1993 Rover - Austin Metro 1.1S review from UK and Ireland

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.