1992 Geo Metro

LSi Convertible

3 Cylinder 1.0 Liter

Automatic

JG1MR336XNK218332

Gasoline

Summer is here! Could you see yourself zipping around town in this? This is a 1992 Geo Metro LSi convertible, made by Suzuki, in Canada and sold by Chevrolet under the Geo brand name. How's THAT for confusing? These little Geo Metros were about as economical as cars came. Three tiny cylinders powered the little beasts, which basically had a tiny 1.0 liter engine (known as a G10 engine). Back in the 90's, gas was only about $1.15 a gallon, so no one cared about fuel economy, and, as a result, these little gas-sipping convertibles were all but eliminated from the GM line-up. The Geos that GM decided to keep got bumped up to a 4-cylinder. With economy in mind, GM did not go all-out as far as little conveniences for the driver. The car has NO power seats, windows, mirrors, door locks, alarm, power steering or CD player. Get my drift? These cars were made and sold as BASIC transportation only, so please keep that in mind (although some early models did have airbags, such as this one). Geo Metros were well known for getting such stratospheric fuel economy in the 90's that Geos' most highly efficient model was rated at close to 60 mpg highway. Makes you wonder just WHY, if they could make near-60-mpg cars in the 90's, just WHY are we struggling to hit 35 mpg TODAY??? Anyways, back to this little LSi convertible: It's got a very fuel-efficient 3 cylinder engine, automatic transmission, and newer exhaust, convertible top, battery and almost-new set of 13" tires. Starts up every time, and runs like a scalded dog (that means it runs great). No known leaks. Uses no oil, leaks no oil, burns no oil. Runs clean. Runs straight down the highway w/o pulling to one side or the other. Appears to have been a fairly well-maintained little car. YES, it does have its share of minor defects here and there- what 18-year-old car doesn't? One of my neighbors backed in to the little car while backing out of her driveway a while back, causing some very minor hood and fender damage, and dislodging one headlight. I simply bent the thin body panels back in to shape by hand. The impact was of such low-speed, the lights were not even damaged. Prior to my purchase of the car in July 2008, someone had dented the passenger side, just behind the passenger door. This minor body damage should be visible in one of the pictures, below. The door opens and closes just fine. The damage is so slight, it might even be able to be pressed back in to shape by hand from the inside- I've just never given it much more thought. Both windows roll up and down just fine, and none of the three glass windows has any defects whatsoever. As you can see from the pictures, someone's added a little personalized paint job to the car at some point, as none of these little Geos came of out the factory with the black painted over the fenders and under the doors. Front wheel drive. Comes with two full-size spares, a complete, original 3-piece hard plastic tonneau cover set for the convertible. The convertible top itself is in very good shape, with no signs of rips, holes, sun damage, etc. The rear window is still clearly transparent, has no holes or taped-up areas and hasn't begun to yellow. With proper maintenance, you should be able to get several more years out of the convertible top as well, but should you need one sooner, they are widely available (where else?) on ebay for about $150. Car came with factory AC, but it no longer functions. All the AC components are still intact, so I am guessing it's a seal having gone bad long ago. I do not use AC much in any of my cars, and, on hot summer days, I pretty much have the top down anyways, so why was AC even installed in the car to begin with? I had considered removing the AC system entirely and ebaying-off the components, but decided against it. No radio, but one can easily be installed. Also worth noting is that all the little rectangular light and windshield wiper control buttons are in place. It's very typical to see some of these little buttons missing altogether, which are located on the dashboard immediately behind the steering wheel, surrounding the instrument cluster. It was so common for these little buttons to come off and get lost that Geo decided to completely re-design the headlight and wiper controls to eliminate the problem in the future. I do most of my own routine maintenance: oil changes, air filter changes, EGR valve cleaning, coolant checks and other fluid level checks, etc. Car sits in my driveway, and not a single drop of oil ever appears underneath. Look at the engine pics and see if you can see the engine and transmission housing metal- it's not covered in 1/4" thick layer of oil and sludge! When have you seen an engine THAT clean before??? The car runs as quiet as any other. Your neighbors won't cringe when they see you coming down the street. The exhuast is about two years old. None of the indicator lights are lit on the dash, indicating to me a virtually problem-free engine. No known problems with the engine, trans, convertible top, brakes, etc. Trans seems to shift just fine at all regular shift points. No problems reaching or maintaining highway speeds, but don't expect Corvette-type acceleration..... it simply isn't going to happen. Car can easily hold its' own in traffic thick and thin, at all speeds. No issues climbing hills, either. There aren't many steep grades to climb here in Cincinnati, but the ones we do have, this little car can easily climb, despite having just three cylinders. Granted, a V8 can climb them a with a little less effort, but this little Geo seems to do just fine without so much as breaking a sweat or losing its breath. Odometer has five digits, and currently reads 18,040. The car has close to 160,000 miles. The miles were not rolled back. The previous owner told me that the instrument cluster, including the odometer, speedometer, and other gauges, simply stopped working as a unit, so the entire unit was replaced. It was cheaper to simply get a replacement instrument cluster from a junkyard for $50 than getting a brand new one at $450, and having the miles re-programmed on to the odometer at some Chevy dealership somewhere for another $95. I probably would've done the same thing. Anyways, the miles are what they are, and they add up and check out with the CarFax report also visible elsewhere in this listing. And, doing the math, 160,000 miles on an 18-year-old car really isn't that bad; it averages out to be about 8,900 miles average per year. The odometer read 12,122 when I bought the car, so I've driven it myself about 6,000 miles since I bought it. Also worth noting on the CarFax report is that this little car has managed to score an AutoCheck Rating of 37, whereas similar Geo Metros are in the 21 - 44 range. I was pleased to discover that my little car is at the upper end of this range. Also worth mentioning is that I have no idea what the loan or lien records mean under the CarFax report. I own the car free & clear, and no loans or liens are currently recorded on the title itself. Nothing was mentioned to me when I had the car titled in to my name two years ago, so apparently any prior loans or liens against the car were satisfied at some point in the past, most likely when the car changed hands back in 2002 (according to the records). I can get 38 mpg city and 45+ highway, but I do all the things economy-minded people do to boost ones' fuel economy (keeping tires inflated, coasting to red lights, not revving the engine unnecessarily, performing regular maintenance, not driving like an idiot, etc.) Your mpg will depend on how you drive the car, and how well you maintain it. As with any other car, don't maintain it, and don't expect above-average fuel economy like I am getting. Car has never given me any issues in the snow. I've primarily only driven the car in the summers, but there have been a few times when I needed to take the car out in the snow. If I did drive in the snow, it was generally because not only is it so dependable and can go almost anywhere, but also because if I were to get stuck somewhere, it is so lightweight, it can easily be pushed or towed, if need be. (I can't say that for my SUV!) Drive with some common sense in the snow and one shouldn't have any issues at all. The car has little rust underneath. Sure it does have SOME (what 18-year-old car doesn't?), but it's quite normal (possibly even less so) for a car of this age. I am guessing the car was a southern car due to its' lack of rusted out panels. It has had some minor body work, but is in overall good presentable condition. The car uses 13" tires, and currently has a matching set of which still have a couple years left on them, and decent matching silver plastic hubcaps. The carpeting and seats both have their share of normal wear & tear, and there is a single dashboard crack, likely due to sunlight/ heat. The car does have a driver-side airbag, and the on-board computer does not indicate any issues with it. The title is clean as well, not showing any salvage or damage entries. I have taken many pictures of the car, plus uploaded a YouTube video as well (you'll see it after a few more paragraphs), so that you can see the car in greater detail and hear the engine run. The car is available for test drives and in-person inspections.... just bring a valid drivers' license with you. I hope I've answered just about every question a potential bidder / buyer could have, but you are always free to send me questions. If you find you have a question or two, or wish to see additional pictures, simply use the 'Ask a Question' link found in this listing, but you will likely get a quicker response if you email me directly at dennis45255@hotmail.com. If you're in the market for a clean, decent, well-maintained, sharp-looking, high mpg, fun-to-drive little convertible, you likely won't find a nicer one for what I am asking. But don't take my word for it.... come on by and see it in person for yourself. The car is also being advertised locally, as well, so I may yank this listing at any time if the vehicle sells. Also open to reasonable offers. Unreasonable or downright silly offers will not even get a reply. Finally, it's also worth mentioning that the car is protected two ways: by both ebay's Vehicle Purchase Protection Plan, as well as AutoCheck's Buy Back Protection Plan. Purchase of the car will be in cash ONLY. No checks. No wire transfers. CASH ONLY, except for a mandatory $250 paypal deposit within 24 hours after the sale of the vehicle. I may POSSIBLY be able to assist with towing the car to a buyers' destination, if need be, for an additional amount for my time, labor and gas. Delivery fee to be based upon distance to buyers' location. Delivery fee will need to be paid upfront, through paypal, in addition to the $250 paypal deposit, before the vehicle will be delivered anywhere. For bidders with less than a 10 feedback, or who have been registered on ebay less than six months, or who have received more than two negative feedbacks for any reason, please send me an email with your name and phone number prior to placing a bid. Failure to do so may result in your bid being canceled. Overall, the car has its share of normal wear & tear, as any 18-year-old car would, so please don't show up expecting anything more. The car is what it is, and I've tried to go above and beyond how anyone else would describe a similar car. If any of the conditions mentioned thus far concerning the car are going to be issues with you, then this simply may not be the car for you. Click the box below for a short YouTube video: