Faults:

Snapped timing belt-replaced.

Replaced rear wheel bearing twice

Replaced front half-axels

Replaced front brake rotors

Replaced head gasket

Replaced heater core.

General Comments:

It is a low performance car, but I don't drive it on a race track. I drive 50 miles each way to work and average about 45 miles/gallon. I'm an aggressive driver and have no mercy on the engine or chasis. The only time it's left me "high and dry" was when I "revved 'er to the moon" and snapped the timing belt... this was at 150,000 miles. The cool thing is I didn't destroy the valves or head. I simply installed a new timing belt and I was back in business; a 1 hour job. The other major problem was caused by a leaky heater core. The motor overheated and I blew the head gasket. I removed the head and, to my surprise, the valve seats were not cracked. I Installed a new gasket without resurfacing the head; a 4.5 hour job. The engine on these cars is bullet proof. I run it hard, I mean hard, and it doesn't smoke or lose oil between the 5000 mile interval oil changes. I do, however, wear out chasis and drive parts (Tires, brakes, wheel bearing), but I can accept that. I bought the thing for $1,500. I am money ahead on the little death-trap. I read on the internet somewhere, the reason GM stopped making these things is because they made them to efficient, there was no profit to them.

Faults:

Only one major item has failed: the water pump. And that was at the 220k mark. Other than that, only normal wear items: brakes, hoses, belts, tires, etc.

General Comments:

I bought my ‘94 Metro XFI new in August ’94. I was driving 75 miles each way to work and needed an economy car. I still use it every day to drive to work. It has 374,000 miles on it, and has started EVERY time I have turned the key. It still gets 52mpg and doesn't smoke or leak oil. It got 62 mpg when I first got it. What a perfect commuter car. The most major problem I have had was a blown water pump. $200 later I was back on the road. All other items have been normal wear-and-tear: tires (every 50k or so), brakes (every 90k or so), brake rotors (replaced at 175k and 310k), belts (every 100k), clutch (150k and 290k), distributor & wires (150k and 290k). I drove it back and forth from Philadelphia to Miami, FL twice a month for 2 years. It would make the 1310 mile trip on 2 stops for gas, and still have half a tank left over. And that is with a 10-gallon tank! It has been the perfect little machine. If I tried to sell it, I wouldn't get a dime for it. But why sell? The paint is still excellent. No dings, dents, or accidents. The driver's seat has a seat cover. I busted through the original cloth 150k miles ago. And there are mats on the floor, since the original carpet was pretty worn. But other than that, the interior is still looking good. I upgraded the radio, only because I wanted a CD player. I may get laughed at, but I paid $5600 for the car in 1994 ($4000 of that was a Caddy I traded in), and I get over 50 mpg and no mechanic bills. What more can you ask of any car?