This is one of the more random collections I’ve ever seen and as someone who digs the occasional oddball, I am absolutely blown away by the owner’s commitment to an obscure model. Located in Hancock, Maine, this listing is not just for what may be one of the best preserved Chevrolet Sprints left on the planet but for an assortment of cars, parts, and Sprint paraphernalia that should keep the next owner up and running for quite some time. The seller clearly found a vehicle that worked well for their purposes and dug in deep, a sentiment I can absolutely respect. Find this Chevy Sprint collection here on eBay for $5,500 or best offer.
The Sprint was a rebadged Suzuki Swift, a concept that was quite commonplace in the 70s and 80s when the large domestic manufacturers struggled to find a way to beat Honda and Toyota at their own game. It’s a shame these efforts never amounted to much, or at the very least, couldn’t keep up with Honda’s marketing machine, as the Sprint was a wholly decent car that was simply overshadowed. While Honda was able to build a car like the Civic that could be a reliable fuel-sipper just like the Sprint, it could also make a car that was a blast to hustle around backroads. Chevy obviously tried to match these efforts with the Sprint Turbo, but it seemed like it was pushing a rock uphill in terms of being competitive with the likes of the Civic and CRX in Si trim.
If you are to buy this Sprint collection, you get the following: the gold ’87 two-door with just over 77,000 miles and the factory 5-speed manual, which the seller claims is still driven as a summer vehicle in Maine and runs quite well; the red ’87 that has been off the road for decades but was a runner when parked; the blue car shown here that still runs well but needs rocker and floor board replacement, along with a paint job since it was painted with a brush some years ago (I’m guessing this was the winter car); and finally, there’s a silver Sprint with no engine or transmission that’s being used for parts storage but is a California car with only inconsequential surface rust to contend with.
There are multiple pictures of boxes just like these showing that the seller has been hoarding Sprint parts for quite some time. There are other photos showing parts that are too large to be stored in boxes strewn about as well. The Sprint is a dirt-simple car powered by a 3-cylinder engine that makes about 47 horsepower and will need a strong tailwind to reach 80 miles per hour. However, they were fairly reliable cars when new, and did their job admirably if you were content to let it be a peak commuter car with no expectation of frills or luxury. Good for this seller for finding something he (or she) liked and sticking with it; now, who’s going to step up and keep this Sprint family together?
Oh, for cryin’ out,,,well, just shows to go ya’, people collect all kinds of (possibly worthless to others) stuff, but it shows the level of their interest. They loved that Sprint, Metro, Swift, Firefly, and I think I read a couple others, and by golly, come heck or high water, they picked up everything they could for it. Many times out of a dumpster, I’d wager. Thing is, these were so darn dependable, and economical, by the time any mechanical parts were needed, the body was shot. The farm in N.Wis.I lived on for a spell, the guy “collected” these. He had 4, 3 parts cars and one “good” one, like here. As local jobs dried up, people were, and still are, forced to drive much longer distances for work. These became incredibly popular. All his “parts” cars were local cars, all had well over 200K, the “good” one had almost that, but the rear axle finally rusted loose,,,4 parts cars. Funny, a friend never heard of a 3 cylinder car, and I had to prove to him it existed. I don’t think he ever got gas for it, kidding, they could get 40 mpg, the cheese here and many of those rural folks did, as the LTD sat in the garage waiting for Friday fish fry. To be honest, I really couldn’t tell it was a 3 cylinder. Before modern semi truck APUs( 1984) became widespread, many industrious owner operators, cobbled one of these motors in a side box as an early APU, and it worked.
Fascinating, Captain,,,
Howard I think your Wisconsin farmer friend had Metros… at least that’s what I think I recall you stating in a past post. Then you started talking about Wranglers again. ;)
Good wee cars; the Suzuki was popular as a rally car in the smaller classes.
I always thought these were neat. I remember when the Turbo Sprint came out. I thought they were a great idea and I’m sure were probably pretty quick for what it was. If you’re into these little Chevy sprints, its actually a fairly inexpensive hobby to get into. And the parts ( and I agree with Howard, they probably scored them inexpensively) is a huge plus. It could be fun keeping a little buggy like this running. And lets face it, how many of these do you see at car shows or cars and coffee? Looking at the ad, I would have loved to see the interior of the gold 2 door. And they even have tires. I’m thinking these are 12 inch rims like our Festiva we had decades ago. It was tough getting them in the early 90s believe it or not. Hope this all goes to a good new home.
I had a good friend that bought a brand new Sprint in the early 90s. It was probably the only new car he ever owned. He used to joke that one cylinder ran the air conditioning, one cylinder moved the car, and I can’t remember what the 3rd cylinder did :). These were good little cars and kept a lot of folks on the road over the years.
If you live in an area where rust is not an issue. And you like working on your own car. Then this little package could keep you in a vehicle for a long time. Talk about actual cost of ownership! I see these a couple of times a month here in the NO rust belt.
i have owed 2 of these and top speed for mine was 94…maybe I got a good one; who’s to know. I got 48 mpg on a regular basis and loved it till my son drove it…(sigh). I am thinking about it, but probably won’t buy. 900 mile trip to get them home.
Most people don’t realize how damaging the “Cash for Clunkers” program was. As my brother, a dealer, said, “Rob, for a lot of people, $4K is a new car.”
I’m sure most of these ended up getting crushed, and that’s a shame.
Fun fact; the number of Sprints and Metros crushed in federal Cash for Clunkers is zero. They were ineligible due to being far and away over the maximum MPG cutoff.
Also, coming off the summer 2008 gas-price spike they were at a high point in resale value.
repeat of last time listing one:
“Known as Metro round here, every time the gas prices tick up the pickmeup drivers search these out. Been goin on for several decades.”
I dont think they learn. Our economy is cyclical, one must prepare, arrange life so it’s more consistently moderate. Its just in our nature to do better when we stay on an even keel (sorry for metaphor, sail powered ocean racer here).
Sprint was made in Japan. Metro was made in Canada. The Metro replaced the Sprint and it was not as good.
I knew 2 different people years ago that had Chevy Sprints. They always had 3 of them, because it took 2 parts cars to keep one of them going.