Dilemma: Metro Turbo

[busmansholiday]

By an MG F/TF instead. Plenty of Metro bits in it and a sight cheaper and better. If you don't like the engine behind you just drive it backwards.

[greengartside]

4 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

 

Whether there are better cars for the money is as irrelevant as saying Melinda Messenger has bigger tits than Sophie Ellis Bextor.  If you want a bit of posh, the former just won't cut it.

 

Fact of the day: FIL used to be a car dealer and once sold a new Mercedes to Melinda Messenger, apparently she was lovely but totally clueless about cars.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor it is then.

[406V6]

I had a new non-turbo MG Metro back in the day and it was great fun to drive on any road apart from the motorway where an Astra 1.3 beat the pants off it. As already said, those bad-mouthing the Metro either haven’t driven one in good shape or have no sense of fun. Despite all this, £7k for a car needing engine work and paint is far too much. If you really really want it, then it’s your money, spend it. I would have thought £3k tops.

[AnthonyG]

@Six-cylinder’s MG Metro is a great car to drive, but every time I do I do find myself looking for 5th gear. I imagine the Turbo is the same but more so? 

£7k seems a lot for something that needs a engine rebuild, a ‘bit’ of welding (it’s a 1980s Metro, it will probably need more) and a respray. If it had just one of the above issues, it would probably make sense, but it sounds a lot like Condition 2 money for a Condition 3 car.

That’s using the old Practical Classics criteria, where 2 equalled useable and 3 equalled fucked…

[New POD]

Has anyone ever fitted a jack knight 5 speed straight cut close ratio box into a Medro Turdo ? 

[stuboy]

7 bags, and and 50% to sort out the issues... then datapost rep it... look nice parked in the garage.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

6 hours ago, cobblers said:

It's doubly irrelevant for me as I am sadly not allowed within 500 yards of either of their houses anymore, in fact I'm probably breaking part of the court order even quoting a post about their boobs.

About 20 years ago I was tasked with driving the lovely Miss Messenger and newsreader Jan Leeming to their homes after a Ball in The Dorchester. Both were very very drunk  and the conversation was quite bawdy as both had just got divorced and we’re having a ‘ dry spell’ Only one of them propositioned me when helping her into the house.

Clue, if it had been Melinda, I wouldn’t have run away !

To keep this on topic, £7000 for a feckin Metro that needs welding and an engine rebuild, Id have to be even more spectacularly drunk than they were.

[Spiny Norman]

Wouldn't be my money, seven grand would buy a really decent (...insert name of nice old car that can be found for £7k that you like here...) but if you want one why not?

I'm surprised they went to the bother of turbocharging it at all if they then had to peg the extra power back to  prevent gearboxes being a 5000 mile service item when there were literally books written on the very subject of getting 90bhp and more from a 1275cc A series.

Didn't Fiat and Renault get 120bhp from the Uno & 5 Turbos?
 

[Dobloseven]

16 hours ago, Spiny Norman said:

Wouldn't be my money, seven grand would buy a really decent (...insert name of nice old car that can be found for £7k that you like here...) but if you want one why not?

I'm surprised they went to the bother of turbocharging it at all if they then had to peg the extra power back to  prevent gearboxes being a 5000 mile service item when there were literally books written on the very subject of getting 90bhp and more from a 1275cc A series.

Didn't Fiat and Renault get 120bhp from the Uno & 5 Turbos?
 

Sounds crazy now, 90bhp from 1.3 litres. My Zafira has around 140 from 1.4 litres.Its the crazy world of classic cars, where older equals better. Would think originality would affect values as well. Our friendly local caravan salesman says he's after a Renault 5 Turbo, but they've all been messed with. 7k sounds ridiculous, but who knows how values will go in the future. 

[Bren]

On 6/7/2022 at 7:43 PM, New POD said:

I have owned 4 minis, a 1275 sport metro, and a Metro Turbo, whilst I regret buying 3 of the minis, I regret selling the T reg 850 and both metros. 

The metro turbo I had was a hoot, but rusty as fuck, and the brakes and suspension were designed by fuckwhittery.  

I also managed to snap an engine mount (TADT).

Loved driving it flat out. My fuel consumption on my commute from near Longbridge to the Lucas Research Centre in Shirley woukd make a v6 omega look like an economical car. 20 mpg, cross country avoiding the M42, but never being far from it. 

I remember my brother hammering his R5 GT turbo from the Farnborough air show back to Widnes four up.

It did 23 mpg.

[New POD]

20 hours ago, Spiny Norman said:

Wouldn't be my money, seven grand would buy a really decent (...insert name of nice old car that can be found for £7k that you like here...) but if you want one why not?

I'm surprised they went to the bother of turbocharging it at all if they then had to peg the extra power back to  prevent gearboxes being a 5000 mile service item when there were literally books written on the very subject of getting 90bhp and more from a 1275cc A series.

Didn't Fiat and Renault get 120bhp from the Uno & 5 Turbos?
 

Normally aspirated carbed A series, would require an ambitious cam shaft profile, to get 90 bhp, that basically meant there was zero torque, and all the power was at the top end, somewhere where the rods were about to fly off, and the valve springs disintintgrate. 

The turbo, gave it 90 bhp which was usable. (Gearbox permitting 🤔) 

[grogee]

While we're on a forced aspiration A-series tip, check this out. Looks neat.

Seen at a local car show I've just got back from. 

[DavidB]

£11K bought this pristine unrestored MG Metro Turbo, from a £7000 starting bid.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325182801303

There’s a project here for £5,500

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394108831571

I had a Metro GTi with a 1.4 16v K-Series (it cost me £100 in 2010) and it was such a good car.

[155V6]

57 minutes ago, DavidB said:

 

I had a Metro GTi with a 1.4 16v K-Series (it cost me £100 in 2010) and it was such a good car.

Great fun,mine was not much more than that in about 2005.Another car I should never have sold.I'd rather have my Puma though.

[grogee]

1 hour ago, DavidB said:

£11K bought this pristine unrestored MG Metro Turbo, from a £7000 starting bid.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325182801303

There’s a project here for £5,500

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394108831571

I had a Metro GTi with a 1.4 16v K-Series (it cost me £100 in 2010) and it was such a good car.

Keep-fit windows? Fuck me, that is stingy. 

Did any 'original' (not K-series) Metros get leccy windows?

[High Jetter]

4 minutes ago, grogee said:

Keep-fit windows? Fuck me, that is stingy. 

Did any 'original' (not K-series) Metros get leccy windows?

Weight loss, no motors. Maybe the VDP or Mayfair had them? Recollections of the launch are blurry, I'm afraid.

[DavidB]

45 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

Great fun,mine was not much more than that in about 2005.Another car I should never have sold.I'd rather have my Puma though.

Yeah, it just felt so solid and planted (and comfy) to drive, they looked nice as well I thought. I found some old photos, and forgot how rusty it was, the underside wasn't affected weirdly. Not sure what I was going to do with it. I would definitely have another one of these, but they haven't been cheap for years now.

 

[Matty]

1 hour ago, DavidB said:

There’s a project here for £5,500

You bugger. I'd just come back to post that. I was going to say that @grogees mates must be better than that and 1500 quid on bodywork alone gets very little done but I'll just go to bed instead 😁

[mk2_craig]

41 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Weight loss, no motors. Maybe the VDP or Mayfair had them? Recollections of the launch are blurry, I'm afraid.

I think they did, I have some vague recollection that the window switches were mounted in the door bins, and an even vaguer recollection that the same switches could also be found in the T45 Roadtrain.

[grogee]

9 hours ago, Matty said:

You bugger. I'd just come back to post that. I was going to say that @grogees mates must be better than that and 1500 quid on bodywork alone gets very little done but I'll just go to bed instead 😁

It is better than that but frustratingly I still don't have any pics to share. I've asked my mate for some pics twice but I still don't have any so he can't be that desperate to sell it. In which case I'll carry on bumbling around in my Puma.

[Talbot]

 

[HMC]

All 80s hot hatches are now seemingly worth more than the sum of their parts that’s for sure.

[ETCHY]

14 hours ago, grogee said:

Keep-fit windows? Fuck me, that is stingy. 

Did any 'original' (not K-series) Metros get leccy windows?

Certainly the early top of the range VDPs didn't but you did get a brown dashboard and brown winding handles for extra luxury ..🤣

 

[Rocket88]

4 hours ago, ETCHY said:

Certainly the early top of the range VDPs didn't but you did get a brown dashboard and brown winding handles for extra luxury ..🤣

 

The less electricity in BL products of that era the better…

[Stroller133]

19 hours ago, grogee said:

Keep-fit windows? Fuck me, that is stingy. 

Did any 'original' (not K-series) Metros get leccy windows?

I think the facelift (84/85 onwards?) models had electric windows on the top spec and possibly central locking, key operated not remote. It was typical of the era though, I don't think any mk1 Fiesta had electric windows even the XR2 or Ghia, but I think both those models would have on mk2. A friend had a 1.4s Fiesta and I think that may have had keep fit windows.

[mk2_craig]

3 hours ago, Stroller133 said:

I don't think any mk1 Fiesta had electric windows even the XR2 or Ghia, but I think both those models would have on mk2.

Nope. Mk3 before any Fiesta came with e/w (or c/l, for that matter) as standard or even optional. There was possibly a dealer fit kit for the mk2, later high spec models had a centre console featuring a pair of somewhat conspicuous looking switch blanks behind the gear lever, though it's also possible that's where they fitted heated seat controls on Scandinavian models.

Cripes, that reads like a proper Fiesta nerd just wrote it, eh.

[Rod/b]

On 6/8/2022 at 2:31 PM, Six-cylinder said:

I have driven a Turbo and standard 1275cc back to back and the little whoosh the turbo gives is great, but worth 3 times the price???

Who am I to talk I sold my 114SLi now we have  MK 1 MG 1300. The SLi 75 bhp with a 5 speed gearbox was a much better car and only 1/3 of the price!

Oh man, I had a Mk1 MG 1300 as my first car, gifted by my grandparents. I loved that car, and I’d love another one day. RIP A727JNG, you lovely, yet unbelievably rusty, little thinG.

Replaced it with an early carb fed K series GTa that was a miles better car in every respect. Still rusted mind. 

[Tommyboy12]

So has it been bought yet??

Ill chip in and say 7.5k isn't too bad nowadays considering rarity. A decent mini is fetching 6k plus nowadays and that doesn't have a snail.

A self done engine rebuild is about £1500 nowadays if you include the gearbox. Get a builder to do it your looking 4-5k minimum up to 10k+. While you're in there it's a perfect opportunity to give yourself a little bit more grunt.

I went a little too far on the grunt and run 175hp...

 

[andy18s]

A fun Metro you say?

[alfetta]

15 hours ago, Stroller133 said:

I think the facelift (84/85 onwards?) models had electric windows on the top spec and possibly central locking, key operated not remote. It was typical of the era though, I don't think any mk1 Fiesta had electric windows even the XR2 or Ghia, but I think both those models would have on mk2. A friend had a 1.4s Fiesta and I think that may have had keep fit windows.

No mk2 fiesta had electric windows. Console had 2 blanks that looked like they would, but used for either heated seats in scandinavia or electric boot release (actually deleted on later cars..)