The first thing you probably noticed about this 1991 Geo Metro LSi Convertible are the 15″ OZ Racing wheels in place of the stock 14″ steel wheels and wheel covers that would have been on this car. Luckily for those of us who like our vehicles original spec, the seller includes the original wheels and covers. It’s posted here on craigslist in Colorado Springs, Colorado and they’re asking $4,500 or best offer. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Gunter K. for the tip!
A joint venture between Suzuki and GM, the Geo Metro was based on the Suzuki Cultus and was offered between 1989 and 2001 in a variety of body styles. I have to believe that a convertible would be on the top of most wish lists, but my favorite was the square Chevy Sprint Turbo seen here on Barn Finds, which came before this Geo Metro LSi Convertible.
I say “ragtop” casually, because this one appears to have a nice convertible top and the seller provides a pretty wide variety of photos, including a couple of them with the top up. In fact, they say this is a new convertible top that was just installed last winter. They do mention one rust spot under the passenger door that they “cleaned up and used some rust treatment”, but there’s no photo of that. Otherwise, there are the usual nicks and small scratches from this car having around 90,000 miles and being over three decades old.
Thankfully, it has a five-speed manual transmission! A lot of these cars came with an automatic, which is fine, but there’s something about the fun factor when you’re shifting for yourself, especially in a convertible. No, in any vehicle, whether it’s roofless or not. The seller lists an impressive number of updates and maintenance, mostly mechanical, but also all of the exterior lights are LEDs other than the headlights, with a load resister so they don’t “hyper-flash”, and other things. There are seat covers and a dash cover but no mention of what the material looks like under those covers.
The engine is Suzuki’s 1.0-liter (no lie) SOHC inline-three with 55 horsepower and 58 lb-ft of torque. That isn’t a lot but this car only weighs 1,800 pounds and that five-speed manual will make it fun to drive, even if it is a front-wheel drive configuration. Please check out the seller’s long listing to see everything that’s been done to maintain or modify this little top-down cruiser. Any thoughts on this Geo?
I had one of these in the early 90s when we needed a disposal car when I got a job 45 miles away. I had a series 1 Alfa spider that I didn’t want to wear out and I was surprised how much fun the geo was to drive! Drove it back and forth for 3 years and it never let me down…
Just saw one the other day,rust free of course here in Phoenix.
The Metro/Cultis/Swift/Firefly was a zippy little roller-scate…it got bad press right from the start, because it didn’t wear an approved logo on the hood; because it didn’t have the requisite high cylinder numbers, and didn’t pump out the horsepower.
It didn’t need it. The three-pot configuration appeals to my appreciation of things weird, and with 1500-1800 pounds, it didn’t NEED 400 horsepower.
The 45 miles a gallon was sure a plus. Even when gas was a buck and a quarter, I didn’t like spending money on it. I’ve had money-sucker cars; it was a delight to travel nearly for free.
That included purchase price (as I got my two; used). Second one, I found fresh off the truck at a slimy used-car dealer. Still had Utah red-clay dust on it – somehow it got wholesaled out to ex-urban Buffalo, where I lived.
I found the owner of the lot, and made an offer: If it starts and runs smoothly, I’ll give ya a thousand for it.
He went for it, and I had two years of trouble-free commuting out of it.
Trouble is…just as Toyota’s engine life is likely to be about 280,000 miles…those three-cylinder Suzuki engines get close to their natural end at about 100k. I have had two blow up on me (nope, not timing belts) and heard the same from other owners.
Replacing that tiny mill is relatively easy. FINDING one, today, will not be. Even back then, they were rare – yards didn’t pull those engines, figuring there was little of a market for them.
Prospective buyers need to watch for rust – especially around the front suspension and K-frame. The undercarriage can/will collapse long before rust bleeds through the sheet metal or even floor pan.
Hi JPT, well, as usual, no matter what you say, someone will dispute it. A woman across the street had one for sale. It was her daughters and had an incredible 265,000 miles with no work. The guy I rented from in N. Wis. had 4 of these, 3 parts cars and a driver. The parts cars all had over 200K, and rust killed them, his “driver” had over 200K as well, but soon succumbed to rust too. I don’t think he ever got gas for it,,,
Always exceptions to the rule, Howard.
Just that buyers should be warned. It’s Japanese, but it’s not a Toyota.
In their day, they had the moniker of “throwaway” cars. That is a term never used on a Corolla.
Had a Firefly for 17 years, it was an excellent little car. I should have just held on to it, when I opted to buy a new car, but had no way to keep two vehicles at the time.
Like many of these, the 1-2 synchro was beginning to go – power-shifted one too many times, as it wasn’t until the10th or so year that I began driving it at its own speed. I also had to wrap the heating control box with a ziptie, in about year 15, to squeeze it back together, make it functional again.
That little triple was a great engine. SOHC, non-interference engine. Throttle body fuel injection on my ’97. Armstrong steering, power brakes, four-wheel independent suspension, discs up front. It served me well, I could depend on it 365 days of the year.
I suspect a convertible, like the one offered, would not have the same level of utility, that my hatchback offered, but that’s not why you buy a convertible. I test drove a used ‘vert Metro, which had lost its first three synchromesh gears, and also the shifting was terrible, the inexpensive open-air experience was fantastic. I’d love to get one of these “some day”.
I had the use of one in the early 90s. Gotta say I’ll never forget that weekend. It was fun to rip around in with the top down. It was even funnier when people saw me get out wearing a cowboy hat and boots lol.
I must confess, I read the title as LS1, not LSi, lol.
I thought wow, this would be fun.
Wonder if any one has done any sort of engine replacement?
A metro! LOL
Lots of miles on my co workers little Metro. Minimal maintenance. I always thought the convertible looked a bit out of portion with the rear of the car. This one looks different with the 15 inch aftermarket wheels. I like it.
In the midwest? When you saw a Geo Metro? You knew the driver was heading downtown to pick up the government cheese.
These I don’t think are Japanese. I think these were made in Canada and not nearly as good as the Suzuki. I had both for delivery cars and the Metro was not made as well.
Is the Tacoma a Japanese truck?
It’s made in San Antonio. And, as was shown with the claims regarding rusted frames (something the Big Three never would have settled) the steel was shown to be less than Japanese quality.
Is the Honda Accord a Japanese car? Built in Marysville, Ohio. Honda has been building cars in Ohio longer than they had been making them in Japan when the Marysville plant was opened.
The Geo Metro was made in an Ontario plant officially owned by CAMI Automotive – joint owned, Suzuki and GM. The Cultis was manufactured there, badged Firefly and Metro.
Swifts coming to the States were made in Japan, but the same build. The Swifts had four-cylinder engines, where the Metro and Firefly had triples.
It’s possible that steel quality and/or assembly standards were higher in the Japan plant.
JPT- Metro buyers eventually ended up w/ a choice of 3 or 4 cylinder engines and by 2001, only the 4 was offered.
To me, it wasn’t much like a Metro by that time:
– Chevy nameplate since 1998
– 4-cylinder engine
– Only 31 highway mpg
– 3-speed automatic transmission only
:(
Yes they are Japanese. They were assembled in Canada but design and components are Japanese. Same as GM cars made in Canada. They’re still American cars
I think the running gear is Japanese but the rest is not.
A word of caution to any prospective buyer: these cars are not crash-worthy, at least not the convertibles. A collision with anything larger than a motorcycle is going to be potentially fatal. I saw one in a tow impound yard that was about 5 feet long. If not for the badges it would have been unidentifiable as a Metro. I don’t know how they passed federal safety regs, but that one was definitely non-survivable.
Reminds me of gangly Mike Hall from Rust Valley Restorers driving around in his Pontiac Firefly convertible.
Whatever happened to that guy?
Our 1990 red convertible is sitting in our garage, still. Maybe it’s time to bring it out.
Here’s a recent pic of my ’93 convertible, taken on my way back from Arkansas to experience the total eclipse. I averaged almost 47 mpg even with all the hills and driving with the top down. I’ve had her since 2001 and have traveled all over the country attending GEO meets with fellow owners. There is a very active group of people driving them and supporting each other. Most folks don’t give Suzuki enough credit for building a fairly well-engineered car that lasts a long time if you take care of it. Simple enough to work on, I do my own maintenance, and have multiple friends to help if I need to do something more involved. I wouldn’t trade the past twenty-three years of fun for anything.
Second wife had one of these, purchased brand new, several years before we met. Of course she totaled it, and her insurance would only pay around half of what she owed on it. So, she filed bankruptcy, then after we met and married it was up to me to clean up her credit so that we could qualify for a mortgage. God, she was stupid when it came to money. That’s what eventually caused our breakup.