Would you buy an AUTOMATIC metro?
 

I may be able to get a metro (I think its a 94, its the older body style) with 50,000 ORIGINAL miles on it. A guy at work is selling it, and just from walking past and peaking in the windows it looks like it is in fantastic condition, but I have not taken a close look yet. I didn't see any body rust at all, but haven't gotten a chance to look at the control arms or underbody.

Anyway... I can get it for $1200.

Is an auto trans that is going to top out at around 35mpg really worth it?

I'm not really interested in getting a rust bucket, so if I passed on this offer, I would probably be looking at a much newer car, for several thousand dollars more, that would probably still only get 35mpg, which is the reason, that even though the mpg is bad for a metro, it is good for ANY $1200 car in good condition, in my opinion.

Would you go for it?

It depends on the overall condition of the vehicle. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is (too good to be true). Caveat Emptor.

I'd insist on taking it to a trusted mechanic and going over it with a fine tooth comb before buying. If the owner balks, run (don't walk) away. ;)

i would buy it.
however, i like doing my own engine tweaks and repairs when i have the interest.
i put the car at great risk as i'm not a mechanic, but i end up finishing almost all jobs properly. i think the single most expensive thing i did to my used car was new tires.

i would buy it. even if it needs $1000 worth of work over the next year, i bet it would be no more. -- and many of those small repairs could be postponed if money is occasionally tight.

so if you hold-out for a more expensive car, that's still used, you could still shell out some extra bucks in repairs.

I bought mine mainly to shop for the standard one, but expect to turn a small profit from my repairs when I sell it to a non-stick driver, after many trouble-free miles.

I wouldn't drive it because I can't drive an automatic. Also, it would take more than 35mpg to get me to ride around in an old Metro.

I say actively search for the car you really want, and maybe buy one from south of where they salt the roads.

Good points.

As far as the deal being too good to be true. I will definitely look it over close, get a carfax, etc. The car is undoubtedly in good condition, but I do question the miles.. I am hoping he has service records to verify, or hopefully the carfax will verify the miles.

The guy selling it is someone I have worked with for a few years, real nice guy, so I dont think he is lying to me about it. He was telling me all this about it before he was even thinking about selling it, so he would have had no reason to lie to me about it.

And for RobertSmalls who said "it would take more than 35mpg for me to ride around in an old metro".... I normally would totally agree with you. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Spend $1200 on a metro that might need a few little repairs over the next couple years (I only need it for 2 yrs while I am getting my masters), vs. spend $5000 on a cobalt or something that gets the same mileage and wont need the little repairs. The metro still comes out being less money.
Plus in 2 years I can probably sell the metro for the same price I buy it, where as something newer (like the cobalt), would still be depreciating, and I wouldn't be able to get as much for it.

Would I buy an automatic Metro?
Yes, but it wouldn't stay automatic for long. It's an easy conversion and certainly worth the 10-15 MPG improvement.

I haven't seen a Metro auto to manual conversion, personally. (Haven't hung around Teamswift in a while). But I'd definitely consider that option as well.

Depends on a couple things. I'd rather wait for a manual one to pop up before I tried doing the swap.

Side note: Is it possible to replace the torque converter of the automatic with one that can lockup?

Good question. I'd be curious if there is a 4 or 5spd. auto trans that is an easy swap. Maybe from another geo or suzuki (since it is a suzuki engine). It wouldnt be as good as a manual, but I wouldnt have to try and figure out a clutch. Plus an auto is nice since I will be commuting in a lot of traffic.