1996 Geo Metro Base from North America - Comments

Absolutely nothing mechanical.

Cosmetically the car's interior is cheap, so it has some cracks here and there. The plastic vents are notorious for breaking.

This car isn't going to win any awards for quality or comfort, but it's designed to get incredible fuel economy. I've averaged 47 mpg the 1700+ miles I've owned it and if you're patient enough to drive it 55mph, it will return 55 mpg!

The purchase price was also inexpensive. Only $2,000 for a 10-year-old vehicle.

Even though the 1.0L 3 cylinder engine is known to be reliable, it's barely adequate for this vehicle. If I have the gas floored in 5th gear, the car only goes up to 80mph due to wind resistance (and the car will get only 35mpg at that speed).

If only they made the Geo Metro lower and more aerodynamic, the car could have performed better at highway speeds (they would've sold lots if they got a wedge-like design like the Pontiac Fiero from the 80s).

There are virtually no options on my car, but the fit-and-finish is still an improvement from previous Metros.

Because the small tires are very thin, the breaking/handling is marginal.

The crash test for this car isn't too bad (four stars for both the driver and passenger) and for those of you that think a car this small is a death-trap, it's inarguably safer than a motorcycle!

Highly recommended if you want great fuel economy and don't care about "bells and whistles" in your car. I would however recommend installing an after-market cruise control for highway driving (the best investment I've made).

Just imagine filling up the car for $18.00 and driving 370 miles. It's definitely worth it!

I hardly find your argument valid. An aging old Geo Metro cannot be called a better car than a hybrid. For one thing, the safety ratings on the Metros are absolutely appalling. They may get similar mileage, but they are slower, noisier and quite frankly they look like they all need to be parked next to mobile home parks.

I disagree I think that metros are like hybrids and I make 120k a year and I still have a metro so I don't think that there made to park by trailers.

The safety issue is really the only valid comment as it is for any car made 10 years ago vs. one made today. Remember when having a driver's side airbag was a big deal? Just drove the Honda Fit (Jazz) yesterday and it has front, side, and curtain airbags. In a subcompact!

As for the trailer trash comment, I had a BMW 5 series and a Ford Festiva, and loved them both.

I would have to say yeah, the hybrids are safer by far, however, I bought my metro for 500 bucks instead of for 15-20 grand for a hybrid.

I agree that the Geo is a great car. I have one myself and it runs great. It's a 96 Geo metro. interior needs help, it is cheap, and got a small rust spot in it, but otherwise than that, my baby is good to go. Good gas mileage. It could use a lot more power. And sure, compared to today's saftey standards, it may not be in the top 20, but at least you have airbags! Oh and I hope you did not recently buy that metro for 2,000 bucks!!! I bought mine for $600 2 years ago and have not had any problems besides an oil leak! And to the trailer park person.. There are no trailers around here. Just a bunch of people who work with what they got day by day. My boss has a Geo Metro and she makes well over 100k!!!

I wish you wouldn't have said that comment about $2000. That is what I just paid for mine down here in FL.. I couldn't find any Metros with the M5 trans. down here.

Does anybody know if the 96 Metro has More heat resistant exhaust valves or an EGR valve that does not clog up as easy? The reason I ask this question is because I noticed when I was researching this car, that was the weak link in this 1 liter 3 cylinder. I think it was 89-95 that had a tendency to burn the center cylinder exhaust valves because the EGR valve/or EGR passages would clog. In turn cause less exhaust heat escape and again burn the (mainly center cylinder) exhaust valve. This was either old info. posted in 95 or GM/Suzuki fixed the problem for 96. Other than that most educated posts say the little pea pusher is capable of a 250,000 miles before it's a total rebuild or the Junk yard. The latter most likely. Can anybody answer my question though?

I agree about the junkyard comment - so far I've rescued 3 of them from junkyards. OK, one needed an new engine ($350) one needed an entire new exhaust and top ($500) and the last one a new top, new exhaust, and new rear struts.

The thing is, they were solid otherwise. And these were all convertibles! People junk them around here because they don't want to pay for a repair that will run more than what the car is worth. And yes, I do make $110K a year and drive one every day as a commuter. My wife drives one too.

These cars are actually pretty safe. While the early ones are death traps, the 2nd generation Metros aren't bad at all. Dual airbags, reinforcement bars in the doors. And I speak from experience...

I had a 1995 Metro sedan. I bought it at an auction in 2001 with a bad transmission. Fixed the tranny and drove it for a couple years. Then I sold it to my little brother who was a pizza delivery driver at the time (there is NO better car for this job, except maybe a diesel Rabbit/Jetta). He was going through a 4-way intersection when he was t-boned on the driver's side by a drunk driver in a new Hyundai Accent. She was doing about 40 MPH. Spun the car completely around. My brother had a bruise on his leg, but walked away. At the time, the car had about 208k.

Say what you want about the Metro, but I'd buy another one any day. Don't let the snobs on this thread (who likely have never owned a Metro) deter you...

The wife and I own 2 Geo Metro 3 cylinders, a 95 and a 96. We also own an 02 Jag, an 88 Corvette, a 93 BMW and a few other vehicles. We drive the Geo's for one thing and one thing only... GAS MILEAGE! I drive 40 miles to work one way and this car has paid for itself more than once (we have $1,250 into BOTH cars). I am 6' 2" tall and weigh 240 lbs and I don't have any discomfort at all, other than when my buddies see me driving it! But I can laugh all the way to the bank...