How much is this 1996 Geo metro worth?
 

Its a 1996 geo metro 3 cylinder. Lsi model. 2 door, blown motor, new clutch, new alternator, new starter, new tires, newer brakes. near rust free body. No a/c. Kinda a trashy inside. Is it worth more than $300?

Around me, definitely. It could still sell for around $500-$800. Could.

By this time, just about everyone knows that engines are fairly easy to come by, and since the only person buying the car w/ a blown motor is probably somewhat mechanically inclined, they know where to get it and how to put it in, for the most part.

That means the vehicle isn't devalued to someone like me b/c of a blown engine, as long as the body is clean/straight, and the other systems are in working order.

That said, get it as cheap as you possibly can, and don't let anyone know that you intend to do the work yourself. Never volunteer information during a transaction.

If it's you selling the car, ask more than you think you can get for it. That way, if someone comes right out with the money, you're good, but you can still afford to negotiate some.

A rust free body in Milwaukee??

Blown motor, trashy inside, I don't think I'd pay more than $300 for it.

Also, you know to make sure the control arm mounts are solid, right? They can look OK, but a bit of effort with a screwdriver can turn something that looks "OK" into this:

http://forkenswift.com/offsite/ctrl-...b4-outside.jpg

Also, with a blown motor, you have to take their word for it that the transmission synchros aren't toast. That's another weak spot.

What are synchros?

The things that grind when you miss a shift. Or when they wear out prematurely.

In a typical transmission, in order to shift the different rotating parts together without having that teeth-grinding sound, you have to get their speeds approximately equal. A synchronizer is like a little clutch on the shaft that spins it up so the gears can mesh without clashing. And like the big clutch you stomp with the pedal, they can wear out.

If the chassis is in good shape, I've read about a couple of projects that repowered a decent Metro with a small diesel engine - nippy lightweight body, frugal oilburner mill: getting down the road for cheap.

Well, not cheap at first - you'll learn a lot in an off-the-reservation engine swap. But I'd sure like to give it a try.

I'm just west of Milwaukee.

The Metro I bought this spring had a pretty rust-free body on it, yet it STILL had the the rusted out control arm mount, similar to the photo a couple of posts above.

I paid $500, with a bad clutch, (later found out the transmission had a bad bearing too) but a good engine. The interior also looked pretty nice.

A 1996 is a good car in that it has OBDII, so you can use a Scanguage or similar device with it.

Also, what do you want to do with the car? Fix it and just drive it as an efficient car? Convert it to electric? Put a different engine in there?

What you want to do with it will decide what's important to look for in a car.

Take a look at my Electro-Metro build thread for lots of photos of a Milwaukee area Geo Metro.

If it's being advertised as an LSI, it's most likely a 4 cylinder (regardless of what the owner thinks he has)

OR,
He's using the LSI badge to try and get more money,
Yes I saw he's only asking $300.
Still, with a bad motor and no way to check anything else except for visual, there is a lot that can be hidden.
Just my $.02,
Schultz