Geo Metro making a comeback?

[CaptainChewbacca]

Would you like to know more?

(CNN) -- It's a 12-year-old oft-mocked clunker of an automobile.


Brenton Netz has made a side business out of fixing up Geo Metros and selling them locally and on eBay.

1 of 2 But Marci Solomon is hoping she'll be the one laughing -- all the way to the bank -- when her Geo Metro saves her from skyrocketing gas prices.

Solomon, like many others, was taking a huge hit when it came to gas prices. With her 100-mile commute to and from work each day, she saw no end in sight. Then she rediscovered the Geo Metro.

"I used to be a car snob, and I used to be too vain to drive anything that doesn't shine," said Solomon, an electrician. "But now it's about, do I want to eat, or do I want to make it to work? I want to do both."

The Metro has been making a huge comeback, especially on eBay, where Solomon bought the car, because of its extremely high gas mileage.

The 1996 Metro's average of 40 miles per gallon nears that of the hybrid 2008 Toyota Prius -- priced at $21,000 for the cheapest model -- and bests most current cars by a long shot, according to government ratings. Older models of the Geo Metro, specifically cars from 1991 and the XFi edition, have the same average as the hybrid.

Solomon toyed with the idea of purchasing a Prius but decided that for a price of $7,300, the Metro was the more economical option.

For the most part, Solomon plans on using the car for commuting from her home in Rochester, Washington, to her job. The vehicle she has now, a Honda Element, was getting 28 mpg, and she was filling up twice a week, costing her nearly $100. Stations were charging $3.97 a gallon in her area Tuesday, she said. iReport: Tell us how high gas prices are affecting you

The Metro is an investment in the future, Solomon said, even if she did pay more than five times the Blue Book value of the car.

"It was all about saving money," she said. "I don't think gas is ever going to go down, and these are going to be the types of solutions we have to turn to. I wanted to beat the rush."

The rush may have begun.

The 1996 2-door 3-cylinder Metro Solomon now owns opened on eBay May 7 with a bid of $200. A week later, Solomon won the car auction with a bid of $7,300. In 1995, a new Metro hatchback sold for about $9,000, according to Auto Mall USA.

In May alone, 43 Metros of various years and models were sold on eBay, ranging in price from $221.50 to Solomon's bid of $7,300. The cars have been hot items, drawing upwards of 49 bids on certain vehicles, with many of the auctions coming down to last-second bidding wars. On Tuesday morning, 34 Metros were still up for grabs.

Since her eBay purchase, Solomon has acquired another Metro, which she is considering flipping on eBay for profit. She has her eye on a third at a local car lot.

"To be honest, I'm thinking of scarfing up any Geo Metro I can find," she said.

Solomon isn't alone in trying to profit off of a gas-saving craze. Brenton Netz has been selling fixed-up Metros and Ford Festivas for two years now.

After buying a Metro on Craigslist in Montana and driving it back to his home in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Netz realized how rarely he was making trips to the pump.

"I thought the gas gauge was broken," Netz said. "I couldn't believe the gas mileage I was getting."

He realized that he had stumbled upon a possible side business and began buying one-way tickets to states in the West to purchase as many of the cars as he could. Netz said he has sold about a dozen cars and has eight more sitting in his backyard.

His cars go up for sale only one at a time because he knows that putting up a couple at a time would drive down the value and cut into his profit.

Netz says consumers don't seem to mind paying more than the retail value, and if they do, they generally stop feeling that way after they pick up the cars. He's gotten phone calls and e-mails from customers saying how thrilled they are with the mileage.

It seems, Netz said, people are beginning to realize that their car choices need to be focused more on practicality than status and appearance.

"Gas prices are definitely driving increased popularity in the Metro, which at times wasn't cool," he said. "Now the coolness factor is stemming from the fact that you're getting 50 miles per gallon and never having to fill up."

I think its pretty crazy that gas is getting to the point where a 12-year-old car is a hot seller. I also think its criminal that they could make cars that get 40 mph a decade a go, but that isn't the industry MINIMUM now for car mileage.

[Sea Skimmer]

Most of those mid to early 90s Metro models can’t meet current crash standards, and none are likely to meet current emission standards. Those are two areas of major improvement in car design in the last 15 years. If we built cars purely for economy we could do even better then the Metro, but you get what you pay for.

[Death from the Sea]

plus you gotta remember that the metro has a 3 cylinder engine. There are lots of 4 bangers running around now that get close to that 40mpg.

[Ma Deuce]

Last time I drove a Metro (actually a Suzuki Swift, essentially the same car) the steering wheel was practically in my crotch. I'd hate to think of what would happen if I got in a head-on collision while driving one, even discounting it's abysmal crash test rating.

Besides, given the age of these cars and the fact the Metro/Swift wasn't the most reliable car to begin with, I wonder if even the Metro XFi's impressive fuel economy would be worth the maintenance costs.

There are lots of 4 bangers running around now that get close to that 40mpg.

Actually the Metro XFi got 46 MPG combined, even under the new EPA test method. That's the same as the Prius, and 10 MPG better than the gasoline smart fortwo. Most modern cars in the Metro's size class don't get better than 33 MPG combined.

[The Yosemite Bear]

no shocks on those fuckers either...

oh and the Volkswagen Golf Desiel is the most fuel effiecent coupe or sedan on the market.

[Ma Deuce]

oh and the Volkswagen Golf Desiel is the most fuel effiecent coupe or sedan on the market.

Unfortunately, the '09 Jetta TDI only gets 34 MPG combined, even with the manual (about 1 MPG worse than the old Jetta TDI). Apparently, not only does VW suck when it comes to reliability, but they suck at fuel economy as well.

[Phantasee]

Those things don't hold up in a crash at all. My friend nailed one (the Geo driver was taking a left and gunned it too soon, he should have waited for my friend to pass, it was clear for two kilometres behind him), and the thing came apart like it was made of LEGO. The guy barely survived, broke both legs and an arm, fucked up his face pretty nice too. My friend's Honda Accord? The front end was wrecked, like it's supposed to, but other than that he was fine. The airbags saved him, I suppose.

[The Yosemite Bear]

I lost a front bumper, and windshield, radiator, and hood, to a FAWN, that's right I hit a baby deer at 25mph.

[His Divine Shadow]

Personally 40mpg is not enough, going to need atleast 60mpg. Some of the Wolksvagen polos get apparently +70mpg

[Napoleon the Clown]

A part of why the Metro gets 40+mpg is that it ways so little. And a lightweight car, if designed intelligently, can be plenty safe. Look at stuff like the Lotus Elise. It meets safety standards and weighs in at under one ton.

Now if only car companies would be able to sell cars that aren't so laden with bullshit luxuries. Every pound counts, especially when there's so many toys that are simply dead weight. But people want their creature comforts, so cutting back on weight by not putting in a stereo or other amenities that aren't required for a comfortable ride isn't a viable option. Yet.

I'll admit that there are places where no AC wouldn't work out very well. Once you start hitting the triple digits F windows down stops doing much beyond blowing hot air in your face, even at high speed.

[Sea Skimmer]

A part of why the Metro gets 40+mpg is that it ways so little. And a lightweight car, if designed intelligently, can be plenty safe. Look at stuff like the Lotus Elise. It meets safety standards and weighs in at under one ton.

Actually the Lotus Elise had to be granted a waiver on federal airbag standards to be legally sold. This was allowed because its an expensive car few people are going to drive.

[Alferd Packer]

oh and the Volkswagen Golf Desiel is the most fuel effiecent coupe or sedan on the market.

Unfortunately, the '09 Jetta TDI only gets 34 MPG combined, even with the manual (about 1 MPG worse than the old Jetta TDI). Apparently, not only does VW suck when it comes to reliability, but they suck at fuel economy as well.

Actually, according to Volkswagen Germany website (no US diesel facts yet), the 2.0 liter, 140 horsepower Jetta diesel gets 34 mpg city (7.1 l/100km), 49 highway (4.8 l/100km), for a combined fuel economy of 42 mpg(5.6 l/100km). Even the most gas-guzzling variant of the Jetta 2.0 diesel still gets a combined 39 mpg. Is there any reason to suspect that the mileage here in the states will be reduced that severely from that of the Jettas in Germany?

[Jaevric]

I think anyone looking at a Geo Metro would be better off on a motorcycle that at least has enough power to get out of its own way. I see way too many wrecks around here (Plano, TX) that were completely due to one of the people involved not paying any attention to their driving and the other person not having enough pickup or any room to get out of the idiot's way. That little Metro would fold up like a soda can if another car hit it much less one of the local redneck-yuppie hybrids in their enormous pickups or hummers. Who all firmly believe that speed limits are suggestions and stop signs are for people who don't own trucks.

Personally, I'm looking at an apartment within 3-5 miles of where I work and keeping my Mazda Protege.

As for stripping out things like air conditioning, my understanding is that rolling down the windows on a car and opening a sunroof increases the drag enough to seriously reduce the benefit of not running the AC. I'll have to see if I can dredge up the article where I read that when I'm not at work (currently posting while on break).

[Darth Wong]

I think anyone looking at a Geo Metro would be better off on a motorcycle that at least has enough power to get out of its own way. I see way too many wrecks around here (Plano, TX) that were completely due to one of the people involved not paying any attention to their driving and the other person not having enough pickup or any room to get out of the idiot's way. That little Metro would fold up like a soda can if another car hit it much less one of the local redneck-yuppie hybrids in their enormous pickups or hummers. Who all firmly believe that speed limits are suggestions and stop signs are for people who don't own trucks.

So a Geo Metro is obviously not strong enough to resist a hard collision with a much bigger vehicle; what makes you think a motorbike rider will do as well?

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

oh and the Volkswagen Golf Desiel is the most fuel effiecent coupe or sedan on the market.

Unfortunately, the '09 Jetta TDI only gets 34 MPG combined, even with the manual (about 1 MPG worse than the old Jetta TDI). Apparently, not only does VW suck when it comes to reliability, but they suck at fuel economy as well.

Actually, according to Volkswagen Germany website (no US diesel facts yet), the 2.0 liter, 140 horsepower Jetta diesel gets 34 mpg city (7.1 l/100km), 49 highway (4.8 l/100km), for a combined fuel economy of 42 mpg(5.6 l/100km). Even the most gas-guzzling variant of the Jetta 2.0 diesel still gets a combined 39 mpg. Is there any reason to suspect that the mileage here in the states will be reduced that severely from that of the Jettas in Germany?

I believe the difference lies in how the EPA computes fuel economy, versus how they determine it in Germany and Europe. Emissions standards and engine tuning are also different between cars marked for export to the US and cars meant for German consumption.

[Vejut]

To expand, I don't know the European standard, but '07 and later diesels in the US must meet the same emissions standards as gasoline engines, so there's now a lot more emissions controls and design for emissions, rather than economy. Thats why, if I'm recalling right, they just phased in ultra low sulfur diesel, and also why the price of new diesel vehicles (and thinking about it, probably the fuel itself) took a jump.

[Jaevric]

So a Geo Metro is obviously not strong enough to resist a hard collision with a much bigger vehicle; what makes you think a motorbike rider will do as well?

It won't do any better, but a motorcycle is more capable of getting out of someone else's way than a little Geo Metro with a 3-cylinder engine. Better brakes, better acceleration, and manueverability. If you actually get hit in either one you're probably screwed.

[Ma Deuce]

Is there any reason to suspect that the mileage here in the states will be reduced that severely from that of the Jettas in Germany?

Your figure is almost certainly in Imperial gallons rather than US gallons (34 US gallons = 41 Imperial gallons). My figure came from the fueleconomy.gov website, which already has the numbers for the '09 Jetta TDI up (and for the record, I have only used US gallons during the course of this thread).

[Darth Wong]

So a Geo Metro is obviously not strong enough to resist a hard collision with a much bigger vehicle; what makes you think a motorbike rider will do as well?

It won't do any better, but a motorcycle is more capable of getting out of someone else's way than a little Geo Metro with a 3-cylinder engine. Better brakes, better acceleration, and manueverability. If you actually get hit in either one you're probably screwed.

And you have non-anecdotal data which shows that inadequate vehicular acceleration is actually a factor in a significant number of accidents? Because having a steel shell around you, even a small one like that of a Geo Metro, is still vastly superior protection to a leather jacket.

[Kanastrous]

So a Geo Metro is obviously not strong enough to resist a hard collision with a much bigger vehicle; what makes you think a motorbike rider will do as well?

It won't do any better, but a motorcycle is more capable of getting out of someone else's way than a little Geo Metro with a 3-cylinder engine. Better brakes, better acceleration, and manueverability. If you actually get hit in either one you're probably screwed.

And you have non-anecdotal data which shows that inadequate vehicular acceleration is actually a factor in a significant number of accidents? Because having a steel shell around you, even a small one like that of a Geo Metro, is still vastly superior protection to a leather jacket.

I have about seventeen years' riding experience, more-or-less daily on what have been described as some of the more dangerous roads in the US. Avoidance manuevers impossible to execute in a car, have saved me from collisions more times than I can count.

It's true that being inside a steel cage is usually going to offer better protection, than leathers/synthetics/padding/armor/airvest.

It's also true that avoiding a collision, is a surer way to escape injury, than being in one, regardless of the vehicle you operate.

[Terralthra]

And you have non-anecdotal data which shows that inadequate vehicular acceleration is actually a factor in a significant number of accidents? Because having a steel shell around you, even a small one like that of a Geo Metro, is still vastly superior protection to a leather jacket.

I have about seventeen years' riding experience, more-or-less daily on what have been described as some of the more dangerous roads in the US. Avoidance manuevers impossible to execute in a car, have saved me from collisions more times than I can count.

It's true that being inside a steel cage is usually going to offer better protection, than leathers/synthetics/padding/armor/airvest.

It's also true that avoiding a collision, is a surer way to escape injury, than being in one, regardless of the vehicle you operate.

You could've just said, "No."

[Kanastrous]

Gotta practice my typing.

[Darth Wong]

I have about seventeen years' riding experience, more-or-less daily on what have been described as some of the more dangerous roads in the US. Avoidance manuevers impossible to execute in a car, have saved me from collisions more times than I can count.

Oddly enough, I have never needed such spectacular avoidance maneuvers despite 20 years of driving, yet you appear to have found yourself in dangerous situations "more times than I can count". If your "evidence" is representative (noting that you ignored my request for NON-ANECDOTAL evidence), then whatever motorcycles may give in terms of performance, they apparently take away in terms of causing more dangerous situations to occur in the first place.

It's true that being inside a steel cage is usually going to offer better protection, than leathers/synthetics/padding/armor/airvest.

It's also true that avoiding a collision, is a surer way to escape injury, than being in one, regardless of the vehicle you operate.

See above.

[Alferd Packer]

Is there any reason to suspect that the mileage here in the states will be reduced that severely from that of the Jettas in Germany?

Your figure is almost certainly in Imperial gallons rather than US gallons (34 US gallons = 41 Imperial gallons). My figure came from the fueleconomy.gov website, which already has the numbers for the '09 Jetta TDI up (and for the record, I have only used US gallons during the course of this thread).

Nope, I used a fuel ecnomoy converter found here and plugged in the published fuel economy numbers on the German website (finally, my degree in German pays off!) for the Jetta Diesel 2.0 liter engine. The least efficient Jetta 2.0 TDI has a combined fuel economy of 39 mpg. The most efficient combined fuel economy is 42 mpg.

Again, how can we account for this discrepancy? Published information asserts that the new Jetta in the US uses the same 2.0 liter engine as shown on the German website and it develops the same horsepower. Could the difference between US and German testing really cause such huge discrepancies in average fuel economy?

As an aside, it's worth noting that for older Volkswagen diesels, user data reports beating the average fuel economy by almost 9 mpg. Check the data on fueleconomy.gov for the 2006 VW Jetta diesels(I can't seem to get a direct link to the page). The user-reported average fuel economy is almost 42 mpg, while the EPA average is 33. If a similar trend holds true for the '09 Jettas, then the fuel economy should really be in the low 40s, too.

[Kitsune]

It is not quite at Geo Metro prices but I have seen used Ford Escorts for around $400 and they get around 35 mpg for an automatic and are not quite as cramped as a Geo Metro is....

I thought about getting a used moped for incity driving but where I would is pretty broken up as far as the road so accepting a heavy trucks worse gas mileage....