This 400 Mile Chevy Metro Hatchback Is An Economy Car Time Capsule From 2000

Economy cars aren’t terribly exciting as their sole purpose is providing customers with an affordable means of transportation.

The Chevrolet Metro and its Geo predecessor fulfilled that role for over a decade, and the most notable thing about them was a comical convertible variant.

However, the Metro is back in the news as a pristine example has been listed on Bring a Trailer. Driven a mere 402 miles (647 km) in the past 21 years, the three-door hatchback looks like it just rolled off the assembly line.

Also Read: The Geo Metro Convertible Is A Laughably Mediocre Car From The ’80s

While the Metro appears to be in great shape, it’s economy car roots are clearly showing thanks to black plastic bumpers and 13-inch steel wheels with plastic covers. They’re complimented by sizable panel gaps and an old school antenna that was effectively tacked on.

Moving into the cabin, there’s two-tone “sport cloth” seats and a minimalist instrument cluster which lacks a tachometer. The latter is particularly interesting as this car features a five-speed manual transmission.

While the entry-level Metro was sparsely equipped, this model has been outfitted with options such as air conditioning and a CD player. Furthermore, the car boasts a maximum cargo capacity of 22.5 cubic feet (637 liters) and some copywriter was desperate enough to remark this is “more than you’d find in a Lincoln Continental!”

A brochure from the era said the “spirited performance of its 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine may surprise you,” but that surprise was the equivalent of getting socks for Christmas. In terms of numbers, the boat anchor of an engine developed a mere 55 hp (41 kW / 56 PS) and 58 lb-ft (79 Nm) of torque. That makes it nearly half as powerful as the 2021 Chevrolet Spark, which has a 1.4-liter four-cylinder with 98 hp (73 kW / 99 PS) and 94 lb-ft (127 Nm) of torque.

Despite being as appealing as last week’s tofu, bidding is already up to $6,500 (£4,714 / €5,563). That’s pretty impressive considering the car originally stickered for $11,140 (£8,078 / €9,534).