Discussion
FireFightersRT said:
For my first car i'm looking for a metro! Can be either Rover, MG, Mini ect ect. Just wondering what i should look out for when i'm buying one?
er, (rather predictably) it being a Metro?
Have a look on here, might be of use:
http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/cars/rover/metro10...
edit to add link
Edited by Fastra on Friday 18th October 10:19
The Metro is better in every way than a Mini if we are honest, the Mini is just cuter. Everyone will have a mental image of an utter heap of a Metro they had at some point and will be comparing it with a lovely, probably modified Cooper S with the flared Arches or even a Z cars one with a Hayabusa engine in the back, oh yes please !
The reality for most Mini owners was a gentley Mouldering 850 in flat brown, brown saging seats, no power to speak of, bouncy ride, conked out at the first sign of rain, pitiful boot, rusted for fun and really they werent that much fun as standard with the massive steering wheel.
But in true PH "Do we like those Style", the Metro gets slated and the Mini feted, when actually most were Fetid.
The Metro was no looker it has to be said, but it was a better car, much more practical, light, airy and it rode better by a long way, handling wise, as standard they were ok but the sportier versions really were pretty good, the GTA/MG models were great, gruff little engine with 73 bhp, not bad really.
Nothing against the Mini, they can be fantastic but it gets an easy ride because it was cutesy and cheeky, the Beatles had one, and swinging sixties, Mary Quant, Italian Job, isnt it, Jumpers for goalposts, Marvellous where the Metro just seems to be reviled.
My grandad gave me his for the kids to bash round a field when he gave up driving, a K reg 1.1c with 60 odd bhp and ait was a bit of a revelation, at least around town, pretty good fun in fact, its still there tucked in a barn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rOPtxAD32M
Not sure I would recommend one nowadays unless you can find that garaged mint exampel as most will be pretty knackered and they arent great in a crash.
The reality for most Mini owners was a gentley Mouldering 850 in flat brown, brown saging seats, no power to speak of, bouncy ride, conked out at the first sign of rain, pitiful boot, rusted for fun and really they werent that much fun as standard with the massive steering wheel.
But in true PH "Do we like those Style", the Metro gets slated and the Mini feted, when actually most were Fetid.
The Metro was no looker it has to be said, but it was a better car, much more practical, light, airy and it rode better by a long way, handling wise, as standard they were ok but the sportier versions really were pretty good, the GTA/MG models were great, gruff little engine with 73 bhp, not bad really.
Nothing against the Mini, they can be fantastic but it gets an easy ride because it was cutesy and cheeky, the Beatles had one, and swinging sixties, Mary Quant, Italian Job, isnt it, Jumpers for goalposts, Marvellous where the Metro just seems to be reviled.
My grandad gave me his for the kids to bash round a field when he gave up driving, a K reg 1.1c with 60 odd bhp and ait was a bit of a revelation, at least around town, pretty good fun in fact, its still there tucked in a barn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rOPtxAD32M
Not sure I would recommend one nowadays unless you can find that garaged mint exampel as most will be pretty knackered and they arent great in a crash.
J4CKO said:
Brilliant! 
In a world of HSE gone mad a lad and his grandad can still piss about in car in a field, great memory that.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
no offence but why? they're old, slow, not particularly economical, terrible safety etc etc
at least an old mini although all of the above has a certain character
I've got to agree with this. at least an old mini although all of the above has a certain character
I learned to drive in a Metro City X and 1.1s and had use of a 114sli for a while when I was a youngster. All dreadful and utterly charmless cars.
When you can pick up a MK4/5 fiesta for £500 with 12 months MOT which is in every way a far superior car, why would you want a Metro?
And please don't tell me it's because they are cool. They never were, and never will be.
J4CKO said:
The Metro is better in every way than a Mini if we are honest, the Mini is just cuter. Everyone will have a mental image of an utter heap of a Metro they had at some point...
Very true.I always wanted a Mini growing up and my mum had a rather scabby Metro that had been passed down through the family. I hated it with a passion, and much to my relief (at the time) it died before there was any risk of me driving it.
It wasn't until I'd played around with a couple of Minis that I finally drove a mate's Metro. At that point I had to confront the fact that the Metro was very, very similar to drive. Worse still, it was actually a bit better. I was crushed.
Fastra said:
J4CKO said:
Brilliant! In a world of HSE gone mad a lad and his grandad can still piss about in car in a field, great memory that.
Definitely not a car I'd want to have a crash in though. Quite a few years ago I was heading into work on the M60 & the traffic was doing that thing like a Slinky where it speeds up then stops, speeds up then stops etc. Anyway, there was a woman driving a Metro with a couple of babies in the back. We do the speed up bit (up to about 30) then stop. She stops, but the bloke behind her didn't & crashed into her at what must have been about 25-30. The car literally buckled - I've never seen anything like it before or since. It was that bad, the doors wouldn't open & the woman was freaking out (understandably). Luckily there was an AA truck in the inside lane, so he smashed the windows to get her & the babies out - I think his concern was it setting on fire to be honest. It was actually frightening to see - I've seen plenty of accidents, but never anything quite like that.
Back when I was about 18/19 there used to be an auction in Manchester called Stoodleys. They had a trade auction on a Monday afternoon & I used to buy a couple of Metros, clean them up a bit & then put them back into the public auction on the Saturday. They were quite good fun cars & you could chuck them about a bit - not sure what they'd be like 20 odd years later though!
Fastra said:
J4CKO said:
Brilliant! In a world of HSE gone mad a lad and his grandad can still piss about in car in a field, great memory that.
Unfortunately its the in laws field and they arent that keen about it getting churned up, they want the kids to drive the car in there and then moan when it leaves tracks, so, we dont bother now, and anyway, there are only so many times you can go round a field in a Metro without going mental, especially with three kids all wanting a turn. I let the eldest do the same with my 944, now that did leave some tracks
To be fair, a lot of small cars of that era were very poor in a crash, its just that the Metro soldiered on until the late nineties, the basic structure pretty much unchanged.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUs-h23sp7M
compared with an Aygo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE7dooVAx88
Main difference is the main shell doesnt collapse, not exactly the same test but shows how small cars have got better, and there are a lot more crash worthy than the Aygo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUs-h23sp7M
compared with an Aygo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE7dooVAx88
Main difference is the main shell doesnt collapse, not exactly the same test but shows how small cars have got better, and there are a lot more crash worthy than the Aygo.
My wife had a 1994 1.1 Metro from 1997 until 2005 and took it from 32,000 miles to 108,000. It actually wasn't a bad little car.
Rear wheel arches rust badly - check for filler if they're not rusty. The bearings in the trailing arm rear suspension can fail (they've got a grease nipple, and I took to greasing it every 6000 miles after the first one failed). When it had failed, the wheel had quite a lot of sideways movement with the car jacked up.
Hers didn't have central locking, but on ones that do the central locking motors fail a lot - check that all doors work.
Rear wheel arches rust badly - check for filler if they're not rusty. The bearings in the trailing arm rear suspension can fail (they've got a grease nipple, and I took to greasing it every 6000 miles after the first one failed). When it had failed, the wheel had quite a lot of sideways movement with the car jacked up.
Hers didn't have central locking, but on ones that do the central locking motors fail a lot - check that all doors work.
Justin Case said:
Finding one 
I haven't seen a Rover Metro for months and I would think that the earlier Austin version is now completely extinct.
There are a few on Retro Rides, the guys over there know a classic when they see one I haven't seen a Rover Metro for months and I would think that the earlier Austin version is now completely extinct. actually there are a few on there and it is strange to a see a tidy early eighties one, the original from thirty years ago beofre they altered the front lights, brings back a lot of memories, I remember it being aged about 11 when it came out, was quite a big deal, and for a while quite desirable, I had a Corgi version,http://www.chezbois.com/corgi/1981/Model_275.htm
Which was great as everythign opened, I suspect it met the same fate as most of my toy cars, in the vice in the garage....
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff