Good car for the money

Back in March of 1993, when I was a poor commuting college student, I purchased the absolute base model Metro, new, for only $6250. In the first couple months, I did have some trouble with a couple of switches: in the door and on the domelight... the domelight switch was replaced once and has worked fine since. The door switch (for the domelight, key reminder, etc) was replaced over a half-dozen times, and I finally gave up. (Just make sure you turn your lights off! - No more beeping!)

I frequently drove at least 70 miles a day to school, and in the summers, 100+ miles to work. Since then, thankfully, my life has settled down quite a bit, but I still love my Geo. The seats, I realize now, are tough on your behind. Gas mileage is a definite plus, still consistently between 45 and 50.

Now, a couple of years ago, I had a small accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I hit the back bumper of a late-80s Oldsmobile at about 15 mph, and didn't even scuff the dirt on it. But, my car suffered, with over $1800 worth of damage, covered by my insurance. (In 1997, with 108,000 miles). It was completely drivable, and in fact I drove another 250 miles that day. The hood was bent, and accounted for 50% of the repair costs. Thankfully that was the only accident I've ever had.

Now that the car's getting a bit older (now at 119,500 miles) I've had to replace the clutch and the exhaust, and things inside rattle a bit more than they used to. I was a youth group leader for a couple years, which meant hauling kids everywhere, and kids will ruin the inside of your car, whether by accident or intention. The plastic interior panels behind the doors were cracked, but the damage is cosmetic... beware though, they are expensive.

I've changed the spark plugs and wires, air filter, and fan belt 3 times (preventative), and the oil every 3 months/3000 miles since I bought the car. The driver's-side rear wheel bearings were changed about 2000 miles ago. The brakes have never been touched.

It is a great car to work on - not really complicated. I'm a complete amateur, and have done most of the work myself. If I could, I would change the seats, but other than that, the car is great on trips and for commuting. My roommate bought a 94 (seemingly the same exact car) 3 years ago, and has had no problems as yet.