How many of you have had experiences with the Rover Metro GTi's.

They are fappin flyin machines. I know it's not a lot to brag about but a 1.4 Single point Injection (early GTi's) absolutely anniholate Corsa GSi 16v's.

I mean come on non vtec Hondas are given a hard time by this little pocket rocket.

 

A good laugh is to get hold of a Metro Turbo and weld the wastegate shut. A good laugh for a few thousand miles, then dump it

 

I had a Metro GTI, a Black SPI

Good points,

Yes fairly quick, at least as quick up to sixty as a Lexus IS200, Passat Turbo and a host of other stuff.

Took the badges off and from the back it looked like a 1.1 (minor Q car appeal)

Engine nice n revvy

er, thats about it really

Bad Points

Rot Box of biblical proportions
Scary handling in the wet (a bit over engined I think
and dodgy Pirellis)
Zero crash protection (no I didnt but see above)
Not very reliable (always replacing something)
Not exactly insurance friendly
Zero Cred (if your bothered about that sort of thing, Im not)
Not exactly economical either (28 mpg !)

So enjoy your Metro but be carefull in it, dont spend too much on it cos they are worth nowt and absolutely dont put an MGF VVC engine in it !

 

My first car out of Uni was an H plate Metro GTi bought from the main Rover dealer in Milton Keynes. A right pocket rocket!

However, I should have realised there was something up when a week after I had it the rear exhaust box fell off. I took it straight back to the dealer and they put a new one on free of charge. After that I had about a year's duffing about in it before the cylinder head got warped because the gasket went...another £700 later and it was sort of fixed! Then the brakes seized...then the centre exhaust section went, then the fuel sender went and I had to guess how far a full tank went. Usually about 200 miles...although there were a couple of occasions when I misjudged and I conked out due to no fuel! Usually on rainy nights, when I was 2 miles from the nearest garage and it was freezing cold!!

But, a thoroughly good laugh for a little car - lots of understeer in the wet and joining motorway sliproads on icy mornings were a complete lark!!

Sadly it went, when I got my first company car - a white Vectra 1.8 GLS - and I thought I had gone up in the world!!!

Enjoy it - cause it'll be at a scrappers before too long!!

Jim

 

well so far I have owned it for three years, i fully rebuilt the car when i got it and unlike most metros iscompletely rust free.

And in reply to that comment about the passats and the IS200, neither of them have a chance up until 60mph. After that there is no replacement for displacement.

I enjoy it and haven't had any problems with it.

I intend putting a VHPD 1.8 k series in it. It means I have a low cred (little police even notice it) yet have well over 150 bhp. And with a few genuine modifications the wee cars handle a treat so long as Pirellis are not used.

I can say one thing about wet weather driving. It is a little unpredicatble but that makes them all the more fun.

BTW i'm not on here to slag all other cars and my father owns a scooby turbo, he just has no interest in it, whereas I would if I knew i had an indisposable amount of driving licenses.

Peter

 

Hey Ian,

Yeah, I do use that website.

It's peter from Northern Ireland (GTI14)

Cheers
Peter

 

Metro GTi 16v was my first 'performance' drive !! Thought I'd died and gone to car heaven when I had my first go..

Got my Chevette at 16, Mum got the Metro just after I turned 17.

At the time I thought it looked the bolix in British Racing Green.
Great pick-up, sweet engine, very direct handling.

Enjoyed my first experiences of power-induced handling as my Chevette didn't really 'feel' RWD ;-) , entering a wet and greasy adverse camber turn way too fast and getting on the power too hard and too soon. BAGS of understeer, sharply followed by a snap of lift-off oversteer.

Luckily it was a country road, so other than some grass verge hanging from the sump it was OK.

Really missed it after it was changed for a 114GSi !

Not sure if I'd bother hotting one up, personally I'd go the Pug 205 route, but it would make a hell of a Q-car - best of luck mate!!

PS - just to be really sad - weren't the single point injected machines badged as a GTa 16v ?

 

When i worked for Rover i loved road testing theses--awsome little things --**** to work on though.

 

like having to remove most of the front end to change an alternator bracket.

half the fun is that its not the conventional pug / nova / ford route. and cracking little engines.

 

I had one for 6 months. Great laugh!!

 

ive got a 94 mpi, with k&n, janspeed decat and manifold.

very nippy, surprises a lot of boy racers!

do you use the performance metroclub forum?

http://forums.delphiforums.com/metroclub

[Edited by icrockett - 3/8/2002 3:34:46 PM]

 

I got wasted once in a Pug 405mi16 by a GTa16v metro, but the 405 is ded slow despite its 160bhp motor

[Edited by bioforger - 3/11/2002 5:05:23 PM]