1996 Geo Metro LSI 1.3 from North America

Summary:

Great long lasting car, but when it quits it is expensive

Faults:

In 2002 the original engine blew out. In 2003 the air conditioner went out. In 2004 the water pump and timing belt were replaced. In 2005 the transmission went out. The lining around the windows were worn when I bought the car. Both side mirrors fell off.

General Comments:

This was a great car while it lasted.

When the transmission went out I finally retired the car and sold it for parts.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th March, 2006

9th Nov 2006, 23:40

I own a 1996 Metro, 3 cylinder, that has gone 148,000 miles. I put the last 65,000 on it since purchasing the car four years ago and have had very few problems. A water pump and a clutch within the past 2,000 miles, but nothing other than normal wear items prior to that time. It has been one of the best cars I have owned. Not as durable as my 1981 Volvo 240 with over 300,000 miles with no major repairs, but still pretty good.

1996 Geo Metro LSI 1.3 from North America

Summary:

A cheap and dependable car

Faults:

One headlight stays on dim daylight mode, after replacing we still have same problem.

General Comments:

We've had good luck with Metro's, this is our 2nd. one, but bright lights at night is a must. Would anyone know how to locate the Daytime Running Lamps Control Module so daytime lights can be disconnected? Any info would be helpful. Email pinpoint@iwon.com or leave a comment. Thanks.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th February, 2006

1996 Geo Metro LXI 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Good, small car

Faults:

Headlights stopped working.

General Comments:

I purchased my 96 Geo Metro LSI 2-door coupe in 1997. It was used with 23,000 miles, had been wrecked on the rear-end of the car and repaired. It has the 4-cylinder motor and 3-speed automatic transmission.

It is now Jan. 2006 and the Geo just turned 89,000 miles. I had the timing belt replaced around 63,000 miles, before it started to break down, along with the other belts.

The repair shop spray-painted my headlight assemblies with the same clear paint that they shot the entire car with. I eventually had to replace both headlight assemblies because the fogged lenses were defusing the light and I could not see the road after dark. I eventually had the entire car repainted again.

Around 2001, my headlights started going out. While the safety headlights (that stay on when the emergency brake is off) still worked, when I turned on the headlights using the switch mounted on the steering wheel, the safety headlight would go out and the regular headlights would not come on. For several months I used the safety headlights at night until I researched the headlight problem. Turned out it was the physical plug-in for the headlights, down on the toe-board. This is located (1996 Geo Metro, LSI) above, and to the left of the brake pedal. The actual connection had blackened from sparking and was not making a proper connection. While replacing the entire wiring harness was not an option for me, I used spare parts from car-audio connections and replaced the blackened connector.

Almost immediately after purchasing the Metro, I noticed that the front-end would “shimmy, shimmy shake” when I applied the brakes. First, I had the rotors turned and the problem seemed to go away. It quickly returned. This time, I had the rotors replaced. They have been doing pretty good since, but recently it has recently started over again.

The fix? The front wheels lug nuts were not being tightened with the proper (consistent) torque, allowing for distortion of the rotors. Applying the same amount of torque to each lug nut will keep the rotors from warping and the brakes from shaking the front-end of the car.

Spark plugs seem to last around 40K miles before replacement is necessary. Otherwise, I have enjoyed driving the car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 7th January, 2006