Quote:
Originally Posted by pint
As far as Metro's go, is there a best year, a year to watch out for, major problem areas, etc? I am really interested in them all the sudden!
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There is no "best year" Metro because they are all cool in their own way.
The earlier Metro from like 1989-1994 were very light and did not have much for safety features, but they basically have the same engine/trans setup. The XFi was offered in those years also, but you can make a regular Metro have the similar fuel mileage as an XFi with a cam swap and some tweaks basically.
The 1995-2001 Metro was slightly wider and weighs more, but were built slightly stronger and airbags and better side protection standard. These Metro models are the more modern looking of them all. In 2001 you could only get a 4 door sedan with a 4 cylinder. You can also swap in an economy camshaft in these year 3 cylinder cars also!
In my opinion, a 1995-2000 hatchback with a 1.0L 3 cylinder and a 5 speed would be the best pick. Just make damn sure you make sure it's rust free. I am not talking about the body, but the undercarriage. The lower control arm mounts is the prone area to rot out and make the car non-driveable when it breaks. This includes all year Metro/Swift. If you find one with a great, rust-free chassis, buy it regardless of engine/trans problems. For $5000 you could have one hell of a nice car, but I doubt you will need to dump that much into a non-running car to make it right.
Good luck! If you decide to get a Metro instead of another car, remember that you may turn into a freak like the rest of us Metro/Swift fans
