So I sold my turbo Miata and bought ...
 

Two weeks ago I sold Red Beast and bought...

... a '97 Geo Metro!

eBay Motors: Geo : Metro (item 250328572788 end time Nov-26-08 13:44:39 PST)


The weight is about the same but I am losing around 160 HP.

Jesus, it looks like they just got lazy and left a cylinder off.

new project?

Nah, this one is an I4. I would have loved to buy a 3-cyl manual but this one seemed like a pretty good deal. I'll drive it for a few years and sell it for double what I paid for it (when gas hits $5 <G>).

I'll abort the 50 MPG Miata project and play with this thing a bit. I don't think I can get very good MPGs out of it though. At least it is OBDII and I can use my ScanGauge II on it to watch instantaneous MPG and stuff like that. Should be fun for a while. I can see myself stripping it down a bit (removing the back seat, etc).

So, why the change?

The wife thought having 3.5 Miatas was one too many. I didn't want to sell my DD so Beast had to go. I hadn't really did any work to it for a year or so and had grown tired of the project. I had been talking about buying a Geo for a few years now and when I woke up tonight (I work night shift) this one only had 8 minutes left in the auction. I put a low bid in just for shits and giggles and it was a big surprise that my bid was the high bid and met the reserve. I figured the car would go for much more. I wouldn't have even put the bid in if I hadn't been driving through Jacksonville this weekend. Anyway, I'm not sure if I will sell my DD '91 Smurf but I will probably pull the Link ECU and return the car to stock (pulled the JRSC out of it and sold it a few months ago). Again, this really wasn't the Geo that I wanted (was looking for a nice 3cyl XFI @ 55 MPG to modify) but it will do for now.

Yeah I did hear that the 12 year old Geo market was the hot one right now. :jerkit:

I'd rather get an old Civic. My friend's old, stock, 5spd DX 2 door hatch gets 50mpg on the highway. And at least it's a Civic.

Back in high school, or maybe just after, 2 friends and I picked up the front end of a parked 3 cyl Metro and rolled it like a wheelbarrow down the block while the driver was inside the house. :giggle:

Id love to get one of those, put a turbo and a 50 shot on it and watch the jaws drop

Time to bust out my favorite youtube vid

You must have missed all the news broadcasts and newspaper articles. Ragged out Geo XFIs were selling for $6K+ just a few months ago. When gas dropped the prices on Geos dropped about 75%. They will go back up again. You under estimate how stupid people are.

Soo many things to laugh about in this thread....:bowrofl:

Vash-

I should buy the wife one of those 50 MPG, and no need to go ballistic when the dent fairy shows up.

I dont get it. why not just convert your hummer to a turbo 4 cylinder that gets 30mpg? you can still cruise around all bling and not go brokes.

hmmm.... hummer tdi swap? :D

yeah, kinda like paying almost 2 grand for a 12 year old fucking geo

I've seen a 2 cylinder geo. Guy took the engine apart and removed a piston/rod from the crank. Ground the lobes of the camshaft for that cylinder. And then buttoned it back up. Car had no power. And wasn't very smoother. WOT it would go 50mph. He had to add weight to the flywheel so it would get going from a stop without stalling. But it got 65mpg. Sounded funny running too.

Blow me!

I'm in th boat with ya, I love the 3 cylinders, they are pepy drivable around town. And once you ever get to 80 you can do it all day. Me and my brother had his Charade (same thing but Dihatsu) to 105 and it only took 5 miles. LOL But it got 52 mpg the whole way!

I almost sold the miata to get a convertable one.

I bought one this summer for $600 and sold it for $1750.00. I had to clean it up alot, and fix the doors etc. etc. etc.

The worst thing was the blood stain from where the woman sat.
I am serious.
I couldn't do it. My brother had too.

absolutely no offense, but I'd still never get a geo. there are 100+ other cheap cars that get just as good, if not better gas mileage.

that and its terribly ugly. and there is next to nothing available for them aftermarket wise should you decide to try to fix the ugliness.

I know that you will most likely get your money back if you sell it though, you are right: people are stupid.

Is this for real? Or are you guys kidding? Why does someone need to get 40-50mpg? Do you live that far away from work? If so, and it doesn't pay enough to afford gas, why not find a job that's closer? And if your job isn't far away but you cant afford gas.....why not look for a new job?

I don't get it. We are all car enthusiasts on here....that I know. But how in the fuck can you even get into a Geo everyday without wanting to put a bullet through your head. F-u-c-k that. :bang:

I saw a guy in a Yellow Geo at the gas station last week with tweety bird seat covers on it that said something like "don't test me"....something queer. The guy was fat as fuck and looked like a greaseball virgin. He even locked the door when he went to pay the attendant. That's about right for your average Geo driver. :bowrofl:

At least get a bike, or skateboard, something cool.....not a Geo. :bowrofl:

Vash-

If I remember correctly, he said that he still has his miata dd. This geo is only a fun and experimental car. He has a goal for it and I find it interesting. Sure it's not the sexiest and appealing car but it's not the goal to make it a showcar.

Go for it Robet!

i understand your anger man, i would be pissed off too if i bought a geo

PIMP THAT HOE!
I know with me, it is just nice to never give much of anything to the oil companies. My brother in his partying yrs. Had the Charade 3 cly 5-speed. He was broke from smoking up all his money.
He made like $200 a week, rent was free, and he ate mac and cheeze, and romein noodles everyday.
He still went to Little Rock 3 or 4 times a week to see his girl friend and party, If not LR he would go to DFW. Either way 2-3 hrs from Texarkana, TX.

It cost him less than $3 to go to LR, and $4 to go to DFW. Gas was only 99 cents in 1993 or 94.

But yea, the car is not a pimp mobile. But as a college student you can stop eating Romein noodles, and hook up with Wendy's cheeze burgers.

That was said as a joke, not in anger. I should have put a <G> behind it.

I'm not sure what your problem with the car is. I have a 20 minute drive to work. I can make the drive for close to free in this car for a few years and then get all of my money back. If someone is so vain that they can't be seen in a Geo then I feel sorry for them. I'm sticking it to the oil companies and making money at the same time. Not to mention I have a new project to keep me occupied for the next couple of years until I build my V8 Miata. My truck just got wrecked so I took a look at the book value of it and what they have been selling for. We spent months trying to get a good deal on it (and we got a great one) and it still lost about $3500 in 2.5 years. My LO MSM drops in value every day. Red Beast just sold for $4500 and I had about $10K in it. I believe this car will go UP in value if I do it right. There is a huge list of new parts on the car so it should be maintenance free for a while. I'm assuming you are a younger guy (most people who have a problem with something like this probably are) but one day you will learn. Bling doesn't get you anywhere.

Vash-I wasn't expecting you to say that. Now why would somebody waste all their time/money doing half the shit you are doing to your car? Do you need it to be some damn refined? Does it really need that much power? Does it really need those sexy heat shields? And fancy lights? And kick-ass system? No. But it's what you want. It makes you happy. You're not trying to prove anything, or impress others. Your not doing it to save anything. It's a hobby. Have some respect.

Bryantaylor's just an asshole making comments because he saw an opening. And I'm pretty sure he'll agree with that.

Whatever suits you go for it, nothing personal at all. :bigtu: You don't have to spend a fortune or be rollin in bling to have a decent DD. I got my 99' Envoy for $4k and it was worth every penny. There's just sooo many great used cars out there on the cheap....especially now. I just don't understand why a Geo. Driving anything like a Geo or a Kia is sticking it to yourself. I feel sorry for anyone behind the wheel of such a piece.

I drive 88' GMC's that are falling apart while I drive them for work all year long every day. But you can be damn sure when the days over and I dust concrete off my pants and kick the mud off my boots, that the fuckin top is going down and I'll enjoy my ride home. :)

Its all in good fun man. But really, at least put a "woo woo" whistle tip on it!


Vash-

yep, :bowrofl:

i just can't drive a boring car, drives me nuts.

Again, I didn't buy it because it was cheap, I bought it because it was FREE! Your said your Envoy was nice. Wouldn't it be nicer if it paid YOU to drive it? My car will and it will be a nice project to boot. I guess you just aren't going to get it when I build the fender skirts for it and pull the back seat out <G>.

i see you said "project" a couple of times now. what will the project be exactly? super low drag? super lightweight? 80mpg? details man!

If you convert it to run on vegetable oil.....then I'm down with that. :)

Vash-

I see this as being Project Geo #1 (#2 will be a manual 1.0L 3cyl). My guess is that aerodynamics and weight will be part of the fun. I'm not sure what MPG it gets now but a 50% increase would be the initial goal. I'll probably strip the hell out of it, do some aerodynamics to the rear wheels, some ground stuff, full under carriage cover, radiator block, etc. Should be fun. I could see a turbo thrown in there at some time but I haven't looked under the hood of a Geo in a while so I cannot remember how much room I have to work with.

If I can find a ragged out one for #2 it will probably be cut in half like that tandem rider one you see on the web from time to time. I think he got about 75 MPG on his.

75mpg? damn

I don't understand peoples obsession with these stupid fucking gasoline-electric hybrids. :jerkit:

environment.

What, you believe in Al Gore and his made up "man made global warming" crap too? Pass me some of what you're smoking, it MUST be good shit.

Heres what I have to say about Environment. :jerkit: The earth is raped in strip mines to make these battery cells, they STILL USE GASOLINE, and whats the shelf life? I'd like to see a prius still operational with a gods honest 300,000 miles on it.

http://puregreencars.com/files/2009-Escalade-Hybrid.jpg
Environment you say??

while I'm not a huge hybrid supporter, I can tell you that a buddies 02 honda insight has 250k on the clock and still runs good as new, no maintenance done aside from regular (oil, fluids, etc)...

I'm picking up an 89 CRX HF tomorrow because it gets 55+ mpg on its anemic 65hp motor. It comes down to simple math for me.

My current car gets 28mpg, costs me $260/month in car payment, and $270/month in insurance (thanks to my colored driving record). I will most likely be selling it and keeping the miata as a secondary car (I'm sure that will make me and some of you happy :) ).

My current car can get ~340mi per tank, and I have a 110mi total commute for work everyday. That means if I drive no where else at all I need to fill up every 3 days. Well i do drive other places so I need to fill up every 2 days which ends up being 3 times a week. At $1.60/gal of gas like it is right now it costs me $19.5ish to fill up or about $60/week. At $4/gal it costs me $48.6 to fill up or about $146/week. That means $240/month at $1.60 or $584/month at $4.

With the CRX I will get an avg of 55mpg. Lets assume the tank is about a 10Gal fill with a little in reserve, which is typical for a honda. That means I will get 550mi/tank (of course an estimated figure). I will need to fill up 1-2 times per week, lets go with 1.5 as an average over the whole month depending on my driving other than the office. At $1.60/Gal it costs me $16 to fill or $24/week. At $4/gal it will cost me $40 to fill or $60/week. That's $96/week at $1.60 or $240/month at $4.

Of course my figures for the CRX are estimated, but I'm using MPG figures given to me straight from the previous owner and the 10gal fill up is from my previous experience of owning 4 other hondas in the past. I'm quoting the current prices of gas in my town and $4 because you and I both know it will be heading back up that way sooner than later.

At current prices $1.60/Gal I will be saving myself $144/month. When prices go back up to $4/gal I will be saving myself $344/month. That is some serious money either way. At current gas prices the car will pay for itself in 14 months. If it was still $4/Gal it would pay for itself in 6 months.

To me its not about not being able to afford a better car, I could buy a E46 M3 if I wanted. Its about driving a car that I can rack up miles on and not care about it, a car that pays me in gas savings. If I put away that $144/month+ into a retirement account (current market conditions ignored) compound interest over a decade would turn it into a considerable amount of money.

Another huge plus for me is that when I have to drive to offsite locations for work I get paid mileage in addition to my time.

In any case, I'm done. Continue on as you were.

me and 99.999% of all scientists on the planet smoke the same shit. one guy named Lindzen doesn't (honored by some foundation named after a former head of GM. what? and he said smoking isn't that bad for you. what?). it's not like religion where there's no scientific proof and billions still believe it. regardless, the consequences for global warming being "wrong" are a little easier to live with than if you make the planet uninhabitable.

I dont think hybrids and electric cars aren't the solution either. you want to save the environment? go buy a used car that gets decent mileage. not only will you prevent one more car from being thrown in a dump, you'll use less resources to build the new one. oh and run a cat.

the problem with electric is that the most of the grid that powers your car burns coal. and coal is not only very dirty to burn (clean coal is like a "moral hooker"--not real) but is also dug up by lopping the top off of mountains and ruining the landscape directly.

you know there are laws against burning wood in your fireplace on certain days because it adds so much to smog? environment.

I've seen a couple of turbo Metro's set up for rally or rally cross that were beasts. Just as our cars are fun with 200+ hp the Metro is a kick in the butt when built! Of course you won't get 50mpg anymore.

I've always enjoyed driving cars with no power that like to rev. You can row through the gears, push limits constantly and not get into trouble. No one knows or cares that you are driving the car 10/10ths. It's good training for car control but at reasonable speeds and low risk.

If you leave out the global warming red herring - it's too controvercial and divisive - reducing waste and polution is a good thing. I'm very conservative politically but smog, garbage, polution, mining and factory run off, auto and manufacturing emmisions, stripping forests, etc., aren't good things. The cleaner the planet the more livable, healthier and enjoyable it is for everyone.

Having traveled several 3rd world nations, polution and invasion of man into formerly pristine area's is a huge problem. Without a massive human die off it won't be solved in the next several hundred years. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to make things better than they are now. Whether global warming exists, is man made, etc. doesn't matter nearly as much as polluted ground water and disease in terms of immediate threats.

Of course radical muslims scare me a whole lot more than Co2 does right now!

a couple of BPT geos here in town :)

That 9 sec Geo video is awesome. The launch is great. Pre-spool, pull the trigger, Gone...

I just picked up a 1999 Chev Cavalier Z24 for $800 Canadian (inc Safety and E-Test) with a good set of summer tires and a brand new set of snow tires on steel wheels. Cost about $30-35 Canadian to fill and I get 500kms to a tank.

I'm happy.. I will drive it most of the winter and probably sell it for at least what I paid in the spring.

Good deal :) Still have my Subaru, but I would rather put the 400-500kms a week on the Cavalier.

Well, I got back from Florida today. I did NOT buy that Geo. Yes, I won the auction but I refused to pay him. The ad said something about "just add a driver and gas" when describing the condition of the car. He failed to mention that the steering had about 6" of play in the wheel. If he had mentioned this I could have found out how much it would have been to fix it but since he didn't I couldn't take the chance. The engine and body (lack of rust) looked nice. The front glass was scratched (bad wiper) and someone had scratched a picture of a dick into the rear glass! He said the interior was an 8 out of 10 but the steering wheel was almost disintegrated from being in the sun. I figured the dash was a few weeks from cracking for the same reason. The 4cyl engine with the automatic was peppy. It has been a long time since I had my old 3cyl chevy but driving this car reminded me of how fun my Sprint was (yep - I am describing it as fun). So, I am not definitely in the market for a nice manual 3cyl and will keep looking.

wow, and I thought I was a ------...

hmmm you'll miss the miata

Fixed for the sake of rightness.

I think its ugly as fuck, but if you've seen my car go > show.

Power to you man, I support ingenuity and the dedication to a project.

I've got two others and I'm going to build a 450 HP V8. What's to miss?

No, your father is a ------. You are just queer...