Faults:

Clutch disc. Replaced with new complete kit. 2 years later I replaced the 4th & 5th gear assembly.

General Comments:

Rebuilt engine, tranny, steering & suspension, brake systems.

Replaced all of the following with ALL new parts. Exhaust system, intake with K&N filter, ignition coil with a MSD Blaster SS, radiator, engine/tranny mounts, CV shafts, control arms, tie rods, struts, wheel bearings & custom wheels/tires.

I have had only one breakdown since I've owned it, & that was before the rebuild.

Love it so much that I don't let my kids drive it unless I am with them. Even then...

Faults:

The air conditioner can't hold a charge (needed to replace A/C compressor).

Floor carpeting has ripped.

Exhaust had to be replaced due to rot (probably my fault).

General Comments:

This car is a dependable and zippy little commuter car. I tend to manage around 30mpg in the city and 35mpg on the highway. When I'm on the highway though, this car tends to shake, however it's to be expected with such a light car. It also struggles to go up hills.

It handles well, and due to its size, getting into a parking spot isn't at all a challenge.

All in all, this small sedan hasn't failed me once, and I hope to use this car until it explodes.

Faults:

Replaced the cooling fan @ approx. 75,000 miles.

General Comments:

I purchased my Metro in '99 with 23,000 miles, and now am approaching 100,000 with it. It has been everything I expected, which was an economical means of getting from one place to another, since it was a base model with the 3-cylinder and 5-speed transmission. With the exception of regular, routine maintenance (all of which I do myself), the only major repair needed was replacing the cooling fan, which went out several years ago, and replacing the brakes. Otherwise, this has been a very reliable vehicle.

Over the course of its life, it has averaged 39 mpg in a good mix of city/highway driving. The highest I've ever gotten was 54 mpg, which was achieved by driving at no higher than 60 mph the entire tank of fuel. Even running at 70-75 mph on the interstate, this little rolling "barbecue pit" still achieves 37 mpg. LOL.

Is it as fancy or as nicely equipped as newer vehicles? Of course not, nor is it designed for quick acceleration, but for what its purpose is, it is unequaled. It is a great "Plan B" vehicle to fall back on when I need to maximize fuel economy or just make a quick trip "down the road". I'm going to keep it until it cannot run anymore.

Faults:

Broken wiper arm.

Passenger seat latch was sticky, causing trouble accessing rear seats from the passenger side.

Check engine light came on, found out it was the oxygen sensor, replaced it, but light still came on. Research found trouble with fuel injector system passageway clogged being cause of the continued fault display.

Gas filler pipe rusted. I fixed it temporarily with a coat of seal-all, which seemed to work well until the end.

Rust, and more rust. The front suspension mount rusted out, causing the passenger side front wheel to sag after hard braking for some racoons. This was the death of this car, as there wasn't enough solid metal to weld to for a proper repair.

General Comments:

I loved this car, it has great space for such a small car, and gets great gas mileage.

The standard shifter always worked well, and the 3 cylinder got you going better than you thought it should.

What really shines is the cornering ability, this thing corners like snot and I could take a tight on-ramp, leaving a following vehicle about a block behind as I entered the highway. (Of course, he would then zoom on past me...)

I'll make note that the 92 model I owned prior had venting rear windows, an absolute requirement for a car such as mine with no air conditioning! The 95 and newer models no longer offered this, and the hot air cups in there with no way out on a hot summer day! When driving certain speeds with the windows down, I noticed a loud, low frequency pulsing from the wind cupping in the closed back area, sometimes enough to make my ears pop!

I once got locked out of my car, and the door lock assembly all kinda - fell apart when I attempted to unlock with a piece of wire I found. They are somewhat fragile, as I've made entrance similarly in other vehicles without trouble. I fixed the locks when I got home, took the door panels off and re-attached everything and lubed it all up, nothing was broken, it had just all kinda popped apart easily.

What killed this car was rust. Rust on the front suspension supports. I got almost 2 years out of it, but hard braking for some raccoons playing chicken on a dark back road was the last straw for the body metal. The car made a right turn that it wouldn't pull out of, and the CV shaft pulled out of the tranny and that was that, no more car. Maybe somebody could fix, but I wouldn't trust it.

Watch out for that rust! This car had been parked over a patch of grass by the previous owner, and probably had never been rustproofed. I tried to slow the rust down, I scraped, I painted rust paint, then sprayed DIY rust-check, to no avail.