Spotted a cache (gaggle? posse?) of Suzukiclone parts cars. Interest piqued. Sanity questioned.

[MetroMPG]

One Metro to burn less gas; one Metro none at all; one Metro to mess my hair, and in the darkness .... well, that won't matter because nobody can see my hair in the darkness. And also my hair is too short to get very messy.

Oh, and one Metro to provide parts for the other three!

My precious! (What's the plural for that? My preciousses! My precii?)

[MetroMPG]

Now that the U.F.O. is gone, I'll be shortly rousing the Blackfly from its hibernation.

And having gotten used to being able to beat 100+ MPG (US) on extended secondary highway trips in the modded Insight, I know I will feel ever so slightly let down by the Firefly's more modest abilities.

So, thoughts turn to modding...

I need parts! I don't want to mess up the Firefly's low-miles, essentially rust-free body panels. So the last drive I made with the Insight was to go see if these 'clones were still sitting where I last saw them...

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

... and they are.

To be continued...

[MetroMPG]

Since my last post -- 7-ish years ago! -- I very occasionally (once a year?) drove past the above trio of parts cars. And then one day they were gone. I kicked myself for not having nabbed one of them.

Instead, I eventually picked up my roadworthy "parts car" 2000 Metro.

You'd think that would have settled my hoarding instincts, no?

Apparently not.

Yesterday I stopped and had a good chat with the owner of this ran-when-field-parked beauty:






It's a 1999 Firefly 1.0L / 5-speed with 170k km (106k miles) on the clock, retired due to underbody rust, with a bunch of new uninstalled parts in the back (eg. brakes/rotors) and a relatively recently-installed OEM stainless exhaust system.

This is a kind of Stockholm syndrome, right?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

It's a 1999 Firefly 1.0L / 5-speed with 170k km (106k miles) on the clock, retired due to underbody rust, with a bunch of new uninstalled parts in the back (eg. brakes/rotors) and a relatively recently-installed OEM stainless exhaust system.

Do you have any clue about the extent of such underbody rust? Even if in the end it may seem quite foolish to insist on fixing it, sure it would be somewhat tempting as they become scarce.

[MetroMPG]

The owner is a professional mechanic, and said he'd already done one round of underbody repairs, and now those repairs need repairs!

I wouldn't try to fix it. If I bought it, it would be to harvest its good parts and scrap it.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

If I bought it, it would be to harvest its good parts and scrap it.

Sounds like a good excuse to use its bodyshell as a test mule for experiences with a different powerplant

But anyway, it's been more than 10 years that I haven't seen one of those Canadian Suzuki Swift/Chevrolet Metro or any other rebadge, only the previous Japanese model.

[California98Civic]

Buy it. You need parts!

[MetroMPG]

I DO need parts!

Autumn update: he never replied to my question about how much money he wants to part with it (professional grade hoarder).


I happened to go past his place last week, and can report the Firefly has been moved! He relocated it from his side yard to the back. Is that a hint I should be taking? "Hands off, buddy?"

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Sounds like a good excuse to use its bodyshell as a test mule for experiences with a different powerplant

Yes: pedals!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Yes: pedals!

OK, the Metro is quite on the featherweight side

[jakobnev]

A fleet of Fireflies?

Old thread, but I thinks it's a swarm.