Metrosexual experiences

[155V6]

I had a GTI about 9 years ago,just before they started getting sought after.It was fairly rare being the SE,which meant it had half leather & electric windows.It was the most fun I'd had for years,but after getting through 2 clutches & a gearbox,plus holes in the front floorpan I lost interest.I'd have another one tomorrow though.

[sofarsogood]

At age 17 the first car I drove on the road was a my mums Rover Metro Rio 5dr(more hinges more minges, moar doors more whores etc) in metallic green aka the Metrosexual. I used to use the choke as cruise control. Went quite well for a 1.1 I think. Then after that got rear ended whilst mother was driving she got a rover 100 Kensington. I tried to keep up with a mates Tomcat in that on the way to paintballing sadly the only gauge that went off the clock was the temp gauge and both of us ended on the hard shoulder up filling the cooling systems of both cars with whatever we could find. Still soldiered on for while after. I was once returning to it in Kwik Save car park and thought crikey that wheel arch rust is getting worse as I snapped a chunk of metal from the osr arch. Then the remote central locking started playing up, only it wasn't, I was stood at an identical car!

[D Spares & Tyres]

A friend crashed his Escort on a rough estate near Dudley when we were around 18

 

We used another friends Metro 1.3 (which luckily had a towbar on it) to borrow a car trailer. That poor Metro towed the trailer with the Escort back to near  Kidderminster with almost no problem at all. Wasn`t even as slow as you would think. The only issue was in that part of the Black Country there are some rather humped bridges over the canals which made the back of the Metro take off.

 

I must also note that the Metro was 6 up.5 silly boys and someones girlfriend laid across them in the back. 

 

Poor little car, it had been really well cared for by the previous owner but it took all the abuse in its stride. 

[scruff]

My best pal's cousin had one, inherited from her mum. I fancied the pants off said cousin and so it didn't take much persuasion to get me involved in a clutch change, breaking my A-series virginity. Sadly it was only the Metro I got intimate with but did drive it about a bit and it was perfectly agreeable transport (that smelt of nice girls)

[chaseracer]

In 1985, I had lots of enjoyable experiences related to a Y-reg 1.3L in metallic blue.  Her name was Sarah.

 

Not the Metro...

[bub2006]

In 1985, I had lots of enjoyable experiences related to a Y-reg 1.3L in metallic blue. Her name was Sarah.

 

Not the Metro...

How was the ride quality? Did she handle well?

[kinkersaab]

I have never seen any mention of it anywhere, but.  my old boss when i started out in the motor trade 20+ years ago , was an ex bl salesman (appleyard aberdeen, formerly aberdeen motors)  He told me that the early metro 1.0 Hle (e for economy) came without the little rear metro embossed rear mudflaps as they created enough drag to reduce the mpg figures?  True or false?

[Timewaster]

HLE mudflaps? It's feasible.

I think they had different carbs and some sparkplug catalogues listed a different grade plug.

Every little helps when you are making claims of 70odd MPG and I can imagine mudflaps acting like mini parachutes.

[FakeConcern]

Anyone mentioned the petrol cap leak/spill issue yet?

 

I know my father span his 85 MG a couple of times and was convinced it was this issue causing it.

 

I'd have believed him if he hadn't also spun a 1964 Mini and a 1984 205 GTI several times!

[Guest bangerfan101]

Good mate of mine nipper had a metro convertible with a turbo engine in it back in the early 90s. Lost control of it coming back from the pub pissed up stacked it and tore the roof clean off. Killed his bird and younger brother instantly but walked away unscratched himself.

 

Bad times

[FakeConcern]

Good mate of mine nipper had a metro convertible with a turbo engine in it back in the early 90s. Lost control of it coming back from the pub pissed up stacked it and tore the roof clean off. Killed his bird and younger brother instantly but walked away unscratched himself.

 

Bad times

Fuck!

[timolloyd]

Good mate of mine nipper had a metro convertible with a turbo engine in it back in the early 90s. Lost control of it coming back from the pub pissed up stacked it and tore the roof clean off. Killed his bird and younger brother instantly but walked away unscratched himself.

 

Bad times

That's a thread finisher if I've ever read one.

[HMC]

If you've got a bit of time to kill then this is worth a watch.....

Starts out with the ever so slightly xenophobic / Operation sea lion inspired U.K. Launch ad.

 

After is a breakdown of the development of the metro. Lots of reading between the lines can be done where the reason behind a decision was cost is explained away by other justifications, and also an over riding sense of wishing to reassure the viewer that all the headlines they'd ever read about BL were now a thing of the past.....

[quicksilver]

Lots of fond Metro memories here. Parents had an early red one (WRP20W) identical to Princess Di's, which was so good they owned it twice! It was sold to a friend and replaced with a grey Mayfair 5-door (F308EFC), but they never liked this as much because the thicker seats and bigger dashboard made the interior much more cramped. The red one was then bought back from the friend, written off when a Crayford Allegro ran into the back of it, bought from the insurance company and repaired by my dad with scrapyard parts. It was eventually sold to a 17-year old lad where it met a very sad end when he overturned it, killing himself and five friends There was also another red one that came and went very quickly as it turned out to be a rotbox and was sold for spears or reapers, but my only experience of a Rover version is driving Six-cylinder's silver one around the field of dreams.

[Guest bangerfan101]

On a lighter note. I bought a rover 100 with a bunch of friends around new years Eve 2003 from wellbourns scrapyard at shottys island in Barnsley . We Drove to Birmingham just to go to a rave, it died on us just as we got to new Street in the city centre.

We Came home the next day on the train leaving it down a side street for the council to deal with