The Metro is offered as a two-door coupe and four-door sedan. It comes with 2 engine options; 1.0-li
The Metro is offered as a two-door coupe and four-door sedan. It comes with 2 engine options; 1.0-liter, 55-hp inline-three(that's right, 3 cylinders!) or upgrade to a 1.3-liter, 79-hp inline-four. Other options include a 3-speed automatic, a 5-speed manual, and optional ABS.
Summary: Bought spanking new Feb. 2000. I owned a courier service then and needed a new economy car to replace my little Ford EXP. It came with Nothing, not even a radio. I had a cruise control professionally installed by the dealer. Out of the box city and commuter traffic 40+mpg. I started doing regular hiway trips between Everett WA and Portland, OR on I-5. Went 75mph when ever I could to make better time.Freeway mpg40 to 45 at best doing 75mph. Later I slowed down to 60 mph and consistantly get 55+mpg. It pulls hills better than I had expected for 3 cylinders. Varies + or - 3mph. Unless its a real steep hill and a long pull! I put 90K miles on it the first 2 years I owned it. then my daughter learned to drive it and continued to drive it for another 2 years, and I never new this car could go that fast on a regular basis. It would have been easier to just put a toggle switch for the gas peddle. I made sure the oil was changed every 6-7K miles. After the first 20K were on the car I started to use Dura-lube in the engine. My gas mileage jumped up an extra 5+mpg. And I use a Chevron Injector cleaner in the gas tank about once a month or so. I have always used Castrol straight 30wt. and a can of STP to thicken it up. I now have 162,557 miles on this car. It doesn't smoke,leak, or drink oil. I DID change out the transmission and the clutch around 140K. This car has never let me down ever!
Say what you like about these little cars, but I like em!
Strengths: Relatively high gas mileage. Low maintainence...
Weaknesses: Its not a rocket ship when it comes to performance. You're lucky if you are near then merge speed at the bottom of an onramp, all I can say is good luck!
Similar Products Used: 1984 FORD EXP. 4 speed, 4 cylinder, drove the heck out of it. Parked it with 256K miles on it when I bought my Metro.
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Summary: Best car in the world, why not, the car has helped me see it! Excellent fuel economy, nimble and blended in quite well these past 5 years in Europe(London/England + Ireland as well as all the way down to Sicily (even crossed the Alps as tunnel was closed!). Only 85,000 miles on it(mostly highway.) Was thinking of selling it recently but I cannot find a similiar new model w/ similar gas mileage. I hope US manufacturers realize the value of European style cars for this new fuel/energy crisis we are in. Till then I will have to keep the Metro until they come up with a solution.
Strengths: Gas, gas, gas, = Low consumption #1
Excellent engine = low part replacement.
Great for small streets/ cities
Cops would never pull over a Metro!
Weaknesses: Lack of power to get out of way/access highway
A/C dies too fast
Defrost on front windows is very weak
Similar Products Used: Had a Suzuki motorcycle (450 GL) Solid engine convinced me the Metro would be a good purchase ( Suzuki engine)
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Rating Reviewed by: Joe Lizak(Unregistered User)
Review Date September 27, 2006
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Value Rating 4 of 5
Used product for More than 1 year
Review 3 of 98
Price Paid:
$6000.00
from Down the Road Motors
Year / Model Reviewed: 2000 Metro LSI
Summary: The Chevy Metro seems to be a very dependable car...it's been 2 years that I've owned it. I asked a friend what LSI stood for after Metro, he said Luxury Sedan. I started laughing hesterically as he helped me off the floor. I use my Metro to deliver newspapers and it u-turns in mobile home parks beautifully. My gas milage is 30 city and 37 highway. I've replaced both front axiles (cv joints included) as this car was a rental car from Nevada before I bought it and who knows how it was driven. The rattle people have been complaining about at 15mph is the exhaust connection between the muffler and the manifold, I just welded mine. I put 25,000 miles per year on the Metro and bought it at 56,000. I just went over 100,000 last month and I'm planning on putting a timing belt on soon. If I get 225,000 out of it...SUCCESS.
Strengths: Dependable, Good handling car, gas milage, stops quickly in emergencies.
Weaknesses: Plastic on bottom of seats broken. I keep waiting for 4th gear to kick-in at 50mph but it only has 3 automatic gears. Has some blowby fluid spraying over the drivers side of the engine that I need to look at. The grey paint is deterorating to a whitish speckling in spots.
Similar Products Used: Similar only because it was small a 1974 Chevy VEGA...yikes! First car ...back seats folded down , hatchback , high school girl friend Melissa...nevermind.
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Year / Model Reviewed: 1998 Chevrolet Metro 3dr HTCHBK
Summary: I bought my 3 door Metro hatchback brand new in September of 1997. It is hands down the best car I have ever owned. I have 101,000+ miles on it and have never had a problem. The car still has the same battery it had when I picked it up at the dealership almost ten years ago. It consistently delivers 50 mpg even with four 180 lb adults on the interstate going 70 with the AC on. The only maintenence I have ever done to it is change the oil, wiper blades, brake pads. I had to have the exhaust pipe re-welded once as well. I have tuned it up (plugs, cap, rotor, air filter) three times since new. The heater and air conditioning still perform flawlessly in my car. After I bought mine I added tinted windows, American Racing aluminum wheels and a kenwood CD player. After these simple and cheap upgrades it is a damn snappy looking little car. I plan on replacing my timing belt soon as a preventative measure and driving this puppy into the ground. The killing off of this model is evidence of either the American consumer's bullheaded stupidity or the long-reaching power of Big Oil, or both. In my youth I swore I would never drive a front wheel drive car, let alone one with THREE CYLINDERS, but being broke and in need of cheap transportation going into college allowed me to stumble into this great, great little car. Maybe, mine is just a fluke but I cannot see how you could go wrong with a Metro with just a little bit of care.
Strengths: -Cheap
-More economical than any hybrid
-Cheap as hell to plate and insure
-Reliable
-Easy as cake to parallel park
-Sporty looks (late models anyway)
-Deceptively roomy and comfortable inside
-Gets around like a jeep in the snow.
-Easy to work on yourself
Weaknesses: -Weak acceleration (what did you expect?)
-Low sex appeal
-Virtually none-existent resale value, but you'd never part with it anyway.
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Summary: Tongue-in-cheek review:
As the owner of a 1996 Geo Metro I can assure you that we know all there is to know about Ferraris.
The original Metro was actually secretly designed by Enzo, and shares many components, as you can tell immediately from the high performance 52 hp inline three. He needed a mule to work out the bugs before he could "go public".
It's a good thing, too. The shifter has a certain "feel", some would call it - rubbery? limp-noodlely? downright crappy? The torque band is about 3 rpms' wide, while the HP peak comes immediately after engaging the 1 oz. clutch. The sensation of no acceleration when stomping the gas pedal is exhilerating.
Of course, it's loaded with options, like a starter, brakes, and openable doors. Mine has the optional heater, 3" front discs and roll-down windows. I added an aftermarket steering wheel, this is a big improvement I strongly recommend, for driving.
When I changed my tires I upgraded to a $20.00 tire, this bumbed up the skidpad g's to a whopping .3 before showing its' remarkably predictable, and absolute, understeer.
The phenomenal durability is amazing, the headliner stays on for at least 15,000 miles and the transmission is relatively easy to change, which is good, as is the 2 pint radiator.
_______________________
I felt bad about slamming it so hard, so I wrote a "real" review:
It's funny, once I started writing that review I couldn't stop!
But the "real" truth:
I drive a 1996 Metro back and forth to work, it now keeps the miles off the big Mercury (my "good" car). I've owned it since '97, I bought it with 10k on it, in almost perfect condition for $7600, still under factory warranty. It's theoretically a Chevy, bought & rebadged from Suzuki, but the doorjam sticker says "Built by Cami Automotive" - in Canada. Who knows??
It's a four door sedan that has the (as I tell the parts store guys) "big" engine, the 76 hp I4, 1.3 liter, mated to a 5 speed that really is "limp-noodley". The little all-aluminum engine I consider something of a marvel, though, and I know they use them in airplanes due to power to weight ratios.
It's not THAT bad, better than I thought when I bought it (a bad time, you can imagine, I'm a big car guy), particularly for the money. Consider the twin pocketbook fatteners of the original price and an actual 39+ mpg, me driving combined. Although in '99 when gas here hit $.89/gl I felt a little silly! $5-6 fillups.
And overall it's been reliable. I drive cars pretty hard (partic. the Metro, 'cause it's easy to push such a small envelope) but also maintain them well, very well.
The a/c never worked right (the dealer changed EVERY SINGLE main component including the compressor under warr.) but the car has done 117k miles now with only these issues (outside of routine maint.):
Headliner, down at 70K (left off).
Radiator, inside of end caps "peeled" and plugged, 75K (replaced rad, still needs heater core, only blows "warm", not hot) Note: a hillbilly friend of mine, we go WAY back, while looking in the engine compartment says: "Gawd d_mn, Peyt, if'n you ever need watter you could jus' piss 'n fill it up" lol.
Transmission, 100K, primary drive gear stripped a full third around. This was the only time it stranded me.
Has always had a tick, lifter?, I call the car "the tic". Chevy said: "Normal valvetrain noise" .
The body has held up well but is rusting in the back wheel wells, can't see it yet but by this winter it will be BAD.
Overall a good car, I had to set the record straight out of fairness.
Although you WON'T be picking up any chicks in this car, unless you're into young chickens.
BTW, it came LOADED, PS, PB, A/C, Rear window defrost and am/fm radio!
Strengths: 1) Cheap. 2) Cheap. 3) Did I mention this thing is CHEAP?!
Weaknesses: The A/C is a joke, and as mentioned parts can be expensive and hard to come by.
Similar Products Used: Nothing so small.
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