1994 Geo Metro - Manual Trans, Hatchback, AC, 2-DR

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great mileage, fits in small parking spots

Cons: Unsafe at high speed, engine problems

The Bottom Line: 
If you're looking for something you won't be driving every day, this is fine. If you're looking for a primary car, avoid the Geo.

Author's Review
We bought our 1994 Geo Metro from some friends of ours. When we got it, it had 65,000 miles on it, and was in immaculate condition. They had kept it perfectly maintained, and it hadn't been "overworked". So it was almost like buying a new car.

For the first 9 months that we had it, it ran perfectly. No problems whatsoever. We put a LOT of miles on it during that time. Then we decided to move to another state.

Before our move, the alternator belt snapped in the middle of traffic. We paid $60 to replace the belt. A week or two later, the alternator itself died in a Wal-Mart parking lot. We paid $150 to replace the alternator. After that, we went through SEVEN alternator belts and three more alternators, and it STILL squeals! It isn't eating the battery anymore, but the headlights aren't nearly as bright as they should be.

We've also had to replace the water pump and the clutch/pressure plate combo. Right now the car's engine is hesitating when going up hills, one of the belts always squeals, and it's starting to make "popping" or "clicking" noises. My stepfather (who's a mechanic) says that we definitely need to replace the spark plugs, but if that doesn't solve the problem it could be something really expensive, like the fuel pump/filter, or the catalytic converter. *ouch*

The car is great for driving through the narrow streets of our city. (When it's running, anyway) The road conditions where we live really eat up the tires, and the left rear strut needs to be replaced. (The car tilts a little and makes "noises" back there when we have two adults in the back seat)

All in all, it's a great little car. The mileage is amazing! But our particular car has given us problem after problem. Also, the heat never seems to want to work when it's super-cold outside. We rarely run it, because the heater doesn't warm the air enough to negate the chill of having the fan on. The air conditioning in the summer is great, but it eats power and gas, and takes forever to get truly "cool". The car doesn't take steep hills very well when the AC is on.

Also, this car is NOT good for extended Interstate travel. It doesn't run well at speeds higher than 55 mph, and the heat doesn't really work at all when you're going that fast. Also, it's so small and light that it gets blown around every time a big truck passes, or if the wind's blowing outside. A high speed wreck in a Geo is probably a death sentence. It's like driving a Pepsi can.

God help you if you have a snowfall of more than 4 inches. Our Geo was literally buried to the doorhandles, and we haven't ben able to drive it whenever there's more than 4 inches of snow in our driveway. The tires are so extremely small, a big pothole in the road might as well be the Grand Canyon.