1990 Rover - Austin Metro GTa from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing has gone wrong in 23,000 miles of ownership, which is surprising for a car from Rover Group. It has not even rusted.

Excellent first car - nippy, cheap to buy, service and insure. Rather noisy and tyres are a strange size - must use Pirellis at £55 a tyre. Handling is good and predictable.

The only reason I would not buy another is the poor crash test results.

I intend to change it for a Seat Ibiza or VW Polo.

If you are young and looking for a cheap to run but very much fun first car - buy a Metro GTa.

I own a 1994 MPI Rover Metro GTI 16v. It has been slightly tuned ie. chip, airfilter, exhaust, boost valve. It is an excellent little car with brilliant performance. Engine is very flexible - pulls cleanly in 5th from 30MPH! 0-60 around 8.0s.

Handling is good. Reliability is excellent.

This car is dirt cheap and should be seriously considered as a cheap hot hatch. If you want reliability and cheap fun this is the car Massively underrated.

I have driven a late Metro. I was surprised how well it went. The Metro was way before its time. It was a shame it got slaged off.

A Nova owner.

A excllent review I agree with it entirly. Being an owner of a Metro myself I feel that they have an unjust bad reputation, being on par and above other cars of their class such as the Nova and Fiesta.

I am looking to buy a 1990 metro GTA, I've had a metro city before and I lowered it myself buy letting some of the hydroelastic fluid out I managed to get 70mph round a roundabout without sliding or anything. I now own a 1994 escort 1.3 and it handels like a wet sponge (needs lowering springs) its slow and the insurance is terrible and I'm nearly 19 so all I can say is that a metro is a lot better.

I own a 1992 Rover Metro 5dr 1.1s which I brought for £90! due to a knackerd head, now that's been sorted for £20 from a local scrapyard the car is brilliant, the only thing which has gone wrong since I had it was one of the front brake calipers sezied up causing it to make a very nasty noise and it used to leak a bit of fuel, but they are problems which can be sorted in an hour or so and again due to the fact that metro's rust badly there are loads at the breakers.

Home diy though is awardward, but possible due to the engine being quite big and the car being so small, but really I can't fault it, used to have a pristine late 1992 1.2i Nova Luxe (which got written off!) and the metro is better in every way, gonna sell it soon though, but gettin another metro a 1.4 gta because the 1.1 is a little to slow!