Got to drive this beast today
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First gen Geo Metro, 1.0L, 3cyl, 5spd. Odometer read under 50k miles but I bet that's rolled over a couple times by now. This one is outfitted with a homebrewed exhaust and seats that put my head in the ceiling. Manual steering is very heavy at slow speeds but well controlled under movement.
When it was new this machine made all of 55hp and I'll be damned if it didn't feel like that today, whatever 55hp feels like in a 4-wheeled vehicle made of scrap tin cans. At a sprightly 1800 lbs it moves fine under it's own power but no better than that. Even in 5th gear at ~50mph the engine was a bit buzzy; I can only fathom highway speeds feel like a no-no in this car.
Somehow, despite being a '90s GM captive import, it felt well enough screwed together and did not offer any clunks or rattles that would indicate a cheap car made a decade later...even cheap Japanese cars had an air of quality during their bubble era. Handling was tight enough for what the car offers (not much honestly) but acceleration was hurt by the 25% increase in wheel and tire size over stock (look at those massive 15" steelies!). Worn shifter bushings made gear selection more an art than a science but that's easily remedied...or not, I doubt anyone but the owner will be driving it any time soon anyway.
Conclusion: I can't really drive it with the installed seats, I could feel roof structure on my head. But it was a delightfully ridiculous little trip I took and I am better for the experience.
2020 Gladiator Rubicon, 1956 F100 project, 1993 Eagle Summit race van
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold Are those allowed to exist without crumpled fenders?
Jeep Gladiator - Northwest Alabama
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold The owner must be short because I can see the seating issue from here. Sounds like an interesting experience. I'm actually shocked at how not thrashed that one looks. Not a hint of rust from here and it still has all its paint!
Color enthusiast, Citroën fanatic, and Cruze driver
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold I said it yesterday and I'll say it again today. Geo metro: So hot right now.
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@WhoIsTheLeader Rust isn't much a thing around here fortunately
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@ibRAD This guy was ahead of the curve, he's owned this car for nearly 2 decades and keeps it because why not?
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@ShrimpHappens The hood doesn't quite close properly, does that count?
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold The presence of a tow hitch is the most optimistic thing I’ve seen in a long time.
2017 X5
1971 Camaro -
@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold I love the upsize rolling stock. Looks ready for rallycross!
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold If one of those had come up while I was looking for my commuter (and yes, I had them on alert) I would have considered it. The main drawback seems to be the tire size, which your friend has sorted!
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@pos_camaro said in Got to drive this beast today:
@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold The presence of a tow hitch is the most optimistic thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Every time I see a tow hitch on a slow car, I think of Roadkill's supercharger trailer.
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold They were available with 100hp here in the US and 115hp in Japan, which was quite spritely at that weight and I've seen more than one of them absolutely dominate at autocross. This one is, obviously, not one of those.
I always keep an eye out for 3 cylinder Metro hatches. If one ever pops up in decent condition I'd buy it and turbocharge it.
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold
The old Suzuki Swift (actually the Suzuki Cultus) was actually a quality little car back in the day and they've just recently got their mojo back too. Our normal version had the 1.3 litre but it could also be had with a 100 hp 1.6 litre in the format known as the Swift GTI...which became (in Oz, at least) the precursor and inspiration for every 90s rice rocket. They were very popular... -
@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold A buddy of mine had a similar era Festiva that I rode in a couple times. Freeway speeds feel DANGEROUS in cars that size. The sway his had at 75 was concerning to say the least.
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold That looks a lot like the one I owned briefly, except mine had the black vinyl "METRO" lettering on the bottoms of the doors, and stock-sized wheels. I can confirm that it would do 80 on Chicago tollways, but neither it nor I were very happy about it. But I could parallel park that sucker anywhere.
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold I want it! I miss mine!
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@drVanTraveler said in Got to drive this beast today:
@pos_camaro said in Got to drive this beast today:
@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold The presence of a tow hitch is the most optimistic thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Every time I see a tow hitch on a slow car, I think of Roadkill's supercharger trailer.
A buddy of mine in grad school had a tow hitch on his Metro. He towed his dirt bike on a little aluminum 1-bike trailer.
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@Shop-Teacher said in Got to drive this beast today:
@drVanTraveler said in Got to drive this beast today:
@pos_camaro said in Got to drive this beast today:
@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold The presence of a tow hitch is the most optimistic thing I’ve seen in a long time.
Every time I see a tow hitch on a slow car, I think of Roadkill's supercharger trailer.
A buddy of mine in grad school had a tow hitch on his Metro. He towed his dirt bike on a little aluminum 1-bike trailer.
Porque no los dos?!Need some extra power? Have someone hop on the bike and give it some throttle!
Current: '03 Dakota SLT.
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@Demon-Xanth He said it did fine with the little trailer. We live in Illinois, so it's not like we have a lot of hills around here.
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold This is the exact car I need. Get me into the city once or twice a week and enough room on top to strap a bike.
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@Shop-Teacher Yes, but you could double or even triple the vehicle's HP with the vehicle you are towing.
Current: '03 Dakota SLT.
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@Demon-Xanth Fair point!
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold it has a trailer hitch. With 55hp, what could you possibly tow?
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold I drove a kid home from a party in college in one of those, it was gutless for sure. But they get amazing MPGs.
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@Zaphod-s-Heart-of-Gold I have a huge soft spot for these Geo Metros and Suzuki Swifts to the point where I wrote an article about them in the days of old that I'm actually pretty proud of. And I don't say that lightly, a lot of the stuff I wrote for my previous employer was junk.
In case you're interested in hearing me ramble about these things: https://www.motorbiscuit.com/suzuki-swift-most-fuel-efficient-car-in-america/
