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Geo garaged for 7 years. Should I buy it?
Topic Started: Jan 6 2014, 12:36 AM (1,726 Views)
HotWheels
Fresh Fish
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Hello all and good day/evening to you. This is my very first post so I would first like to tip my hat to everyone here and introduce myself. =) Brandon is the name. =) I have never owned a geo metro before, but until recently I have TOTALLY been bitten by the Geo bug. I think i'm infected because all I can do is just keep thinking about those lovely mpgs, overall simplicity and it's dead sexy body styling....:P Maybe a slight exaggeration there haha but I would love to see one in the drive way. :D

It is really tough finding a Geo in good condition here in my area. Most have tons of miles and or are in very bad shape...=/ I had recently found one a guy has for sale a few hours away from me. I was going to go look at it tomorrow with compression gauge in hand. ^^ It is a 1996 Geo Metro with 50,000 miles more or less on the clock. It has been garaged for 7 years. ^^ The car looks super clean. They are asking 3,500 for it however said the price is def. negotiable. I thanked them for that since the KBB price is WAYYY lower. Apparently it belonged to the couples father who didn't drive it a whole lot, but certainly babied it. I guess when he died they just kept it around for sentimental reasons however have finally decided to get rid of it.

I have read about people saying to change the oil before the car is even started, changing plugs and wires, draining any old fuel out, checking out the brakes/tires and so forth. This might have already been done, i'm not sure yet I still need to find out. But mentioning all of this, I am wondering what you all think as far as the sale goes? If you would do it if you were me? Anything I should look out for? Any and all input is more than appreciated! =) I wasn't sure where to post this hopefully this is the right section. Thanks in advance for everything. Sorry if your asked this question all the time...=/
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AlexK
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Welcome to the forum!

Obviously the price is too high but it could be a good deal if he is flexible enough on the price. The problem is it is a long drive so he probably won't negotiate much since he knows you came from far away and you'll likely buy it anyway. Maybe you could do some feeling out on the price over the phone before leaving and tell him the reason is you don't want to waste a whole day of driving.

If it's on craigslist you could post the link here so we could see pics.

If it looks really really nice maybe $2700 could be reasonable. Most likely it will need tires, battery, fuel system drained, etc and that should drop the price a bit. I have $2200 into my '94 xfi with rebuilt engine and AC installed.

If you want high mpg make sure it's a 5 speed, the auto gets 8mpg less. 3cyl is better than 4 cyl but not as big a difference as the transmission. Check frame horns for rust but in CA it should be fine.
Edited by AlexK, Jan 6 2014, 01:34 AM.
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Napolean Drivinglight
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Hi HotWheels and welcome aboard.

The car has been sitting to long and is now junk. ;)
Send me the owners contact info I will personalty make sure it gets properly recycled.:D


All kidding aside if it's as nice as it sounds and the former owner cared for it like it sounds and it was properly stored then chances favor a good runner. Metros' with under 100,000k would bring a premium up here in WA.

Prices differ from region to region. I have no idea what is a fair price for a well kept Metro in your area.

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DTM GTi
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Well , think of it this way . Chances of finding another Metro with 50K miles for that money are slim to none. What could you buy for that money? Ten year old Kia Rio with 100K miles? Which one would you, or anyone on this board, rather have? Go look at it , if it appears to be true mileage and it has original paint (meaning it has not been in a wreck) knock them down few hundred bucks and enjoy your ride home...................
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rmcelwee
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Don't fall in love with a car you have never even seen. If you are mechanically minded, it might not be a bad deal. If you don't know how to change a crank seal (as an example) then don't touch this car unless you have an extra grand laying around for repairs. It WILL have issues if it has sat around that long. I would plan on new tires, new exhaust, dropping the gas tank, etc. This should all be built into the price...
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Car Nut
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:gp What he said!
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Freeman
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The Family Man

:gp You will need to replace the fuel pump which is probably one of the more frustrating things you will have to do. Sitting that long will require quite the tune up. But, does it run? If not, pull the plugs and look for oil. If you have like a cylinder full, I'd leave. You never know with a car that has sat that long. Rust is probably and issue. The rotors are probably really rusted. Regular use is really good for most cars.
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MR Bill
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Welcome to GMF , take time and think about it before you jump.
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Freeman
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I'm pretty sure you can get a car for much less than that though. And you could rebuild the motor with the extra money. Just throwing that out there as an idea. I don't see 50k and sitting for 7 years being better than 100k and driven lightly on the weekends. I would probably pass this by since it doesn't run (most likely) and has had zero maintenance done to it for 7+ years. Even if the motor isn't being used, there are other things on a car that matter. Such as the tires (mentioned already), things dying inside it, rodents, roaches, ect. There are a lot of systems in the motor that are probably clogged from sitting for so long.
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geogonfa
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Welcome to the Fun :D ...good reading:

http://geometroforum.com/topic/1666576/1/
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Freeman
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geogonfa
Jan 6 2014, 09:49 AM
Welcome to the Fun :D ...good reading:

http://geometroforum.com/topic/1666576/1/
:gp Anything JM :mullet posts is good stuff.

The horns or whatever they are called seem to be a big issue with Geos though. Look out for that.
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Since1990
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It's always luck of the draw with any used car. You're on the coast though so maybe the climate hasn't been too hard on it.

Due to your location, there is little chance the oil in the car has condensation issues. This would be common where wide temperature swings expand and contract the air in the engine, causing it to "breathe" and draw in moisture (this also occurs every time a warm engine is shut down, and can be a big problem on cars with a very short commute). Pull the dipstick before you start the engine: moisture turns oil milky and usually a lighter shade that floats on the surface, and you would see this on the dipstick. If the oil looks okay, it probably is.

Ditto with condensation in the gas tank. If there is a problem with the gas it will become readily apparent on a start-up and/or test drive, and then you can tell the people "no thanks".

Bring jumper cables, the battery might be dead. If it doesn't start and run smoothly, it isn't worth it.

Some CA communities are close enough to the ocean to get significant corrosion issues, whereas inland there is much less rust. Look it over. Pay particular attention to the underside of the vehicle directly behind the front wheels, as the paint is prone to abrasion and corrosion follows shortly thereafter.

A '96 with only 50K on it might give you ten years of dependable service before requiring any significant work, which at $3500 is only $350 a year. Having said that, expect the tires, CV boots, shifter boot, wiper blades, and other exposed rubber to be drying out. As with any older rubber, it will eventually get brittle and fail.

The price is what the buyer is willing to pay, you or somebody else.

We all hope to find what you seek. Sometimes we get lucky.
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Since1990
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Oh, and oil leaks.

If it's been garaged that long and has that few miles, you shouldn't see much more than a drop of oil anywhere on the outside of the engine and transmission if the engine was driven sanely, except possibly around the fill cap and filter. Otherwise you can assume it was pushed hard in an earlier day.
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GeoStalker
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"Chicks dig me and guys think I'm cool."

Five years ago I talked a guy down from $4000 to $2500 for an immaculate 1990 Geo Metro 3/5 with 22k original miles. Four years later (after putting nearly 60k miles on it) I sold it for $3000. Averaged 50mpg+ the entire time with no rebuild....only routine maintenance.

Chances are you'll get 50k miles before anything major is necessary. Take $2500 in cash with you, wave it in his face, and see if he accepts it. If not, walk away.
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truckjohn


I have some experience with cars that have sat a LONG time.....

It's not really as magically good as many would like you to think it is....
Here's some of the things that happen when cars sit a LONG time.....

Hoses, belts, tires, and everything else rubber, plastic, or cloth Dry rots... becomes brittle, and fails...

Condensation forms inside the gas tank... This rusts up your Fuel pump, fuel sending unit... and it also deposits tons of trash into the remaining gas... which clogs up everything....

Mice, ants, and other bugs can get into the interiors... and into the ENGINE... and can wreak TONS of havoc...
I got into an engine that just wouldn't start... Found that Mice had infested the intake manifold, exhaust manifold, and cylinder heads..... There was lots of poo and dried out mouse nest up inside the cylinders as well... NICE!

Battery will be toast

The inside of the engine cylinders tends to get rusty where the pistons stopped.... ESPECIALLY when mice or mud wasps take up inside the engine....

Depending on the condition of the engine when it stopped - it could also have corrosion inside the engine...

Radiator and cooling system could be full of rust and trash.... It could be full of MICE.... had that happen once too... Radiator full of peanuts and peanut shells.... guess how that got there...

Now.. The good side....
It may really truly be in great condition....

As always - INSPECT inspect inspect.... Look for clues on WHY it was parked... Did it have some major problem and was parked... like... a blown head gasket, burned out computer, etc....

Thanks
Edited by truckjohn, Jan 6 2014, 06:39 PM.
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