Yep, I had a Reliant that ran well, drove well, was comfortable, and got 32 mpg (actually, it was a loaded Town & Country wagon, 1987, 2.2)

The K's really were a respectable replacement for the A-Body, just a few years late.

But 32 MPG, compared to 50, is a huge difference... once you start putting on 800+ miles a week.

-Mac

Not mentioning finding them--I haven't been looking, but I don't exactly see alot of K cars coming up often for sale.

I have to wonder if aiming for post- OBDII years (1996?) would be better: it seems that pre-OBDII, cars were a bit harder to diagnose, with their computerized controls and lack of easy access to trouble codes (or oddball trouble codes). With the later OBDII cars, a cheap reader can be procurred to read most trouble codes, for easy debug.

Not sure. Anyhow, something I've been thinking of getting is a Scangauge, that I could plug into the OBDII port, and have an instantaneous (and average) mpg readout. That way, I could see what altering my speed does, altering routes, etc. Not cheap at $170 though; I think I figured it'd take well over a year to pay back, assuming it gave me a 10% mpg increase (45->50)--doubtful that I could keep myself that regimented to driving "good" for mpg's, being the slowest car on the road in rush hour is no fun. But it might be a worthwhile investment, at 800 miles per week and going from say 30 to 40mpg.

Been keeping an eye in the local classifieds for vehicles yet?

Not yet. Scanning eBay to get ideas. The job is not a done deal yet, I have preached at this church as "pulpit fill" but am going for an interview in another week. Part of considering the offer is knowing your expenses, so you can see if it is a viable position.

That's why I'm running the numbers so dilligently!



-Mac

Pre-OBD2 Chrsyler products are actually much easier to diagnose, because you can get the codes using nothing more than the ignition key. Post-OBD2 vehicles have a lot more parameters monitored, but that also entails a lot more potential failure points. Which one's better? Yeah...

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

That's interesting; I had heard about trouble codes being blinked out but figured it was something of a pain. And I was thinking roughly the same number of parts/systems (EGR, a couple injectors, MAP/MAF/etc, etc) but with more monitoring (thus hopefully simplifying troubleshooting). Guess it's a crapshoot then.

Slanted Opinion, have you watched craigslist also? I know there is one for Boston, one for NH, dunno if there are any other areas close enough. Just one more venue to search on for used cars.

A GEO Metro XFI can do 55 MPG. The XFI has a cruising gearing that lowers the RPMs. An XFI motor also only has 2 piston rings. Otherwise the XFI is basically the same as any other G10 engined Metro. I believe the XFI gearing might be the same as a 4 cylinder Metro(G13). A G10 Metro can reliably cruise at 70 MPH if you don't abuse it with dirty oil or low coolant, which is how many of them meet their end.

Pre-95 Metros are considerable lighter as later models are modified to meet federal safety regulations, a '94 will have air bags. A Chevy Sprint is basically the same car.

Avoid Metros/Swifts/Sprints with automatic transmissions - with an auto you could do as well with an early '90s 5 speed 4 cylinder Toyota Corolla, which can get 45+ highway. Corollas with five speeds can be hard to find.
With tightened NOX regulations few new gasoline small cars get above 40 MPG. You might do as well with a V6 as with some of the new four cylinder cars. As far as I know, only a new Corolla or Civic can get above 40 MPG highway, the little Korean cars don't do so well.

Any Metro/Swift with a decent body is worth the effort to repair. The bodies rust easily. I got a JDM 1.0 liter G10 motor for $250. Many Metros die from neglect but the G series motors are long lived an dependable with regular maintenence. A machinist told me that the 130,000 mile G10 I got from the pick-n-pull didn't need any work other than a valve job. The exhaust valves often burn when the EGR valve does not have regular maintenance.

When Zora Arkus Duntov died he was building a lightweight racing aircraft which used a turbocharged Suzuki G10. You can see it at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green Kentucky. The stock G10 has relatively high compression, but only makes 55 HP.

I have wanted to build an ultra-light "sports car" in the model of the Lotus Seven, but more like the current Elise, using the G10 mid-engine. This setup might get 80 MPG. I also have a Suzuki G13B twin cam that is 104 HP and 8,000+ RPM capable. That motor is a direct swap into any Metro and would get me to 15 second quarter mile times. A fun Metro swap is the long stroke G16 from a Suzuki compact suv. The Mini is very popular, but the secret is the Metro/Swift can be lots of fun too (although the light bodies are crappy).

Be on the lookout for decent Metro bodies. I could use another Metro as my '98 if one of the heavy models. and its got front "frame" damage.