Dilemma: Metro Turbo

[grogee]

A mate is selling his Metro Turbo, it's not a basket case but also not a minter. Wants £7k. Probably needs an engine rebuild (A-series fun), a bit of welding and (here's the expensive bit) a respray.

Do I sell my Puma and take on this beautiful* new project? I have an unscratched Leyland itch.

Alternatively, someone else take it on, then sell it to me when it's finished for less than it's worth, thanks.

[djoptix]

Yes you do.

[Split_Pin]

90bhp through that gearbox. 

In a Metro.

For £7k.

Mental.

[Talbot]

33 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

90bhp through that gearbox.

Lotus had a hand in the design of this car.  It's subtle.  They were involved in limiting the torque output of the engine to attempt to get the gearbox to last longer than 4 seconds.

[Rocket88]

5 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Lotus had a hand in the design of this car.  It's subtle.  They were involved in limiting the torque output of the engine to attempt to get the gearbox to last longer than 4 seconds.

They failed……

[twosmoke300]

7 k and it needs an engine rebuild , welding and a respray ? 
Fuck that !

Its a Metro not a blower Bentley ffs

[Talbot]

Buy it, heave the engine and box out and shove them into a mini.

As was popular 20-25 years ago.

[twosmoke300]

Engines fucked anyway 😂

[dave j]

4 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Buy it, heave the engine and box out and shove them into a mini.

As was popular 20-25 years ago.

Hence why any that are still left are stupid money! 

Sure I saw one for sale recently for 15k 

[big_al_granvia]

bollocks to that, put the money into the puma, that engine can be modified and there is plenty of rally bits to bolt on

[twosmoke300]

As my dad always said - “ they can ask what they want “

[Timewaster]

You see, £15k for a metro is absolutely absurd.

Crazy.

But go to a new car dealer and see what £15k buys you and it is bugger all.

I am losing the plot when it comes to the price of things these days.

 

[sierraman]

51 minutes ago, Talbot said:

Lotus had a hand in the design of this car.  It's subtle.  They were involved in limiting the torque output of the engine to attempt to get the gearbox to last longer than 4 seconds.

Giugiaro had a hand in the Hyundai Stellar. Porsche had a hand in the Seat Ibiza 1.2. Everyone has an off day. 

 

[twosmoke300]

Keeping away from mercs and some vag stuff ,15k will get you something reliable , economical , safe, won’t need welding  and be good to drive .

A metro is none of these

 

[grogee]

Well to be more accurate it is in the netherverse between basket case and minter. It's been looked after, but then stored for A Long Time during which it's decayed a little.

It could be run 'as is' but the temptation is to make it great again, as per Steve McQueen. And to do that would require the aforementioned work. 

I like it because it's peak Metro and eighties BL nonsense, but at the end of the exhaust pipe it is still a Metro.

Then again, ask yourself what a mint Metro City would be? And how miserable that would be to drive. 

I agree the price is inflated because of 80s GTI tax, but that might be the same thing that makes it a good investment. Can't be many left now. 

Mind you I'll probably just stick with the Puma and regret not buying the Metro for the rest of my miserable life. 

[twosmoke300]

Puma is a better drive than any metro ( well any metro in hat doesn’t have a v6 behind your head )

[sierraman]

I don’t know your domestic circumstances but I’d love to be a fly on the anaglypta when you go home and explain you’ve dropped 7 large, in the current financial climate, on not only a Metro but a broken one. 

[Sunny Jim]

What would you prefer to spend your time and money on? Preserving and driving the Puma or restoring the Metro? Reading your thread I got the impression (quite possibly wrongly?) that you were in to the Puma for the long term. If the appeal of the Metro is to scratch a Leyland itch could you keep the Puma and buyer a cheaper Leyland product? (The Autoshite answer is always to buy more cars!)

And as long as you've got the Puma the rest of your life won't be miserable - well the time you spend driving the Puma won't be!

[Matty]

Load of miserable buggers on here like @twosmoke300 and @sierraman pointing out the obvious like "how much?" And "metros are shit".  I concur.

Get it fucking bought lad 👍😁

[twosmoke300]

Oh shit - I forgot it wasn’t my money .

Fucking crack on and get it bought man .

 

 

 

Bought it yet ?

[Longbridge Apologist]

29 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Giugiaro had a hand in the Hyundai Stellar. Porsche had a hand in the Seat Ibiza 1.2. Everyone has an off day. 

 

I had a System Porsche 1.2. 5 door GLX in black. Was a passed away old boys car being sold by his son. Cheekily offered £80 for it when the manual window winder dropped the window into the door and he accepted. Loved it...

[grogee]

19 minutes ago, Sunny Jim said:

What would you prefer to spend your time and money on? Preserving and driving the Puma or restoring the Metro? Reading your thread I got the impression (quite possibly wrongly?) that you were in to the Puma for the long term. If the appeal of the Metro is to scratch a Leyland itch could you keep the Puma and buyer a cheaper Leyland product? (The Autoshite answer is always to buy more cars!)

And as long as you've got the Puma the rest of your life won't be miserable - well the time you spend driving the Puma won't be!

Thanks Jim

I should explain the other constraint is Mrs Grogee's insistence that two projects is the absolute maximum allowed. 

Grudgingly I have to admit she's right. We have a big drive but it's shared and I mustn't piss off our nice neighbour with whom we share it.

Given no limitations I would have at least ten wrecks cluttering up the place but it's probably sensible to concentrate efforts into just two. 

I guess I am into the Puma for the long run, I'm just impatient and want it to be worth £OMGFORDTAX immediately. 

[Back_For_More]

I'd say go for it - but at a lower price if you can haggle it down a chunk. I looked at one nearby that was another laid up with potential and he wanted 2.5K - so I'd be trying to get the price down towards that ballpark....... the 1 I looked at did need sills etc..... but he was flexible and a decent, honest sort.

I miss the horrendously bumpy ride of the early Metros - until I spend over an hour in one 😀

[Fabergé Greggs]

This thread needs pictures. Until then I'm afraid I can't help, other than to say:

I love Metros, A series & Turbos 

 

[gadgetgricey]

1 hour ago, Talbot said:

Buy it, heave the engine and box out and shove them into a mini.

As was popular 20-25 years ago.

Jesus, that takes me back. Mate of mine from about 20 years ago did that very thing with his clubman.
Was f'ing scary/fantastic.

[Split_Pin]

Imagine sitting in the Metro in question and thinking "aah £7k well spent".

[FakeConcern]

I have to say I'd love a Metro Turbo & having owned a 1.1 and an MG 1275 n/a as well as Mini 1275GTs, I know I like driving them, but that sounds like the sort of money that should buy a pretty much perfect one. If it was just the mechanical bits that needed doing, maybe not so bad, but if it has bodywork needed as well, pretty sure that will be 100% more extensive/expensive than expected so I'd be very wary. I don't know much about Ford Pumas and the only Fords I've ever owned were XR3is so can't really comment except to say they look nice, but I'd rather have a Metro!

 

Edit; Pictures please...

Edited June 7, 2022 by FakeConcern

[sporty-shite]

Seven.large seems a bit strong. Is he just trying his luck? 

If you had them ey, maybe bid him £4-4500 for it. That should give you a decent wedge to throw at it.  

[sutty2006]

Tell him to knock a zero off the price tag (any of them, doesn’t matter which) and then you’ll “possibly” be doing him a favour taking it away. 
 

7k for a broken metro is a whopping great no from me. There’s plenty of motors out there worth 7k. Don’t waste it on a 700 quid metro.

[New POD]

1 hour ago, Rocket88 said:

They failed……

No. They didn't.  Face lift cars had a modified boost curve which preserved to gearbox, gave is a power band more like a 2 stroke, but limited mid range torque, which meant they survived better than the early ones, which had more torque. 

Reference: Dave Sexton, Time served engineer who worked in the engine development section at Longbridge, before he moved to Lucas Industries