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| Wednesday, May 21, 2008 |
| Hottest car around - an old Geo Metro? |
 The CNN article: Gas prices drive Geos from clunkers to chic reports that Marci Solomon recently purchased a twelve year old Geo Metro on eBay for $7,300 (the blue book value on that car would be about $950 since it is in "good" condition). Why did she pay such a premium? The 1996 Metro's average of 40 miles per gallon nears that of the hybrid 2008 Toyota Prius -- priced at $21,000 for the cheapest model -- and bests most current cars by a long shot, according to government ratings. Older models of the Geo Metro, specifically cars from 1991 and the XFi edition, have the same average as the hybrid.
Solomon toyed with the idea of purchasing a Prius but decided that for a price of $7,300, the Metro was the more economical option.
For the most part, Solomon plans on using the car for commuting from her home in Rochester, Washington, to her job. The vehicle she has now, a Honda Element, was getting 28 mpg, and she was filling up twice a week, costing her nearly $100. Stations were charging $3.97 a gallon in her area Tuesday, she said.
The Metro is an investment in the future, Solomon said, even if she did pay more than five times* the Blue Book value of the car.
"It was all about saving money," she said. "I don't think gas is ever going to go down, and these are going to be the types of solutions we have to turn to. I wanted to beat the rush." Why do these old Geo Metro cars get such great gas mileage? Why don't automobile makers produce such fuel sipping cars now? Why did we regress in fuel economy?
* The five times figure would be if the Metro she purchased was in pristine condition. According to the eBay listing it had some body marks - so I went with the "good" rather than "excellent" value. |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 8:54 AM *
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| 10 Comments: |
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"Why do these old Geo Metro cars get such great gas mileage? Why don't automobile makers produce such fuel sipping cars now? Why did we regress in fuel economy?"
From what I've read, cars are heavier now because of all the mandatory safety features (steel safety cage, airbags, etc) and conveniences (power brakes, power windows, air conditioning). Also, more horsepower (Metro is 55 hp 3 cylinder, my xA is a 108 hp 4 cylinder). Yesterday I pulled up a comparison of my car to the metro, and I'd much rather have my safety and conveniences for the extra $10 a month in gas.
Ah, here's the article I was thinking of. "With all the drum beating about oil reliance and fuel conservation as America watched crude prices soar past $72 a barrel in April, 2006 it is a bit sobering to see how little progress has been made in extending miles per gallon. There are variables at work against fuel economy today; increasing engine sizes and the expanding girth of the vehicles that are bigger and weighed down with more commuter-friendly accoutrements as well as advanced safety equipment. It is worth mentioning that equipment was added to meet buyer demand as well as government regulations. Also, the driving experience in a Metro XPI cannot compare in any way to that in a Toyota Yaris."
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I think part of it is due to an increase in vehicle weight. It's hard to find a good graph but from things I've read I gather that weight has gone up due to safety features, sound insulation, and vibration dampening, to name a few things.
The 1990 Geo Metro weighed 1620 lbs. The 1997 Geo Metro weighed 1832 lbs.
That trend continued... the 2008 Chevrolet Aveo (which I think is pretty small) weighs 2343 lbs!
It would be interesting to find out how much of that weight gain is due to regulatory requirements.
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I purchased my Geo Metro 10 years ago when I was a broke college student. I've maintained it and I expect it to last until after I've finished Grad School. I feel safe in my metro and I love the gas mileage. I think it was an excellent choice when I purchased it.
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Automakers ARE producing those cars. There was simply no demand for them for so many years that most lost money by producing them.
The Smart Car is the "new" Geo Metro. Since fuel prices went up, there is a huge waiting list for them. If fuel was still $2 a gallon like it was a few years ago, the Smart Car wouldn't sell at all.
The Smart is retailing new for $15,000-17,000, making it a pretty good investment vs. a clunky old Metro. You can also buy a used Mini Cooper or Prius, both of which get good gas mileage.
This trend has only really reversed in the past year. Manufacturers are taking notice, but it takes 7-8 years from initial design to production of a new vehicle. The successful automakers (mostly Toyota) were able to see far enough into the future to predict this. Even so, the Prius wasn't in high demand for the first few years it was produced.
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Yes, Geo's were considered "econoboxes" and jokes abounded about them "How do you get out of a Geo Metro? Either use the door handle or the can opener."
To be fair to the Prius - as the first hybrid on the market lots of folks held back and took a wait and see approach. A car is a big investment and early adopters had to overcome the fear of expensive battery replacements or other hybrid specific maintenance. It is only now that the Toyota Prius has an 8 year track record that folks are feeling more comfortable with the car (as well as the gas price issue).
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I owned a 1997 Geo Metro a few years back and it was a great car. Eight years into ownership we ended up trading it in for my 2005 Chevrolet Aveo because it did start to break down, 1k for a radiator etc in the heart of MN winter. I wanted something a little newer and a little safer. BTW my Geo always passed the emissions inspections in Boise.
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I'm just glad that I'm not too proud to walk around and ride my bike. As a grad student, there is some benefit to having a car, but still not enough to convince me to buy one just yet. The expense of the hybrids is a bit discouraging though but its impossible to take any car that gets below 30 mpg seriously these days no matter how many safety features it has. It cant be too safe driving on the highway while worrying about gas prices and how to pay the bills when gas is so expensive...
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It's funny that you blogged about this; I was just ranting about it. I pulled up the website to check out the SmartCar and, after much clicking, finally found the mpg to be...(drum roll) 42 mpg on the highway and 33 in the city. I'm sorry? After 100 years of technology, I'm supposed to get excited about 33 mpg in the city? I owned a Ford Festiva for years, and we consistently got 38-40 in the city (Washington D.C. stop and go traffic, no less) and 45-47 mpg on the highway (we did a cross-country drive with the car loaded to the ground and averaged 45 mpg). We sold the car 6 years ago and I'm still regretting it. Even repairs on it were easy and cheap.
I cannot believe how low our expectations are, that we would consider the Smart Car to be "smart." Please! My old Ford Festiva was manufactured in 1987. Hey auto industry -- do better than you did 21 years ago and I might actually stop laughing long enough to consider buying a car.
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I still own a 1997 Geo Metro and with an overloaded car I still get 42mpg on the highway. Passing inspections is no problem, it passed California's inspection standards in 1997 and 2002 and Ny's in 2003.
Joe W
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"Why do these old Geo Metro cars get such great gas mileage? Why don't automobile makers produce such fuel sipping cars now? Why did we regress in fuel economy?"
From what I've read, cars are heavier now because of all the mandatory safety features (steel safety cage, airbags, etc) and conveniences (power brakes, power windows, air conditioning). Also, more horsepower (Metro is 55 hp 3 cylinder, my xA is a 108 hp 4 cylinder). Yesterday I pulled up a comparison of my car to the metro, and I'd much rather have my safety and conveniences for the extra $10 a month in gas.
Ah, here's the article I was thinking of. "With all the drum beating about oil reliance and fuel conservation as America watched crude prices soar past $72 a barrel in April, 2006 it is a bit sobering to see how little progress has been made in extending miles per gallon. There are variables at work against fuel economy today; increasing engine sizes and the expanding girth of the vehicles that are bigger and weighed down with more commuter-friendly accoutrements as well as advanced safety equipment. It is worth mentioning that equipment was added to meet buyer demand as well as government regulations. Also, the driving experience in a Metro XPI cannot compare in any way to that in a Toyota Yaris."