with a blown head gasket due to the radiator failing.

The rear arches are going slightly rusty.

I replaced the Radiator and head-gasket and since then it's had no troubles. The car came with Full Rover Service history and I haven't spent out on it since. I bought it as a Track Day toy which is now after being on the road for a few thousand miles having a roll cage, seat, and fire extinguishers fitted along with the normal upgrades like suspension and brakes etc.

Remote control fob finally gave up the ghost in 2002, now no longer have any central locking or alarm! (No Longer Available! THANKS, ROVER!)

Alternator cooking the battery.

Hot running problems due to sticking valves when new.

This car has been always kept in a heated garage, fully (3 tins!) waxoyled THREE times (first time at 2 months old) and absolutely cherished, and yet I've STILL had to have remedial paintwork on the rear arches to stop them from rotting like all the others! Will mine be the only one left with it's original arches??

I got this car brand new when I was 19 (back in the days when it still a feat to have a new car... unlike today when everybody drives over-produced tomorrow's tat today")

Peformance, from only a 1.1, is excellent, I once had 115mph out of her!

The interior on the "S" model is superb, and the car looks a beauty in flame red. Shortly after purchase I fitted 93-spec GTi16v alloys, and then a GTi body kit. It gets admired wherever it goes, and people really appreciate it's immaculate condition... which is great because even with the up-most care and fair-weather use it has at times taken effort and cash to keep it "as new"

So far, this car has been 100% reliable.

I changed the cam-belt for peace of mind and I've replaced the wiper blades.

I didn't have the code for the radio/cassette player, but a local Rover dealer was able to supply it free of charge.

I bought the car with 12 months MoT and all it needed to pass the test was a new exhaust silencer.

Years ago I used to have an old orange Austin Metro (998cc model) and that was everything a first car should be - economical and cheap to insure.

Recently, I needed a commuter car for work and only one small car fitted the bill. My white Rover Metro 1.1S was purchased for less than £1000 with only 32,000 miles on the clock.

Mechanically speaking, the car is only three years old and fires up on the first turn of the key. The last owner took three years to cover 1000 miles, I have done double that in the last two months (including a trip to France and Belgium) and the car has performed faultlessly.

The bodywork is not far off immaculate although the rear wheel arches look as if there may be some rust about to bubble through fairly soon. The S model comes with front air dam, a smart rear spoiler and side rubber strips on the doors.

The interior my car is very dark, but spacious enough and front passengers have ample legroom. The switchgear falls easily to hand and is sensibly laid out. The S model even has a rev. counter.

The car is very economical, but because the fuel tank is so small, range is poor at about 200 miles. The 1.1 litre K series engine is revvy enough, but couldn't be described as "sporty" and has to be worked hard to keep up with larger cars. This seems to contradict the performance look of the car.