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Old 02-25-2019, 04:51 PM   #238 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,527

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 54.46 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car Mirage - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 62.14 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,078
Thanked 6,976 Times in 3,612 Posts
10,000 km Review




The Metro just passed 10k km (~6k miles) in my care.

I got it in July, 2016, so that works out just 4000 km a year on average.

It's a like/hate relationship:

1) Like: Lifetime Fuel Economy: 59 mpg (US), 4 L/100 km, 70.9 mpg



Considering most of my driving is in cold weather/winter conditions, I'm OK with that.

2) Hate: crap clutch

Despite having been replaced by the previous owner just 30k km ago, the clutch in this car is garbage. I'm pretty sure it's got broken damping springs in the disc. The weird thing is the problems come and go. I've complained about it before: Update: self-healing clutch. I don't hate it enough to fix it, though!

3) Like: hmmm...

Having trouble thinking of anything else nice to say about it. It's easier to load up with skis, snowboards & kayaks than the MPGiata?

4) Hate: reliability

Hate might be too strong a word -- it hasn't left me stranded (yet). But it's come pretty close.
  1. Fried wire between the starter & solenoid (but yay: it's light enough to push start pretty easily!); since repaired.
  2. Electrical glitch causing it to intermittently stall out/run rough (traced to a mystery bare wire shorting to ground against the pedal assembly).
  3. CEL codes:
    (A) frequent P0455 for an evap leak
    (B) P0400 for EGR -- I cleaned the valve, but it came back. Need to roto-rooter the passages, I guess.
    (C) P0420 for catalyst -- this one popped up a few weeks ago. Hasn't come back since resetting.
Is it reasonable to complain about the reliability of a $1000, 20 year-old car? It's led a pretty charmed life - lots of care & maintenance from its 4-owner string of owners.
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Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
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