Metro Buying Guide

[pint]

If I find a Metro with the control arm are rot, is it to be avoided, or can it be repaired? Is the rust typically on the frame, the control arm, or both?

[Roman]

Here some tips from the Dutch Suzuki tuning site. I try to translate

- Like already said, look for rust under the car and by the wheels
- Allways look in day light and dry wheater
- Look if you see any color differents (this is mostly a sign of a crashed car rebuild)
- Look at the front and the lights. If you see dot's at the front it's a sign of speeding.
- Look at the pedals. When they wear-out ( dont know if this is the right word). It's a signs that the car is used a lot. Like more that 100.000 km
- Look under the carpet if it's dry
- Use all electric equikment. And test all.
- Look if the engine is cold when you test it. A warm engine is a sign that they started it before you came and is a sign of a coldstarting problem
- Look at the exhaust by a cold start. When it's smoking blue it's a sign of oil leaking.
- Control all liquids.
- Cool water may be colored but there must be no oil in it.
- Look at the engine and treansmission. If you see much oil there could be some leaking.
- Controle the tyres. If they not wear equal there is a problem whit the wheelgeometry or also a sign of a crash.
- Make a test ride and check if you feel any trillings when breaking.
- Try to pull-out whit the 5th gear. When he's going is not blokking there a wear-out coupler.
- Look if the window at the drivers side will close correctly
- While doing test-ride drive some corners and listen if you hear any tikking sound. This is a sign of a (dictonary didn't found that word: homokineet). Here's a pic of what i mean whit Homokineet:


And remember this is for a swift but they almost like the Geo. And also remember i translated it from dutch

[FunkSkunk]

Wow, nice job on the translation! I believe the 'Homokneiophaolchings' that were mentioned are the CV's. Basically any small front wheel drive car has these and if during a tight turn you hear a popping sound that means they need to be replaced. .02

[Roman]

Tnx. Translate dutch to english for a german is just like fun

[FunkSkunk]

Alright all you Metro Masters! How many miles is too many when looking at a metro? I know it all depends on how it was driven... but really how many is pushing it on the lil' 3 or 4 angry squirrels? For example I know that a Jeep 4.0 six cylinder engine with basic maintenance will easily surpass 200k miles. So what is it for a Metro?

[metromizer]

I looked all over before finding the 'right' one.

I learned if you want A/C, search Craig's List in all the Arizona areas, seems like 1 in 3, three cylinder Metros have AC in Phoenix, but only 1 in 10, three cyl have AC in California. I never saw a three cylinder listed for sale with cruise control. Usually when looking, I found stripped bare-bones Metros wo/any features, or and Lsi with 4 cylinder, AC, Cruise, a bell or two (unfortunately, never any whistles )

Common things wrong with used Metros seem to be comsmetics (not very loved) three different brands of used tires w/cracked sidewalls, split CV boots that need reapir, broken door handles and window winders. Not passing the emissions test is another one, bad catalitic converter ofter sited in the ad.

The cool thing is, if you know what you are looking at, you can use the 'delayed maintainance' items as negotiating points, to bring the price down. Parts for these are cheap, and I found the Metro easy to work on.

replacement axle assy with new boots $65 45 minutes to replace in my driveway

rotors: $40 ea

Be prepared to look at a couple duds, before finding a good one. Don't be afraid to just 'pass'. I fashoined a tow bar rig to take with me to look at one, that I never ended up using. Iwas prepared to tow the right one home behind my Celica. I was prepared to pick one up 400 miles away if need be. I'd advise cash in pocket, looking twice/day on Craig's, overnight bag packed to go look at a cream puff on an hours notice if one comes up. The good ones sell fast.

happy hunting, enjoy the ride!

[pint]

Thanks for all the great info. Keep it coming!

[FunkSkunk]

I've found a 97 w/162,000 miles on the ol' LSi engine, it's a manual and the delear wants 1,600 for it. But it's 3 hours from my house! UGH!!!.... so if I go down there I'm pretty committed or wasting a toooon of gas. So that's again why I ask about mileage on a Metro, what is too much? Yeah I know it all depends but give me a ballpark

[FunkSkunk]

So to get comfortable in checking out Metros, does anyone have any pics of these notorious spots (aka the control arms) that we should look out for when buying?

[FunkSkunk]

I guess I'll do my own research.... So the pics below are showing some bad rust damage on a Metro, is this the notorious area to look out for??

I would love some feedback since I'm going to look at one this weekend.