My first car was a Metro & it was awesome! Stick shift, manual windows, no radio, but I loved that little car. Got over 80k miles on it, including a full cross-county road trip. She had a little trouble in the mountains, but other than that was perfect!
Learned how to drive stick on an 89 Ford ranger. Wasn't allowed to press the gas pedal till I could make the truck climb up a slight grade using just the clutch
I drove a Hyundai Accent with a stick shift and roll down windows through college and grad school. The car payment was $139 a month and I'd probably still be driving it if someone hadn't run a stop sign and totaled it.
There’s a direct lineage between the tracker pictured and your jimny!
Trackers were a joint venture between Suzuki and GM, the tracker was basically a sidekick, with many parts being shared between it and the Jimny of the time.
Geo Metros shared a motor with the Samurai, my 88 actually has a valve cover from a metro as they were aluminum instead of stamped steel.
the tracker is a rebadged suzuki Vitara, which is the next model up in size from the Jimny, whose predecessor is the Suzuki Sierra.
mine still only has a 1.5L 4cyl engine, that is the only engine available actually. well, the japanese Kei versions are sold with a 660cc 3cyl turbo, but they are only sold in Japan, all the export ones get the 1.5
Lot of name swapping going on around these things, in North America and Indonesia these were Sidekicks and came with a 1.6L motor, some trims, (early ones?) also use the 1.3L that found its way into the samurai in most markets.
The Sierra is another name plate that was used for the samurai in certain markets along with the Jimny, Santana, Caribian, and Gypsy in India.
If you know them as Sierras, do you happen to be from Australia? They also badged them down there as Holden Drovers and Stockmans though i think that was with a truck bed on back.
Not a kia fan, but the Soul had a manual until 2024. My little bro drives a motorcycle when weather permits, otherwise he's in his little manual soul. He got his in like 2018 new for not much more than 10k
I know they fixed the problems, but two of my friends had engine blow up with their little turbo 4cylinders around 10 years ago, and I don't like the cvts they are using.
Both friends were covered by warranty, and kia did honor the warranty and took care of them.
I mean, that was 10 years ago, and it was a limited issue. I had a 2016 Soul that didn't have any problems at all. I've I had the Niro sine 2018 with no problems. They're rated pretty well in the Consumer's Report thing.
I'm just a snob, I love my 2015 lexus gs350 too much. Comfortable during commute, the AWD system works just like Subaru, and i dont have to worry about blown head gaskets like i did with my previous car (2008 Subaru forester, which was a cheap car at the time and available with a manual.)
I also like being able to accelerate on highway ramps and to be able to drive uphill in the mountains without the car struggling and downshifting to 2nd gear. The GS350 isn't a race car. My friends WRX is faster. However It's got decent power, and i dont feel sore after a 4-5 hour drive to go visit family out of state. I like my uber comfortable interior.
I really did like the Stinger a lot, but, it was out of my budget when i was car shopping. Got the Lexus for like 25K back when Stingers were still new and selling for over 35K in like 2018.
Manuals have not been standard for many decades and are practically non-existent these days except as an option on some sportier cars. You may occasionally find a manual sedan, but it is such a rarity.
But I bet it's a higher trim option, not a base model. You used to have to pay an additional $1k to upgrade from a base model manual to an automatic transmission. Now manuals are an upgrade for a high performance trim.
Automatic cars are rather the exception in Europe. If I had to guess, maybe 5 out of 100 cars have an automatic transmission. They're more common among older people or those with physical limitations.
According to European Mobility Foresight estimates, automatic transmission penetration reached about 75% in 2020 . This was driven by a shift in manufacturing strategies, where manufacturers began offering automatics across a wider range of models — not just luxury cars — using technologies like CVTs, DSGs, and conventional automatics. This made automatics more affordable and accessible to a broader consumer base.
The trend has continued to grow:
In 2019, automatics made up roughly 44% of new car sales in Europe
>By 2020, that figure had risen to 75%
>Industry commentary in 2025 notes that automatics are now the standard in many European markets, with manuals becoming a niche option
My Mom was a rebel and went for the Suzuki Sidekick. The only option I remember her getting was A/C and she had to turn that off when going up steep hills. I ended up driving it when I got my license but with no power steering, and clunky 5spd manual, I ended up driving the families 90 accord manual for a while. Good times.
Just bought a Kei truck and it’s right hand drive and a 4 speed manual and it’s so much fun to drive. It’s not fast, but man it sure is fun. Gonna teach my girls to drive a stick in it just so they kinda know how at least.
I once roadtripped with a friend, & we drove it as empty as we dared (no gas warning light, of course) and it was STILL less than $10 to fill the tank!
My cousin had a Metro, one night we were stoned out of our minds and wanted to drive to the gas station to get some food, this was a very small town with no one around, especially at night. So we ended up driving the whole way there in reverse, then driving back to the apartment in reverse, we were laughing our asses off.
We had a guy in town that replaced his Metros exhaust with a Maxwell House coffee can. The sound was hilarious and etched in my 🧠. This is like 25 years ago and someone brought it up a week ago lol
My cousin was driving one in 2011 (don't recall what year the car was) and we hit a patch of ice on the freeway. Did a few 360s before bouncing off the concrete guardrail. Both of us walked away without a scratch. Thanks you, Theo the Geo!
The Metro was a great car depending what you used it for.
Need to get up to the high end of highway cruising speeds? Haha no it's gonna shake until you're afraid. Want to get onto the highway with a short on ramp? Nope x2
..but.. need to get out the back of a parking lot, over a 6" curb/landscaping, to save 15 mins leaving a venue? Metro's got your back
Eventually I'll look into whether that "3 cylinder" thing is really true, but I heard they stopped one of the 4 cylinders from firing to get better efficiency
The Metro came with two engine options, a three and a four cylinder configuration. I don’t know much about the four banger, but the three cylinder was a great little engine made by Suzuki that was used in some small airplanes. It wasn’t a smooth idler, but it was under-square which gave it a decent amount of torque for something as woefully underpowered as it was.
For the right person, they were great little cars. My brother had one for a while, and while I can’t say he particularly liked the car it worked well for him and was one of the only engines that that dumbass couldn’t manage to kill.
All of those Geo’s were a really fascinating early nod to globalization. The bodies were often assembled by Chevy, but were copies of designs from Japan and none of them had American engines in them. Some of the parts were American, but most weren’t. The Tracker (which was the car I always wanted) was basically a rebranded Suzuki Sidekick.
I had a Geo Spectrum and that was an Isuzu based on the Gemini-I. That was a great little car. When gas prices were like $1 a gallon I could go like 400+ miles for less than $10 bucks. I did a lot of just driving around and exploring as entertainment because it was cheap and fun. I just googled and my little 5 speed got like 40mpg. 30 years later and that’s still slightly better than my hybrid is now!
I think it had 160k miles when I sold it and I saw it around town years later still going. Crank windows and no AC. It did have a tape deck though. Must have been a premium model lol.
I had a 1980 Chevy Chevette before that and it only lasted like 6 months before it threw a rod on the highway and blew out the engine. That car was peak American (this is why people are buying Japanese) pile of crap. The gas pedal was the size of a Trisquit because that probably saved 5 cents a car on the assembly line.
I worked at the plant where the geo/chevy metro and tracker were built (as well as the Suzuki swift and vitara, the vehicles were identical other than the badges). It was an interesting Chevy/Suzuki coproduction that attempted to use a north American plant with union labour to build Japanese vehicles by Japanese methods. Some aspects of it worked better than others.
They made a biopic about that in 1986 called Gung Ho.
J/ k, but seriously it’s a comedy with basically the same premise—American workers getting bought out by the Japanese and all the conflict that caused.
It’s actually pretty good. It’s an early Ron Howard movie starring a typically live wire Michael Keaton from the era when he was doing almost all comedies still. It also has George Wendt and John Turturro and Gedde Watanabe (more famous as Long Duk Dong in 16 Candles, but memorable here for the “elephant”).
It is! (Still running around in a rebuilt samurai)
If you keep in mind that 5th gear is just for flat roads it’s not too bad, there’s a few grades I have to go down to 3rd to climb, but I’ll tell you what, they are fantastic little wagons off-road
I had a 2012 Chevy Colorado that I used for work up until fairly recently, and I'm pretty sure it was the only American made vehicle that came with a 5-cylinder option.
Not a huge fan of engines w/ an odd cylinder count like that. The uneven firing order tends to make the block vibrate violently, and a rough & noisy ride is the result.
I had a ‘90 Geo Metro. Tried for ten years to kill that poor car, but I never succeeded. It went off-road, it went through mud, it even went underwater (flooded the interior, water came through the vents) and it refused to die.
It was still getting nearly 50mpg and didn’t burn a drop of oil when I traded it in for a truck, even after almost a quarter million miles.
10/10 solid engineering and survivability that a modern tank would be envious of.
In 1999 maybe I was part of a ren faire troop that took a road trip to go to a faire. The group had 9 people, my Buick LeSabre, the leader's big white truck, and a Geo Metro. The leader of the troop kept warning us not to drink alcohol in the hot Dallas sun, but he didn't follow his own advice, got terribly sick, and decided to drive back home, leaving us with 8 people to manage in the remaining two cars along with all of their luggage and tents. There were a lot of costumes in that luggage.
We managed to fit it all in, and I was amazed by how much stuff we could cram into that tiny Geo Metro.
My friend's dad had a red Metro (4 door) with an air brushed image of the that car being struck by lightning. It was really well done. They told me the previous owner had it done and they didn't care to have it removed.
I had a used Geo Storm hatchback in hs that lasted through the mid 00s. That thing was awesome (other than how it looked). 249K+ mi on it until I got another car after 8y and was a 3x wreck survivor. Tbf, 2/3 weren’t my fault and the worst one was a driver side T-bone. I had a black junkyard door on the blue body and a door that wouldn’t open, window that wouldn’t roll down, and one tinted window. It went another 75K after that, tho. I definitely got my $2900 worth!
You can get you a Bolt EV for $27k. Slate should sell for around that whenever they finally start shipping. About the same for a base model Miata if you want to relive the 90s with a manual transmission and gasoline instead of electric.
They didn't have reverse, it was an option. So was electric start. My dad's friend had one, pop the hood to pull start and have the family push it out of the spot.
We had one, what a piece of shit car. Smelled like burning oil and when new and never stopped. Would stall if you hit a speed bump going more then 6 MPH. Stock set of tires lasted about a month. Window fell into the door when we hit a pothole. Tape player shot tapes into the back seat when they ejected. Had a stock switch that disabled the ignition.
And they'll go just about anywhere more reliably than bigger trucks. Top Gear took one through the Amazon, iirc, and it did very well. (Technically a Suzuki Samurai, but same thing.)
Yeah these are doing like 7 year loans now. My dates are a little fuzzy so you definitely know better than me. My half-autistic ass did the math as to how much I would be paying total if I financed and I noped my ass off a new car lot and paid cash for a used car with what was supposed to be my down payment.
I bought a Subaru a couple of years ago, or technically I guess I leased it, but the great thing is that at the end of my lease term I will Be able to buy the car for less money than it's worth. So I could technically buy it, take out a loan, and then sell it immediately and still end up with more money than if I hadn't leased the car at all. So when my lease term ends next year I'm probably just going to buy the thing outright cuz I really like the car anyway.
I had a roommate with bad credit who financed one of these for a 5 year loan.
A week later his piece of shit, lying, cheating on again-off again girlfriend with worse credit financed a Ford Explorer for a lower monthly payment.
He was pissed.
He was even more pissed when he found out that the reason she got such good terms was she was sleeping with both the salesman and the finance manager at the Ford dealership. Both married, by the way.
She was pregnant, and she got drunk and told him that she was pregnant, and that she wasn't sure if it was his, one of the guys at the dealership, her boss, or one of her random one night stands.
They broke up, but he had to get a paternity test after the kid was born to rule him out as the father. That was a long 8 months for my boy.
He also had to get every STD test under the sun.
I was glad to never see her again, personally.
We had some mutual friends, and I heard that her Explorer got repossessed when she lost her job after her boss passed along a dose of the clap to his wife, and divorced him and took the business in the divorce.
The idea of financing a car for five years didn't exist in the 90s. And while the average price of a new vehicle was much lower, it wasn't insignificant compared to income. Average car price in 1994 was ~17k. Equivalent to about $38k in 2026 terms. But, still, I had never heard of a car loan term longer than 36 months until the last 10 years. I'm sure some shady lenders out there provided them, but they weren't mainstream at all.
Geo trackers are amazing for what they are. My wife had one for damn near a decade. Amazing in gas, comfy, barely required maintenance, and had cheap accessories. She'd still have it if it wasn't for that damn pt cruiser that wrecked it
You only took a 5 yr out of desperation. The rate would suck and you'd end up basically paying twice the price in the end. Very few people I knew ever did them back then. But, the economy wasn't quite as big a steaming garbage heap back then either.
Well many immigrant families like mine who had little had to stretch every penny. So you may not know of them from your time but there are more people in tougher situations than you knew about.
Bro you know jack shit about anyone here or where their families were in the 70s/80s/90s. You don’t have a patent on being poor during the Reagan years.
You’re literally just out here looking for a place to paint yourself as a victim, aren’t you?
I was one of those. I paid cash for my first car and it was $500. Took me two months to have the cash & money for car insurance, (which was insane).
My 2nd car was $2500 and I used my first car to get more opportunities to make money. My third car was a Ford escort that was $99 a month for 3 years and I flipped it in less than 2 after buying new wheels & upgrading the stereo & adding AC & getting more than I owed on it.
At the most predatory “buy here pay here” loan shark and junk heap lots, but not at traditional dealers or legit used car places where 80+% of Americans got their cars.
Yea, but now the auto financing branches of the companies have realized they make more from the financing itself than the sale of the car, so why not have those extended financing terms?
My dad bought a ‘96 Honda Accord LX new, and he paid 16k for it OTD. I think the lower prices would have been in the early 90’s, when I remember pickup trucks being advertised starting at $8900.
Accords we're a little more upscale/sporty. I wonder what a base civic cost in 96. Probably not 8k but low teens i I'd bet. By the late 90's prices were pushing $20k however.
I had a 90's model Chevy geo tracker. I loved that damn thing. Be careful driving it on a windy day, the wind would blow you literally off the road it was so light yet so blocky. My buddies and I would take it to the beach and jump sand dunes in it, I couldn't count how many times we flipped that thing. We'd climb out roll it back over and jump back in. Broke my heart when I had to get rid of it. Felt like you were driving a suped up golf cart with doors and windows.
Cmon now, everyone here knows that those Geo/Chevy Trackers can go 1,000,000 miles and get like 30+ miles to the gallon. I’d gladly finance one again lol
In high school I had a buddy that had one with huge lift kit on it. The first time I saw it was at a party when I was on LSD. The party was in a fairly new subdivision with a few new houses still being built and there was an empty lot with just the basement dug out. Since he was so eager to show it off and it just rained, so we end up mud bogging in what is now someone's huge basement and then several people want a ride too. He ended up leaving a mud trail leading all the way back to the party and the next day the sun came out and baked that red clay into the street so it stayed there for months. His dad was apparently really pissed about the mud when he got back in town but I don't think found out about the party
The neons of the 80’s got replaced by pastels in the 90’s and that mutated into trends like sponge painting. This kind of splotchy 90’s look is a precursor to sponge painting. The bland colors are a natural progression from pastels and the flat monotones are a natural reaction to the blotchy sponge look—kind of a kill it with bland reaction to that.
Omg the sponge painting. My mom sponge painted our entire living and dining rooms. We had the classic 90’s French countryside style furniture (blue and white checkered print) against warm beige walls sponge painted with mossy green and gold. It was mid 90’s meets Trading Spaces DIY hell.
This is the actual reason, companies chasing that bottom line, while consumers also chasing the bottom line in their purchases. Thats why boring ass gray cars sell better, because their cheaper.
This is the real reason. Minimal colors is a cost savings strategy, one for less overhead, and two less slow moving inventory for less desirable colors. Its about maximizing profit not about providing what customers want most.
I do think that the millennial gray concept gets a little overblown. Lots of people do this from a practical standpoint.
Having gray, black or white walls, and furniture, allows you to decorate with color around those items.
Typically the pain on your walls and your furniture color isn't going to change for quite some time. If you decide to go with a blue couch and orange walls. You're stuck with that for a bit of time.
Many of the people I know who decorate this way have very colorful homes, they just use accessories to brighten it up.
Funny thing about “Millenial Grey” is Millenials didn’t come up with it. Millenials aren’t building houses… boomers trying to squeeze every last dollar out of properties are.
That made me laugh. Only because I remember my mom cleaning the walls in her bathroom and going “OMG, it’s ment to be white?” After she spent 10+ years smoking in that room every morning and evening by getting ready or taking the days crap off. It was so nasty what she cleans off. She ended up paining the whole bathroom brown out of frustration.
Basic colors spend less time sitting on the dealer lot. It is acceptable for more people. It's why you see more white cars than bright orange. If the market was larger for these things, the company's would be happy to sell them.
I think Apple and the white MacBook and iPod had a small hand in pushing white, silver and gray as cool or in style, along with other consumer electronics companies like Sony, Samsung and Nintendo.
In 1991 I got a Trek mountain bike which was white w/ black splatter paint and teal letters/numbers. It's still on the top of my list for favorite color schemes of bikes I've owned.
I wonder if it's being run by Chip and Pepper still.
Pepper Foster turned into a real piece of shit. The last few years he's been "going into business" with a bunch of local businesses in my city and then basically stealing their money and bankrupting them.
I bet that was dope. My pop grew up with a huge family apple farm where they had cars without bodies (engine, frame, seats, wind in your face) and other similar shenanigans.
It's wild because I don't think anyone really anticipated the demand for them. Geo was a joke company and the media in the 90s worked so hard to scare people off the whole concept of jeeps.
I had one that was a CHEVY and by God no one could call it a Geo. He was turquoise and his name was Terrance. I took the soft top off ONCE and never again. What a pain in the ass.
I wanted one of these so bad! There was one in my town that was painted ice blue with snowflakes all over it. My nickname at work as a teenager was Snowflake (because of my pale skin, it was that or Casper, nice of them to let me choose!), anyway, I was in love with it and wanted one just like it.
I think the geo metro was probably the most gas efficient car without it being a hybrid. The tracker was prob not far behind.. Well worth the investment
I went on a date with a woman who drove one of these. She picked me up and went on the best date of my life. We went back to her car and someone tore through the cloth top on it and stole it. We took a cab back to my place and met the police there. That’s when I found out it was actually her husband’s car that got stolen. Dude lost his wife and car on the same night
Bro I had a Suzuki side kick, 5 speed, with manual locking hubs. Best fucking vehicle I’ve ever owned. I would trade one of my kids to have that whip back.
I wanted one of these so bad. My parents wouldn't let me get one because they were afraid it would flip over. In hindsight, I feel like it could've probably been just pushed over very easily, so they probably made the right call.
I know! I’m a lifelong VW driver. They’ve had some amazing marketing throughout the years. I’m partial to the fast campaign though, since I’m a GTI driver.
The only two brands that appeal to my hothatch sensibilities and still have models available in the US are VW and Mazda. It’s stupid that the hatchback market has been more or less replaced by godawful SUVs.
Dude I went to HS with basically had a blank check from his parents when he turned 16 to pick whatever vehicle he wanted. Ended up picking a baby blue Geo Tracker.
Meanwhile my dream car was a 1998 Z-71 with the cool third door. 🤣
And it was always the biggest people that drove these cars! One of my gym teachers in middle school was built like a linebacker. Even seeing her get into and out of this thing, my smoothbrain couldn't make the physics work.
Lol I did like those cars tho. In 96 I got a 2 door geo metro hatchback, 4 speed manual. It had no get up and go but what I wouldn’t give for the 45-50 miles a gallon again. I delivered pizza in that thing all through college and commuted 50 miles round trip to school 3 days a week and I don’t remember ever being concerned about the price of gas. Also had the 3rd party extended warranty for it which was a good thing because it blew a head gasket once, had major oil leaks and needed a new clutch and flywheel all of which were covered. It was bought used at 4 years old but only cost $5k with the warranty so I def got my moneys worth out of that car.
In comparison, you can now finance a car of the same crap quality for SEVEN years (or more if you want!!!) in a boring color for at least double what it'd have cost in the 90's. .
A friend got one brand new for his 16th birthday. I believe his parents paid cash because his mom had just gotten an inheritance. We’d ride around town blasting Nine Inch Nails and Pantera.
Yep. My mom wanted one and I went with her to buy it. The dealer was a family friend and told her that he absolutely would not sell her this car because it would crumble like a tin can. The fastest it could go was 58 mph. She left with a Chevy Blazer.
I like my boring car with no personality because I don't want to be noticeable or memorable on the road. I had a red car for a while in college and got pulled over a ton. There's also road rage psychos you might piss off somehow, so I like to stay as anonymous as possible out there.
I do enjoy other people to have fun cars in all varieties, for me to look at from my boring perch.
i still want one. or an older honda crv that was still small and not bloated like today's. I like the audio samarais too! but rarely see them anymore.I believe i remember also seeing something called a rocky as well?
Wish you could still buy a cj5 size Wrangler too. The current Wrangler iteration looks like a crj who has gotten morbidly obese. From what i read while the cj5 was about 2500 pounds the current Wrangler is over 4000 pounds.
Maybe it’s just my experience but it was always the fattest people who owned these. We had a local family Mom, Dad and 3 boys. None weighed less than 270. If just one of them were driving the poor frame looked like \ I swear I never saw a skinny driver
That's the vaporwave trim. Chances are anyone financing one of those in the early 90's was the father of a 16 year old girl just trying to make his little princess happy.
My beat friend's mom had one and we lived in Minnesota. To make the back not freezing during the winter they would have to just blast the heat from the front. It looked cute though.
I love these and the others that have the same idea going for them. The Suzuki Samurai and the Suzuki Sidekick. The first car I ever owned was a Sidekick. It was when I lived in the Virgin Islands in my 20s. Gotta say I would totally drive a Samurai if I had extra money for a toy car.
It was my grandfather’s. It was kind of this weird thing because he was such a big guy and everyone would get a kick out of seeing him drive it. But it was a great car to get around a small town and easy to drive. Fit in every parking spot
My first boss tried in 96 tried to convince me to buy his Suzuki Samurai death trap. Glad I passed though thinking back was probably a cooler ride then my Hyundai Hatchback despite the rollover risk.
They’re not really banned for any reason other than they’re not sold here so Suzuki hasn’t spent any money/effort getting them approved (why would they). It is sad though I’d love one of those mini g wagon clown cars
As a kid I wanted one so bad. At 16 I was working at a tire shop and we had some aluminum Geo Tracker rims and I discovered that they would fit my dad's 78 Ford Van. So I bought them.
OMFG I had this exact car, but with a hard-top, not a convertible. (You do not want a convertible in Wisconsin…)
It was a ‘93. I bought it in ‘98. Just 5 years later, I took it in for an oil change and the mechanic was like “hey, you know those bolts that good the rest of the car onto the chassis? Yeah, those are rusted through. I don’t even know how you drove this thing here.” Car = over.
Moral of the story, do not neglect the underbody flush when you’re getting. A car wash in a place where they use road salt for 2/3 of the year…
I knew a guy who had one of these. I think it was blue. One day he picked me and another gy and we rode around. He had a cd player in it, and I guess this was before "Anti-Skip Technology". Because that cd skipped so much due to the bumpy roads.... it skipped mroe than music played. It was like... 3 seconds of music, 45 seconds of nothing.
5 year loans were considered nuts back then. And if you could find this magnificent vehicle in good condition today you would have to finance it over 7
Are you kidding? If Suzuki still made Samurais, that's what I would be driving right now. About 15 or so years ago, I needed a car. I looked online for a used Samurai, because I love them so much. Found one for $800 in great condition. Went to the owner's house to test drive it. I loved it. But the owner was a good dude. He told me it's simply not a commuter. It's a fun car/Sunday drive, for going camping, off-roading etc. I told him I would have to commute between LA and San Diego often, for work. He said that I would have a miserable time doing it in a Samurai. I was young, he was old. Good, honest man who talked me out of a bad decision.
In the late '80's, my brother had one, white, with a soft top. He would take me off-roadimg at this popular spot that is now a condo development. It was so much fun. I'd hold on to the roll bar for dear life. Then we would get McDonald's. Happy childhood memories...
My parents had a Tracker. It was roomy and was very practical. I’d have one today if all of the used examples out there hadn’t been lowered, covered in a hideous metallic purple paint, put on 20 inch wheels, and stuffed full of subwoofers.
In defense of people in the 90s, most auto loans were 2-4 years at the time. I remember the first time I heard about a 5 year loan, thinking that was crazy talk!
A coworker had one. One day it just burned the fuck to the ground.
He said it was overheating so he pulled over at his sister's house. He went around back to get the hose to fill the radiator, came back around and it was just engulfed in flames.
But now that I think about it, we were teenagers. He might have exaggerated the amount of fire.
I had one. I called it the barbie mobile. It was manual trans, it drove like an extra large tonka truck. Changing gears? No need for the clutch, the stick would slip out of gear when she was ready on her own. For the last 6 months of ownership I had to pop the clutch to get it to start. Repairs cost more than the car was worth.
I had one. I called it the barbie mobile. It was manual trans, it drove like an extra large tonka truck. For the last 6 months of ownership I had to pop the clutch to get it to start. Repairs cost more than the car was worth.
It is my favorite ride ever, I’ve owned three of them. Just had to let go of my baby because I cant manage the stick shift anymore. 4x4, convertible, just the most fun ever! I even had a little backpack for it. 😭
And so many of them dont even have a full bed lol. I bought a used Dodge Caravan after I bought my house cuz it was practical. Guys would give me shit for it, until I pointed out how their $70k truck couldnt even fit full sheets of drywall or plywood or keep em dry in the rain.
My dad had the v6 version of this back in the 90s-2000s. That was literally all you needed out of a truck unless you are towing a lot of equipment or putting a small dump bed in the back.
Yeah, but they only weighed about 2200 - 2300 lbs. Not sure if I'd wanna cruise the Interstate all day in one, but they were enough (especially a manual) to get you around town or across the beach quickly enough.
my friends and I were heading to Dave and Buster's one Saturday and we usually took the highway. My Tracker was a fucking kite on windy days on the highway so I had to take the backroads.. still beat them there!
They were not fast, but they were useful. I pulled stun with one in 4Low. I loaded an oven in box in the back and brought it home when my in-laws’ oven died on Christmas Eve. And it was lovely to drive up canyons with the top down.
I have thought about picking one up and doing an electric conversion. Or else upgrading the motor to a modern 2.0 turbo.
I live in the Buffalo area and knew someone that had one of these and lived on some country ass hilly roads that dont get plowed all that well. That thing just ate through the snow. Most people driving the trucks on the road today absolutely do not need that much room and power.
Weren’t little SUVs like the Geo Tracker notorious for tipping over at slow speeds on tight turns? Like they famously would capsized in fast food drive throughs. And it happened enough the entire class of car stopped being made by a manufacturer.
My little sister still talks about how she misses her Geo Tracker lol!!
I can’t say much as I purchased a 2007 Chevy Aveo brand new off the lot in November 2006 myself and it was my favorite car ever, although for $12,000 brand new I don’t think anyone would complain if they ran across that today lol
(side rant) I like colorful socks now because after 24 years of only olive drab (uniform) or white (for physical fitness time) I need something to pop a little. You know how difficult it is to find good colorful socks?
Say what you want about Geos but my friends dad had a 3 cylinder metro that got almost 50mpg and went for 300,000 miles. He bought it brand new for just over 7,000. Try finding its equal today
Mine was a Geo metro. My uncle bought like 4 of them,one for each of his daughters and then 1 for my mom which eventually I drove. He paid cash and they were like 5 or 6,000 each lol. Can you imagine, a car only costing 5000. This had to been around 93 or 94. When I started driving in 97 I took over my moms.
Right out of art school, my GF and I financed a Geo Metro sedan. Suzuki engine. Ran great. Got crazy fuel mileage. Gas was 95 cents for a bit there. We filled it up every 3 weeks. Transmission was glass but easily replaced.
Man I loved my mom’s tracker. It was a manual 5 speed and boy was it fun when the top was off. Of course it took half an hour to take the damn top off.
Mom had one of these and it would have been mine. . It had a pink and green guy surfing on the door. I flipped it in the hills before school started in September. Probably saved my loads of grief not driving that thing to school.
I think mine was $11k new. It was a manual and I didn't know how to drive it yet so dad had to drive it home from the lot and teach me. Lots of great times in that car.
5 years? 2. Maybe. If you didn't already have the cash saved after working the two years before you got your license. You didn't need money just to exist. Saving was much easier.
My 1994 dodge spirit was the best car I ever owned. Ran like a dream, great on gas, easy maintenance. Lasted 200k before my dad’s girlfriend wrecked it. 😢
I worked the service desk at GM dealerships for nearly 30 years. The Trackers were bulletproof. Say what you will about their aesthetics, they ran forever fairly problem free. The inside door handles broke, .2 of an hour in labor and a $80 handle. And they had a scheduled check engine light at 80,000 miles for a catalytic converter test. That’s all the repairs I ever saw them for that wasn’t routine maintenance.
Isuzu and Suzuki had some awesome vehicles back then. Samurai, Sidekick, Swift, Gemini, Amigo, Rodeo, and the Geo rebadge names Tracker, Metro, Storm, Spectrum.
My buddy had one of these. Weirdest feeling clutch I've ever driven. The metro's clutch was the same. Friction zone the size of a dime, and squishy like a wet sponge.
I had a black ‘96 with 4WD and you couldn’t tell me anything. It was so fun in the summer and, ironically, a total beast in the snow during Midwest winters. I miss the days when $10 would fill up my gas tank from E.
It's a truly depressing thing to see that not only are the old shitboxes some of us were buying for $300 every few months in the 90's going for close to five figures on Marketplace nowadays, but they've also proven themselves to be obscenely better than most of the new stuff on the market.
I don't know how it was for non-rural kids growing up then, but it was nothing uncommon for us to save up a few hundred, buy some beat up 4wd pickup, Jeep or something like a Tracker or Samurai, run it till the wheels fell off, then sell the hulk for enough in scrap and parts to get another one and repeat the process. Sometimes half a dozen times a school year, lol.
If we had all those old square bodies, tiny imports and enormous sedans back now we could all retire, lol.
I doubt anyone did. 5 years was considered the absolute max length of a loan for expensive cars into the 2000s. Most people probably has a 3 or 4 year term.
When I was in the 4th grade, one of the teachers at school had a little red Geo Metro convertible and MAN, I loved that car. I was determined that I would be driving one when I turned 16. That did not happen.🫤
My fist car was a Geo Storm. It was a go kart with a body kit 😂😂 the steering wheel shook from 50-70 mph. I had to either drive under 50 or over 70 to make the shimmy stop. Thing was a beast in the snow though.
I learned how to drive in a Geo Tracker. There was something wrong with it where it made this loud noise that you could hear it coming a half mile away.
I had one in 2011. Manual transmission, hard top, was like at atv with doors and got very good gas mileage.
I once towed a camper 4 times its weight 70 miles. Raced down dirt roads. Once had trouble starting so i pulled it 3 miles to a shop with a tow rope around my waist.
Was the best car i ever had until the engine blew up at 190k miles. something broke loose, lots of rattling, shop said it was a lost cause, thanks to cash for clunkers it was impossible to find a used engine as all the old vehicles and parts were being destroyed for tax writeoffs, i kept it for 2 more years trying to get it fixed before i gave up and sold it for $50 as scrap metal.
I no longer drive, haven't since 2016, used cars are impossible to find in working shape or are insanely expensive, or both (used 90s ford rangers with no engine or a 2000s s10 with no transmission and rusted out are around $8000 if your lucky, and good luck finding the parts they need).
Probably never going to drive again, but damn i miss that 94 tracker
My last manual car was a 1997 Toyota paseo, called it “the peso” because that’s about how much I had paid for it. I loved that little car. I just bought a used civic si last week with a manual because I love driving them.
When I was in high school I had a friend with a dad and step mom that were unhinged. They would get in these huge fights and then do wild shit to punish the other. One time they had a fight and the dad left with his brother for a few days. And the fucking step mom took the nice truck they had and traded it in for TWO Geo Trackers. That man drove a bright green geo tracker for like a year in a rage before he got another truck. The step mom had a purple one. What a piece of shit. Fun as hell to ride in during the summer. But we lived in a place with cold long winters. The heater couldn't keep up and you were constantly freezing.
But it was cheap as hell. Geo cars were like 30% cheaper than other cars and they got like 40mpg. If you were in hs or college it was an actual good, cheap car to have.
My mother had a hard top blue Geo Tracker throughout most of my childhood. Manual transmission. That’s the car I learned to drive on. A good car and a good value.
Classic. That was my "favorite car" when I was like 13 but I was never cool enough to own one. I miss Geos, Saturns and Pontiacs. Chevys are so boring in comparison, I haven't driven a GM product since like '04.
Fun, fun car. Would float through snow. My first car. Just not durable. The engine blew at 120,000 miles in three years. I drove that thing a lot. Towed an 18’ boat with it several weeks in the summer, too. It probably wasn’t engineered for what I put it through.
I actually still own a Tracker, although it's a regular 4 door. It's a 2000 4 cyl with less than 70k original miles. Love the gas mileage. Great little commuter vehicle. Always getting notes tucked in the windshield wipers, asking if I want to sell it. Heck no.
I mean, you could get one for like $10,000 new. That was like $200 a month at 5 years back then. A lot of jobs started at around $5 and hour, so it only took one paycheck a month to buy it with basically no down-payment. Compared to a lot of other vehicles back then, it wasn't a bad price.
You also need to keep in mind that most considered it to be a cool quirky little vehicle. Perfect for the younger, fun loving generation.
They were the Suzuki Vitara here. Mate was still daily driving his '97 soft top JLX that he bought new up until late last year. He still had it 2 weeks ago but had found a buyer so likely gone by now.
That was almost my first car. My step father got it, in the hopes of in 3 years giving to me as my first car. I think after 2 years he traded it in and helped get me a small truck instead. So grateful
We had so many amazing car choices in the '90s! The cool thing was, you could go to a dealership and build an entire car on a build sheet. They would place the order for you, the car company would make your custom car, and send it to the dealership specifically for you. I'm not talking about picking option packages, I'm talking picking individual options! That's why there's so many wild looking cars, like this Geo Tracker, that came out of the 90s!
mine was hot pink with a black top. I loved that car. 4 speed stick, no AC. I bought a bikini top for it (cover for just the front two seats, leaving the back open)
My buddy had a Tracker and it had a massive sound system (very important in the 90s). We drove it everywhere. He ended up rolling it on its side in an intersection where he lost control on a turn. He called us and we drove over to help him push it back onto its right side up. Handful of teenagers just rolled it right back to its wheels. It started up and he drove it home.
3cyl engine. I could fill up the tank for $18 and drive from Vegas to LA (and almost back) without adding a drop. of course I was going 65mph the whole way, but still….
I could unbolt the engine mounts and pull the motor out with one hand and place it on a work bench.
My Mom was a rebel and went for the Suzuki Sidekick. The only option I remember her getting was A/C and she had to turn that off when going up steep hills. I ended up driving it when I got my license but with no power steering, and clunky 5spd manual, I ended up driving the families 90 accord manual for a while. Good times.
I had a (somewhat obnoxious) teacher that a lot of the kids loved who had a red Geo Tracker. He also had a massive flag pole with the American flag hanging out of the back (years before this became a common thing). He would take any opportunity he could to talk about how awesome his car was.
Friends mom had one and I remembered thinking that I wished my mom was this cool. Later in life I realized that my mom's friend was, in fact, not that cool.
Awww, I had the 4 door version as my first car! I had a vanity plate with ‘SUVWANAB’ and threw off the curve for gas mileage reimbursement for something when I was in college. I drove that thing for 15 years 🥲
My husband drove one before he met me. The stories he told about driving that thing through midwestern snowstorms from his home to our college, which was a good 4 hours away in decent weather, are crazy.
Senior year of high school, my four besties and I called ourselves the Ra Ta Ta Club. We would roll around town and through the woods in Justin’s Tracker getting high af, blaring U2’s “Elevation” and yelling “Ra Ta Ta Ta” as loud as we could with the top down.
Girl I went to school with (and lived near)had a geo metro. When I got behind her in the morning, I knew it was a long road to highway speed and watching her weave all over the road while applying her makeup. Great car
A rollerskate you can drive. One of my friends drove a maroon one until it wouldn't run anymore — roughly 3 years. Even today, he says it was the worst vehicle he's ever had.
Five-year auto loans were unheard of in the 90s, much less the 72+ month options that exist now.
Low end versions could be had for 9-10k new. That’s the equivalent of like $22,000 today. If you need five year financing on a $22,000 car, you can’t afford to drive.
I still give my old schoolmate shit for how excited he was to enter a sweepstakes to win a Suzuki Grand Vitara. Called it the coolest car. Think I'll text him about it today.
I'm not proud of this but as a kid I was a criminal and one of the many schemes I got involved in was a tracker top ring. It was easy peasy you just broke in and unclicked the snaps and boom you walked away with a tracker top rolled up. You broke in the car, then just unsnapped everything. It was the easiest theft ever. We'd get $100 for each one after selling to the fence. I could probably do it in like 60 seconds flat. It was so easy. I'm not proud of the shit and have long since become a good member of society including 6 years in the Army. But just figured I'd share.
My auntie had one that was minty green with pink accent paint. That car was cool as hell. But she had to sell it because scumbags cut the convertible cover too many times looking for stuff to stealz
They are actually really good vehicles. It’s like a sports coupe for suv owners. Also two door suvs were what there was. There really was only a suburban, jeep grand Cherokee, mini van and not many other four door suvs. The Explorer really changed that up.
The tracker also is a solid off road vehicle paired with a manual transmission. The top comes off so it’s fun, and at it was a great vehicle to tow flat behind an RV. Which used to be a big business. There was a good reason so many were out there. The tracker had its day. So the Geo brand.
Oh man, 15-year-old me wanted wanted one of these so bad. I even had a magazine ad with a turquoise one on my bedroom wall as an aspiration... or something.
There's a wild video series on YouTube of somebody who took a Suzuki Samurai (not wholly dissimilar from the Tracker) and put a forklift electric motor on it (I think DC), and used it as an off-road boulder crawling rig, and it was apparently pretty capable!
Funny thing is, the nun that served my parish when I was a kid had this car. She was a civil rights activist who worked with MLK Jr and then took vows, but still loved having a fun little car.
I will never forget when my mom had a (minor) car accident in 1995 and we got a Geo Metro for a loaner car for a week. I was 11 years old and I learned what a real piece of shit car was. Loud, slow, uncomfortable, zero options...
But to turn that same thing into a micro-SUV and put the 90s swoosh on it?
I learned to drive stick in an electric blue ‘94 (ish) tracker. It was literally given to me for free by my friends dad who owned a shop, after my friend (his son) borrowed my car and totaled it driving drunk. Kept that thing for a few years and it never failed me
austinbarrow@reddit
5 years at $45/month
awesomecubed@reddit
My roommate had a Geo Metro that he had painted in Zebra colors. That car was awesome.
factoid_@reddit
Brother geo metro would kill in today’s car market.
Those things got insane gas mileage even back in the day when a sedan getting 17-20mpg was considered good.
A modern metro could probably be a 50mpg car or a 500 mile electric
Bacteriobabe@reddit
My first car was a Metro & it was awesome! Stick shift, manual windows, no radio, but I loved that little car. Got over 80k miles on it, including a full cross-county road trip. She had a little trouble in the mountains, but other than that was perfect!
Pattison320@reddit
I wish they still made stick shift shit boxes. Now manual is only found as an expensive high performance upgrade.
scott__p@reddit
Right? I learned how to drive stick in a Hyundai Accent. The car didn't even have a radio. That thing was hot garbage and I loved it.
Remy315@reddit
Ha! I did too!
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
Taught my wife to drive manual on a Nissan 200SX we bought for 1k dollars
GardenBunnyBaseball@reddit
My 1st car was a white 1981 DATSUN 200SX & I LOVED IT!
B_Reele@reddit
My first car. Learned stick on it as well.
latortillablanca@reddit
What did she teach you
SubstanceNo1544@reddit
Learned how to drive stick on an 89 Ford ranger. Wasn't allowed to press the gas pedal till I could make the truck climb up a slight grade using just the clutch
COMMENT0R_3000@reddit
As someone who will one day need to teach someone to drive stick, that is genius
me-1985@reddit
I learned and later acquired on a 91 Honda civic hatchback.
BoiledDenimForRoxie@reddit
An 89!? You fancy
SubstanceNo1544@reddit
Bro I was flossing in 1997
shornscrot@reddit
I need to floss more…
The_Big_BoBoSki@reddit
Processing img 3qsah62uoxvg1...
OprahsBeaver@reddit
I learned how to change a hydraulic clutch because of my 89 ranger. It was a nice pickup.
Ok_Researcher_9796@reddit
'78 Corolla for me. It was a 4 speed but 2nd gear didn't work.
Bubbly_Excitement_71@reddit
I drove a Hyundai Accent with a stick shift and roll down windows through college and grad school. The car payment was $139 a month and I'd probably still be driving it if someone hadn't run a stop sign and totaled it.
Fabulous-South-9551@reddit
Not even am/fm?
RandomPenquin1337@reddit
No you didnt
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
they do, but you don't get them in America.
sadly they are becoming harder to find in the UK and japan as well.
I have a 2022 Suzuki Jimny in 5 speed manual. I love it, it is the complete antithesis to the oversized land whale that is the modern vehicle.
zupzupper@reddit
There’s a direct lineage between the tracker pictured and your jimny!
Trackers were a joint venture between Suzuki and GM, the tracker was basically a sidekick, with many parts being shared between it and the Jimny of the time.
Geo Metros shared a motor with the Samurai, my 88 actually has a valve cover from a metro as they were aluminum instead of stamped steel.
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
the tracker is a rebadged suzuki Vitara, which is the next model up in size from the Jimny, whose predecessor is the Suzuki Sierra.
mine still only has a 1.5L 4cyl engine, that is the only engine available actually. well, the japanese Kei versions are sold with a 660cc 3cyl turbo, but they are only sold in Japan, all the export ones get the 1.5
zupzupper@reddit
Lot of name swapping going on around these things, in North America and Indonesia these were Sidekicks and came with a 1.6L motor, some trims, (early ones?) also use the 1.3L that found its way into the samurai in most markets.
The Sierra is another name plate that was used for the samurai in certain markets along with the Jimny, Santana, Caribian, and Gypsy in India.
If you know them as Sierras, do you happen to be from Australia? They also badged them down there as Holden Drovers and Stockmans though i think that was with a truck bed on back.
VincentMac1984@reddit
I’m with this guy! Bring back the shitboxes!
burnitdwn@reddit
Not a kia fan, but the Soul had a manual until 2024. My little bro drives a motorcycle when weather permits, otherwise he's in his little manual soul. He got his in like 2018 new for not much more than 10k
ailish@reddit
I love Kias. They're great cars for the money.
burnitdwn@reddit
I know they fixed the problems, but two of my friends had engine blow up with their little turbo 4cylinders around 10 years ago, and I don't like the cvts they are using.
Both friends were covered by warranty, and kia did honor the warranty and took care of them.
ailish@reddit
I mean, that was 10 years ago, and it was a limited issue. I had a 2016 Soul that didn't have any problems at all. I've I had the Niro sine 2018 with no problems. They're rated pretty well in the Consumer's Report thing.
burnitdwn@reddit
I'm just a snob, I love my 2015 lexus gs350 too much. Comfortable during commute, the AWD system works just like Subaru, and i dont have to worry about blown head gaskets like i did with my previous car (2008 Subaru forester, which was a cheap car at the time and available with a manual.)
I also like being able to accelerate on highway ramps and to be able to drive uphill in the mountains without the car struggling and downshifting to 2nd gear. The GS350 isn't a race car. My friends WRX is faster. However It's got decent power, and i dont feel sore after a 4-5 hour drive to go visit family out of state. I like my uber comfortable interior.
I really did like the Stinger a lot, but, it was out of my budget when i was car shopping. Got the Lexus for like 25K back when Stingers were still new and selling for over 35K in like 2018.
Pattison320@reddit
I drive a 1.6 base model 2015 soul with a manual.
burnitdwn@reddit
Nice. My little brother loves his.
The soul is one of the best fwd cars on the road imo. Practical, handles good, and reasonably priced. A lot to love about it.
the716to714@reddit
I have one in my Bronco but they're rarer and rarer these days. I much prefer manual
ailish@reddit
My partner and I bought a Kia Niro in 2018 and they wanted an $2,000 for a manual transmission. I nearly lost my shit.
BohemiaDrinker@reddit
Are manuals that hard to find in the US these days? Here's in Brazil they're still standard, so that's hard to picture.
Doogers7@reddit
Manuals have not been standard for many decades and are practically non-existent these days except as an option on some sportier cars. You may occasionally find a manual sedan, but it is such a rarity.
EightyNineMillion@reddit
I have 2022 Tacoma that's manual. They exist for non-sporty vehicles, but they're rare.
TheDancingRobot@reddit
I'm on my 7th truck, and I only drive stick. Currently 2015 Tacoma, and I love it. I won't own anything else but manuals.
Pattison320@reddit
But I bet it's a higher trim option, not a base model. You used to have to pay an additional $1k to upgrade from a base model manual to an automatic transmission. Now manuals are an upgrade for a high performance trim.
StuffClean@reddit
Automatic cars are rather the exception in Europe. If I had to guess, maybe 5 out of 100 cars have an automatic transmission. They're more common among older people or those with physical limitations.
Fappy_as_a_Clam@reddit
Not anymore.
jimbobsqrpants@reddit
In the UK that number has gone to 30% recently
wtfnouniquename@reddit
Despite what the person above you posted, the majority of new cars in mainland Europe are now automatics as well.
LiquidAquarium83@reddit
My Mom was a rebel and went for the Suzuki Sidekick. The only option I remember her getting was A/C and she had to turn that off when going up steep hills. I ended up driving it when I got my license but with no power steering, and clunky 5spd manual, I ended up driving the families 90 accord manual for a while. Good times.
DingbattheGreat@reddit
Yes automatics are more efficient now.
They used to be considered a luxury upgrade up until the early 2000’s.
LonelyResolve4876@reddit
Yes! I just had mine bite the dust and it was like trying to find a unicorn when I had to buy a new one. I found a Jetta in stick and it’s great!
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
the manual was pretty much never the standard in America. Always automatics from the moment the automatic was invented.
howrunowgoodnyou@reddit
No people on Reddit are just morons
kykid87@reddit
Yep. I drove manuals exclusively, and they were available in basically anything from a pickup to a sedan.
Bare bones base model stick shit econo shit boxes were awesome.
rgar1981@reddit
Just bought a Kei truck and it’s right hand drive and a 4 speed manual and it’s so much fun to drive. It’s not fast, but man it sure is fun. Gonna teach my girls to drive a stick in it just so they kinda know how at least.
aguyonahill@reddit
Everybody wants a used cheap manual car.
No one wants to buy them new.
spawndoorsupervisor@reddit
They still do. Chevy Spark has a manual option. Problem is that most people don't want manuals or cars like Chevy Sparks.
boundone@reddit
Elantra came in manual up until a few years ago.
howrunowgoodnyou@reddit
That’s not true at all
PopcornGlamour@reddit
I had a yellow Geo Metro convertible and I really wish they would bring these back (with some updates).
(Also, this isn’t my actual car just a twin)
DBE113301@reddit
My first car was a Prism. I got 350,000 miles out of that thing.
ARealBillsFan@reddit
That checks out. I believe the prisms were basically rebranded carollas
hatefuck661@reddit
You mean the days of filling a car up for $12 and driving for over 200 miles? I had a 94. It was great.
Bacteriobabe@reddit
I once roadtripped with a friend, & we drove it as empty as we dared (no gas warning light, of course) and it was STILL less than $10 to fill the tank!
absentlyric@reddit
My cousin had a Metro, one night we were stoned out of our minds and wanted to drive to the gas station to get some food, this was a very small town with no one around, especially at night. So we ended up driving the whole way there in reverse, then driving back to the apartment in reverse, we were laughing our asses off.
anathene@reddit
Gotta lean uphill.
It would struggle with the steep hill in town with all 4 seats filled.
Learned how to drive a stick on that gear box… I loved that car.
brent_von_kalamazoo@reddit
80k miles? It's almost time to fill the tank on that thing again
Specific-Library-312@reddit
It was my first car, too. Automatic, though. If only it had a little more power, it would have been a fantastic commuter.
Bacteriobabe@reddit
That was the benefit of being a manual! Even people that made fun of it were surprised with it.
xMyDixieWreckedx@reddit
Same.
Heart_Love@reddit
Mine was the very similar Suzuki Swift. She got me around faithfully, even if I had to put her in 4th on hills 😂
Pertinax1981@reddit
We had a guy in town that replaced his Metros exhaust with a Maxwell House coffee can. The sound was hilarious and etched in my 🧠. This is like 25 years ago and someone brought it up a week ago lol
breadleecarter@reddit
I knew a guy ~2005 that was driving his Geo Metro to work. He rolled it on a curved on ramp, it landed up right, and it kept going. Little tank.
ConceitedWombat@reddit
My cousin was driving one in 2011 (don't recall what year the car was) and we hit a patch of ice on the freeway. Did a few 360s before bouncing off the concrete guardrail. Both of us walked away without a scratch. Thanks you, Theo the Geo!
Do_you_smell_that_@reddit
The Metro was a great car depending what you used it for.
Need to get up to the high end of highway cruising speeds? Haha no it's gonna shake until you're afraid. Want to get onto the highway with a short on ramp? Nope x2
..but.. need to get out the back of a parking lot, over a 6" curb/landscaping, to save 15 mins leaving a venue? Metro's got your back
Eventually I'll look into whether that "3 cylinder" thing is really true, but I heard they stopped one of the 4 cylinders from firing to get better efficiency
flamingknifepenis@reddit
The Metro came with two engine options, a three and a four cylinder configuration. I don’t know much about the four banger, but the three cylinder was a great little engine made by Suzuki that was used in some small airplanes. It wasn’t a smooth idler, but it was under-square which gave it a decent amount of torque for something as woefully underpowered as it was.
For the right person, they were great little cars. My brother had one for a while, and while I can’t say he particularly liked the car it worked well for him and was one of the only engines that that dumbass couldn’t manage to kill.
LangdonAlg3r@reddit
All of those Geo’s were a really fascinating early nod to globalization. The bodies were often assembled by Chevy, but were copies of designs from Japan and none of them had American engines in them. Some of the parts were American, but most weren’t. The Tracker (which was the car I always wanted) was basically a rebranded Suzuki Sidekick.
I had a Geo Spectrum and that was an Isuzu based on the Gemini-I. That was a great little car. When gas prices were like $1 a gallon I could go like 400+ miles for less than $10 bucks. I did a lot of just driving around and exploring as entertainment because it was cheap and fun. I just googled and my little 5 speed got like 40mpg. 30 years later and that’s still slightly better than my hybrid is now!
I think it had 160k miles when I sold it and I saw it around town years later still going. Crank windows and no AC. It did have a tape deck though. Must have been a premium model lol.
I had a 1980 Chevy Chevette before that and it only lasted like 6 months before it threw a rod on the highway and blew out the engine. That car was peak American (this is why people are buying Japanese) pile of crap. The gas pedal was the size of a Trisquit because that probably saved 5 cents a car on the assembly line.
Vegetable-Ingenuity2@reddit
I worked at the plant where the geo/chevy metro and tracker were built (as well as the Suzuki swift and vitara, the vehicles were identical other than the badges). It was an interesting Chevy/Suzuki coproduction that attempted to use a north American plant with union labour to build Japanese vehicles by Japanese methods. Some aspects of it worked better than others.
LangdonAlg3r@reddit
They made a biopic about that in 1986 called Gung Ho.
J/ k, but seriously it’s a comedy with basically the same premise—American workers getting bought out by the Japanese and all the conflict that caused.
Vegetable-Ingenuity2@reddit
I haven't seen the film but it would be interesting to compare it to my experience there.
LangdonAlg3r@reddit
It’s actually pretty good. It’s an early Ron Howard movie starring a typically live wire Michael Keaton from the era when he was doing almost all comedies still. It also has George Wendt and John Turturro and Gedde Watanabe (more famous as Long Duk Dong in 16 Candles, but memorable here for the “elephant”).
IamHydrogenMike@reddit
We used to go on a ton of road trips in my friend’s spectrum because we could go to Cali on like 30 bucks in gas.
OllieFromCairo@reddit
55 bhp and 58 ft-lbs of torque max on those 3-cylinders
zupzupper@reddit
The 4 cylinder only made 65 :) same 1.3 they put in the samurai
OllieFromCairo@reddit
Driving them in the mountains must have been an adventure.
zupzupper@reddit
It is! (Still running around in a rebuilt samurai)
If you keep in mind that 5th gear is just for flat roads it’s not too bad, there’s a few grades I have to go down to 3rd to climb, but I’ll tell you what, they are fantastic little wagons off-road
zupzupper@reddit
The 4 was also a Suzuki motor, it also went into swifts, samurai’s, and Jimnys in various configurations.
Foxtrot_Supatwat@reddit
I had a 2012 Chevy Colorado that I used for work up until fairly recently, and I'm pretty sure it was the only American made vehicle that came with a 5-cylinder option.
Not a huge fan of engines w/ an odd cylinder count like that. The uneven firing order tends to make the block vibrate violently, and a rough & noisy ride is the result.
Prize_Ad6430@reddit
The Chevy Sprint had a 3 cylinder and the engine was made by Suzuki.
Gernaldo_Ribera@reddit
I saw one drive through a creek need and up a 55 degree incline once while canoeing.
Crafty_Original_7349@reddit
I had a ‘90 Geo Metro. Tried for ten years to kill that poor car, but I never succeeded. It went off-road, it went through mud, it even went underwater (flooded the interior, water came through the vents) and it refused to die.
It was still getting nearly 50mpg and didn’t burn a drop of oil when I traded it in for a truck, even after almost a quarter million miles.
10/10 solid engineering and survivability that a modern tank would be envious of.
I miss my little blue rollerskate.
friendlynbhdwitch@reddit
My mom was driving her geo metro when she got hit by a drunk driver. Obviously the car was totaled, but my mom was able to walk away. Good little car.
nikdahl@reddit
Geo metros are still the gold standard for Hypermilers
hamburgler26@reddit
harmfuldischarge@reddit
That's incredible
Nakedvballplayer@reddit
I was hit by a geo metro walking across the road in daytona; wrote the car off with my...body.
taleofbenji@reddit
To fuck with our classmate, four of us picked up her Geo Metro where it was parked and rotated it 180 degrees. It was surprisingly easy.
TulsaOUfan@reddit
My HS is the Red & White Fighting Zebras. A guy 2 years ahead of me painted his civic in red and white zebra stripes! Lol
reillan@reddit
In 1999 maybe I was part of a ren faire troop that took a road trip to go to a faire. The group had 9 people, my Buick LeSabre, the leader's big white truck, and a Geo Metro. The leader of the troop kept warning us not to drink alcohol in the hot Dallas sun, but he didn't follow his own advice, got terribly sick, and decided to drive back home, leaving us with 8 people to manage in the remaining two cars along with all of their luggage and tents. There were a lot of costumes in that luggage.
We managed to fit it all in, and I was amazed by how much stuff we could cram into that tiny Geo Metro.
mattslote@reddit
My friend's dad had a red Metro (4 door) with an air brushed image of the that car being struck by lightning. It was really well done. They told me the previous owner had it done and they didn't care to have it removed.
rosephoenix19@reddit
Phoniceau@reddit
I think about this all the time
Tribblehappy@reddit
I think about this more often than I should.
Cody-512@reddit
I had a used Geo Storm hatchback in hs that lasted through the mid 00s. That thing was awesome (other than how it looked). 249K+ mi on it until I got another car after 8y and was a 3x wreck survivor. Tbf, 2/3 weren’t my fault and the worst one was a driver side T-bone. I had a black junkyard door on the blue body and a door that wouldn’t open, window that wouldn’t roll down, and one tinted window. It went another 75K after that, tho. I definitely got my $2900 worth!
DangerousLoner@reddit
illinoishokie@reddit
With its 50 mph you're goddamn right it was
DrankTooMuchMead@reddit
People would sit in the back of pickups, especially ones with camper shells and covers like this. To them, this sat 4, and only 2 needed a seatbelt.
HonkinChonk@reddit
My tracker was THE BEST off roading rig ever. I miss it!
jer1303@reddit
Yes please
Nek0ni@reddit
i would straight up drive that forever
Top_Client938@reddit
Please. These cost nothing.
veryblanduser@reddit
Equivalent of 25k today
Top_Client938@reddit
So nothing
rumdrums@reddit
Correct. How many cars can you buy for that much these days.
Asleep_Onion@reddit
Not a lot, but you can get a pretty okay Corolla for about that
zupzupper@reddit
Just found my beater Corolla from a neighbor, 07 ce, 5 speed, power nothing, things gonna last me a long time
Ecto-1A@reddit
My ex had that exact car in 07, scared the living shit out of me. I had never driven a car that was so slow, and I still don’t think I have since haha
zupzupper@reddit
All the thrills of a motorcycle with seating for 4!
…well hmm not 4 adults exactly….and kids get kinda smushed in the back…
It’s got 4 seats in any case!
MrdnBrd19@reddit
Got a Corolla Hybrid in 2020 for $23,000. Absolutely love that car. 50+ mpg in this economy is so nice.
spawndoorsupervisor@reddit
You can get you a Bolt EV for $27k. Slate should sell for around that whenever they finally start shipping. About the same for a base model Miata if you want to relive the 90s with a manual transmission and gasoline instead of electric.
greaterwhiterwookiee@reddit
God isn’t that crazy. I bought a new off the lot with 9.6 miles Honda Civic in 2011 for 11,999. It wasn’t stock either. Was a cool car.
I doubt I could get something similar for under 20 now.
Desalvo23@reddit
I bought the cheapest model of hyundai elantra in 2022. Was 27k. Cars have gone the same way as everything. Overpriced
veryblanduser@reddit
Cheapest 2026 Elantra is 22.6k
veryblanduser@reddit
Majority of the people buying 25k new cars today are still financing them. Just like they were in the early 90s on a 10k car.
shawa666@reddit
Just ran it through a calculator it's closer to 18 500$
666TripleSick@reddit
Remember the YUGO? I think they were sold for literally $2000
fryerandice@reddit
They didn't have reverse, it was an option. So was electric start. My dad's friend had one, pop the hood to pull start and have the family push it out of the spot.
EsotericAbstractIdea@reddit
cant be true lol
666TripleSick@reddit
What?! That crazy lol
umlaut@reddit
We had one, what a piece of shit car. Smelled like burning oil and when new and never stopped. Would stall if you hit a speed bump going more then 6 MPH. Stock set of tires lasted about a month. Window fell into the door when we hit a pothole. Tape player shot tapes into the back seat when they ejected. Had a stock switch that disabled the ignition.
666TripleSick@reddit
Goddamn!! 😭
elphaba00@reddit
At one point, they had BOGO deals on Yugos. Buy one and get another free. I know a couple people who got their cars this way
Pure-You-5242@reddit
Mine cost more to insure for one year than I paid for the car itself.
detourne@reddit
Yeah, they weren't getting financed for 5 years. Maybe 2.
dgodwin1@reddit
I took out my first personal loan to buy one. $3000 for a used 1989 tracker!
_SPAMSPAMSPAM@reddit
That was my first car. Hard top 4x4 with no AC.
original_cmikey@reddit
Have you seen the asking prices lately? Sill around $3000.
missed_sla@reddit
Probably because you can fix everything in it with a screwdriver and an adjustable wrench.
lamawithonel@reddit
And they'll go just about anywhere more reliably than bigger trucks. Top Gear took one through the Amazon, iirc, and it did very well. (Technically a Suzuki Samurai, but same thing.)
GlitteringCobbler987@reddit
I don't think they even offered 5 year loans in the 90s
ZestfullyStank@reddit
Yep. 3 years tops. You had to show up with a decent down payment too
Laser_Fish@reddit
No, my ex-wife was 2 years into a four year loan on a Dodge Shadow when we met in 98.
ZestfullyStank@reddit
Yeah these are doing like 7 year loans now. My dates are a little fuzzy so you definitely know better than me. My half-autistic ass did the math as to how much I would be paying total if I financed and I noped my ass off a new car lot and paid cash for a used car with what was supposed to be my down payment.
Laser_Fish@reddit
I bought a Subaru a couple of years ago, or technically I guess I leased it, but the great thing is that at the end of my lease term I will Be able to buy the car for less money than it's worth. So I could technically buy it, take out a loan, and then sell it immediately and still end up with more money than if I hadn't leased the car at all. So when my lease term ends next year I'm probably just going to buy the thing outright cuz I really like the car anyway.
PhantoWolf@reddit
Back before they stuffed cars full of tvs, computers, and goofy shit like electronic running-boards, they were much more affordable.
Overall-Rush-8853@reddit
And the gas mileage was incredible, at least on the Metro.
Kellzy1212@reddit
90 hp doesn’t need much gas. 😹 I looked up the 0-60 and the internet says 14-15 seconds!
Vegetable-Ingenuity2@reddit
The three cylinder metro had more like 58 horses... she wasn't quick, that's for sure.
Kellzy1212@reddit
I remember driving my friends Corolla back then and you had to floor it to get it to go at all. Cars have come a long way.
CapitalElk1169@reddit
I had one with a 1.0 liter 3 cylinder engine with a manual transmission. Thing was fun as hell haha.
trainwreckhappening@reddit
Right now the going cost of a broken down one is around $5K. They cost more now than they originally sold for new.
MrdnBrd19@reddit
$15,500 was the most expensive you could make one.
borisdidnothingwrong@reddit
I had a roommate with bad credit who financed one of these for a 5 year loan.
A week later his piece of shit, lying, cheating on again-off again girlfriend with worse credit financed a Ford Explorer for a lower monthly payment.
He was pissed.
He was even more pissed when he found out that the reason she got such good terms was she was sleeping with both the salesman and the finance manager at the Ford dealership. Both married, by the way.
She was pregnant, and she got drunk and told him that she was pregnant, and that she wasn't sure if it was his, one of the guys at the dealership, her boss, or one of her random one night stands.
They broke up, but he had to get a paternity test after the kid was born to rule him out as the father. That was a long 8 months for my boy.
He also had to get every STD test under the sun.
I was glad to never see her again, personally.
We had some mutual friends, and I heard that her Explorer got repossessed when she lost her job after her boss passed along a dose of the clap to his wife, and divorced him and took the business in the divorce.
veilchenblau_39@reddit
I cannot comprehend the energy needed to live that life.
gimlet_prize@reddit
Look how freaking cute it is!!!!!!
Aimin4ya@reddit
Like 10k
TheSpanxxx@reddit
The idea of financing a car for five years didn't exist in the 90s. And while the average price of a new vehicle was much lower, it wasn't insignificant compared to income. Average car price in 1994 was ~17k. Equivalent to about $38k in 2026 terms. But, still, I had never heard of a car loan term longer than 36 months until the last 10 years. I'm sure some shady lenders out there provided them, but they weren't mainstream at all.
Negative-Wrap95@reddit
They cost at least two bananas.
SvenoftheWoods@reddit
Negative-Wrap95@reddit
kealil@reddit
Geo trackers are amazing for what they are. My wife had one for damn near a decade. Amazing in gas, comfy, barely required maintenance, and had cheap accessories. She'd still have it if it wasn't for that damn pt cruiser that wrecked it
ThatGuyInThePlace@reddit
5? More like 3.
I don’t remember anyone that financed a car for 5 years in the 90s.
Tie_me_off@reddit
Uhh, some of us grew up poor. Also 5 year loans had been around for many years before. Interest rates on the 80s and early 90s were much higher.
wex118@reddit
You only took a 5 yr out of desperation. The rate would suck and you'd end up basically paying twice the price in the end. Very few people I knew ever did them back then. But, the economy wasn't quite as big a steaming garbage heap back then either.
Tie_me_off@reddit
Well many immigrant families like mine who had little had to stretch every penny. So you may not know of them from your time but there are more people in tougher situations than you knew about.
CDRAkiva@reddit
Bro you know jack shit about anyone here or where their families were in the 70s/80s/90s. You don’t have a patent on being poor during the Reagan years.
You’re literally just out here looking for a place to paint yourself as a victim, aren’t you?
Cry me a fucking river. 🙄
Tie_me_off@reddit
Calm down buddy. You painted an ignorant broad stroke for all Americans. I was simply trying to open your eyes. I didn’t say anything about you.
ThatGuyInThePlace@reddit
I was one of those. I paid cash for my first car and it was $500. Took me two months to have the cash & money for car insurance, (which was insane).
My 2nd car was $2500 and I used my first car to get more opportunities to make money. My third car was a Ford escort that was $99 a month for 3 years and I flipped it in less than 2 after buying new wheels & upgrading the stereo & adding AC & getting more than I owed on it.
CDRAkiva@reddit
I don’t think loans like that even existed. You’d have been laughed out of the dealership for asking.
Tie_me_off@reddit
Had been around since then 70s
CDRAkiva@reddit
At the most predatory “buy here pay here” loan shark and junk heap lots, but not at traditional dealers or legit used car places where 80+% of Americans got their cars.
Available-Crow-3442@reddit
Yea, but now the auto financing branches of the companies have realized they make more from the financing itself than the sale of the car, so why not have those extended financing terms?
Enshittification indeed.
pixelflop@reddit
4 years would have been a long loan in those days.
The fact that 72 month loans are now a thing is another indicator that costs continue to rise but salaries are not keeping pace.
DrKeepitreal@reddit
Yup. I came to say three years as well.
zazon5@reddit
We called them "cheap jeeps" for a reason... They where cheap. And apparently extremely unsafe.
That_guy_from_1014@reddit
Back when you could buy new cars for under 10k
Asleep_Sherbet_3013@reddit
I always wanted one of these when I was a kid and by the time I was old enough to get a car they were discontinued 😞
FastWalkingShortGuy@reddit
Zoomers don't understand that you could buy a new car for like $8,000 in the 90s.
Voltmanderer@reddit
My dad bought a ‘96 Honda Accord LX new, and he paid 16k for it OTD. I think the lower prices would have been in the early 90’s, when I remember pickup trucks being advertised starting at $8900.
Devtunes@reddit
Accords we're a little more upscale/sporty. I wonder what a base civic cost in 96. Probably not 8k but low teens i I'd bet. By the late 90's prices were pushing $20k however.
Grreatdog@reddit
Our racy little 96 Civic coupe was around $12k. The rental lot equipped models were more like $10k.
It was also the worst car we ever owned. We were still in a dealer loaner when we made the sixth payment.
Malarky_Bandini@reddit
I had a 90's model Chevy geo tracker. I loved that damn thing. Be careful driving it on a windy day, the wind would blow you literally off the road it was so light yet so blocky. My buddies and I would take it to the beach and jump sand dunes in it, I couldn't count how many times we flipped that thing. We'd climb out roll it back over and jump back in. Broke my heart when I had to get rid of it. Felt like you were driving a suped up golf cart with doors and windows.
Saddest_Flex@reddit
My jr high art teacher drove one. I’m guessing 100% of them were sold to jr high and high school art teachers.
Resolution_Usual@reddit
I swear I was best friends with a girl who drove this exact car
Ok_Dog_4059@reddit
For $150 a month.
Shmimmons@reddit
Cmon now, everyone here knows that those Geo/Chevy Trackers can go 1,000,000 miles and get like 30+ miles to the gallon. I’d gladly finance one again lol
feartheswans@reddit
I had one of those in high school, it was that model but green and stick shift
Random_Monstrosities@reddit
In high school I had a buddy that had one with huge lift kit on it. The first time I saw it was at a party when I was on LSD. The party was in a fairly new subdivision with a few new houses still being built and there was an empty lot with just the basement dug out. Since he was so eager to show it off and it just rained, so we end up mud bogging in what is now someone's huge basement and then several people want a ride too. He ended up leaving a mud trail leading all the way back to the party and the next day the sun came out and baked that red clay into the street so it stayed there for months. His dad was apparently really pissed about the mud when he got back in town but I don't think found out about the party
bandypaine@reddit
And now people are cosplaying this look
AlludedNuance@reddit
It really was a simpler time
DeeSt11@reddit
Nothing wrong with this car...still see them driving to this day
tri_fold@reddit
Coke was a hell of a drug…
Ill-Percentage-3276@reddit
Governmentwatchlist@reddit
I know we are all kind of poking fun at these color schemes. But the world would probably be a better place with more of this and less of the drab.
dreamyduskywing@reddit
So true. The 90’s had great colors, and so did the 80’s. What happened?
LangdonAlg3r@reddit
The neons of the 80’s got replaced by pastels in the 90’s and that mutated into trends like sponge painting. This kind of splotchy 90’s look is a precursor to sponge painting. The bland colors are a natural progression from pastels and the flat monotones are a natural reaction to the blotchy sponge look—kind of a kill it with bland reaction to that.
Deep-Library-8041@reddit
Omg the sponge painting. My mom sponge painted our entire living and dining rooms. We had the classic 90’s French countryside style furniture (blue and white checkered print) against warm beige walls sponge painted with mossy green and gold. It was mid 90’s meets Trading Spaces DIY hell.
General_Ranger_6002@reddit
As did the 70s and 60s..now we’re just creatively expressing the depression and exhaustion we all feel
LeatherRebel5150@reddit
Millennial gray became the go to fashion trend and with it came the most depressing color trend ever. Everything became white/black/grey
BigMommaSnikle@reddit
Also super cheap to make everything gray.
JonnyQuest1981@reddit
I miss colorful cars. It’s one of the reasons I love seeing Wranglers on the road.
DishRelative5853@reddit
Check out the current Nissans, Kia, and also the new VW van.
_sevenhazydays_@reddit
I keep seeing this one bronco whose style is clearly 80s coccaine inspired.
Radiant_Bluebird4620@reddit
florescent? nothing was cooler than florescent in 1987
sweet_pickles12@reddit
Yeah, I think colors are making a slow comeback
LangdonAlg3r@reddit
The yellow Nissan Pathfinder was my late 90’s dream car.
absentlyric@reddit
This is the actual reason, companies chasing that bottom line, while consumers also chasing the bottom line in their purchases. Thats why boring ass gray cars sell better, because their cheaper.
misdirected_asshole@reddit
I believe that coupled with urban myths like "insurance costs more if your car is red" drove people away from colorful cars.
misdirected_asshole@reddit
This is the real reason. Minimal colors is a cost savings strategy, one for less overhead, and two less slow moving inventory for less desirable colors. Its about maximizing profit not about providing what customers want most.
infamous-hermit@reddit
And beige
Radiant_Bluebird4620@reddit
beige almost seems colorful at this point
mradz64@reddit
Don’t forget hotel’s avante guard pop of light green
mojoninjaaction@reddit
Don't forget about hunter green or whatever it was called.
FFF_in_WY@reddit
Bluish greige is my wife's jam
Happy_hunny_badger@reddit
Mine too!
nochumplovesucka__@reddit
Beige Sunshine
iamcamouflage@reddit
I do think that the millennial gray concept gets a little overblown. Lots of people do this from a practical standpoint.
Having gray, black or white walls, and furniture, allows you to decorate with color around those items.
Typically the pain on your walls and your furniture color isn't going to change for quite some time. If you decide to go with a blue couch and orange walls. You're stuck with that for a bit of time.
Many of the people I know who decorate this way have very colorful homes, they just use accessories to brighten it up.
Neelix-And-Chill@reddit
Funny thing about “Millenial Grey” is Millenials didn’t come up with it. Millenials aren’t building houses… boomers trying to squeeze every last dollar out of properties are.
Suzuiscool@reddit
We're the first generation who could paint our walls grey and not have them turn yellow from cigarette smoke
TiKi_Effect@reddit
That made me laugh. Only because I remember my mom cleaning the walls in her bathroom and going “OMG, it’s ment to be white?” After she spent 10+ years smoking in that room every morning and evening by getting ready or taking the days crap off. It was so nasty what she cleans off. She ended up paining the whole bathroom brown out of frustration.
Mindless-Tooth-625@reddit
Millennial were buying up the houses that hadn't been renovated since the "80s/'90s and chose those options to update. They are not without fault.
ThePerfectSnare@reddit
We saw Gen X hiding their depression and we were like, "Hey, I'm depressed too. I'm going to go listen to Korn."
BeenisHat@reddit
Gen X: Whatever.
xenophon57@reddit
hahaha the Starbucks in my old town is in an old taco bell and done up all gray and modern in an old taco bell it looks hilarious.
misdirected_asshole@reddit
The variety of car colors decreased well before "Millenial gray"
wheelsonhell@reddit
Basic colors spend less time sitting on the dealer lot. It is acceptable for more people. It's why you see more white cars than bright orange. If the market was larger for these things, the company's would be happy to sell them.
We the consumer are why you see less of these.
princetrunks@reddit
Millennial hipsters got involved in marketing...their tastes in music and design (or lack thereof) shows
Desperate_Object_677@reddit
corporate car fleets want to be gray and black
esspants@reddit
9/11
AaronfromKY@reddit
I think Apple and the white MacBook and iPod had a small hand in pushing white, silver and gray as cool or in style, along with other consumer electronics companies like Sony, Samsung and Nintendo.
MNniice@reddit
Corporations wanted to remind us they own us
clouds_n_nine@reddit
The war on drugs
Radiant_Bluebird4620@reddit
everything is gray :(
JurisUrsus@reddit
In 1991 I got a Trek mountain bike which was white w/ black splatter paint and teal letters/numbers. It's still on the top of my list for favorite color schemes of bikes I've owned.
33ff00@reddit
Yeah what the hell. God forbid anyone express some personality or fun.
The_Lawn_Ninja@reddit
It's hard to resell/rent a space that's decked out in colorful whimsy. A featureless gray-beige block is a much safer investment asset.
That's why we can't have fun things. Money.
Mindless-Tooth-625@reddit
God I miss colors... and im colorblind. Can't imagine how everyone else feels
madgirafe@reddit
Beat me to it by 3 hours but absolutely yes! The "loudest" color readily available is like maroon.
I hate it. Try shopping for clothes as a guy and its somehow worse. Right this way to the cave of shame sir
Koss424@reddit
Chip & Pepper is back. Just saying.
LemonPuckerFace@reddit
I wonder if it's being run by Chip and Pepper still.
Pepper Foster turned into a real piece of shit. The last few years he's been "going into business" with a bunch of local businesses in my city and then basically stealing their money and bankrupting them.
He's being sued. A lot.
Koss424@reddit
oh geeze. I thought it was a good news story.
amazing_assassin@reddit
Haha! My Geo Tracker was teal with hot pink pinstripes
RealityOk9823@reddit
My mom had this on the side of a Ford Escort. Had no issues finding her car in the parking lot.
yayoffbalance@reddit
Every movie theater in the 90s
Asleep_Onion@reddit
And bus upholstery
MrPlowThatsTheName@reddit
And beach chair. And soccer cleat.
Inevitable-Rush-2752@reddit
Driver better be wearing Zubaz.
SaltyPompano@reddit
And Trapper Keeper covers
shornscrot@reddit
And my pegging stra…er, yea, beach chairs!
kr0nik0@reddit
Miami Subs Grill
AetheriaInBeing@reddit
I have a travel mug with that pattern. Love it.
Adventurer_By_Trade@reddit
I swear to God I've seen one in this motif. I thought it was a custom job. Chicagoland area? Early 00s?
andy_nony_mouse@reddit
I saw someone skiing in Michigan with this color scheme this year! I had a good laugh.
Whaddyalookinatmygut@reddit
The full on snowsuit! Saw one in MI as well
JackBivouac@reddit
My brother dated someone who had that car with paint scheme. Not sure if it was custom or not.
Tentacle_poxsicle@reddit
Peak
SignoreBanana@reddit
YES.
I saw a 75 year old man wearing solo cup shorts while he was running and I haven't stopped thinking about them.
llllilllllll@reddit
I don’t see the resemblance. It’s possible you’re very young
BhamBlazer615@reddit
Who let the bots in?
llllilllllll@reddit
Seriously, feels like half the people here are zoomer trolls or bots
BhamBlazer615@reddit
I don’t feel what you are feeling. Also, the cup and the car are similar so I don’t see what you see. Maybe we aren’t meant to be friends.
May you find peace.
llllilllllll@reddit
Car decals have a linear design. Cup is more haphazard and organic. If you see a resemblance you need to be evaluated
BhamBlazer615@reddit
I encourage you to find peace and you insult me by saying that I need to be evaluated.
I encourage you to examine your interactions and consider a kinder, gentler existence.
I will refrain from judgment or analysis.
May you find peace.
llllilllllll@reddit
fuck off hippie
Ill-Bet7387@reddit
You're colorblind then...only explanation
The cup is white, teal, pink and purple...THE color scheme of the late '80s/early '90s.
llllilllllll@reddit
if all you're looking at is the colors then I'm shocked you passed kindergarten
Ill-Bet7387@reddit
You don't see the matching color scheme? Maybe put your glasses on
llllilllllll@reddit
I don’t no, I think there should be age verification for reddit
Waste_nomore@reddit
We did not finance vehicles like that lol
SonicDethmonkey@reddit
I mean, why not? Trackers are awesome! If they still made it today I’d seriously consider it. We need more small, affordable, convertible 4x4’s!
Awkward-Coffee9761@reddit
Dont hate on the geos, I had a storm that drove to over 200k and only stopped when the timing chain dissolved. I loved that little teal machine!
hoss-05@reddit
Dude that thing is rad. I would buy one.
finndogg@reddit
I still hear the “Amigo” commercial whenever I see an AmiSideTrack
BrondellSwashbuckle@reddit
My sister had one. I see one on the road once every 5-10 years and I'm always shocked.
Yo_momma_so_fat77@reddit
Dude that car still looks badass .
MsCattatude@reddit
I’d buy a brand new one tomorrow
TonkaLowby@reddit
History has proven them right
jarednd84@reddit
That shit goes hard.
I-Got-a-BooBoo@reddit
Still would
IamTroyOfTroy@reddit
My mom freaking loved her Tracker. Legit a great little ride, and was really good in the winter. And summer with the top open.
highandinarabbithole@reddit
Just wait until you see an Aztec or Cyber Truck.
sarahcasarah@reddit
I would kill to get one, refurbish it, and bring it to a car show. Icon stuff, divas.
Fun-Flamingo-7285@reddit
My dad had a blue one with the white top. I loved riding in the back as a kid with the top off.
Dunaliella@reddit
These were cheap and awesome. A buddy of mine had his shipped from Hawaii to New England in 2009. I think he still has it
chakabuku@reddit
I don’t think 60 month finance was an option in the 90’s.
SpanishFlamingoPie@reddit
Trackers are good reliable vehicles, especially if you're on rough roads often. Just don't get into an accident in one
p8nt_junkie@reddit
laughs in Suzuki Samurai
Goe4711@reddit
Most financing in the 90s was 36 months, than it went to 48 months.
Spoiledcheeseplatter@reddit
I’d like one of those right now
Grizlore@reddit
Cars were much more affordable, most loans were 3 years or less
alwaysthetiming@reddit
I drove that exact car through college.
ImpossibleJob5788@reddit
These are nearly the most covered rock crawlers and off roaders on earth. They are so popular that they are incredibly hard to buy.
civilwarcorpses@reddit
My cousin had a lifted one with big tires. Was super fun to rip around the dirt roads and ditches at his hobby farm.
ImpossibleJob5788@reddit
I bet that was dope. My pop grew up with a huge family apple farm where they had cars without bodies (engine, frame, seats, wind in your face) and other similar shenanigans.
It's wild because I don't think anyone really anticipated the demand for them. Geo was a joke company and the media in the 90s worked so hard to scare people off the whole concept of jeeps.
ThinkySushi@reddit
Hell yeah! Driving down the freeway in one of these things, listening to move along by all American rejects blasting at full volume was living!
Alicat1178@reddit
I had a purple one in my senior year of college (2000), and I loved it. We called it my Barbiemobile💜
aliceinadreamyland@reddit
One of my gen-z coworkers drives this exact tracker!
brucecampbellschins@reddit
These things were fun little 4x4 / rock crawlers in the 2000s.
ambiguouslyincognito@reddit
TBF my mom had one. We went off the road down the side of a LARGE steep hill in a winter ice/snow storm.
Not only survived without injury, it got us safely to our destination!
DabbledInPacificm@reddit
I’d still drive the fuck out of that
alwaysmanders@reddit
I had one that was a CHEVY and by God no one could call it a Geo. He was turquoise and his name was Terrance. I took the soft top off ONCE and never again. What a pain in the ass.
MissyLovesArcades@reddit
I wanted one of these so bad! There was one in my town that was painted ice blue with snowflakes all over it. My nickname at work as a teenager was Snowflake (because of my pale skin, it was that or Casper, nice of them to let me choose!), anyway, I was in love with it and wanted one just like it.
mhylas@reddit
I think the geo metro was probably the most gas efficient car without it being a hybrid. The tracker was prob not far behind.. Well worth the investment
iamcamouflage@reddit
In the '90s we financed cars for 3 years.
In 1992, the MSRP for a Geo tracker was under $10,000.
General_Departure583@reddit
Can you imagine colors on today’s cars?
Sensitive-War3527@reddit
Fuck Yeah!
ArcadeKingpin@reddit
I went on a date with a woman who drove one of these. She picked me up and went on the best date of my life. We went back to her car and someone tore through the cloth top on it and stole it. We took a cab back to my place and met the police there. That’s when I found out it was actually her husband’s car that got stolen. Dude lost his wife and car on the same night
BadAtExisting@reddit
Someone a few streets down from me owns one. It makes me happy any time I see it out and about
unionpark1@reddit
This was soooo hot. I remember telling someone that my dad was gonna buy one for me. Instead he got a Toyota Corolla for himself 😂
LDawnBurges@reddit
Pfft… I LOVED my hot pink Geo Tracker! It was like a girly ‘baby Jeep’
*Not my Tracker, mine was this color!
TechnoWombat123@reddit
I'd legitimately buy a 4 speed Tracker right now if it was in good enough shape.
PAMountainMan@reddit
Bro I had a Suzuki side kick, 5 speed, with manual locking hubs. Best fucking vehicle I’ve ever owned. I would trade one of my kids to have that whip back.
jaggerlvr@reddit
I wanted one of these so bad. My parents wouldn't let me get one because they were afraid it would flip over. In hindsight, I feel like it could've probably been just pushed over very easily, so they probably made the right call.
geologymule@reddit
I had one while in college. It was a lot of fun. I tipped it over and upgraded to a Wrangler.
Wolf_Kissed_88@reddit
When you were paid 4.50 per hour. Yep that’s what you could afford for 5 years.
Kellzy1212@reddit
0-60 in five minutes? 😹
guyincognito121@reddit
When the VW beetle was revived, there were billboards that said "0-60? Yes!"
Kellzy1212@reddit
I know! I’m a lifelong VW driver. They’ve had some amazing marketing throughout the years. I’m partial to the fast campaign though, since I’m a GTI driver.
Available-Crow-3442@reddit
Dang I love me the Golf/GTI.
The only two brands that appeal to my hothatch sensibilities and still have models available in the US are VW and Mazda. It’s stupid that the hatchback market has been more or less replaced by godawful SUVs.
The Mazda 3 is also a damn fine car.
Kellzy1212@reddit
GTIs are great, but I’ll never forgive VW for getting rid of the manual option. They’ve basically made their entire customer base angry.
Available-Crow-3442@reddit
Wait wut.
So it’s just Mazda and Subaru with the 6 speed wagon / hatch options now?
holyhellsteve@reddit
The first hatchback I had was an ‘86 Honda Accord LXi, manual, loaded. Last one was a ‘08 WRX STI. Loved them both!
Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit
The only regret I had about my Mazda3 was that I got the sedan instead of the hatch.
Available-Crow-3442@reddit
I learned stick on my dad’s 79 Beetle convertible. It was glorious.
_R_A_@reddit
Actually, these were surprisingly zippy. A 4-cyl is surprisingly effective at moving a soda can.
Kellzy1212@reddit
If you call 0-60 in 14 seconds “zippy” 😂
Basic-Bottle-7310@reddit
I loved those lol
sigm45@reddit
Dude I went to HS with basically had a blank check from his parents when he turned 16 to pick whatever vehicle he wanted. Ended up picking a baby blue Geo Tracker.
Meanwhile my dream car was a 1998 Z-71 with the cool third door. 🤣
Nikkianne617@reddit
I remember the summer they came out and my sister and I counted 147 of them. We still talk about how crazy that was
redditshy@reddit
I don’t think five year auto financing existed then.
Wild-Sky-4807@reddit
I bought a Geo Metro in college. It did the job.
Cptawesome23@reddit
They were cheap enough for people to just pay outright. Payments were like sub $200 a month
craftyzombie@reddit
I would absolutely buy one of these in decent condition today.
unjaded1@reddit
And it was always the biggest people that drove these cars! One of my gym teachers in middle school was built like a linebacker. Even seeing her get into and out of this thing, my smoothbrain couldn't make the physics work.
Nearby-Border-5899@reddit
trackers were fun asf tho ngl
Golden5StarMan@reddit
Match box cars normalized this for our generation
Soledad_Sequoia@reddit
Laugh all you want, but a Geo Metro got 44 MPG in town and 49 MPG on the highway. And you weren’t in debt peonage for six years after buying one.
Aggravating-Baby1239@reddit
These cars are badass
O_o-22@reddit
Lol I did like those cars tho. In 96 I got a 2 door geo metro hatchback, 4 speed manual. It had no get up and go but what I wouldn’t give for the 45-50 miles a gallon again. I delivered pizza in that thing all through college and commuted 50 miles round trip to school 3 days a week and I don’t remember ever being concerned about the price of gas. Also had the 3rd party extended warranty for it which was a good thing because it blew a head gasket once, had major oil leaks and needed a new clutch and flywheel all of which were covered. It was bought used at 4 years old but only cost $5k with the warranty so I def got my moneys worth out of that car.
Alarming-Wonder5015@reddit
These things are still on the roads, and I stg they’re driven by chronic alcoholics.
TwoTurtlesToo@reddit
Cars used to be financed for 3 years. 5 years would have been unheard of.
Cahhnuck@reddit
H0SS_AGAINST@reddit
TIL cars were better when the automotive industry didn't run on finance.
cellshock7@reddit
In comparison, you can now finance a car of the same crap quality for SEVEN years (or more if you want!!!) in a boring color for at least double what it'd have cost in the 90's. .
sanityjanity@reddit
Geo!!
elphaba00@reddit
A friend got one brand new for his 16th birthday. I believe his parents paid cash because his mom had just gotten an inheritance. We’d ride around town blasting Nine Inch Nails and Pantera.
AllenKll@reddit
God I with I had one of those.
catsoncrack420@reddit
Suzuki Sidekick actually. When GM and Ford were selling Japanese cars rebranded or buying the engines from them.
SomethinCleHver@reddit
My best friends mom had one of these, it was a fun car 🤷♂️
trainwreckhappening@reddit
Those things cost more now than they did originally. They are hard to get ahold of now.
Secure_Bed_9110@reddit
That thing is adorable, I don't know what they're talking about.
elenchusis@reddit
And they were $38/month
mechapoitier@reddit
Yeah I think people forget how crazy cheap Geos were back then. The base Metro in the ‘90s was only like $5,000 and got like 55mpg on the highway.
The Tracker is iconic now. I still see them they were so reliable.
GalaxyRedRanger@reddit
Uh… don’t they roll over super easy?
Purple-Explorer-6701@reddit
Yep. My mom wanted one and I went with her to buy it. The dealer was a family friend and told her that he absolutely would not sell her this car because it would crumble like a tin can. The fastest it could go was 58 mph. She left with a Chevy Blazer.
fleetiebelle@reddit
It's a lot cuter than all the gray/silver/white/black cars that are practically the only option right now.
Material-Imagination@reddit
They're bringing back colors!
AND! some cars even have metal flake once again. Like my minivan!
nighmeansnear@reddit
My ‘24 Jetta has metal flake in a nice vibrant red. I take a second to admire it every time I walk around it in the sunshine
Material-Imagination@reddit
Hells yes! Nothing makes you appreciate it like five years of putty grey cars. 🤣
voightkampfferror@reddit
I'll never understand why people like to talk smack on cars having personality.
absentlyric@reddit
I read on Reddit that people want boring cars because they're cheaper, and that a car should be only utilitarian.
What a boring ass way to live, might as well just eat only pintos and beans.
Delicious_Affect7099@reddit
I like my boring car with no personality because I don't want to be noticeable or memorable on the road. I had a red car for a while in college and got pulled over a ton. There's also road rage psychos you might piss off somehow, so I like to stay as anonymous as possible out there.
I do enjoy other people to have fun cars in all varieties, for me to look at from my boring perch.
CitizenCue@reddit
I’ve gone out of my way to buy only colorful cars. It’s wild how hard that is now.
DingbattheGreat@reddit
When the Maverick truck came out people were actually making fun of the bright color options.
They are so used to boring SUV boxes it must have been traumatic I guess.
whistleridge@reddit
Also financing was 3 or 4 years. 5 year auto loans were unknown.
whereismymind86@reddit
Especially because, I just looked, a brand new geo tracker was around $9,000.
What lunatic is taking out a five year loan for nine grand? Even accounting for how much less people made back then, that's not a ton of money.
Sweet-Meaning9874@reddit
I was making $6.75 an hour in 1991 and paid $700 a month in rent, what were you making Richie Rich.
ikariashpool@reddit
This. I was going to post that no one financed for 5 years.
viking_linuxbrother@reddit
4 years was uncommon for everything but higher end vehicles.
Broad_Tie9383@reddit
Thank you. Was looking for this comment. 5 year loans are an abomination that have inflated car prices.
rulingthewake243@reddit
There's people on the road doing 8+ yr loans now
Material-Imagination@reddit
A lot of people just saved up and paid cash if they could
round_a_squared@reddit
And the whole point of a Geo is that they were cheap as hell
Material-Imagination@reddit
Exactly!
And also sideways 3 cylinder engines and tires the size of bagels
Sharp_Economy1401@reddit
It's also a Geo, it was like 30-50% less than the average car at the time. That would be pretty nuts to finance for 5 years
brees2me@reddit
I was gonna say that my broke butt was machine out at 48 months on my $5,000 "Ugly Duck" special.
Whole_Barnacle_1560@reddit
Also, wasn't that car like $2,000? I don't think you were choosing between that and a benz
fllannell@reddit
i still want one. or an older honda crv that was still small and not bloated like today's. I like the audio samarais too! but rarely see them anymore.I believe i remember also seeing something called a rocky as well?
Wish you could still buy a cj5 size Wrangler too. The current Wrangler iteration looks like a crj who has gotten morbidly obese. From what i read while the cj5 was about 2500 pounds the current Wrangler is over 4000 pounds.
Sir-Mocks-A-Lot@reddit
I drove one. It was zen on four wheels.
uberallez@reddit
Sassy AND sporty.
DataPhreak@reddit
The tracker was dope.
Exotic_Pay6994@reddit
Meanwhile in 2026:
"Yes I'd like to finance this $90000 vehicle for the next 10 years at 10% interest."
PictureMaster512@reddit
Maybe it’s just my experience but it was always the fattest people who owned these. We had a local family Mom, Dad and 3 boys. None weighed less than 270. If just one of them were driving the poor frame looked like \ I swear I never saw a skinny driver
ExcitingAntelope5005@reddit
The hottest guy in my high school drove one of these.
OkCar7264@reddit
Yeah but the payment would have been like $200/mo
Jessieoxen@reddit
That was the Goat 🐐 back then … Take the vinyl top off and cruise the strip …
rhm54@reddit
They only cost about 12k. Great investment
SarcasticLie@reddit
Versus what? Today we pick from a vast array of boring crossover looking things in outrageous colors like white or beige
TaiterChip74@reddit
I had a 2000 Chevy tracker and a very similar 1985 Suzuki Samurai. Didn't have the fancy colour scheme but they were two of the best vehicles I owned
zuhalter_meow_meow@reddit
That's the vaporwave trim. Chances are anyone financing one of those in the early 90's was the father of a 16 year old girl just trying to make his little princess happy.
pennyflowerrose@reddit
IIRC this was one of the cheapest new cars at the time.
coaxialology@reddit
My beat friend's mom had one and we lived in Minnesota. To make the back not freezing during the winter they would have to just blast the heat from the front. It looked cute though.
doberdevil@reddit
I don't remember 60 month loans being a thing in the 90s.
kevinsmomdeborah@reddit
I knew three people that drove those. Eventually each one flipped in an accident
Quick_Lack_6140@reddit
I had a Suzuki Samurai that looked a lot like that. Loved that car.
prguitarman@reddit
When you didn’t have to pay off a car the rest of your life
Inb4myanus@reddit
Id do it, looks dope as heck.
SkinnyPets@reddit
You’re just jealous you couldn’t afford it at your five dollars an hour job (and yes, that was the common salary in the 1980s)
flying_dutchman_w204@reddit
I’d still buy it today
fading_relevancy@reddit
I love these and the others that have the same idea going for them. The Suzuki Samurai and the Suzuki Sidekick. The first car I ever owned was a Sidekick. It was when I lived in the Virgin Islands in my 20s. Gotta say I would totally drive a Samurai if I had extra money for a toy car.
VaticRogue@reddit
I learned to drive in a purple tracker. Loved that thing
sleigh_all_day@reddit
My friend had a purple tracker. She won a sweepstakes at our local grocery store. That thing was adorable. We were all jealous, and she loved it.
VaticRogue@reddit
It was my grandfather’s. It was kind of this weird thing because he was such a big guy and everyone would get a kick out of seeing him drive it. But it was a great car to get around a small town and easy to drive. Fit in every parking spot
sleigh_all_day@reddit
Like a lil’ clown 🚙
adhdgirl_@reddit
I learned in a red one!
_sissy_hankshaw_@reddit
I am not joking AT ALL..this was my childhood dream car and I'd kill to find one that still runs well.
Binky182@reddit
Honestly, I think iys kinda cute and an update version of this would probably do well in today's market.
Personal_Strike_1055@reddit
More like finance for three years. Cars didn't cost all that much in the 90s.
_Internet_Hugs_@reddit
I wanted a Kia Sportage so bad I could taste it. Now I drive a Hyundai Santa Fe. It's like the grownup Sportage.
Brantley820@reddit
5 year finance.....in the 90s?
meizhong@reddit
I worked at a domino's in high school. There were 4 drivers with these. They made the most money.
I think they had a damn 3 cylinder engine if I remember right.
hitchhiker421967@reddit
A Japanese Jeep. I wanted one soo bad. Still, I bought a Subaru Brat in 87. Just as fun.
Persis-@reddit
Most car loans were not for 5 years back then! 3-4 years were normal. 5 years were for luxury cars. Not Trackers, lol.
xxMarcWithaCxx@reddit
My first boss tried in 96 tried to convince me to buy his Suzuki Samurai death trap. Glad I passed though thinking back was probably a cooler ride then my Hyundai Hatchback despite the rollover risk.
Opposite-Mushroom940@reddit
I had the tracker’s cooler cousin, a Suzuki Samarai. Top speed was like 75.
CCT240@reddit
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-geo-tracker-2/ This one sold for 11k a few years ago.
Florida_man2020@reddit
They didn’t finance past 3 years at that time, if they did it was extremely rare
iggly_wiggly@reddit
I prefer the Suzuki sidekick
porb2020@reddit
I don’t know about a Geo Tracker but I would do it for Suzuki Samurai. 👍
BloodFromAnOrange@reddit
You should have been on Classic Concentration!
CT0292@reddit
Proper 4WD setup. Little plucky motor. They were pocket off roaders and they were cheap and fun.
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
I got a brand new one - the Jimny. glorious little buzz box of fun.
and they are banned in the united states of freedom land.
charutobarato@reddit
They’re not really banned for any reason other than they’re not sold here so Suzuki hasn’t spent any money/effort getting them approved (why would they). It is sad though I’d love one of those mini g wagon clown cars
hom3land@reddit
The tracker was a Suzuki sidekick. The whole geo lineup was a hodgepodge of rebranded Japanese cars.
birdieponderinglife@reddit
I want one so bad!
veilchenblau_39@reddit
Roommate had one and we drove top down DC to NY. My fine hair was a fro by the end.
Diligent_Sentence_45@reddit
And they are still running that little shit box engine into the ground 30 years later 🤣😂
madlibs13@reddit
Wish they were still around.
Ineedavodka2019@reddit
They didn’t have 5 year financing in the 90s.
SpaceBus1@reddit
Would
travelinmatt76@reddit
As a kid I wanted one so bad. At 16 I was working at a tire shop and we had some aluminum Geo Tracker rims and I discovered that they would fit my dad's 78 Ford Van. So I bought them.
wildwolfay5@reddit
Those fuel injected 1.3 engines were a godsend for the offloading Suzuki samurai groups.
Notmischa@reddit
I don’t think we had 5 year car loans in the 90s.
CSWorldChamp@reddit
OMFG I had this exact car, but with a hard-top, not a convertible. (You do not want a convertible in Wisconsin…)
It was a ‘93. I bought it in ‘98. Just 5 years later, I took it in for an oil change and the mechanic was like “hey, you know those bolts that good the rest of the car onto the chassis? Yeah, those are rusted through. I don’t even know how you drove this thing here.” Car = over.
Moral of the story, do not neglect the underbody flush when you’re getting. A car wash in a place where they use road salt for 2/3 of the year…
Pfunk4444@reddit
They were fun to drive!
HorridChoob@reddit
Probably could afford that car with little to no financing back then
yahoo_determines@reddit
Don't forget the banana yellow Nissan Xterras.
JunkHead1979@reddit
I knew a guy who had one of these. I think it was blue. One day he picked me and another gy and we rode around. He had a cd player in it, and I guess this was before "Anti-Skip Technology". Because that cd skipped so much due to the bumpy roads.... it skipped mroe than music played. It was like... 3 seconds of music, 45 seconds of nothing.
It was awful.
MAurele@reddit
5 year loans were considered nuts back then. And if you could find this magnificent vehicle in good condition today you would have to finance it over 7
likesloudlight@reddit
I'd buy that right now.
Connect_Hospital_270@reddit
I saw them on the road longer than PT Cruisers, so I guess that is at least something.
Aeon_Return@reddit
If nylon windbreakers were a car...
Leather-Material9731@reddit
They were known as stripper Jeeps where I lived.
TradeBeautiful42@reddit
Back then 5 yr financing wasn’t a big thing. That started years later.
OrangeBlackMilk@reddit
they lasted though, my parents got one in 96, they gave it to me in 2005 and I drove it until the engine finally gave out in 2019
jackparadise1@reddit
Ah yes, the old Suzuki kamakazi.
cv-boardgamer@reddit
Are you kidding? If Suzuki still made Samurais, that's what I would be driving right now. About 15 or so years ago, I needed a car. I looked online for a used Samurai, because I love them so much. Found one for $800 in great condition. Went to the owner's house to test drive it. I loved it. But the owner was a good dude. He told me it's simply not a commuter. It's a fun car/Sunday drive, for going camping, off-roading etc. I told him I would have to commute between LA and San Diego often, for work. He said that I would have a miserable time doing it in a Samurai. I was young, he was old. Good, honest man who talked me out of a bad decision.
In the late '80's, my brother had one, white, with a soft top. He would take me off-roadimg at this popular spot that is now a condo development. It was so much fun. I'd hold on to the roll bar for dear life. Then we would get McDonald's. Happy childhood memories...
Mister_Brevity@reddit
I’m not gonna like, I kinda liked them
GlassAndStorm@reddit
Lol finance? I think we could just buy it out right out
Similar_Sale_5136@reddit
Just looked up. Msrp started at $8300 and some change when it debuted in 1989.
No-Philosopher3248@reddit
My parents had a Tracker. It was roomy and was very practical. I’d have one today if all of the used examples out there hadn’t been lowered, covered in a hideous metallic purple paint, put on 20 inch wheels, and stuffed full of subwoofers.
Similar_Sale_5136@reddit
It was like 10k brand new.
IcyAddress4074@reddit
That bitch was also $99 a month. So get off my shit.
Laser_Fish@reddit
In defense of people in the 90s, most auto loans were 2-4 years at the time. I remember the first time I heard about a 5 year loan, thinking that was crazy talk!
otterbox313@reddit
Most dependable car I have ever had. Bought it with 150k, put another 200k on it. Sold it to my friend who still uses it on his property.
faesser@reddit
It took me longer than I'd like to admit that you meant mileage. My dumb ass thinking "you spent $350k?!?!?!?"
Worth-Oil8073@reddit
You're not the only one... 🫣😳
thelizardlarry@reddit
In Canada we call it “Kilometerage”
/s
ConstantBrush7996@reddit
ok but what do you actually call it? distance? odometer?
thelizardlarry@reddit
Like much of our half assed approach to the metric system, we actually call it mileage.
Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit
Yup, mileage. Measured in? Kilometers.
faesser@reddit
I was literally thinking "what's the version for kilometers?" As I was typing out mileage
dumbass_sempervirens@reddit
Wait, I kind of want to know now.
Johnyryal33@reddit
I was wondering what kind of currency they used.
theredfantastic@reddit
Same 😂
doppleclick@reddit
my Chevy Tracker is coming up on 200k. V6, 4WD. Love this car. see a lot on the road still.
4est5pirit@reddit
ok, so they're made by suzuki, the longevity makes more sense now
dumbass_sempervirens@reddit
A coworker had one. One day it just burned the fuck to the ground.
He said it was overheating so he pulled over at his sister's house. He went around back to get the hose to fill the radiator, came back around and it was just engulfed in flames.
But now that I think about it, we were teenagers. He might have exaggerated the amount of fire.
visionofacheezburger@reddit
They didn't finance cars for 5 years in the 90s.
Worth-Oil8073@reddit
If this car and a pack of Lisa Frank stickers had a baby, it would be the spirit animal of the 90s!
megamanx4321@reddit
O_W_Liv@reddit
I own one now, it's our airport car we leave in the lot.
Manual transmission, crank windows, no AC, barely makes 70 where the speed limit allows and rattles loudly.
I love it.
gingamann@reddit
I had one. I called it the barbie mobile. It was manual trans, it drove like an extra large tonka truck. Changing gears? No need for the clutch, the stick would slip out of gear when she was ready on her own. For the last 6 months of ownership I had to pop the clutch to get it to start. Repairs cost more than the car was worth.
Ahh memories...
Few_Distribution_905@reddit
I wish I still had mine.
TMQ73@reddit
Still better than the ton of drab aka wet concrete color SUV that all look the same that we have now.
gingamann@reddit
I had one. I called it the barbie mobile. It was manual trans, it drove like an extra large tonka truck. For the last 6 months of ownership I had to pop the clutch to get it to start. Repairs cost more than the car was worth.
Ahh memories...
LooseWateryStool@reddit
We had a friend who had the suzuki samurai and we would lift and turn his car 90degrees in his parking spot on lunch break.
Intelligent-Art-5000@reddit
There was a weird phenomenon in the early '90s where the biggest juiced-up bodybuilders all wanted Suzuki Samurais and later Geo Trackers.
Giant dudes in mini-Jeeps.
ailish@reddit
This kid in my high school had one of these and he was super proud of it.
Potential-Dog1551@reddit
Three to four years maximum, five year loans came with the new century.
sage__evelyn@reddit
Fuck yeah! My first car was a similar model and it was my favorite ❤️
fuckitallendisnear@reddit
This thing was an absolute mule in the snow. Fun little off roader too. Low power but lightweight so really wasn't an issue.
rdldr1@reddit
I can't go faster, it's a Geo!
gimlet_prize@reddit
It is my favorite ride ever, I’ve owned three of them. Just had to let go of my baby because I cant manage the stick shift anymore. 4x4, convertible, just the most fun ever! I even had a little backpack for it. 😭
THRSALWYSNXTYR@reddit
I'd take a 4WD Geo Tracker, even with that paint job, over whatever behemoth pickup is selling for $70k these days.
Tullamore1108@reddit
Same. People in the 90s? I’m people and I’d buy this today. Give me all the wild colors and designs!
Fair_Blood3176@reddit
The trucks have gotten so much bigger as of late.
THRSALWYSNXTYR@reddit
And so many of them dont even have a full bed lol. I bought a used Dodge Caravan after I bought my house cuz it was practical. Guys would give me shit for it, until I pointed out how their $70k truck couldnt even fit full sheets of drywall or plywood or keep em dry in the rain.
anathene@reddit
I’d love to have a reasonably priced small pickup. Not as a daily driver just as a work horse. Bring back a manual S10!
_R_A_@reddit
My dad had the v6 version of this back in the 90s-2000s. That was literally all you needed out of a truck unless you are towing a lot of equipment or putting a small dump bed in the back.
Blue_Eyed_Devi@reddit
Except they had like 90hp
thejesterofdarkness@reddit
I had 2 ‘88 Pulsar NXs that had only 71hp and they were still zippy as hell.
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
it's amazing how quick and nimble a sub 100 hp car can be when they are not the size and weight of an apartment building.
modern cars are so bloody massize, they need massive engines to move their fat asses.
thejesterofdarkness@reddit
Oh yeah. When the car is only 2200lbs a 4cyl can make it book.
My current ‘87 Pulsar NX has a turbo charged 1.8L and she’ll fly…..as long as I can keep traction 🤣
Wabbit_Wampage@reddit
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Cool_Dark_Place@reddit
Yeah, but they only weighed about 2200 - 2300 lbs. Not sure if I'd wanna cruise the Interstate all day in one, but they were enough (especially a manual) to get you around town or across the beach quickly enough.
Kyttengyrl@reddit
my friends and I were heading to Dave and Buster's one Saturday and we usually took the highway. My Tracker was a fucking kite on windy days on the highway so I had to take the backroads.. still beat them there!
der_innkeeper@reddit
Yeah, and?
I drive a 98 Saturn. At $4/gallon, its great.
Unlucky_Put6539@reddit
There is a 98 Saturn that still runs?
Deathgripsugar@reddit
they out here in socal
der_innkeeper@reddit
Like a damn champ.
Even passes emissions.
FastWalkingShortGuy@reddit
It still runs? That's awesome.
My first car was a 94 Saturn. I paid cash and drove it from when I was 18 until I was 27. Got 350k miles out of that thing.
Jupitersd2017@reddit
My first car was a 5 speed 95 Saturn!!! It was a great little car
sysiphean@reddit
They were not fast, but they were useful. I pulled stun with one in 4Low. I loaded an oven in box in the back and brought it home when my in-laws’ oven died on Christmas Eve. And it was lovely to drive up canyons with the top down.
I have thought about picking one up and doing an electric conversion. Or else upgrading the motor to a modern 2.0 turbo.
llllilllllll@reddit
That’s a lot of horses
THRSALWYSNXTYR@reddit
I live in the Buffalo area and knew someone that had one of these and lived on some country ass hilly roads that dont get plowed all that well. That thing just ate through the snow. Most people driving the trucks on the road today absolutely do not need that much room and power.
Wabbit_Wampage@reddit
I would take it in part because of that awesome paint job. Let's hit up taco bell for some munchies and mountain dew and go cruisin'!
adhdgirl_@reddit
We have one! Gen Z boys love it! It's sooo cute to see their giddy smiles.
retribution81@reddit
Yeah? But they run forever.
languagehacker@reddit
100% the car of folks who show up at the place they bought it and pay in cash on a weekly basis. Best way to keep it from getting repo'd.
MastodonAsleep816@reddit
Barbie Jeeps.
B1GAAPL@reddit
You had to be there, those joints were fire
ChimneySwiftGold@reddit
Weren’t little SUVs like the Geo Tracker notorious for tipping over at slow speeds on tight turns? Like they famously would capsized in fast food drive throughs. And it happened enough the entire class of car stopped being made by a manufacturer.
Budget-Chapter-7185@reddit
Just the 90’s?!? I want it now too
TrailerParkFrench@reddit
They were SO much fun to drive.
SlayerOfDougs@reddit
5 year financing I don't think was available in early 90s... For the most part. My mother remembers when a three year car loan was shocking
Leather-Sky8583@reddit
My little sister still talks about how she misses her Geo Tracker lol!!
I can’t say much as I purchased a 2007 Chevy Aveo brand new off the lot in November 2006 myself and it was my favorite car ever, although for $12,000 brand new I don’t think anyone would complain if they ran across that today lol
mowtowcow@reddit
Id drive that thing right now.
Strict-Square456@reddit
I thought that was a suzuki samurai at first
SciFi_MuffinMan@reddit
Loved it. Color everywhere.
(side rant) I like colorful socks now because after 24 years of only olive drab (uniform) or white (for physical fitness time) I need something to pop a little. You know how difficult it is to find good colorful socks?
TaskmasterOfPuppets@reddit
lol back then it was 2-3 years. 5yrs was like 10yrs now.
SapphireJuice@reddit
I would finance that car today honestly
AdeptVeterinarian541@reddit
They were also dirt cheap, not the 50k dollar second mortgage cars are now.
JeffTS@reddit
Wow, forgot all about Geo Trackers. A high school friend's mother owned one but I can't think of anyone else in my family or friend circle that did.
viking_linuxbrother@reddit
To be fair, financing this car wasn't anywhere near as expensive on a car price/salary level.
_WillCAD_@reddit
Better that than a Yugo, dude.
pekannboertler@reddit
And? That car was awesome, I would buy one today if I could.
Sundew3369@reddit
Those things in 4WD made some really great trail and fishing trucks. I had one loved it
brackthomas7@reddit
Say what you want about Geos but my friends dad had a 3 cylinder metro that got almost 50mpg and went for 300,000 miles. He bought it brand new for just over 7,000. Try finding its equal today
LocalInformation6624@reddit
I vividly remember my dad climbing into one of those at the dealership, and the salesmen said, “sir, that’s a woman’s car.”
Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit
I'd have laughed that salesman into a coffin. I drove a diesel SmartFor2 for years. Loved that little car.
CookieTX2022@reddit
Mine was a Geo metro. My uncle bought like 4 of them,one for each of his daughters and then 1 for my mom which eventually I drove. He paid cash and they were like 5 or 6,000 each lol. Can you imagine, a car only costing 5000. This had to been around 93 or 94. When I started driving in 97 I took over my moms.
paintedwoodpile@reddit
Right out of art school, my GF and I financed a Geo Metro sedan. Suzuki engine. Ran great. Got crazy fuel mileage. Gas was 95 cents for a bit there. We filled it up every 3 weeks. Transmission was glass but easily replaced.
Izarial@reddit
Man I loved my mom’s tracker. It was a manual 5 speed and boy was it fun when the top was off. Of course it took half an hour to take the damn top off.
Zesty-B230F@reddit
I love how people today lease $1000 a month BMWs.
PickledPixie83@reddit
My high school boyfriend had one of these bad boys, lol.
Arik_De_Frasia@reddit
YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO THE VEHICLE! PLEASE STEP BACK!
deeweromekoms@reddit
My first car was a Geo Storm. It fell apart.
smellybulldog@reddit
Mom had one of these and it would have been mine. . It had a pink and green guy surfing on the door. I flipped it in the hills before school started in September. Probably saved my loads of grief not driving that thing to school.
ChaosDaemon9@reddit
You can thank the show "Miami Vice" for that color scheme being almost everywhere. Everyone wanted to have that Miami cool vibe because of that show.
CAJMusic@reddit
This car was so much fun to own, you’ll never know.
_R_A_@reddit
I had the Suzuki version, which was more common in the four door hard top.
I did so many stupid and life threatening things in that car.
spderweb@reddit
Trackers were amazing. And used, they were super cheap.
Total_Ordinary_8736@reddit
I wanted a Geo Storm so badly when I was a kid…
drew_almighty21@reddit
I think mine was $11k new. It was a manual and I didn't know how to drive it yet so dad had to drive it home from the lot and teach me. Lots of great times in that car.
AndyF135@reddit
I'll take 2 now.
FixedLoad@reddit
5 years? 2. Maybe. If you didn't already have the cash saved after working the two years before you got your license. You didn't need money just to exist. Saving was much easier.
wildmaninid@reddit
A 5 year auto loan was absolutely unheard of. 36 months was about as far out as you could go.
coopnjaxdad@reddit
I had a red one of those right after high school. I paid cash for it. Someone had put a sweet wood steering wheel and shift knob in it.
Shit was so fun…except for getting to work with a wet ass because the top leaked like a sieve.
Josephthebear@reddit
Yeah but what about a 1995 Plymouth Voyager?
CapitanRonRico@reddit
In the 90s, people generally weren't financing for 5 years. Cars were paid off in under 3 years because they were smaller and cheaper.
physical0@reddit
In the 90s, a 5 year car loan would have sounded absurd.
hajisaurus@reddit
My 1994 dodge spirit was the best car I ever owned. Ran like a dream, great on gas, easy maintenance. Lasted 200k before my dad’s girlfriend wrecked it. 😢
safety3rd@reddit
Friend of mine had a hot pink one given to him by his mom.
Riding in the back of that thing felt link riding the scrambler at the fair.
Actual_Salt7509@reddit
I was one of them, but wanted the purple pink one
FujiwaraHelio@reddit
Trackers are the shit.
thatguyfromfrance@reddit
It was 1996, it was $5k to buy it used, zero regret!
ryaca@reddit
My dad had two Trackers! They were fun, zippy little cars. I learned stick shift on a Tracker.
Accomplished_Pen980@reddit
If I could find that car brand new today I'd go 25,000 and not bat an eye
daubs1974@reddit
I worked the service desk at GM dealerships for nearly 30 years. The Trackers were bulletproof. Say what you will about their aesthetics, they ran forever fairly problem free. The inside door handles broke, .2 of an hour in labor and a $80 handle. And they had a scheduled check engine light at 80,000 miles for a catalytic converter test. That’s all the repairs I ever saw them for that wasn’t routine maintenance.
astralchanterelle@reddit
I've heard a mechanic say those Trackers are really good cars
fromthedarqwaves@reddit
Isuzu and Suzuki had some awesome vehicles back then. Samurai, Sidekick, Swift, Gemini, Amigo, Rodeo, and the Geo rebadge names Tracker, Metro, Storm, Spectrum.
syclopa@reddit
Five years? Cars were 3-4 year loans back then.
5aturncomesback@reddit
Cheap, easy to park, semi convertible car. As long as you don’t have to go far, what would be the drawback?
Fillmore80@reddit
That's the trick. You got this because you DIDN'T have to finance it.
Responsible-View-804@reddit
No no.
People in the 90s thought, sure I’ll take this 100 car payment for 3 years. It’s so low cause I put 500 down
LLcoolDZ@reddit
I inherited my uncles and let me tell you- I miss that car every single day!!
macklin_sob@reddit
One of my neighbors has one of these. Seems like a fine investment to me.
BadassSasquatch@reddit
The amount of people we could fit in one of these things
AetheriaInBeing@reddit
One of my friends in hs had a red tracker. It was delightful.
"hey, you didn't lock your doors."
"my windows unzip. I don't think the doors will stop them."
gizmobuddy@reddit
My buddy had one of these. Weirdest feeling clutch I've ever driven. The metro's clutch was the same. Friction zone the size of a dime, and squishy like a wet sponge.
aversboyeeee@reddit
Now you can choose from car that looks like every other car in white or black.
switchquest@reddit
Here it was called a 'Feroza', my uncle had one. I don't think he financed it though.
DoveOnTheInternet@reddit
DESPERATELY WANT!!
Someone down the road from me has a pink one as their daily driver.
In 2026!
HelicopterExact4621@reddit
My fist car was a sky blue geo tracker and it was fucking amazing!
KittehKittehKat@reddit
There is one near me in perfect condition still boopin around.
Piranha_Vortex@reddit
I owned a 1989 Sidekick then a 1990 Geo Metro. Both manuals. Fun to drive, great mileage and easy to work on.
Express-Cow190@reddit
I think my science teacher had one of those in high school. He saw me walking and gave me a ride home one time.
Cheezslap@reddit
I'm so delighted at the amount of stick shift shitbox love in here! I thought it was just me (and now my son)! Who knew it was generational?!
Snoo-21158@reddit
If they made these today I would buy one today.
I LOVED my Geo.
adise25@reddit
I actually saw one of these in the wild not too long ago.
Sail0r_Jupit3r@reddit
I had a black ‘96 with 4WD and you couldn’t tell me anything. It was so fun in the summer and, ironically, a total beast in the snow during Midwest winters. I miss the days when $10 would fill up my gas tank from E.
BruceStarcrest@reddit
My first car was one of these. It was Smurf blue with pink graphics and white top.
Manual transmission, no ac, and I lived somewhere that was regularly over 100 degrees.
It was only $500 too lol
maybeitstimetorun@reddit
I still would buy that vehicle
Hillbillygeek1981@reddit
It's a truly depressing thing to see that not only are the old shitboxes some of us were buying for $300 every few months in the 90's going for close to five figures on Marketplace nowadays, but they've also proven themselves to be obscenely better than most of the new stuff on the market.
I don't know how it was for non-rural kids growing up then, but it was nothing uncommon for us to save up a few hundred, buy some beat up 4wd pickup, Jeep or something like a Tracker or Samurai, run it till the wheels fell off, then sell the hulk for enough in scrap and parts to get another one and repeat the process. Sometimes half a dozen times a school year, lol.
If we had all those old square bodies, tiny imports and enormous sedans back now we could all retire, lol.
chadflint333@reddit
Now if you want to buy a piece of junk you better have 5k
Environmental-Toe686@reddit
I doubt anyone did. 5 years was considered the absolute max length of a loan for expensive cars into the 2000s. Most people probably has a 3 or 4 year term.
Fuckitall2346@reddit
It’s bonkers that five-year car loans have been normalized.
_MadGasser@reddit
Except they weren't financed for 5 years because they weren't overpriced.
Dalekanium_Certified@reddit
Wild and crazy times
bhauls@reddit
My friend said once, “yeah .. no thanks. I don’t want to drive a roller skate 🛼 all day everyday.”
Chocolate-Pie-1978@reddit
When I was in the 4th grade, one of the teachers at school had a little red Geo Metro convertible and MAN, I loved that car. I was determined that I would be driving one when I turned 16. That did not happen.🫤
bavindicator@reddit
The Geo Tracker was a fun little knock around ride
ferminriii@reddit
You could buy it with a 2-year loan back then.
My best friend's older brother put $2,000 down and bought one with a 24-month loan.
Jedi-_-Joe@reddit
Hah I had one of these in my late teens. Was a fun car driving to the beach for spring break!
cropguru357@reddit
Great gas mileage, too.
iStoleTheHobo@reddit
Are you joking? This car is so much more reasonable than what you see on the roads today.
HeyPrettyLadyMaam@reddit
My fist car was a Geo Storm. It was a go kart with a body kit 😂😂 the steering wheel shook from 50-70 mph. I had to either drive under 50 or over 70 to make the shimmy stop. Thing was a beast in the snow though.
dantespair@reddit
At a cost of $90 Bi-weekly.
MaxFffort@reddit
I’ll take it over these driving computers
Sharp_Revolution5049@reddit
People didn't finance cars for 5 years back then. You'd have maybe 3 years of a car payment.
serenamo@reddit
I learned how to drive in a Geo Tracker. There was something wrong with it where it made this loud noise that you could hear it coming a half mile away.
EidolonRook@reddit
5 year auto loan in the 90s?
Madam_Velya@reddit
I own a metro and a tracker and they are the most reliable cars I've ever owned. Love them to death.
red_bird85@reddit
Should anyone need prime poopin material.
https://youtu.be/l1TDB8ZyZM4?si=at_rxnhqn1kN8F5g
AfterZookeepergame71@reddit
Back then it was only 3 years
BigDickedAngel@reddit
Have you ever driven one of these in the snow? They were basically road legal go karts
Aggravating-Gold5911@reddit
My best friend in high school had a Tracker. We called it the Tonka Truck 😂. I was fun little car.
javaper@reddit
My first car was a 4 door Suzuki Sidekick. Fun little thing.
rulingthewake243@reddit
Nobody was financing a geo like that.
seemooreglass@reddit
if you had the 4WD version and maintained it well, you could sell for real good money.
skydiveguy@reddit
We didnt finance cars for 5 years back then.
4 years was the standard.
Ambitious_Jelly8783@reddit
That car would be a great fun beach car. Would love if things like this were still available at quality.
elonmusktheturd22@reddit
I had one in 2011. Manual transmission, hard top, was like at atv with doors and got very good gas mileage.
I once towed a camper 4 times its weight 70 miles. Raced down dirt roads. Once had trouble starting so i pulled it 3 miles to a shop with a tow rope around my waist.
Was the best car i ever had until the engine blew up at 190k miles. something broke loose, lots of rattling, shop said it was a lost cause, thanks to cash for clunkers it was impossible to find a used engine as all the old vehicles and parts were being destroyed for tax writeoffs, i kept it for 2 more years trying to get it fixed before i gave up and sold it for $50 as scrap metal.
I no longer drive, haven't since 2016, used cars are impossible to find in working shape or are insanely expensive, or both (used 90s ford rangers with no engine or a 2000s s10 with no transmission and rusted out are around $8000 if your lucky, and good luck finding the parts they need).
Probably never going to drive again, but damn i miss that 94 tracker
WineNot2Drink@reddit
I would LOVE one of these.
CoonassDmax@reddit
My last manual car was a 1997 Toyota paseo, called it “the peso” because that’s about how much I had paid for it. I loved that little car. I just bought a used civic si last week with a manual because I love driving them.
Academic_Run8947@reddit
When I was in high school I had a friend with a dad and step mom that were unhinged. They would get in these huge fights and then do wild shit to punish the other. One time they had a fight and the dad left with his brother for a few days. And the fucking step mom took the nice truck they had and traded it in for TWO Geo Trackers. That man drove a bright green geo tracker for like a year in a rage before he got another truck. The step mom had a purple one. What a piece of shit. Fun as hell to ride in during the summer. But we lived in a place with cold long winters. The heater couldn't keep up and you were constantly freezing.
sailphish@reddit
Really, those things were so fun!
53-44-48@reddit
I grew up driving one. Best car. I honestly wish cars like this were made today. I'd buy a new one tomorrow if I could.
poopy_poophead@reddit
But it was cheap as hell. Geo cars were like 30% cheaper than other cars and they got like 40mpg. If you were in hs or college it was an actual good, cheap car to have.
RainerGerhard@reddit
I currently want one so badly. It’s stupid, but I am having a hard time thinking of a reason not to.
They are Little Broncos!
Different-Local4284@reddit
Never saw one. Most cars were neutral colors like now
Sweetishdruid@reddit
That is my dream car right now. I can't wait till I can get one
theMightBoop@reddit
Usually if you had one of these it was because it was the only thing you could afford.
jawsome_man@reddit
My mother had a hard top blue Geo Tracker throughout most of my childhood. Manual transmission. That’s the car I learned to drive on. A good car and a good value.
Trelin21@reddit
I had to stop looking at these a few years ago, cause I was tempted to waste good money on nostalgia.
Bring back the geo/sidekick!!! Small utility vehicles need life again!
NotEntirelyShure@reddit
I would buy that car now.
PermitInteresting388@reddit
Fake Wrangler
411592@reddit
That little car was a tank though
paf0@reddit
Classic. That was my "favorite car" when I was like 13 but I was never cool enough to own one. I miss Geos, Saturns and Pontiacs. Chevys are so boring in comparison, I haven't driven a GM product since like '04.
andy_nony_mouse@reddit
Fun, fun car. Would float through snow. My first car. Just not durable. The engine blew at 120,000 miles in three years. I drove that thing a lot. Towed an 18’ boat with it several weeks in the summer, too. It probably wasn’t engineered for what I put it through.
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
must have been made by a z.
no one in the 90s had a 5 year car loan.
3 years at the most. cause cars were cheap back then.
death traps to be sure, but cheap.
Comfortable_Horse277@reddit
Hell yeah. Do NOT turn too hard at full speed.
Just a recommendation.
Watched one of these burn itself down after rolling. Hahahab
oroborus68@reddit
I don't think they were 5 years then . I remember zero interest with a huge down payment, but maybe 3 years loans?
redbanner1@reddit
Inside out Taco Bell.
Outside-Signature600@reddit
I actually still own a Tracker, although it's a regular 4 door. It's a 2000 4 cyl with less than 70k original miles. Love the gas mileage. Great little commuter vehicle. Always getting notes tucked in the windshield wipers, asking if I want to sell it. Heck no.
whereismymind86@reddit
I had a tracker...now, that I bought for like...$500. It's a great little car actually.
big_fig@reddit
They were an affordable SUV with 4wd option. They are still making jeep renegades today to fill similar niche. And they are just as ugly.
Mr_Chicano@reddit
You had to live in the 90s to appreciate the 90s.
weltvonalex@reddit
Looks awesome, looks like fun
Fydron@reddit
People back then had more fun and more personality than people nowadays who just drive around with cars that all look like suppository.
Also I hate how colours completely disappeared other than white, gray and black.
j7style@reddit
I mean, you could get one for like $10,000 new. That was like $200 a month at 5 years back then. A lot of jobs started at around $5 and hour, so it only took one paycheck a month to buy it with basically no down-payment. Compared to a lot of other vehicles back then, it wasn't a bad price.
You also need to keep in mind that most considered it to be a cool quirky little vehicle. Perfect for the younger, fun loving generation.
Appropriate-Food1757@reddit
5 years? It was like 20 bucks
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Imagine one of these not breaking in 5 years!
Terrible_Silver8999@reddit
I wanted one of these so bad. I got a Mazda Protege instead. 😒
TwainVonnegut@reddit
Suzuki Samurai: Ninja Name, Gobbidge Cah
Ordo_Nekro@reddit
My mom had a green geo tracker when I was little and it still remains my favorite. The 90s were weird magic, for sure.
spoung45@reddit
I once saw a review on one that said "safer than a skateboard."
1nhaleSatan@reddit
The Geo metro was the single best car for fuel economy in the 90s
I don't care what data anyone presents, anecdotal evidence does prove it's the last perfect car.
I know nothing about other models of Geo
apsilonblue@reddit
They were the Suzuki Vitara here. Mate was still daily driving his '97 soft top JLX that he bought new up until late last year. He still had it 2 weeks ago but had found a buyer so likely gone by now.
bmxdudebmx@reddit
Don't forget about Jimmy! I wouldn't mind buzzing around in the new ones.
csking77@reddit
To be fair, the Samurai was popular, and others tried cashing in on the market
No-Possession-4738@reddit
For the discerning driver who wants the outside of the car to look like the inside of a 90s era Taco Bell.
Hilsam_Adent@reddit
...I bought a brand new Geo Tracker in '97. Fuck you for noticing.
Dude_with_the_skis@reddit
The 1996 geo tracker is non-ironically my favorite compact vehicle in existence
YVRkeeper@reddit
Unbeatable in the snow.
Just don’t corner too quickly…
degreesBrix@reddit
Roll over risks
ausdoug@reddit
That thing looks rad as fuck!
dharmavoid@reddit
That was almost my first car. My step father got it, in the hopes of in 3 years giving to me as my first car. I think after 2 years he traded it in and helped get me a small truck instead. So grateful
yonnav1@reddit
I saw one the other day and somehow really wanted it.
suddle@reddit
One of my teachers had one that had a customized license plate, along the lines of “FUN 2”. I never saw FUN 1. ☹️
erino3120@reddit
That was the car you didn’t want but really wanted your friend to have one in high school/college
No-Yard3980@reddit
My grandpa bought his cash and used it to tow a fucking fishing boat. I learned how to drive a manual at 12 on one of these. CEASE YOUR HATRED
Rum_Running_Sailor@reddit
We had so many amazing car choices in the '90s! The cool thing was, you could go to a dealership and build an entire car on a build sheet. They would place the order for you, the car company would make your custom car, and send it to the dealership specifically for you. I'm not talking about picking option packages, I'm talking picking individual options! That's why there's so many wild looking cars, like this Geo Tracker, that came out of the 90s!
BrittaUnfiltered67@reddit
ayresc80@reddit
Coffin on wheels
Kyttengyrl@reddit
mine was hot pink with a black top. I loved that car. 4 speed stick, no AC. I bought a bikini top for it (cover for just the front two seats, leaving the back open)
Phoniceau@reddit
Had a Suzuki Sidekick, basically exactly the same - it was great! Basically plastic and the roof disintegrated pretty quickly, but a great car!
STGItsMe@reddit
Sidekicks were the shit. They hit a wall and disintegrated quickly but until then they were great
zergling-@reddit
I owned a geotracker in 2015. It was a total piece of shit
n0exit@reddit
5 years LOL! That was a 36-month loan.
Skitzafranik@reddit
My oldest sister had one in college , but unfortunately some dude she knew stole it …….. was eventually recovered, but never saw dude again 🤷🏽♂️
fubo@reddit
The car my little brother wanted when he was in middle school.
Kinnaree@reddit
God I want one even now
GenXPowaah@reddit
Those Geos weren't actually bad, decent speed and great on gas
SooperHawk@reddit
A lot of boomers got ‘em to tow behind their RVs
HostSea4267@reddit
I love that car. Would buy one in a second today!
Dry_Today_9316@reddit
I had a geo tracker for several years. Drove the heck out of it. Fun to off-road with it. A fun vehicle.
GaylrdFocker@reddit
I still kind of want one.
rpmsm@reddit
Learned stick on a green one with a purple racing stripe. Great beach car (driving on).
MattyBeatz@reddit
My buddy had a Tracker and it had a massive sound system (very important in the 90s). We drove it everywhere. He ended up rolling it on its side in an intersection where he lost control on a turn. He called us and we drove over to help him push it back onto its right side up. Handful of teenagers just rolled it right back to its wheels. It started up and he drove it home.
gottabe_kd@reddit
I still want to pay for this car for 5 years.
pharaohmaones@reddit
If I saw a good deal on a cared-for Tracker I would halt, at least
jdallen1222@reddit
They love these in Puerto Rico, plenty of room in the back for speakers or surfboards.
RoundTheBend6@reddit
Geo Tracker means something totally different now . This car couldn’t have existed if it weren’t for the 80s though
Arcanisia@reddit
I still think it looks cool especially for that eta
8th_Dynasty@reddit
one of my first cars was a geo metro.
3cyl engine. I could fill up the tank for $18 and drive from Vegas to LA (and almost back) without adding a drop. of course I was going 65mph the whole way, but still….
I could unbolt the engine mounts and pull the motor out with one hand and place it on a work bench.
mntnskyman@reddit
I remember driving from San Francisco to Eureka and back on 1/2 a tank of gas in my buddies metro. Thing got like 55 mpg
TacosAndSarcasm@reddit
Those Suzuki engines meant a car that would drive forever. I saw one of these the other day, running like clockwork
Architarious@reddit
That car lasted for 35 years...
iredditoninternet@reddit
I would kill for a geo tracker, Isuzu trooper, or even better- Suzuki ninja. Those little 4x4 two doors are amazing.
ampreu@reddit
my babysitter had one with the automated shoulder straps.
New_Leaf_8647@reddit
I put a Geo Tracker engine in my Suzuki samurai. Went from 55hp to about 90. Great swap.
ChiaOtter@reddit
I was so proud of my roller skate, I posed with it before my homecoming date got to my house.
Embarrassed-Sky-4567@reddit
This little honey gave it some competition
Scorpionoshow@reddit
My literal DREAM CAR as a kid
C_est_la_vie9707@reddit
If the Geo metro came back just as it was, I would buy one now.
Hell_Maybe@reddit
Yeah but this car is fucking awesome.
BrusselsMarriott@reddit
I may be wrong, but I don’t think people weren’t financing cars for 5 years in the 90s. I think 36-48 months were the longest terms.
rygus@reddit
I remember Disneyland giving these away in California.
shankthedog@reddit
Trackers and any samurai clone is a dope ride.
Similar_Tie3291@reddit
My dad bought a used ‘92 Tracker in ‘94. Eventually it was the third car for me and my siblings to drive around in. Lotta memories in that car.
ded_rabtz@reddit
I used to think these were the coolest. Still do but used to as well.
Motherboy_TheBand@reddit
And they were correct
LiquidAquarium83@reddit
My Mom was a rebel and went for the Suzuki Sidekick. The only option I remember her getting was A/C and she had to turn that off when going up steep hills. I ended up driving it when I got my license but with no power steering, and clunky 5spd manual, I ended up driving the families 90 accord manual for a while. Good times.
TheREALBaldRider@reddit
Quite expensive if you are trying to pick one up these days…at least in my area
keefka@reddit
That's cause ppl figured out geo trackers are very modifiable and basically indestructible
Thornfist22@reddit
Shit I'd finance that now.
Jack-Burton-Says@reddit
My buddy’s mom drove one of these, damn she was hot.
AmishDatacenter@reddit
The mom or the Tracker? Although with a paint job like the one in the picture, you might mean both... And nobody would blame you.
_SmashLampjaw_@reddit
No one financed cars for 5 years back then...
SixAlarmFire@reddit
In the 90s it was only 3 years 😭
Vinylateme@reddit
I want one in 2026 what’s wrong with them
Canyon_Cruiser@reddit
I feel like in a sweet but dangerously idiotic space, this is what most yt people thought of when the MAGA phrase came about
banryu95@reddit
I had a (somewhat obnoxious) teacher that a lot of the kids loved who had a red Geo Tracker. He also had a massive flag pole with the American flag hanging out of the back (years before this became a common thing). He would take any opportunity he could to talk about how awesome his car was.
jgnp@reddit
Only have to finance it until you roll it, right?
CharlesChamp@reddit
My neighbors are still driving two of these.
Active_Yellow_1573@reddit
Friends mom had one and I remembered thinking that I wished my mom was this cool. Later in life I realized that my mom's friend was, in fact, not that cool.
Eric848448@reddit
Go faster Ned!
Asleep_Onion@reddit
Now it's this
Anaxamenes@reddit
Designers: Make it look like a solo cup, but not so close to a solo cup we get sued. GO!
Time_Presentation355@reddit
i'd buy it today if i could
Certain_Papaya2487@reddit
Awww, I had the 4 door version as my first car! I had a vanity plate with ‘SUVWANAB’ and threw off the curve for gas mileage reimbursement for something when I was in college. I drove that thing for 15 years 🥲
Rinzy2000@reddit
We also had snack bar cups that sort of matched.
Funny-Dare-3823@reddit
It matched my windbreaker, okay?
TrinityCodex@reddit
they were right
ConsciousChicken1249@reddit
I want that car now
Admirable-Eagle-231@reddit
I always wanted a tracker they looked fun
lanzendorfer@reddit
If they still made them, I'd buy one.
NaziAbuser@reddit
3 year car loans were the standard back then...
clutzycook@reddit
My husband drove one before he met me. The stories he told about driving that thing through midwestern snowstorms from his home to our college, which was a good 4 hours away in decent weather, are crazy.
StringerBell34@reddit
5 year financing for a car did not exist in the 90s. Welcome to dystopia
SailTheWorldWithMe@reddit
There's one for sale in my neighborhood.
rayray1927@reddit
Oh man my boyfriend had a Suzuki x90. Thanks for the blast.
perdy_mama@reddit
Senior year of high school, my four besties and I called ourselves the Ra Ta Ta Club. We would roll around town and through the woods in Justin’s Tracker getting high af, blaring U2’s “Elevation” and yelling “Ra Ta Ta Ta” as loud as we could with the top down.
That was livin’.
space_dogge@reddit
I loved stealing my sister’s car. Those things rocked!
psoriasaurus_rex@reddit
My neighbor has one of these. It still runs.
Dildo_Shw4ggins@reddit
It’s wild how highly sought after they’ve been for at least the past decade.
Kitty_Skittles_181@reddit
That is an amazing paint job and I love it.
sapient_pearwood_@reddit
My mom has a Tracker. It is Barbie pink. She gets a lot of attention pretty much wherever she goes.
(I had to drive it once, and I did not appreciate the attention levels)
catcherofsun@reddit
My mom had one of these! It was my first stick shift experience.
Sestos@reddit
I remember when dealerships gave people FREE Geo Trackers if they brought other cars at the dealerships just to move them off the lots.
aspect-of-the-badger@reddit
I would do it again.
Comfortable-nerve78@reddit
Even more laughable was the ones that got lifted. Always some Uncle Rico type rolling in a lifted tracker. Like giant Stomper’s to me.
8last@reddit
Its head turner if you still have one. Good investment honestly.
No-Moose470@reddit
These little rigs were fun to drive and adorable. We had a red one.
multiballs@reddit
This was my first car. It was fantastic.
The-JudgeHolden@reddit
Girl I went to school with (and lived near)had a geo metro. When I got behind her in the morning, I knew it was a long road to highway speed and watching her weave all over the road while applying her makeup. Great car
Stang1776@reddit
Those were everywhere too
Formal_Analysis6295@reddit
Omg. We had a Geo Tracker. Gold and black. Took the top of only once bc it was such a pain to put back on.
Spiritual_Sail_8969@reddit
I wish I still had my Suzuki Samurai
Rynowash@reddit
https://media1.tenor.com/m/0bGjEiLHhAYAAAAC/absofuckinglutely-samus-paulicelli.gif
Obi_Wan_Benobi@reddit
Geo. Now that’s a name I’ve not heard….
Anyway, I remember liking the one that looked vaguely like a sports car. Probably had a go kart engine though.
Jokierre@reddit
I think this was my then-GF’s car where I hit third base for the first time.
TollyVonTheDruth@reddit
A rollerskate you can drive. One of my friends drove a maroon one until it wouldn't run anymore — roughly 3 years. Even today, he says it was the worst vehicle he's ever had.
PickleFlavordPopcorn@reddit
Chitty chitty tracker bang 🎶
CraftComputing@reddit
I bought one, and I LOVED IT!
CDRAkiva@reddit
Five-year auto loans were unheard of in the 90s, much less the 72+ month options that exist now.
Low end versions could be had for 9-10k new. That’s the equivalent of like $22,000 today. If you need five year financing on a $22,000 car, you can’t afford to drive.
PilotGuy701@reddit
People would only finance for a maximum of 4 years back then. A 5 year was unheard of in the 90s.
Poopy-Drew@reddit
3 years was all a loan was then. 5years was the full use of a vehicle. They only lasted 100k mi
Illustrious-Good5086@reddit
I still give my old schoolmate shit for how excited he was to enter a sweepstakes to win a Suzuki Grand Vitara. Called it the coolest car. Think I'll text him about it today.
twilightswimmer@reddit
There’s a guy in town here with a green one. I love seeing it.
BichezNCake@reddit
I’d drive the shit out of that thing. Make sure to have the cassette hiss be loud enough to hear between tracks and fades
WhistlesMcBritches@reddit
These are popular cars on Catalina island. Great for taking to the wine mixers.
Schtick_@reddit
Don’t threaten me with a good time
FiveCrappedPee@reddit
I'm not proud of this but as a kid I was a criminal and one of the many schemes I got involved in was a tracker top ring. It was easy peasy you just broke in and unclicked the snaps and boom you walked away with a tracker top rolled up. You broke in the car, then just unsnapped everything. It was the easiest theft ever. We'd get $100 for each one after selling to the fence. I could probably do it in like 60 seconds flat. It was so easy. I'm not proud of the shit and have long since become a good member of society including 6 years in the Army. But just figured I'd share.
brilliantpants@reddit
My auntie had one that was minty green with pink accent paint. That car was cool as hell. But she had to sell it because scumbags cut the convertible cover too many times looking for stuff to stealz
brianthebuilder@reddit
I had the Suzuki Sidekick version. I'd pay money to drive it again for the day.
AllyBeetle@reddit
That's a $190/month car payment!
higglesworth@reddit
That thing is sofa king rad
zandarthebarbarian@reddit
Good MPG and reliable
sweetannmarie91@reddit
I still would
jollytoes@reddit
I don't think anything over 3yrs of financing was regularly done back then.
GreenLeafRelaxed@reddit
I miss my parents Isuzu Amigo with the removable radio that unseated every time we hit a bump!
Killahdanks1@reddit
They are actually really good vehicles. It’s like a sports coupe for suv owners. Also two door suvs were what there was. There really was only a suburban, jeep grand Cherokee, mini van and not many other four door suvs. The Explorer really changed that up.
The tracker also is a solid off road vehicle paired with a manual transmission. The top comes off so it’s fun, and at it was a great vehicle to tow flat behind an RV. Which used to be a big business. There was a good reason so many were out there. The tracker had its day. So the Geo brand.
59apache01@reddit
For those who couldn't quite achieve the Jeep YJ Wrangler.....
NonSupportiveCup@reddit
I would buy one right now. They were so much fun to drive.
Reckless, but fun.
CottaBird@reddit
My high school band teacher drove an Isuzu Amigo. Basically the same thing.
EmmalouEsq@reddit
I rode in one with a very bad driver and thought I was surely gonna die.
I think we even had to share a seat belt, if we wore them at all
RipErRiley@reddit
My buddy had a black one. They were actually great for us teens in warmer weather because of being able to take that soft top off.
Champ_5@reddit
The size is a little small for me, but I would go for those colors and paint job in a second
Corn_Beefies@reddit
My grandparents had one to tow behind the RV. It was way fun to drive.
Taanistat@reddit
Imagine seeing a car that isn't white, black or some version of grey and being mad about ir.
DHammer79@reddit
They used to assemble these about 20 minutes from my house.
crzytech1@reddit
Instead this as they used to assemble these in about 20 minutes. :)
buzzbash@reddit
I still see these driving.
theforestbather@reddit
Oh man, 15-year-old me wanted wanted one of these so bad. I even had a magazine ad with a turquoise one on my bedroom wall as an aspiration... or something.
fermentedradical@reddit
Ah the car powered by a lawnmower engine
DenaliBurnz@reddit
I’d like one of these in an electric version.
overand@reddit
There's a wild video series on YouTube of somebody who took a Suzuki Samurai (not wholly dissimilar from the Tracker) and put a forklift electric motor on it (I think DC), and used it as an off-road boulder crawling rig, and it was apparently pretty capable!
fakesaucisse@reddit
Funny thing is, the nun that served my parish when I was a kid had this car. She was a civil rights activist who worked with MLK Jr and then took vows, but still loved having a fun little car.
trbrts@reddit
No one was financing cars for 5 years in the 90s.
More-read-than-eddit@reddit
That car is sick
Lehk@reddit
nobody financed cars for 5 years in the 90's
RetroPandaPocket@reddit
I want my car to look like this now.
NindieNation@reddit
I will never forget when my mom had a (minor) car accident in 1995 and we got a Geo Metro for a loaner car for a week. I was 11 years old and I learned what a real piece of shit car was. Loud, slow, uncomfortable, zero options...
But to turn that same thing into a micro-SUV and put the 90s swoosh on it?
Sign me up, bitches.
Mekroval@reddit
I remember thinking a Geo was so underpowered, you could get out and push it faster lol.
JagarHardfart@reddit
My dad had one and thats what I used to take my test in and learned to drive in. Was fun to drive!
hotdogjumpingfrog1@reddit
I’ve been trying to find one for years. Saving up to redo the engine. I love these b
IAMImportant@reddit
Amigo Amigo for sun n fun n joy!
ossman1976@reddit
I want my car to match the disposable cups at work
llllilllllll@reddit
Zoomer spotted
drinkslinger1974@reddit
Back then car were financed for 3 years.
YcemeteryTreeY@reddit
See also: Pacer, Datsun, Brat
HTownGuero666@reddit
I needed one of these when I was 11. Bad lil “jeep” that always looked cool
kylebob86@reddit
Death mobile.
RumHamsRevenge@reddit
10/10 would buy now.
Right_Hour@reddit
Huh? These were bought for cash.
throwawayhbgtop81@reddit
I wanted one of these in that brief time where I was interested in driving
dannny_berns@reddit
I learned to drive stick in an electric blue ‘94 (ish) tracker. It was literally given to me for free by my friends dad who owned a shop, after my friend (his son) borrowed my car and totaled it driving drunk. Kept that thing for a few years and it never failed me
Knight_thrasher@reddit
Yeah it screams beach life
Breeezy0@reddit
My mom decided to divorce my dad and bought an electric blue one! Its how I learned to drive stick.
Badger1505@reddit
Girlfriend had one, stick shift. Great little car. I'd still drive one if I had it.
Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit
Shauni
bransanon@reddit
90's Taco Bell is the peak of human culinary advancement, so it makes sense that we wanted our vehicles to pay tribute to their interior decor.
TheDukeofArgyll@reddit
When I was 10 this was the only car I knew the name of and I told everyone it was my favorite car.
khumprp@reddit
Friend had one when we were teenagers... Greatest car ever.
Vinklebottom@reddit
City living. I could park that bitch in the tiniest of spots
LarryGoldwater@reddit
Processing img 5nw9ziqm8vvg1...
nudave@reddit
It’s the Jazz cup in automotive form.