RE: Shed of the Week: Rover Metro
Discussion
SidewaysSi said:
J4CKO said:
SidewaysSi said:
I bet this is a damn sight more fun to drive than an UP or a similar modern thing.
Nah, its not really, even as a bit of a supporter of the Metro, an Up! is pretty good fun and much nicer to live with, things have moved on a lot.The AX was a better drive than either, drove an early, carbed GT and was blown away by how much fun that was, I had a MK1 Golf GTI at the time and preferred the AX, remember a mate in his special edition "Nightlife" model, that went far quicker than it had any right to,
J4CKO said:
SidewaysSi said:
J4CKO said:
SidewaysSi said:
I bet this is a damn sight more fun to drive than an UP or a similar modern thing.
Nah, its not really, even as a bit of a supporter of the Metro, an Up! is pretty good fun and much nicer to live with, things have moved on a lot.The AX was a better drive than either, drove an early, carbed GT and was blown away by how much fun that was, I had a MK1 Golf GTI at the time and preferred the AX, remember a mate in his special edition "Nightlife" model, that went far quicker than it had any right to,
The 205 had better steering than my Cayman GT4.
My Dad bought a Cat D one and repaired it so my mom had a cheap car. It had been reversed into a lamppost or something by the looks of it and he replaced the tailgate. However couldn't quite straighten out the roof to its original shape. It looked straight to the eye but wasn't as evidenced by a water leak when we had a decent amount of rain.
It was a van den plas version so had the wood trim stuff and possibly electric windows (memory a bit hazy now). Mom ran it for quite a few years then gave it away to an acquaintance who'd recently passed her test. Don't know where it ended up.
It was a van den plas version so had the wood trim stuff and possibly electric windows (memory a bit hazy now). Mom ran it for quite a few years then gave it away to an acquaintance who'd recently passed her test. Don't know where it ended up.
The K series was superb in these at the time, most competitors used absolutely wheezing engines and the K was state of the art. Good ride and handling, but the steering was terrible and the driving position was extremely uncomfortable. The Rover ones don't seem to rust particularly, but on snotter I had suffered from terrible lacquer peel. You'd come back to the car to find someone picking away at it, it was so irresistible to do so.
As a cheap daily I'd find a lot of better places for £1350 though. One for the very small pool of Metro enthusiasts and probably very good value to them.
As a cheap daily I'd find a lot of better places for £1350 though. One for the very small pool of Metro enthusiasts and probably very good value to them.
I've grown up around these. My grandad had a red City X with a 1.3 turbo engine dropped in. Followed by a 1990 "non brand" metro, and simultaneously a Rover 114GTa and a Rover Metro GTA. I drove the 114 quite a lot and loved every minute. I think it went over 100k miles before he died. 
Funny to read this thread with all the talk of being in a crash in one!
I bought one off my mate for a cheap run about after my cam belt snapped on my Orion 1.6i Ghia. It was a K reg 3door 1.4S.
I gave him a grand for it in approx 1998.
I ended up running it for longer than planned simply because it just kept going without ever spending hardly any money on it. Aside from servicing costs nothing ever went wrong with it, and it had a hard life!
It met it’s end when I was sat at the back of a queue stationary, and the Mk5 Escort behind didn’t notice I’d stopped. Thankfully he was only going 30mph or so.
It pushed me into the car in front, which totalled that end. The passenger door wouldn’t open, and the roof was buckled.
The rest was something else! The back window was somehow now curved like a banana, how it didn’t smash I will never know. I was still djing at clubs around this time, and had a flightcase of vinyl in the boot. When the boot was pushed in it wedged the case up against the back seat, they were 12” records, so it had pushed it in at least 6-12” or more.
So front and back end we’re both finished and I was going nowhere.
The Escort driver drove home with a few scratches on the front of the bonnet and a cracked bumper.
The offending article!
I always wanted a GTI 16v one but never got one, my brother had a GTA which was great fun though
I bought one off my mate for a cheap run about after my cam belt snapped on my Orion 1.6i Ghia. It was a K reg 3door 1.4S.
I gave him a grand for it in approx 1998.
I ended up running it for longer than planned simply because it just kept going without ever spending hardly any money on it. Aside from servicing costs nothing ever went wrong with it, and it had a hard life!
It met it’s end when I was sat at the back of a queue stationary, and the Mk5 Escort behind didn’t notice I’d stopped. Thankfully he was only going 30mph or so.
It pushed me into the car in front, which totalled that end. The passenger door wouldn’t open, and the roof was buckled.
The rest was something else! The back window was somehow now curved like a banana, how it didn’t smash I will never know. I was still djing at clubs around this time, and had a flightcase of vinyl in the boot. When the boot was pushed in it wedged the case up against the back seat, they were 12” records, so it had pushed it in at least 6-12” or more.
So front and back end we’re both finished and I was going nowhere.
The Escort driver drove home with a few scratches on the front of the bonnet and a cracked bumper.
The offending article!
I always wanted a GTI 16v one but never got one, my brother had a GTA which was great fun though
Edited by djdest on Sunday 29th April 02:47
Mention of the AX produces involuntary shuddering in me. Influenced by glowing road test results I inflicted an AXGT on myself for a year before buying a 'preloved' Golf Gti again. The AX was woeful - great ride , good grip and handling but those positives were sadly negated by a ghastly thrashy engine, awful brakes(rears would seize on from time to time) , build quality of an Airfix kit, awful seats and the gearing and engine noise made it a slower cruiser than even the badass Citroen Visa Super E I'd owned once.
Metro was no gem but its engine was on a different plane to the AX , as was its feeling of solidity. I speak relatively of course ...
Metro was no gem but its engine was on a different plane to the AX , as was its feeling of solidity. I speak relatively of course ...
In the early 80s Strathclyde Police bought a batch of 3 door Metros to use as pandas. Talk about not buying the tool for the job? A boot permanently full with cones and signs. Used to carry 4 larger than average guys some of the time. So overloaded. Though not as badly as a Peugot they bought where the back springs were actually bottomed out 4 up before hitting any bumps. Then try getting someone in handcuffs squeezed into the back seat of a 3 door car when he wasn't keen on going anywhere with you anyway.
I lost confidence in the car after twice having the front offside wheel collapse to 45 degrees while on a slow left hander. The break down guy blamed poor maintenance by the police garage which I could believe.
Good points? Easy to see the corners and narrow enough to go places other cars wouldn't go. When they were replaced by the first generation FWD Cavaliers it was from the ridiculous to the sublime though.
I lost confidence in the car after twice having the front offside wheel collapse to 45 degrees while on a slow left hander. The break down guy blamed poor maintenance by the police garage which I could believe.
Good points? Easy to see the corners and narrow enough to go places other cars wouldn't go. When they were replaced by the first generation FWD Cavaliers it was from the ridiculous to the sublime though.
V8 FOU said:
Ian_C said:
So the last three Sheds have been:
a P38 Range Rover (one of the most unreliable cars ever made)
a 13 year old Laguna Mk 2 (THE most unreliable car ever made)
a 24 year old Rover Metro 1.1 for £1500
Riiiiiiiight....
Have you owned or driven any of these? My P38 has been very reliable for the 10 years I have owned it.a P38 Range Rover (one of the most unreliable cars ever made)
a 13 year old Laguna Mk 2 (THE most unreliable car ever made)
a 24 year old Rover Metro 1.1 for £1500
Riiiiiiiight....
But hey, this is PH where you can spout any ols miss-informed twaddle.....
If a Pistonheader popped out today and bought a Laguna Mk 2, I would hope they would be banned on the spot!
No offence on your Range Rover. Sounds like you got one of the better ones. Its just a shame they weren't built as they should have been for the dollar they cost new back then.
I would echo the above comments on crash safety. Scares me now that I had 2 of these (A-series, not K) and now I've seen the crash-testing, I was lucky I didn't hit anything in either of them.
But yes, an AX / 106 would be just as bad. There must be a safer 1990s offering. Polo perhaps?
But yes, an AX / 106 would be just as bad. There must be a safer 1990s offering. Polo perhaps?
M4cruiser said:
I would echo the above comments on crash safety. Scares me now that I had 2 of these (A-series, not K) and now I've seen the crash-testing, I was lucky I didn't hit anything in either of them.
But yes, an AX / 106 would be just as bad. There must be a safer 1990s offering. Polo perhaps?
In 1980 probably not but by 1994 there certainly were safer offerings in the segment. The Corsa had just come out, so had the Punto and as you suggest the new Polo. Against the Nova, Uno and MK2 Polo things were probably more even.But yes, an AX / 106 would be just as bad. There must be a safer 1990s offering. Polo perhaps?
I know it sounds hard to believe now but the Austin Metro was actually sold on safety...
Safety first on PH? Begone with you! 
As I mentioned earlier much rather have a K11 Micra. Yes, a generation newer but I often drive a '97 1.0 example & it's hilariously basic feeling - it doesn't even have power steering or a rev counter but does have c/l Inc boot & fuel cap release. The banger racers use them heavily so while hardly NCAP experts if they'll take a hit that's good with me. Mk.1 Ka's do ok too..
Back on thread wasn't there a Popemobile version of a Metro featured on Shed a while ago?
As I mentioned earlier much rather have a K11 Micra. Yes, a generation newer but I often drive a '97 1.0 example & it's hilariously basic feeling - it doesn't even have power steering or a rev counter but does have c/l Inc boot & fuel cap release. The banger racers use them heavily so while hardly NCAP experts if they'll take a hit that's good with me. Mk.1 Ka's do ok too..
Back on thread wasn't there a Popemobile version of a Metro featured on Shed a while ago?
Bernd Tost said:
Safety first on PH? Begone with you!
As I mentioned earlier much rather have a K11 Micra. Yes, a generation newer but I often drive a '97 1.0 example & it's hilariously basic feeling - it doesn't even have power steering or a rev counter but does have c/l Inc boot & fuel cap release. The banger racers use them heavily so while hardly NCAP experts if they'll take a hit that's good with me. Mk.1 Ka's do ok too..
Back on thread wasn't there a Popemobile version of a Metro featured on Shed a while ago?
Yes, I believe it's on some sort of London to Peeking rally or something similar now. There were other's who fancied sticking a VVC in there and using it for trackdays.As I mentioned earlier much rather have a K11 Micra. Yes, a generation newer but I often drive a '97 1.0 example & it's hilariously basic feeling - it doesn't even have power steering or a rev counter but does have c/l Inc boot & fuel cap release. The banger racers use them heavily so while hardly NCAP experts if they'll take a hit that's good with me. Mk.1 Ka's do ok too..
Back on thread wasn't there a Popemobile version of a Metro featured on Shed a while ago?
The Austin Metro City steered and handled very well indeed. You could get five people and a wheelchair in it. Regular 50 mpg. However the front seats were awful and it rusted like a Ford...
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff