Bought one new in 1984, it lasted until 1997. Never had any reliability or mechanical problems. Rust killed it in the end but it cost less than £8 a week in depreciation. What's wrong with that?
Because for one pound more per week you could've had much better cars. There's also a difference comparing a Metro to rest of the market in 1984 or 1997 when they finally dropped it
@@twoshedsjackson6478 Well yes which was dropped in 1997 without any replacement. Lucky you didn't crash it. Only the city rover came.a few years later and James May rightfully called it the Rover Cityrubbish
There was nothing wrong with any Rover that wasn't also wrong in EVERY other contemporary make. It's was just self-deprecating snobbery. I also bought a brand new BMW 5 series in 1994 and it was no better than the Rover Sterling it replaced I tried to take it back after a week. There was nothing wrong with the City Rover, May's review was just more snobbery because it was re-badged Tata and Rover wouldn't lend Top Gear one.
@@twoshedsjackson6478 so you want to tell me I could find 3 year old Polos or Fiesta with such visible corrosion? NEVER! Also they made the conversion to unleaded way earlier so basically nobody had to do a retrofit.
Metro was unusually popular - but it was already old even in its own time (engine from 1950). So the rust bit was terrible - and by that point Japan and France had already entered the UK market for this size and the rest as they say is history. Good for us consumers and a nail in the coffin for BL.
They still do bud. I saw what a 6 year old Mercedes Sprinter van a few years ago that was rusting all ove the bottom. The older Sprinters rusted like hell apparently. But yes modern cars certainly don't rust as badly soo young.
@@1700iDiGuy Haha good point, and yer absolutely right, most European cars have lost alot of there individuality. Looks at anything from GM/Vauxhall, Ford, Renault, Citreon, Peugeot, you name it and compare it to everything from Japan like what Toyota, Mitsubishi and even Mercedes they all start to look the bloody same these days, every manufacturer had their own unique look and personality to them back in the day but because of increased fuel economy and aerodynamics and what have you, they can only make cars certain shapes these days to meet the EU's requirements are whatever they've gotta comply with these days. I think the only cars that have some real personality to them these days are some models from Honda, BMW to an extent (atleast you can still tell it's a Beemer LOL) and some cars from America have kept some of their uniqueness to them, even if they're not everybody's cup of tea. Aye that's the sense ye defo get, shove an iiPad in the dashboard, in fact I think folk are actually hanekering for that Japanese Blandness to their cars even though back in the 1990s they heavily criticized the dull and uninspiring interiors, atleast they were functional and everything was where it should be within easy reach even if they did lack design flair I agree.
+justsomeguytoyou He is brilliant and real class, although he's obsessed with knackered old bangers and old Mercedes saloons. I don't think he's quite caught up with the 21st century yet! :)
I know of a rusty 1985 B reg Metro that hasn't even left the showroom! It has sat there next to a B reg Land Rover since nearly new! The tyres are all flat and the sills are riddled with rust now.
In terms of rustproofing and safety without question yes. No sure about some cars electrics, hybrids battery side of modern cars though. In some ways modern cars are much better but for the problems they solve another is sometimes created 😃😃😃😃. Not all cars that age rusted soo badly though. The Metro was one of the worst for it. As Quentin points out here many careless owners never bothered havin them inspected under warranty. The number of times Ive heard folk takin a modern car to a local garage fpr them to be told this or that can't be fixed properly without the correct manufacturer diagnostics software and adapters is another issue aswell for all of modern cars undoubted improvements. Basically it keeps them printing money of course.
Funny thing is I've seen many three year old VW Golfs with rusty front wings Mk5 and 6. Virtually no seam sealer on the underside. That includes BMW and Mercedes. I'm a mechanic to trade.
I had MG Metro Turbo which had many rust, engine dropped, turbo blown and seat broken. OHV turbo with 4 speed manual in late 1980's. I had Daihatsu Charade Turbo with 5 speed in Japan which never had problem. I used to watch early 1990's Top Gear in UK. I really loved it.
I had a 1988 Austin Metro 1.0 City X back in 1998, to be honest it was'nt a bad wee motor, yes the front wings were starting to rust, (however they were original) but were quite easily replaced and it needed subframe mounting bushes, but the engine was very reliable and economical....no worries there and the handling was precise and there was a surprising amount of room inside...but i do think the Rover Metro was a much improved car.
Drove our second hand 40k miles Metro 1000 for a couple of years then took it down through Netherlands, Germany and into Italy. Comfy yes (for a small car), fuel economy was great, starter motor packed up (I re greased it it was then perfect) but by the time we got back a wheel bearing was going. Much much preferred my mini’s and the Mtero never drove as well as Mini but it was more comfy. Never bought another one though despite fondish memories!
This was made in 1991, the cars they are showing are 6 years old!!!!!! In 2023 thats like a car from 2017, cars last much longer now, I still see cars from 2000-2005, even the late 90s occasionally!
The Metro was a rot box, I grant you, but to the silly cow at 6:31, that battery that 'keeps going' means your alternator is knackered, love. 'Kin 'ell.
Always that one comment bla bla he took care of them lol. Did he correct the design and engineering faults as well by taking care of it? Watch a video of a metro or montego etc on the production line (one of those rare non strike months) and note the amount of use a Hammer gets vs every other tool. Lol
Quinton very knowledgeable but a Proper smarmy slime ball public school boy. but that clarkson twat is on another level of smarm and a total lack of knowledge of cars
must confess i bought a 4yr old 1989 mg metro and after a year of ownership i noticed rust on the sills , saying that for a 1300 it was quite nippy all 72 hp lol..
Mr Wilson was wrong then about the Metro . All the things it did right were great all the things it did wrong were not important , what granny would want to go 100's of miles down a motorway ? The Metro didnt rust, it was the way the front wings were stacked on a pallet at the panel makers and delivered to longbridge with foam stuck to the insides so it didnt damage them in transit to the production line and the dosy workers didnt take the foam off , so it rapidly filled with water and rotted all down the headlight . Not the Metro's fault ! However today, with my 7 series BMW scrapped because of electrical issues too complex to repair , my trusty old Metro , with new wings at £30 each provides me with absolute reliable motoring at a price that is so cheap to run, its not even worth talking about . The A series engine is just about bullet proof and there is as much space as there was in my lousy 7 series Beamer . Today it remains the only car that I can get an 8 x 4 sheet of plywood in the hatchback . Its what the UK should be still making today complete with plugs and points .
My first car back in 93 was an x reg orange metro and I never had any issues with rust or it not starting. It was heavy on from tyres but beside that it was a great cheap run a bout. Put a quids worth of petrol in and have a run out
I think MG/Rover saw what lay ahead and decide that they would not put any effort in producing anything except what would be the minimum of a product so they still could say the company was a active running brand with a production. The bitter end was unavoidable and Tata took their share and BMW took their. Det brand at the time the little rather nice metro was in production was a dead herring several months before. Sorry for my spelling, English is not my beast ;)
Brian steff magnussen No worrys your English is good friend and probably better than mine ;) but yeah id say you pretty much summed up what happened to Rover/MG, sad but true
@@briansteffmagnussen9078 It was bad quality metal initially. From 1998 to 2006 when the company died they were actually one of the best for rust proofing and painting. It was actually so good that BMW carried their rust proofing and paint application onto their own cars.
the metro was a design classic, first hatchback, split rear seats, ultra economical, good to drive , safe and reliable that you could run on a shoestring. what`s not to like and it was British, I had four of èm and never had a single problem . :-P
Quentin totally missed out the Vandan Plas version which was actually atleast in the early years quite an upmarket little car by com0arison to even the Fiesta Ghia or the other top spec superm8nis of the early 80s. Only the lack of a 5 speed and a slightly bigger engine might have made it a better competitor.
Love the bit when they drove through that Ford. Mk1 metros had Dissy caps. My MG Metro used to conk out driving through puddles as it got into the Dissy cap. My MG, I passed my test in and it was nippy and reliable(as long as you drove slowly through puddles) it was the most fun car I ever drove. I had mine 5 yrs with other cars and don't think I would ever have sold it on but coming home from a 12 hr night shift, I crossed a small roundabout and a dozy woman beemer driver drove straight over the roundabout as I was crossing it without looking and broadsides me and turned my beloved MG into a banana.
My first car was an F reg' Metro and it used to just about do 60mph down hill with a tail wind, but all the vibrations would open the windows if you did. It also had the lean he referred to and a handbrake that did nothing no matter how much it was tightened. The rust was another massive issue, but my favourite thing about it (looking back through rose tinted glasses) was having the liberally drench the distributor cap in WD40 before any journey on a day with even the slightest moisture in the air. I'll be sure to make sure my kids first cars are equally crap as it's character building
That bit of the film at the start with all those metros parked on that cliff edge, hell fire, health and safety would have a field day with that today. They were a bit close to the edge werent they, wouldnt have fancied the job of doing that !
Now In 2021 i find watching these old topgears quite funny! 30 years on we now know which cars are classics and which are long gone. Whats interesting is how over time cars have become more and more reliable unlike many other things
I test drove a used MG metro Turbo in the late 80s, when I was a young hot hatch hothead looking for my first performance car. My budget wouldn't stretch to 5 GT Turbo or a 205 GTI. When I started the Metro, I remember being confused and wondering why the engine had been replaced by a farting, rattling bilge pump from a canal boat. The salesman saw my face and said with a wry smile, "They all sound like that I'm afraid". And they really did. I bought a used Saab 99 Turbo instead, and never looked back....oh, how I wish I'd kept that Saab.
I searched nearly every Metro in this video on the DVLA website and every single one of them has been untaxed for at least 15 years. Just shows how badly made these things were...
as would be the same with most other cars of the time, (Volvos, Mercs, excepted to a degree) Metros have actually survived better than some other cars, such as Vauxhall Cavaliers and Ford Fiestas, I'd say
1:28.....................When you hear a car reviewer describe a car as having "all the finesse & the subtlety of a thumb in the eye", you KNOW you had better run like hell away from it!!!!!!
Even my old 84 micra felt far superior to my friend's 88 metro which was rotting away by 2002 with the worst steering, gear change, brakes , ride and clutch action I have experienced. In contrast, the micra k10 was super reliable and a breeze to drive.
I had a few Montegoes due to Family size, especially the 7 seater and they were no better and a car thief dream. The mini was better value against the Metro.
My mum had an 83 A reg metro HLE from new. Owned it 7 years and it was ok. No problems that I can remember. My auntie had a mk2 84 B reg 1.0L from new It was rubbish and was forever breaking down.
The metro a steaming pile of shit. I remember my brother had 2 of them a 1.0 and later he had the mini metro 1.3. And not as economical as you might think. The subframe broke on the rear of the 1.3 as he arrived at work one morning previous to that he was doing highish speed, goodness knows what would have happened had it gone then! A car to take on the world i don't think so.......
+Simon John Hinton I run a 1990 205 1.1 always had Peugeots. The old style minis I also run about in always need work. I also nearly bought a 1991 metro I dodged a bullet lol. That era VW Polo are or were the best but they also rust. Just boils down to maintenance and rust protection. The Metro should have had wheel arch liners. I also admit I would like an early Metro. HAHAHAHA that automatic omg thats poor.
I had a Peugeot 405 Sri once and it was a good car with the galvanised body, the only downside really was the stupid gear linkage made out of plastic that collapsed leaving me stuck in 1 gear. And if that wasn't bad enough it was located somewhere underneath the exhaust manifold. My attempts to repair it resulted In burnt knuckles and an alarming smell of pork. My mates old friend had the mi16 version that had a dodgy maf sensor. Popular amongst taxi drivers at the time were the excellent diesel models.
Yep my dad had the same issues with gear linkages and rear axels. Lucky I am a mechanic. Modern stuff nowadays is a nightmare I'd rather work on old metros lol
A Front Wing for a Metro was about £12.00. inc Vat. Nothing on a £1,000 Car. The Mk1 Fiesta 1300 was the Best Car to have . Also the 205 with the 1.4 engine. ( or a GTi 1.6 / 1.9 of course ) The Mk1 Fiesta 1300 Ghia Was a Superb car Very UNDERESTIMATED. & the Supersport. The Fiesta 1300 Ghia is the Classic car i Want to Own. & the VW Polo COUPE " S " ( 1985/6 era ) Stunning Little Cars. OUT OF THIS WORLD BRILLIANT LITTLE CARS Back in the Day & Now ? They are Making Vast Money at Classic car auctions. Fiesta Supersports are Well over £25,000. XR 2's Upto £30,000. A touch over Capri BROOKIE' Money.
Metro's and Mini's were good starters from cold. Quentin would have a breakdown if he was trying to start an old Fiat, Renault or Ford from cold. They hated it.
Buy a mini he says, its got a sporting chance of starting in the morning, he says.... Its the same f**king engine you plonker! LOL. Would much rather drive a metro than a modern equivalent, more fun, roomy and keeps your wits about you - crash, you most likely die, so don't.
I don't know what Quentin was on about there. Mini's and Metro's weren't that bad starting from cold. Old Fiesta's and Renault 5's were buggers from cold.
Matthew Allen true but I'd buy a pre A+ mini so much better. The A+ is shite. Loads of difference between the A series to an A+. My 1978 Mini van 998 has done 101,270 miles still all standard bore sizes etc. The A+ was a cheeper version of the A cast block has webbing LOAD of little details changes.
Sadly ppl in the uk rather have "fun" instead of thinking about cars as a long term investment. No wonder their car industry is almost non-existent nowadays.
i had the mg metro turbo , wasnt great i guess as only 4 speed but not bad looking all colour coded in white, mine run well simular performance as an xr2 up to about 115 mph.....fiesta xr2 was a slightly better car and definately more reliable, decent mk2 xr2 in 1990 did 125 mph flat out, the car i always wanted was the renault 5 gt turbo they where really fast and really good looking
That's not true. I'm a Brit and I know for a fact that only large chunks of the rest of the world drive on the wrong side. They drive on the proper side in Australia, Malaysia, Japan, South Africa and India, for example.
My mate had a GTA, I think on a 'P' (1996). It was perfect for him. It looked sporty, had plenty of power and was reliable. He wasn't a boy racer, and bought it over a year or two with payments. By that time they had really got them right. The Metro always had ancient underpinnings, but I thought the metal content was much better than the opposition.
The Metro summed up everything bad about BL cars of the period! shoddy build quality, under engineered, archaic engines ( even though the A series was good) it was still ancient. & to drive Metros had none of the qualities of the Mini it was supposed to replace.
I passed my test in my 1984 MG metro in 1990 and had it till 96 when a BMW did not navigate a roundabout properly turning my MG into a banana shape. It had no serious rust on it at all and it was was over 12 yrs old when wrote off. Never garaged either.
1.1 S MERTO WITH 5 SPEED BOX AND BIG ALLOYS was untouchable little shit box man the fun i had in them me and my bro had one each leicester to skegness and skegness to leicester across country was a whole oad of fun what a handbrake turn god that litle car was totally shit car but such fun
These cars and their propensity to rust was a joke. If BL could've done anything better with the Metro, I would say better rustproofing is one of them. If you're happy to own a Austin or Rover Metro and keep throwing away money to replace rusted body parts as well as engine bits, especially that K-Series with the monotonous head gasket problem, then you've got more money than sense. An older Metro is just an endless money pit you'll be constantly spending on, for as long as it lasts you and eventually gives up the ghost.
Bought one new in 1984, it lasted until 1997. Never had any reliability or mechanical problems. Rust killed it in the end but it cost less than £8 a week in depreciation. What's wrong with that?
Because for one pound more per week you could've had much better cars.
There's also a difference comparing a Metro to rest of the market in 1984 or 1997 when they finally dropped it
They didn't just drop it, it morphed into the Rover 100. Which I bought, I to replace the Metro for ANOTHER 10 YEARS of reliable cheap motoring.
@@twoshedsjackson6478 Well yes which was dropped in 1997 without any replacement.
Lucky you didn't crash it.
Only the city rover came.a few years later and James May rightfully called it the Rover Cityrubbish
There was nothing wrong with any Rover that wasn't also wrong in EVERY other contemporary make. It's was just self-deprecating snobbery. I also bought a brand new BMW 5 series in 1994 and it was no better than the Rover Sterling it replaced I tried to take it back after a week. There was nothing wrong with the City Rover, May's review was just more snobbery because it was re-badged Tata and Rover wouldn't lend Top Gear one.
@@twoshedsjackson6478 so you want to tell me I could find 3 year old Polos or Fiesta with such visible corrosion?
NEVER!
Also they made the conversion to unleaded way earlier so basically nobody had to do a retrofit.
Makes you realise how far motor manufacturing has come since those days. Seems funny when it was normal to expect used cars to have rust on them.
Somewhere on TH-cam there's a buyer's guide from the 90s for used Volvo 240s, they had diagrams of where there should be rust.
Metro was unusually popular - but it was already old even in its own time (engine from 1950). So the rust bit was terrible - and by that point Japan and France had already entered the UK market for this size and the rest as they say is history. Good for us consumers and a nail in the coffin for BL.
Amazing to think that cars rusting up within a few years used to be a 'thing'.
+ElBloeTigre God bless galvanized steel.
They still do bud.
I saw what a 6 year old Mercedes Sprinter van a few years ago that was rusting all ove the bottom.
The older Sprinters rusted like hell apparently.
But yes modern cars certainly don't rust as badly soo young.
Samthebam4044 they lost character instead of rusting. All vehicle euro vehicles that is; ‘errrmmn stick an ipad onto the dashboard’
@@1700iDiGuy Haha good point, and yer absolutely right, most European cars have lost alot of there individuality.
Looks at anything from GM/Vauxhall, Ford, Renault, Citreon, Peugeot, you name it and compare it to everything from Japan like what Toyota, Mitsubishi and even Mercedes they all start to look the bloody same these days, every manufacturer had their own unique look and personality to them back in the day but because of increased fuel economy and aerodynamics and what have you, they can only make cars certain shapes these days to meet the EU's requirements are whatever they've gotta comply with these days.
I think the only cars that have some real personality to them these days are some models from Honda, BMW to an extent (atleast you can still tell it's a Beemer LOL) and some cars from America have kept some of their uniqueness to them, even if they're not everybody's cup of tea.
Aye that's the sense ye defo get, shove an iiPad in the dashboard, in fact I think folk are actually hanekering for that Japanese Blandness to their cars even though back in the 1990s they heavily criticized the dull and uninspiring interiors, atleast they were functional and everything was where it should be within easy reach even if they did lack design flair I agree.
We had a B reg Hyundai Stellar, B607TKK. Front wing rusted through so you could see the wheel in less than 3 years.
My Girlfriend at the time (1992) had an orange one of these things and it was A PILE OF SHITE. I spent more time pushing it than I ever did sat in it.
“Not Really” lol Savage Quentin
Quentin Willson was brilliant....I think he's every bit as good as Clarkson, May or Hammond.
+justsomeguytoyou He is brilliant and real class, although he's obsessed with knackered old bangers and old Mercedes saloons. I don't think he's quite caught up with the 21st century yet! :)
Y I love watching him. Can't stand Clarkson.
Quentin was far better than Clarkson and that most annoying short house Hammond.
@@JD-eq4dp Willson had a sharp, sometimes even biting wit----I do miss that
The car that was rusty before it left the showroom.
lol
I know of a rusty 1985 B reg Metro that hasn't even left the showroom! It has sat there next to a B reg Land Rover since nearly new! The tyres are all flat and the sills are riddled with rust now.
The Alfa Romeo Alfasud did literally rust in the showroom and you were lucky if that thing survived 3 winters. Other than that it was a great car
The MG Metro Turbo was a little rocket!
Imagine seeing that kind of rust on a 3 year old car nowadays. Absolutey shocking. They don't build them like they used to, and thank God for that!!
In terms of rustproofing and safety without question yes. No sure about some cars electrics, hybrids battery side of modern cars though. In some ways modern cars are much better but for the problems they solve another is sometimes created 😃😃😃😃.
Not all cars that age rusted soo badly though. The Metro was one of the worst for it. As Quentin points out here many careless owners never bothered havin them inspected under warranty.
The number of times Ive heard folk takin a modern car to a local garage fpr them to be told this or that can't be fixed properly without the correct manufacturer diagnostics software and adapters is another issue aswell for all of modern cars undoubted improvements. Basically it keeps them printing money of course.
see Mercedes Sprinter.
Funny thing is I've seen many three year old VW Golfs with rusty front wings Mk5 and 6. Virtually no seam sealer on the underside. That includes BMW and Mercedes.
I'm a mechanic to trade.
I had a an E reg MG for my 2nd ever car and I loved it, E595 PDH 😊
Quentin Willson is really good.
I agree. My favourite of the old Top Gear presenters.
By this stage most manufacturers were getting their shit together - Rover doesn't exist any more. Surprised?
Darren Wison brexit will bring them back! All hail Lucas wiring.
I had MG Metro Turbo which had many rust, engine dropped, turbo blown and seat broken. OHV turbo with 4 speed manual in late 1980's. I had Daihatsu Charade Turbo with 5 speed in Japan which never had problem. I used to watch early 1990's Top Gear in UK. I really loved it.
5:58 quite silly of Quentin criticising the auto box for shifting up early on light throttle!
is it me or did we sound posher in them days?
Typical of the British press to put down their own cars. Can you imagine the French or the Italians doing the same?
I had a 1988 Austin Metro 1.0 City X back in 1998, to be honest it was'nt a bad wee motor, yes the front wings were starting to rust, (however they were original) but were quite easily replaced and it needed subframe mounting bushes, but the engine was very reliable and economical....no worries there and the handling was precise and there was a surprising amount of room inside...but i do think the Rover Metro was a much improved car.
Drove our second hand 40k miles Metro 1000 for a couple of years then took it down through Netherlands, Germany and into Italy. Comfy yes (for a small car), fuel economy was great, starter motor packed up (I re greased it it was then perfect) but by the time we got back a wheel bearing was going. Much much preferred my mini’s and the Mtero never drove as well as Mini but it was more comfy. Never bought another one though despite fondish memories!
i found the metro with points and plugs easy to fix. The later ones with an ecu cost you a fortune when they went wrong and they did big time,
This was made in 1991, the cars they are showing are 6 years old!!!!!! In 2023 thats like a car from 2017, cars last much longer now, I still see cars from 2000-2005, even the late 90s occasionally!
The Metro was a rot box, I grant you, but to the silly cow at 6:31, that battery that 'keeps going' means your alternator is knackered, love. 'Kin 'ell.
Maybe the Metro just hated her.
The B reg Metro with its appalling front wings managed another 6 years before scrapping, apparently.
Mean while in the real world
My Granddad had 3 Metros, never had ANY problems and that’s because he took care of his cars...
strange,. if you buy a Honda you only need 1, so why did he buy 3?,...
My Grandad bought an 1985 Metro just before this review came out. True to the review it was a pile of junk.
Great Cornholio he bought one after the other, not all at once
Always that one comment bla bla he took care of them lol. Did he correct the design and engineering faults as well by taking care of it? Watch a video of a metro or montego etc on the production line (one of those rare non strike months) and note the amount of use a Hammer gets vs every other tool. Lol
ThrillSeeka Campervans so ture there a clip on the mini production line with an old guy hammering away lol. I was suprised.
Quentin Wilson, still amusing today and I prefer him to Clarkson too.
Quentin is a class act
Higgs Boson agreed, apart from now fronting a nasty warranty company that finds any which way not to pay out.
Quinton very knowledgeable but a Proper smarmy slime ball public school boy. but that clarkson twat is on another level of smarm and a total lack of knowledge of cars
must confess i bought a 4yr old 1989 mg metro and after a year of ownership i noticed rust on the sills , saying that for a 1300 it was quite nippy all 72 hp lol..
Mr Wilson was wrong then about the Metro . All the things it did right were great all the things it did wrong were not important , what granny would want to go 100's of miles down a motorway ? The Metro didnt rust, it was the way the front wings were stacked on a pallet at the panel makers and delivered to longbridge with foam stuck to the insides so it didnt damage them in transit to the production line and the dosy workers didnt take the foam off , so it rapidly filled with water and rotted all down the headlight . Not the Metro's fault ! However today, with my 7 series BMW scrapped because of electrical issues too complex to repair , my trusty old Metro , with new wings at £30 each provides me with absolute reliable motoring at a price that is so cheap to run, its not even worth talking about . The A series engine is just about bullet proof and there is as much space as there was in my lousy 7 series Beamer . Today it remains the only car that I can get an 8 x 4 sheet of plywood in the hatchback . Its what the UK should be still making today complete with plugs and points .
My first car back in 93 was an x reg orange metro and I never had any issues with rust or it not starting. It was heavy on from tyres but beside that it was a great cheap run a bout. Put a quids worth of petrol in and have a run out
A 4 speed auto box! That surprised me 😶
I like the Metro for it's humble design. But why do they rust like they do ? The quality of the metal or the rust protection or both ?
I think MG/Rover saw what lay ahead and decide that they would not put any effort in producing anything except what would be the minimum of a product so they still could say the company was a active running brand with a production. The bitter end was unavoidable and Tata took their share and BMW took their. Det brand at the time the little rather nice metro was in production was a dead herring several months before.
Sorry for my spelling, English is not my beast ;)
Brian steff magnussen No worrys your English is good friend and probably better than mine ;) but yeah id say you pretty much summed up what happened to Rover/MG, sad but true
They used samalian steel.. wasnt the best
@@briansteffmagnussen9078 It was bad quality metal initially. From 1998 to 2006 when the company died they were actually one of the best for rust proofing and painting. It was actually so good that BMW carried their rust proofing and paint application onto their own cars.
the metro was a design classic, first hatchback, split rear seats, ultra economical, good to drive , safe and reliable that you could run on a shoestring. what`s not to like and it was British, I had four of èm and never had a single problem . :-P
First hatchback?
Did you buy a new one every year?
@@dopiaza2006 no every 6-8 months or sooner if they ran out of petrol :-(
@@JeeGee114 - that was Fiat 127, amongst small cars, wasn't it? Or the Renault 5
My 1982 ( X ) 1000cc Metro was reliable and fun to drive.
liverush24 You are definitely in the minority then.
Eric George I ended up crashing it into a shop doorway because I hit the accelerator with the brake.
Those damn pedals were too close together!
liverush24 Was it a wreck? if so you did yourself a favour!! Awful cars.
It was after I crashed into the computer shop! And so was the roller-shutter door. They couldn't open on Monday morning.
liverush24 I feel more sorry for the shop than I do your Metro.
Quentin totally missed out the Vandan Plas version which was actually atleast in the early years quite an upmarket little car by com0arison to even the Fiesta Ghia or the other top spec superm8nis of the early 80s.
Only the lack of a 5 speed and a slightly bigger engine might have made it a better competitor.
those prices are about correct for 2021 now lol , thats why i bought a later metro , 500 quid, for my 6r4 conversion
Love the bit when they drove through that Ford. Mk1 metros had Dissy caps. My MG Metro used to conk out driving through puddles as it got into the Dissy cap. My MG, I passed my test in and it was nippy and reliable(as long as you drove slowly through puddles) it was the most fun car I ever drove. I had mine 5 yrs with other cars and don't think I would ever have sold it on but coming home from a 12 hr night shift, I crossed a small roundabout and a dozy woman beemer driver drove straight over the roundabout as I was crossing it without looking and broadsides me and turned my beloved MG into a banana.
My first car was an F reg' Metro and it used to just about do 60mph down hill with a tail wind, but all the vibrations would open the windows if you did. It also had the lean he referred to and a handbrake that did nothing no matter how much it was tightened. The rust was another massive issue, but my favourite thing about it (looking back through rose tinted glasses) was having the liberally drench the distributor cap in WD40 before any journey on a day with even the slightest moisture in the air. I'll be sure to make sure my kids first cars are equally crap as it's character building
Cars. The one thing we're thankful they DON'T "make 'em like they used to".
Why are you thankful for that?
@@joshbacon8241 For extremely clear and obvious reasons.
4:17 look at that astra!
Makes you really appreciate modern cars now.
That bit of the film at the start with all those metros parked on that cliff edge, hell fire, health and safety would have a field day with that today. They were a bit close to the edge werent they, wouldnt have fancied the job of doing that !
Now In 2021 i find watching these old topgears quite funny! 30 years on we now know which cars are classics and which are long gone. Whats interesting is how over time cars have become more and more reliable unlike many other things
my first car
114 Gta but also a rustbucket in the end.
I see many of them still in Malta
We And Many People Thank You For These Videos :D:D
Sorry but my dad had two of them in my life time and they were superb
Spectacular ginger mop at 6.13 :-)
some cars require a lot more care than others
Holyshit, THAT much rust on a 6 year old 50k mile car!? That's insane...
I had a metro.............rust on wheels......the best of British motor industry. Enough said.
My dad had a blue one
I test drove a used MG metro Turbo in the late 80s, when I was a young hot hatch hothead looking for my first performance car. My budget wouldn't stretch to 5 GT Turbo or a 205 GTI. When I started the Metro, I remember being confused and wondering why the engine had been replaced by a farting, rattling bilge pump from a canal boat. The salesman saw my face and said with a wry smile, "They all sound like that I'm afraid". And they really did. I bought a used Saab 99 Turbo instead, and never looked back....oh, how I wish I'd kept that Saab.
I searched nearly every Metro in this video on the DVLA website and every single one of them has been untaxed for at least 15 years. Just shows how badly made these things were...
as would be the same with most other cars of the time, (Volvos, Mercs, excepted to a degree) Metros have actually survived better than some other cars, such as Vauxhall Cavaliers and Ford Fiestas, I'd say
I had an mg metro turbo in white with the body kit option. Sold it with a blown turbo for £400
Group 1. Insurance , that’s a blast from the past 😂
1:28.....................When you hear a car reviewer describe a car as having "all the finesse & the subtlety of a thumb in the eye", you KNOW you had better run like hell away from it!!!!!!
Even my old 84 micra felt far superior to my friend's 88 metro which was rotting away by 2002 with the worst steering, gear change, brakes , ride and clutch action I have experienced. In contrast, the micra k10 was super reliable and a breeze to drive.
I had a M2 metro as my first car. Brakes, steering and handling were all pretty good.
I remember i bought a metro for 5k in 92, next day it was stolen and found burnout down the back, the only consolation was the tape deck was fine
I had a few Montegoes due to Family size, especially the 7 seater and they were no better and a car thief dream.
The mini was better value against the Metro.
My mum had an 83 A reg metro HLE from new. Owned it 7 years and it was ok. No problems that I can remember. My auntie had a mk2 84 B reg 1.0L from new It was rubbish and was forever breaking down.
BL quality control issue. Your aunties was probably a Friday afternoon car!
If metro's were sold exclusivley to the elderly there would be alot more on the road.
The metro a steaming pile of shit. I remember my brother had 2 of them a 1.0 and later he had the mini metro 1.3. And not as economical as you might think. The subframe broke on the rear of the 1.3 as he arrived at work one morning previous to that he was doing highish speed, goodness knows what would have happened had it gone then! A car to take on the world i don't think so.......
+Simon John Hinton I run a 1990 205 1.1 always had Peugeots. The old style minis I also run about in always need work. I also nearly bought a 1991 metro I dodged a bullet lol. That era VW Polo are or were the best but they also rust. Just boils down to maintenance and rust protection. The Metro should have had wheel arch liners. I also admit I would like an early Metro. HAHAHAHA that automatic omg thats poor.
I had a Peugeot 405 Sri once and it was a good car with the galvanised body, the only downside really was the stupid gear linkage made out of plastic that collapsed leaving me stuck in 1 gear. And if that wasn't bad enough it was located somewhere underneath the exhaust manifold. My attempts to repair it resulted In burnt knuckles and an alarming smell of pork. My mates old friend had the mi16 version that had a dodgy maf sensor. Popular amongst taxi drivers at the time were the excellent diesel models.
Yep my dad had the same issues with gear linkages and rear axels. Lucky I am a mechanic. Modern stuff nowadays is a nightmare I'd rather work on old metros lol
***** lol. And if you did buy a second hand one they usually did smell of piss....
My Austin Metro did around 40 to 45 mpg, which was good for the nineties.
My mum's 2001 Fiesta was rusting in 2004
I'm not driving a mini metro.
Lyn, I'll just speak over you.
Go on try it..
with a skeleton staff of two-..
I'm not driving a mini metro, I'm not driving a mini metro, I'm not driving a mini metro..
THEY'VE REBADGED IT YOU FOOL!
A Front Wing for a Metro was about £12.00. inc Vat. Nothing on a £1,000 Car.
The Mk1 Fiesta 1300 was the Best Car to have . Also the 205 with the 1.4 engine. ( or a GTi 1.6 / 1.9 of course )
The Mk1 Fiesta 1300 Ghia Was a Superb car Very UNDERESTIMATED. & the Supersport.
The Fiesta 1300 Ghia is the Classic car i Want to Own.
& the VW Polo COUPE " S " ( 1985/6 era ) Stunning Little Cars. OUT OF THIS WORLD BRILLIANT LITTLE CARS Back in the Day & Now ?
They are Making Vast Money at Classic car auctions.
Fiesta Supersports are Well over £25,000. XR 2's Upto £30,000. A touch over Capri BROOKIE' Money.
Metro's and Mini's were good starters from cold. Quentin would have a breakdown if he was trying to start an old Fiat, Renault or Ford from cold. They hated it.
My Metro didn't like the rain. Cold, dry mornings it was fine though
On Bransholme my old stomping ground i never saw a rusty metro they all got corn beef keyed off long before they rusted
Millions and millions of pounds of research, development and manufacturing went into Metro. As a result you have a motorised trolley.
Quintin looking every bit the dodgy car salesman in that standard issue leather coat.
Rusty from new... because they weren’t new! Most had been sat on an airfield for three years before being sold...
They suffered terribly with rust, even after a couple of years old
No rust on my old MG metro.
So it's a maybe from Quintin then!🤔
I'd still have a 6R4 version!
Cars are so much better now
at 55 im getting ready to pack it in and retire early.
What the Mini Cooper in the 80s and 90s couldve been!
Buy a mini he says, its got a sporting chance of starting in the morning, he says.... Its the same f**king engine you plonker! LOL. Would much rather drive a metro than a modern equivalent, more fun, roomy and keeps your wits about you - crash, you most likely die, so don't.
I don't know what Quentin was on about there. Mini's and Metro's weren't that bad starting from cold. Old Fiesta's and Renault 5's were buggers from cold.
Matthew Allen true but I'd buy a pre A+ mini so much better. The A+ is shite. Loads of difference between the A series to an A+. My 1978 Mini van 998 has done 101,270 miles still all standard bore sizes etc. The A+ was a cheeper version of the A cast block has webbing LOAD of little details changes.
Older minis do start esp the 998. Much better car and guess what one is worth a fortune now. And one is highly embarrassing.
Wasn't the A+ made to improve fuel economy?
It was starting in wet weather, not cold weather that was the problem with Metros, in my experience.
Y they were scandalously prone to rust but actually they were good fun to drive. I passed my driving test in one.
Sadly ppl in the uk rather have "fun" instead of thinking about cars as a long term investment. No wonder their car industry is almost non-existent nowadays.
Yeah - they were fun to drive with good handling and very direct steering. Roomy for the size of car too. They weren't bad in all respects at all.
66% of the world drive on the right 34% drive on the left ote to do with the uk is right hand drive.
i had the mg metro turbo , wasnt great i guess as only 4 speed but not bad looking all colour coded in white, mine run well simular performance as an xr2 up to about 115 mph.....fiesta xr2 was a slightly better car and definately more reliable, decent mk2 xr2 in 1990 did 125 mph flat out, the car i always wanted was the renault 5 gt turbo they where really fast and really good looking
you know that the people of Britain think that the rest of the world drives on the wrong side of the road
That's not true. I'm a Brit and I know for a fact that only large chunks of the rest of the world drive on the wrong side. They drive on the proper side in Australia, Malaysia, Japan, South Africa and India, for example.
Is it just me, or did Quentin Wilson sound a bit posher in them days?
They were all slating back then but i bet they cringing now as Metro's are going up in value especially the GTA and the MG Metro Turbo.
My mate had a GTA, I think on a 'P' (1996). It was perfect for him. It looked sporty, had plenty of power and was reliable. He wasn't a boy racer, and bought it over a year or two with payments. By that time they had really got them right. The Metro always had ancient underpinnings, but I thought the metal content was much better than the opposition.
We had a new spoiler on it lol
Rusty as fuck!
Brother and sister had metros 1.0l city X and a mg no rust on those it's the way you look after them not as good as the fords I had but ok!Cheap car 👍
lynn im not driving a MINI METRO !!
The Metro summed up everything bad about BL cars of the period! shoddy build quality, under engineered, archaic engines ( even though the A series was good) it was still ancient. & to drive Metros had none of the qualities of the Mini it was supposed to replace.
And that's why we don't have it anymore ..but the whole british car industry ? wow something gone wrong there..
the metro had one thing in common with a teenaher had flaky skin.
all the old top gear presenters with the queens english accent
5000??? holy fk
Before Montgomery Burns was famous...
I passed my test in my 1984 MG metro in 1990 and had it till 96 when a BMW did not navigate a roundabout properly turning my MG into a banana shape. It had no serious rust on it at all and it was was over 12 yrs old when wrote off. Never garaged either.
"Not really...."
This review is funny as hell!
1.1 S MERTO WITH 5 SPEED BOX AND BIG ALLOYS was untouchable little shit box man the fun i had in them me and my bro had one each leicester to skegness and skegness to leicester across country was a whole oad of fun what a handbrake turn god that litle car was totally shit car but such fun
These cars and their propensity to rust was a joke. If BL could've done anything better with the Metro, I would say better rustproofing is one of them. If you're happy to own a Austin or Rover Metro and keep throwing away money to replace rusted body parts as well as engine bits, especially that K-Series with the monotonous head gasket problem, then you've got more money than sense. An older Metro is just an endless money pit you'll be constantly spending on, for as long as it lasts you and eventually gives up the ghost.
An Austin or plain Metro never had a K series engine, (which itself has been unfairly demonized). Only the later Rover Metros had it.
Ah Quentin the convicted mileage clocker
Pile of shit had one back in the day what a death trap it was .