RE: Shed of the Week: Rover Metro
Discussion
Well this particular vintage of Metro was a friends first car back in 2002. Driving 4 of us back from the cinema, he did hoon around the Isle of Wight like it was a racing circuit. Decided he was going too fast for an off camber right hander.
Problem was, he decided to slow down mid corner. We spun 180 across the oncoming traffic hit a large curb, just before a vast newly erected street light, rolled over 3 times into the ditch beside the road.
All parties escaped through the passenger door. Car was chucking out quite a lot of smoke. Roof was caved in a bit and all the glass was gone. Quite amazing such a sh*t box wasn't as flat as a pancake.
Problem was, he decided to slow down mid corner. We spun 180 across the oncoming traffic hit a large curb, just before a vast newly erected street light, rolled over 3 times into the ditch beside the road.
All parties escaped through the passenger door. Car was chucking out quite a lot of smoke. Roof was caved in a bit and all the glass was gone. Quite amazing such a sh*t box wasn't as flat as a pancake.
GTEYE said:
Different times undoubtedly, but not all cars were as bad as the Metro
A contemporary Polo
Edited by GTEYE on Friday 27th April 11:51
A mate at uni had a GTA, first time I saw it I was wondering why on earth anyone had stuck a body kit on it. First trip in it I had a smile plastered all over my face. It was great fun. He never, ever drove it slowly and it always hung on to the exact lines he wanted. Definite surprise how good it was.
Wouldn't ever contemplate buying this one though!
Wouldn't ever contemplate buying this one though!
LOL - 1 way to guarantee many hits/posts is to stick a Metro in it!
I've still got my Mk1 MG Metro sitting in a shed waiting its turn to get welded back together - hopefully I'll get to it before it totally dissolves!
We had loads as a family - sister had a 1.0L, my MG, and mum went through a 1.3HLS, 1.3 VP, then the Rover 1.1S and 1.4. Obviously, we're all dead now
Sure, in this day & age, they're so far off modern crash standards as to be a joke, but at the time we had them they were great fun, especially round the lanes of Somerset - on a motorway, not so much fun.
It'll be a shame if all the old ordinary cars disappear - hopefully someone will keep this one as a fun little classic for pottering to shows in now 7 then. Either that or it'll get used as the base for a Talon style VVC conversion.
OP - hope things go well for your mum, and the car goes to a good home.
I've still got my Mk1 MG Metro sitting in a shed waiting its turn to get welded back together - hopefully I'll get to it before it totally dissolves!
We had loads as a family - sister had a 1.0L, my MG, and mum went through a 1.3HLS, 1.3 VP, then the Rover 1.1S and 1.4. Obviously, we're all dead now
Sure, in this day & age, they're so far off modern crash standards as to be a joke, but at the time we had them they were great fun, especially round the lanes of Somerset - on a motorway, not so much fun.
It'll be a shame if all the old ordinary cars disappear - hopefully someone will keep this one as a fun little classic for pottering to shows in now 7 then. Either that or it'll get used as the base for a Talon style VVC conversion.
OP - hope things go well for your mum, and the car goes to a good home.
GTEYE said:
Different times undoubtedly, but not all cars were as bad as the Metro
A contemporary Polo
Edited by GTEYE on Friday 27th April 11:51
GTEYE said:
Different times undoubtedly, but not all cars were as bad as the Metro
A contemporary Polo
Edited by GTEYE on Friday 27th April 11:51
Dale487 said:
When a car makes a 106/Saxo look like a good option to have a crash in, you know its bad - I think it might be safer to take off your seat belt, open the window & try to jump free of a Metro in a crash.
If i recall they stopped selling them straight after the original NCAP test showed how dangerous they where I dont mind these - probably having a "rose tinted spectacle" moment, my dad had a sky blue/rusty one, but it was the earlier Austin version...
Remember as a kid the sticky vinyl/leatherette seats, got that smell in my mind now.
We use to drive down to the local chippy, and my dad use to drive the metro with his knees down the quiet road....remember he also used it for work, and he left his suit shoes on the roof...and forgot them...first corner he encountered, yep, their they were on the verge! Priceless memories.
Anyways, its a crap car and rather un-safe nowadays, buts it is good seeing these little workhorses of the 80s/90s still about - my 1960s Beetle is probably safer in a crash, and that says alot about the Metro design!
Remember as a kid the sticky vinyl/leatherette seats, got that smell in my mind now.
We use to drive down to the local chippy, and my dad use to drive the metro with his knees down the quiet road....remember he also used it for work, and he left his suit shoes on the roof...and forgot them...first corner he encountered, yep, their they were on the verge! Priceless memories.
Anyways, its a crap car and rather un-safe nowadays, buts it is good seeing these little workhorses of the 80s/90s still about - my 1960s Beetle is probably safer in a crash, and that says alot about the Metro design!
For anyone with a bit of spare time here's a Metro thread for you.
Guy on RetroRides bought a VVC converted Rover Metro and decided it would look better as a Mk1 Metro van:
http://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/195759/1993-ro...
Guy on RetroRides bought a VVC converted Rover Metro and decided it would look better as a Mk1 Metro van:
http://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/195759/1993-ro...
After several years of my parents owning Alfa Romeo's I finally turned 17 and looked forward to learning to drive in an Alfa.
It was at that point they sold the Alfa and bought a Metro, being a shallow teenager and only thinking about my 'street cred' i was a bit gutted, but looking back practicing driving in the Metro did help me pass my test.
It was at that point they sold the Alfa and bought a Metro, being a shallow teenager and only thinking about my 'street cred' i was a bit gutted, but looking back practicing driving in the Metro did help me pass my test.
r11co said:
RM said:
Yes, but the metro was in the unfortunate position of having been in production for 17 odd years, and still in production, by the time NCAP arrived. Most other 70s designed cars were out of production by 97. Plus the metro had it roots in an early 70s design.
The Citroen Saxo was based on a 1970's design (the Citroen LNA/Peugeot 104) and was effectively a facelift of a facelift (the intervening car being the AX) and suffered similarly poor levels of crash protection, but that wasn't one of the first things mentioned the last two times a VTR/VTS was the shed.Same with most 70s cars, as we have both said, but it was just unfortunate that the metro was tested, and the only one in 1997 to get only 1 star.
It certainly seems much better value than this:
http://www.eastlancashireclassics.com/vehicle.php?...
£2995 for a Rover 100 Knightsbridge!
http://www.eastlancashireclassics.com/vehicle.php?...
£2995 for a Rover 100 Knightsbridge!
r11co said:
The rust is on the striker reinforcement plate - purely cosmetic. You could take that off, rub it down and spray it to tidy it up in less than one hour.
This choice was always going to trigger an irrational bout of negativity from people who would overlook bigger problems on different marques.
Indeed. You'd find that on most cars after 4/5 years! This is a 24yo Metro FFS! This choice was always going to trigger an irrational bout of negativity from people who would overlook bigger problems on different marques.
ETA: I'm actually quite liking this one! Not that I'd pay £1.5k for one, though I wonder if they will appreciate in time?!
V8 FOU said:
Good luck with insurance and getting V5 details changed....!Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff