A two-seat convertible that gets 40 mpg and has less than 45,000 miles is a great combination for a summer cruiser, especially with current gas prices. A marque can alter perceptions, but maybe you should think of a former GM brand that is long gone.
The Pick of the Day is a 1991 Geo Metro convertible listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Click the link to view the listing)
A Geo conjures up notions of super gas mileage and Edmunds states that a 1991 Geo Metro convertible rolls with 40 mpg on the highway, and 34 mpg in city driving. With its 10.6-gallon tank you can get more 400 mpg on a fill up and that’ll get me from Phoenix to Las Vegas with gas to spare. My 2015 Mini Cooper get 40 on the highway and that’s with a lot of technical advancement beyond a 30-year-old econobox.
The Geo Metro was slightly ahead of its time and that superior MPG is due to a car powered by a 1.0-liter inline-three engine that produced a factory-rated 55 bhp when new. This particular Metro offered on ClassicCars.com has a five-speed manual transmission and a curb weight of 1,753 lbs.
Based on the ad’s pictures the yellow over gray Metro is clean and wears its years well.
“The yellow paint finish which is a complete repaint, shows very well with only a few imperfections from normal use,” the listing states. “Gloss is excellent and there is no body damage on the sheet metal. Black accent stripes grace the flanks of the car. The black fabric convertible top fits properly and is free of rips and tears.”
You can decry the Geo Metro for dull aesthetics, lacking performance and all the rest, but they did their job as an econobox in the 90s. As a former passenger of one during high school (a close friend drove one) I can attest to its less than stellar qualities, but it was affordable to operate with reasonable maintenance costs, lower insurance premiums and superior gas mileage.
With a Geo it’s better to look at the pluses over the minuses and acknowledge its intent as a gas-mileage champion. In the case of this Geo Metro, you get awesome fuel economy in a two-seat convertible, and that’s a recipe for a proper summer convertible.
The selling dealer is asking $11,900 for this 2001 Geo Metro convertible with 44,888 original miles and to view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
This GEO is not for MEO!
I owned a 91 Geo Metro 4-dr auto; I plugged off the EGR valve and advanced the timing 2 degrees and got 45 mpg on the highway. Wish I would have kept it!!