1989 Rover - Austin Metro City review from UK and Ireland
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I had the car just under two and a half years (56K - 77K miles). In that time I think I must have replaced everything.
First off the usual things like 4 new tyres, exhaust, battery, wheel bearings etc. Towards the end the clutch was in need of a replacement.
In addition to these I had 4 (yes 4) altenators, ignition coil, new gearbox, engine rebuild, heater matrix and other misc items. It didn't help that someone ran up the back of me causing more damage.
General comments?
The car was in top condition body wise when we bought it and apart from some minor rust around the petrol tank neck it stayed that way.
Being the city model, the interior was sparse (not even a radio as standard). I thought that the build quality was nothing special, but I have seen worse. Nice interior cloth though!
Performance was poor, but OK considering its tiny 1 litre engine. Fuel economy wasn't bad (250 - 280 miles on 30 litres), although my 1.6 Cavalier can easily do that.
Rover parts are not cheap, but Metro parts are ten a penny at any scrap yard.
I don't think I would buy another Metro, but I don't think I would buy any small car again. I would however recommend the Metro, despite my problems with it as our other Metro of the same age hasn't had any mechanical faults at all to speak of.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.0 petrol |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Date of Entry | 26th July, 1998 |