dependable

Author's Rating:

Pros: will last forever, dependable reliable

Cons: large egos won't fit inside; must be carried on roof rack

The Bottom Line: 
great mileage, long life, a very nice car, especially for commutes

Author's Review
A great small car, one of the best. I've driven the car for nearly 8 years and 166,000 miles with no significant problems. Plain oil change (non-synthetic) every 2500 miles with the orange Fram filters, usually when the valves begin to tick more than usual. Nearly everything lasted over 100,000 miles except for the MAP sensor and distributor. Parts are dirt cheap, new front brake shoes are $5 after core charge, new brake ROTORS are $15!! Honda Insight and Toyota Prius might rule mileage-wise but the maintenance costs will make them unbearable long-term cars. The most expensive job was the clutch at 130,000 for $500, parts ($180) and labor ($320). I'd recommend the standard trans; automatics tend to give out faster. Battery gives out every other year, but that's because I bought a (N)ever-start from wal-mart a couple years ago. Luckily there's a 2-yr no-hassle warranty, so I simply return the battery and get a new one.

Driving the car on 12-inch tires is difficult over 70mph. The car is only 1600 lbs so semis and crosswinds can blow it off-course on the highway. Once the tires warm up it's a little more manageable, but still difficult unless you're experienced. Even though the owners manual says to add P135s (very small tires) to the front, I'd recommend P145s (slightly larger) instead.

I'd also recommend purchasing the parts microfiche and factory service manual for details on fixing this car. The Chilton's book is adequate for minor/moderate repairs, but the Haynes manual is terrible. A new, upgraded metro Chiltons is due out in Sept 2001 so hold any purchases until then. However, nothing will beat the factory service manual (occasionally available on ebay)....chiltons has ~300 pages covering 8 years of metros and sprints....the service manual has well over 1000 pages dedicated to your exact model year ;) The parts fiche will help when searching salvage (junk) yards, looking for the correct parts....why go to the dealer and pay hundreds when a local salvage car part for $20 will do? Simply read the VIN number and you have all the info you need. Modifications to the car are very inexpensive, this car can look very nice for a fraction the cost of other vehicle mods.

Maybe this car can't perform a daily 8000 foot climb into the Sierra Nevada mountains, and maybe it can't take the 8000+ rpm power some people will demand, thus drastically shortening its lifespan. If you accept the car with both its strengths and limitations then it will be a truly reliable vehicle for a very long time.

People preach "buying American" and shun the small car, then guzzle an avg $4500 worth of foreign gas in their SUV or truck's lifetime, sending tens of billions of dollars overseas every year. It's a shame that saving fuel is so stigmatized in this country.