Faults:
Worn starter contact-point at 95,000 miles.
Lock in Driver's side door became worn after 7 years which caused difficulty in unlocking door sometimes.
After 4 years, sometimes the seat belts wouldn't retract all the way, causing belt to get caught in door.
Motor-mount came loose around 112,000 miles.
Hit a deer which crumpled the hood and left fender, cracked grill, broken left headlight. Car survived well, remained drivable.
General Comments:
I owned the Geo for 7 years, 11 months. I sold it at about 113,000 miles. It still had the original clutch and brakes in fair condition. Seat covers protected the interior quite well.
Excellent gas mileage: 36-38 mpg highway, low 30's mpg in city.
Fuel and maintenance costs very low.
Never had a fuel or oil leak.
Paint remained shiny despite my lack of waxing.
Aluminum body easily dinged and dented.
Good acceleration due to 5-speed transmission. Struggled a little in Appalachian mountains, but not terribly so.
Seats could have used a little more padding.
Spare tire about the size of a Frisbee, only good for about 50 miles.
Overall, this was an excellent car. I certainly got my money's worth. When I sold it I felt I could easily have driven it another 40,000 miles without replacing any parts.