Metro Hoarding 101 - also: Metro pickup trucks!

[Cowspots]

Hi Y'all,

I'll try to keep this intro short and sweet. I just discovered your site while looking at ways to improve my 1990 Metro's MPG. I have several of these little buggers and plan to fix them up and sell most of them when gas hits $4.00/gallon. Yes, that is my evil plan.

If you have any fuel economy ideas for my Metros & Swifts that won't compromise safety or longevity, please pass them on my way. After two knee surgeries, I prefer automatic transmissions (which EAT GAS ), but a stick is OK for long trips. Thanks.

Here is the list:
1990 Metro 2Dr 3-Cyl/5-spd no A/C
1989 Swift GTI DOHC 1.3/5-spd (Retired Race Car - restoring to street)
1989 Swift GTI DOHC 1.3/Auto (Retired OK Unmarked Police Vehicle)
1989 Swift GTI DOHC 1.3/Auto (Parts Car w/9,500 original miles)
1990 Swift GT converted from 1.3 SOHC to DOHC 1.3/5-spd
1992 Metro Convertible 3cyl/Auto A/C (Summertime Cruiser)
1998 Metro 4Dr 1.3 SOHC/Auto A/C (Daily Driver)

I'll be seeing you,
Cowspots

[SVOboy]

Welcome to the site! Quite a collection you've got there,

[DifferentPointofView]

Interested in selling any of those now " cause I'd love to take that 90' metro 2 door off your hands. Welcome to the site! also, don't forget to put your daily driver and cruiser on the EM garage!

[MetroMPG]

Hi Cowspots - welcome.

Some people collect beanie babies... other people, well...

Have a good look around the forum, you'll find some good tips. I suspect many of the things you find people doing here you wouldn't do to a car that you were going to try selling, but for your daily driver, it may be another story.

Buy low, sell high!

Darin

[Coyote X]

heh someone on here that has more metros than me

I only have 4 left, one I gave away, and one I cut up and put on a shelf for spare parts. I have $250 in the 5 extra metros I have found not counting the xfi model I drive.

I say mod them for max mpg and sell them to people who appreciate driving a weird looking car.

[Cowspots]

Thanks Y'all!

I do plan to mod the '90 Metro 2dr. Originally I bought it as a body donor for the parts GTi. The 3-cyl engine was shot. I pulled the drivetrain and am building a smooth 3-cyl for it now. I'll make that my work commuter car and sell my 4Dr Metro. I want 50mpg!

Gee, I sure miss that '02 Jetta TDI that I had - 48mpg in luxury and comfort. I was thinking of new valves, a high-torque/low RPM cam and the 3.51:1 trans from a 1.3L SOHC. I have three spare trannys, so I am off to count differential gear teeth in a week when I get back from FL. Next will be weight reduction and aerodynamics like an aluminum belly pan and some moon disk hubcaps.

I'll keep you posted,...
Cowspots

[NoCO2]

I would love to get either that 2 door metro of one of the '89-'90 swifts off your hands if you're willing to part with it for cheap. I am looking to make a bare bones (wheels, engine, steering-wheel) type car that gets really good gas millage to get me around the city here and I like the styling of the swifts more so then the metros but I can't find swifts for sale anywhere around my area.

[AndrewJ]

Awesome, that the best hoarding I've seen in a while.

[Doofus McFancypants]

Anyone have a "Spare Metro" in the ATL Area?
not "Officially looking" but i am willing to help a brotha out.
: )

[Coyote X]

Finding a cheap metro is not that hard, they are everywhere. Just start looking in back yards and stuff while you are driving around. All of them I have found so far have been from seeing it parked in a yard with a dead plate/no plate and stopping and asking the people about it. Probably about 25% of the time you can get it for either free or very cheap. Come back every 6 months or so and keep asking

Just be prepared to do something with it right then if it is free, even if it is just clean it up and move it to near the road. If you leave it and come back later the free metro you got might have either became expensive or they decide not to let you have it. So if you put some sort of effort into it they probably wont change their mind. If possible bring a buddy in a truck with chains and spare tires/pumps so you can take it away right when you ask about it.

I have found lots of good deals on atvs/motorcycles, c band sat dishes, cars, and lots of other junk by just looking around while I am driving and stopping and asking about whatever it was.

btw I know where a 01 metro 4 cyl auto sedan with a bad rod bearing is near me, guy is asking $400 but I know he would take less. Be a good car for a 3 cyl/5spd swap. Be a long trip to haul it home from WV though...