RE: Shed Of The Week: Rover Metro

[danp]

Norma Smellons said:

EPIC FAIL

I struggle to see the point of SOTW if the financial limit remains at £1,000. Have you seen how few cars now appear at this price in your classifieds.

We have seen rampant inflation in the last 5 years. £40k for a BMW 420 Diesel with a few "mandatory" extras should prove this point.

Perhaps Pistonheads should increase the price limit to £2,000. We could then see some unusual cars that we may actually want to purchase if circumstances allow.

Finally, you should hang your head in shame at this weeks choice. A "metro" for Gods sake!!

Nonsense, plenty of half decent, vaguely interesting cars about for a grand (and have owned a few), perhaps less so in the posh PH ads!

[gigglebug]

Norma Smellons said:

EPIC FAIL

I struggle to see the point of SOTW if the financial limit remains at £1,000. Have you seen how few cars now appear at this price in your classifieds.

We have seen rampant inflation in the last 5 years. £40k for a BMW 420 Diesel with a few "mandatory" extras should prove this point.

Perhaps Pistonheads should increase the price limit to £2,000. We could then see some unusual cars that we may actually want to purchase if circumstances allow.

Finally, you should hang your head in shame at this weeks choice. A "metro" for Gods sake!!

Surely the whole point of SOTW is that in a world of ever increasing new car prices that there are still cars worthy of consideration for car buffs who can't afford anything other than the very cheapest of transport? A SOTW hasn't got to be unusual just interesting and cheap

[anonymous-user]

A grand bought me a V40T4, 200HP, half decent interior, brisk and practical. Two years in its about to be sold but it has been an epic purchase. Plenty of sub £1000 cars out there but you have to look outside if the PH ads IMO. Local paper, eBay etc

[RoverP6B]

If I wanted back into the world of 80s hatch-hoonery, I'd go back and buy what I've already had two of (well, it was my wife's name on both V5s) - a Peugeot 205. Yeah, they were built from tin foil, but they were endlessly reliable and good fun to thrash. A 306 GTI-6 (or even V6 swap-job) that hasn't been barried to hell and back might also turn my head, although it's somewhat newer and bigger. However, I'm altogether unsure that, in my late 50s, I really want back into that kind of frenetic, no-frills, zero-you-know-whats-given motoring. I'm happier now with leather under my arse, an autobox and a V8 in front of me. Oh, and I got my near-mint 99,975-mile E39 535i nine days ago for 60% of what this seller is wanting for a sodding Metro (albeit one with quite nice-looking leather seats). Honestly, he'd be better off trying to flog the front seats for £400 each, stuck on office-chair bases, then weighing the rest of it in. Might be able to turn the rears into a sofa. Might. Perhaps the 1.4 K-series might find a home in a Caterfield or kit car? Hmm. I certainly can't see the car fetching a grand as-is.

Incidentally, to those using this as a stick with which to beat BL/Rover, this was far from representative of what they were capable of. Both made some great cars. Triumph Dolomite Sprints, Stags, TR6s, GT6s (values now reflect this - £20k and over for good Stags is now fairly common), Rover P5s, P6s (my 3500S is still possibly the best car I've ever had, rust aside) and even SD1s (values of all three are now climbing, though curiously the P6 is cheapest nowadays), even the sttiest BL era Jag is a car worth restoring (and very well-supported, thanks in no small part to Knowles-Wilkins in Newbury)... just because the Metro was an unremitting and irredeemable turd (and yes, I have driven them), doesn't mean all BL and Rover products were dire. The Rover 75 is also a pretty decent old barge and cheap as chips.

[otolith]

The Metro wasn't a turd at launch, but the competition moved on enormously during its lifespan. I remember getting a Ka courtesy car and just being amazed at how non-st it was compared to the small cars I'd driven before.

[85Carrera]

J4CKO said:

moskvich427 said:

KillerHERTZ said:

Id rather walk!

I'd rather crawl on my hands and knees

You actually mean that ? you have say a ten mile journey to do, lets say on a cold, wet Tuesday evening in February, carrying a decent sized bag, you are offered the keys to this SOTW Metro, sat idling happily, heater on, headlamps on, radio on, plenty of fuel, tax, mot'd and insured and you would really say, "no thanks I will walk" (or crawl), you would prefer a three hour walk than a 15 minute journey in a car, even if it is a Metro ?

I find that about ninety percent of what a car is, is just about getting in it, it moving me, and some stuff I need to take with me, and arriving at a destination, the other ten percent is the bks we yatter on about on here.

Well said. Most of the little bhes moaning about it being a metro either have crap cars themselves or are at school and don't have a car anyway. In both cases, they just need to grow up.

Frankly, Metros are a bit crap by modern standards, but it would be a bit boring if we had the same old ste from the fatherland every week. At least if this goes wrong, you have a sporting chance of fixing it cheaply yourself rather than weighing it in.

[85Carrera]

J4CKO said:

moskvich427 said:

KillerHERTZ said:

Id rather walk!

I'd rather crawl on my hands and knees

You actually mean that ? you have say a ten mile journey to do, lets say on a cold, wet Tuesday evening in February, carrying a decent sized bag, you are offered the keys to this SOTW Metro, sat idling happily, heater on, headlamps on, radio on, plenty of fuel, tax, mot'd and insured and you would really say, "no thanks I will walk" (or crawl), you would prefer a three hour walk than a 15 minute journey in a car, even if it is a Metro ?

I find that about ninety percent of what a car is, is just about getting in it, it moving me, and some stuff I need to take with me, and arriving at a destination, the other ten percent is the bks we yatter on about on here.

Well said. Most of the little bhes moaning about it being a metro either have crap cars themselves or are at school and don't have a car anyway. In both cases, they just need to grow up.

Frankly, Metros are a bit crap by modern standards, but it would be a bit boring if we had the same old ste from the fatherland every week. At least if this goes wrong, you have a sporting chance of fixing it cheaply yourself rather than weighing it in.

[RoverP6B]

I remember when the Metro was new. It was st then.

[dbdb]

That's not my recollection. I remember the Metro as being a very well regarded car, especially in the early to mid 1980s. By 1990, they were rather old of course.

It is a case of a good car made too long, rather than a car which was crap from the start.

Edited by dbdb on Saturday 25th October 19:38

[Patch888]

Norma Smellons said:

EPIC FAIL

I struggle to see the point of SOTW if the financial limit remains at £1,000. Have you seen how few cars now appear at this price in your classifieds.

We have seen rampant inflation in the last 5 years. £40k for a BMW 420 Diesel with a few "mandatory" extras should prove this point.

Perhaps Pistonheads should increase the price limit to £2,000. We could then see some unusual cars that we may actually want to purchase if circumstances allow.

Finally, you should hang your head in shame at this weeks choice. A "metro" for Gods sake!!

This is a terrible first post.

[Richard Moss]

RoverP6B said:

I remember when the Metro was new. It was st then.

Interesting then that the motoring press were generally complimentary with the exception of the engine and drivetrain (now so well loved by the Mini mob as they pull 1275cc A series from Metros!).

Even more interesting that when it was fitted with the K series in 1990 (along with getting significant suspension improvements and some interior refreshing) the press stuck it right back at the top of the pile compared to what other people were offering. Class leading was their phrase.

[dbdb]

Piston Heads is all about feelings, not facts.

[B'stard Child]

Patch888 said:

Norma Smellons said:

EPIC FAIL

I struggle to see the point of SOTW if the financial limit remains at £1,000. Have you seen how few cars now appear at this price in your classifieds.

We have seen rampant inflation in the last 5 years. £40k for a BMW 420 Diesel with a few "mandatory" extras should prove this point.

Perhaps Pistonheads should increase the price limit to £2,000. We could then see some unusual cars that we may actually want to purchase if circumstances allow.

Finally, you should hang your head in shame at this weeks choice. A "metro" for Gods sake!!

This is a terrible first post.

Totally agree ^

Perhaps he should lurk a little longer - get a feel for the place before he contributes

[Captainbeaky]

I have to admit - I've a soft spot for the rover 100.

Spent some time in one while I diagnosed an odd engine ECU fault.
It was a mates car, 1.4 8valve.
I fixed the head gasket, and tracked down a faulty sensor circuit in the ecu.

I was quite impressed with it. Good economy, easy and peppy drive, and a suprisingly good ride for a small car - better than the Ford Fiesta or corsa at the time For ride quality.
It's just a shame that it looked like a metro.
And yes, they all had head gasket woes.

That one seems way too much money though.

[MC Bodge]

I remember the K-series in the 214 16v being revvy and quite rapid for a 1.4 at the time -and probably now.

The alternatives were the Ford CVH (horrible) and the Vauxhall family 8v(not as bad).

[andymadmak]

Dave Hedgehog said:

its not a maligned car, its a bloody death trap

the crash worthiness was so bad they where pulled just after NCAP tested them

I see you fell for the BMW line on this.

Just google the NCAP test. Read it. Then Google the NCAP test for the 3 series BMW of the same period. There was half a star in it...........

[rallycross]

After reading all this I want to find a nice example of a Metro Gti to keep in the garage great handling little things and so rare now.

[SuperHangOn]

RoverP6B said:

Oh, and I got my near-mint 99,975-mile E39 535i nine days ago for 60% of what this seller is wanting for a sodding Metro (albeit one with quite nice-looking leather seats).

I just did exactly the same. Paid a full grand for mine and put a fair bit into getting it spot on though.

The metro wasn't any worse than its competition, and the early K-series wasn't actually prone to eating HG's. That said, I can't think of an objective use for this car. For a lightweight/fun cheapie, you can pick up a tidy 1.7 Puma for under a bag. For nipping to the shops a newer japbox with 3 times the mileage will no doubt prove more reliable.

[MC Bodge]

andymadmak said:

I see you fell for the BMW line on this.

Just google the NCAP test. Read it. Then Google the NCAP test for the 3 series BMW of the same period. There was half a star in it...........

Half a star makes the world of difference to the mollycoddled and protected-from-themselves-by-regulations folk in the UK.

The Metro came from a time when small cars weren't designed with crash protection as a major priority.
Only things like Volvo, Saab and Big Mercedes' and Jags were described as being good in a crash back then.

Some perspective is required.


It is comparable with most older, non-small, cars being rear wheel drive in rubbish tyres -people just drove them at the time.

[Agent Orange]

Who couldn't have fun in this?

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C537338