Faults:

Nothing...

General Comments:

OK here is my input for the Metro. I have put in a engine that was made by VW. But it is the best engine that would work for this little car. The car is running at 295 hp. I've been trying to put more in it, but I have to make a new motor and customize the the german motor before I put it in part by part. But the good thing is that I can't wait till I get this car to 300 bhp.

All the parts are german, but made custom so it is a 4cyl in a 3cyl car. But I'm still not done yet. I've lowered it to 1.5 inches. Also got a size bigger in tires. I also put in a sway bar and a shorter shifter in. I also set the brake tighter on the Metro. I use the Metro as a drift racing car.

The other thing I did to the Metro was make the body a little wider and made the frame a little wider as well. So the car is starting to look like a golf. But other than that, I'm still pushing the limits of the drift edge. But the car does most of the driving.

Faults:

Muffler.

Front brake pads.

Faded and peeling dashboard.

General Comments:

Apart from changing the oil, replacing the timing belt at 100,000, and two new tires, I have done nothing to the car in 50,000 kilometers.

It starts every time, easy to park in the city, dependable on long road trips. And it is remarkably roomy for such a small looking car. The back seats fold down and it makes a lot of room with the hatchback--I even took a 1950's stove home in it.

The engine is quiet and smooth, but on the highway it revs too high. I drove one with the 5 speed for a few months and it was much quieter on the highway and got another 10 mpg. But my wife likes the automatic as we live in downtown Vancouver, and I must admit that it is way easier.

And did I say it was cheap? there are great deals on these as used cars. I have no idea why. It is probably the cheapest Japanese car that one can buy, and just as reliable.

Faults:

The only major problem I have had is that the slider/selector switch that controls the on/off and how powerful the venting system is went out. So I had no pressure, so no vent or heater. I still have not fixed it completely, I rigged up a wire from the ground insert, and then I plug the other end in the switch which has the amount of pressure I want.

Seats are ripping now. Not bad for 206,00 0 miles though.

The passenger door lock is funky, it will not unlock from the inside, you have to unlock it from the outside with the key.

The hatchback will not open anymore. It would only open sometimes before, but I could use a pen or something to open it from the inside, but now it will not open at all. (If you know how to fix this problem please e-mail me at ilikefoofighters@hotmail.com).

It will not shift into first gear unless completely stopped.

General Comments:

I have had this car for two years, I have put around 40,000 miles on it myself. In all of the time I have owned this car it has never broken down or had any serious mechanical problems, this is one reliable car.

I like how cheap some parts for this car are. The clutch is only around $50 and I found a timing belt for $15.

When I got the car it was getting around 30 mpg, which I thought was really good. I then read on a webpage that they are supposed to get at least low 40's mpg. I replaced the air and fuel filter, which the fuel filter on these is fairly difficult to do yourself. I ran a chemical called B-12 chemtool through the gasoline and I also ran it in the oil (following the instructions on the bottle). I had been running 10w-30 weight conventional oil in it. After doing this stuff to it, I started using Mobil 1 5W-40 synthetic motor oil. After doing all of this the mileage jumped up to an average of 45 mpg, this is with fast starts and occasionally going 80 mph on the freeway.

I am fairly satisfied with the performance. When I bought my Metro I bought it from a mechanic, who took good care of it. I have topped it out at about 93 mph on flat freeway. If I push the engine a little bit, I have no problem getting up to speed on the interstate on-ramps, which are all uphill where I live. I can keep up with everyone else from the starting line during everyday driving. It would be nicer to have something faster for fun, but for all practical purposes this car is just fine.