1993 Geo Storm GSi 1.8L DOHC from North America

Summary:

Excellent car for the price

Faults:

Have had to replace 3 of the 4 hub & bearing assemblies.

Goes thru mufflers pretty quick.

Replaced all 4 struts recently, including all other regular maintenance work.

General Comments:

I love the car. So far I've been upgrading all the components of the car to get more HP out of it. I installed a K&N filter charger; it makes a pretty big difference for 3rd gear if you're wanting to get one.

The handling on the car is fair. I'm wanting to lower the car and put strut braces on the front and back to increase the handling.

From everyone that I've talked to, the car has a lot of problems with the exhaust going thru mufflers left and right because of heat. I found a muffler system on www.isuzuperformance.com that I plan on buying from Stan's.

The car has a small interior for people 6" and above, but I can get comfortable for the 500 mile drives I take it on frequently.

I'd definitely recommend the car to anyone that's looking at buying one. The parts are pretty hard to come by for it though if you're looking for performance. The GSi holds its own with many other 4 cylinder vehicles (ie. Honda Civic, Acura Integra) and I've seen one do the quarter at 109 MPH. So they're quick little buggers.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th March, 2001

25th Oct 2001, 17:24

I feel that you would have had better things to say about a Geo if you would have bought a GSI model instead of a base model. I have had a base model for four years and I traded it in for a GSI and I love it. The 2+2 model doesn't even compare to the GSI.

27th Dec 2003, 19:24

I just bought a '93 GSi 5-speed about five months ago. I have to say, this is the best of three three cars I've owned. The pickup is fine, but I need to fix the suspension. It's pretty bouncy over uneven roads, but handles great! It kinda hesitates a little if I try to take off fast when the engine is cold. I haven't had any major problems (knock on wood) yet. Great car.

1st May 2004, 22:36

I have a 1993 GSi. Does anyone know what GSi stands for?

24th Feb 2006, 08:55

I believe it stands for Gran Sport... the "i" probably stands for something like International.

24th Feb 2006, 23:49

The "i" goes back to the Golf/Rabbit GTi of the 1970's. It really is just a marketing term, but, yes, I believe it either can mean "injection" (as in fuel injection, for later cars) or "internationale".

Today it has become so common it has sort of lost meaning "GSi", "SRi", etc.

1993 Geo Storm 1.6 SOHC from North America

Summary:

Pulls hard, dirt cheap, never breaks

Faults:

Sticky, hard throttle movement - never attempted to repair.

Replaced rear struts at 60,000 miles.

Warped front brake rotors at 95,000 miles.

General Comments:

Commute over 100 miles a day from mountains to valley and back.

Passes everyone on the steep gradients.

Those who can keep up with the little Storm on the uphill straights can't stay with it at 80 through the 40 mph curves or at 55 through the 25 mph ones.

Driven hard, it turns in consistent 32-37 mpg.

Harsh ride, buzzy engine, on the highway it feels like it needs a sixth or seventh gear.

No stupid power windows/seats/controls to break, just good old reliable on/off switches and analog gauges.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th February, 2001

5th Jun 2001, 08:06

My '91 Storm had the same problem with a sticky throttle. Needless to say with a manual it made smooth shifting pretty difficult. Anyway, it turns out that there's carbon build up in there and it's cheap and easy to take care of.

11th Jul 2001, 23:50

I've experienced a sticky pedal also, and yes, carbon build-up it is. It's nothing big, cheap and easy to fix. However, what I haven't experienced is the performance your storm has. Mine's a '91 also with a recent tune-up, and it's not quite a sports car let's say. These cars only have 95 horsepower, do you have any mods on it? And I wish mine could get such gas milage also, I have to take it fairly slow to get 32mpg in town. Not doubting you, just curious...

24th Sep 2001, 15:50

Regarding the carbon build-up, how do I get rid of it. I'm not very mechanically sound but I try.

16th Aug 2002, 21:53

I have a 93 Geo and I agree with the mp-g's, but the biggest problem I have is the window clips they don't want to stay connected and I've already gone through about six or so savaging them from junk yards, but now I can't find any and don't know where to look for any more at is there a place I can order new ones?