Geo Metro motor swap

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George777

^^ Likes Bewbies
Have a friend who needs to replace the motor in her 94 Metro. It's got the 1.0. IIRC, she said it was the XFI model--don't know if that makes a difference or not.

She is on a budget, and will be having someone else swap the motor, so fab work and motors other than Geo motors is probably out of the question. She is currently driving my CRX, so it's no big hurry.

I searched Google and found a bunch of sites that have rebuilt motors, but have never dealt with any of them. Can anybody recommend a rebuilt/manufactured site they have had good experiences with? The money she would save on rebuilding her current motor would be spent on the labor to do so, unless someone local to the New Haven, CT area wants a project.

Thanks in advance.
 
from bargainnews.com

1995 CHEVROLET GEO METRO
white, 3 cyl, 5 spd, 96,000 miles, am/fm, cass, many new parts, w/receipts, new snow tires, runs great, vgd cond, $1250. (203) 929-6430. Shelton, CT
 
I hate to say it, because I understand her desire to keep her car, and the budget she's on, but I don't think financially, replacing a motor will be much cheaper than buying a new car. I wish her the best though. Bump.
 
I tried convincing her of that, too. I am trying to get her to sell her car and use the money she would be using to swap the motor towards buying another car.

I told her that if she is still driving my CRX by the time she has the money to do something, she should just buy a Honda and call it quits. Even if it's not a Honda, an older Sentra, Corolla, etc. I used my CRX as a comparison, stating that she has been driving it for almost a year and it hasn't needed anything other than oil changes and a coolant flush. She has put more money into her Metro during that time than she has into my CRX. I think I may have convinced her, but I think she is going to continue to look for another motor in the meantime.
 
I tried convincing her of that, too. I am trying to get her to sell her car and use the money she would be using to swap the motor towards buying another car.

I told her that if she is still driving my CRX by the time she has the money to do something, she should just buy a Honda and call it quits. Even if it's not a Honda, an older Sentra, Corolla, etc. I used my CRX as a comparison, stating that she has been driving it for almost a year and it hasn't needed anything other than oil changes and a coolant flush. She has put more money into her Metro during that time than she has into my CRX. I think I may have convinced her, but I think she is going to continue to look for another motor in the meantime.
wait, wait, wait, she's been driving your car for a year!? and she doesn't have enough money to fix her car or buy another used car? sounds fishy to me.... like, why would she spend money to fix her car or buy another when she can drive yours for free? unless your charging her for the use of your car, then i may be completely out of line.
 
I'm an OTR truck driver--I don't drive the car. She is a single mom that barely makes enough to maintain her livelihood. When her car stopped running/wasn't running right, I told her she could use my car since it was just sitting there. She agreed to it under the pretenses that she maintained it for stuff like oil changes, etc.

There is nothing fishy about the situation. She replaced parts as she got the money to, and it still didn't fix the problems. She doesn't have the money to send it to a shop to get fixed, so her choice was to look into a rebuilt motor so she can have her car operational. Rather than have her continue to throw money at it hoping that she finds the fix, she is just going to save up and get another motor. Her's is tired and needs repairs anyway. Hence, my attempts for her to find a different car rather than have her spend $1300 on a rebuilt motor.
 
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With your mom, can't you read? What a nice admin though, making Honda Swap the place to be! thumbs up.
 
under avatar, his location = with your mom.

He was in ct, then out in nv, so i have no idea where he is now
 
XFi have a slightly different motor than the regular 3 cyl metros (different cam mostly) and therefore a different computer. Keep in mind that if she swaps in a non xfi motor then it's possible she might need the computer too.

My guess is your cheapest bet would be to locate a car at a you pull it.

What's wrong with the current motor? Does it just not run?
 
why doesn't she just make payments to you for the crx? then if she ever misses a payment you can piidb.

seriously though, if she isnt' smart enough to take your advice on how to fix the car she has, she probably isn't taking very good care of your rex.
 
there is a thin line between being a nice guy and being taken advantage of. from what i have heard, you are treading that line. give her a time frame of when she needs to get her car fixed, or offer to sell her your crx for cheap. you have to draw a line somewhere.
 
Want an 88 Civic sedan? Don't know where you're located...

If you were closer to CT, I am sure that would be the best option for her. She is in the New Haven, CT area.

Find a mirage. Probaby get a mint late 90s sedan for under 1200.

I told her to look into a bunch of different cars--Sentra, Civic, Accord, Corolla, Mirage, etc. She started looking, and likes the Hondas and the Sentra so far.

under avatar, his location = with your mom.

He was in ct, then out in nv, so i have no idea where he is now

Went from CT to NV, back to CT, to CA, and now wherever my job takes me.

why doesn't she just make payments to you for the crx? then if she ever misses a payment you can piidb.

seriously though, if she isnt' smart enough to take your advice on how to fix the car she has, she probably isn't taking very good care of your rex.

She would buy my Rex from me, but I really don't want to sell it. In the event I get something local, or I chose to do something dedicated, I would need my car. If I sold it, I would be in the search for something else. The CRX runs well, and is well maintained aside from some cosmetic stuff.

As for the maintenance of the Rex, she is super paranoid that something will happen to it, so before she does anything or thinks something needs done, she lets me know. She knows that my vehicles are important to me, and she is taking the time to maintain it.

Her car is just getting tired. It doesn't want to run in the rain, it leaks oil from everywhere, it is starting to burn oil, and things are starting to need replaced at a rate faster than she can afford. As soon as one sensor/part is replaced, something else is needing replaced. I guess her logic is that if she gets a rebuilt motor and installs it, it will be a fresher platform for her to start with, making it easier/cheaper to maintain. She loves her car, but I don't think $1300 for a rebuilt motor is worth the money, considering another car with more parts available and cheaper maintenance can be had for the same money. Her arguing point--which I agree with to an extent--is that if she purchases another car instead of fixing the one she has, how soon/how much will she have to spend to keep it running right. But that is a gamble that is made with most cars. She can have someone go with her to look at another car, but I'm not sure she really knows what she wants to do. That is the purpose of this thread--I think she just wants to get all her options revealed and then decide which would be the best option for the money.
 
how much can she afford? is she working? is she bad with money or something?

why doesn't she just get a new kia or hyundai for $150/month. full warranty and its' brand new. hell, she could even buy an 92-95 civic coupe for $2000.
 
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