Hey 1998: I Want My Chevy Metro Back!

With U.S. gas prices topping $4 a gallon, a national crisis is soaring along with the cost of filling up. I would like to reflect back to simpler times — when gas cost $1.03 a gallon, Armageddon was the top grossing movie (as it should have been) and “Old Bill” not-so-willingly gave his most famous speech, “I did not have …”.

That’s right folks: I’m talking about 1998! What was I doing at the time? Well, I was living in Philadelphia, watching my Eggles (also the Flyers, Phillies, and Sixers) and being introduced to one of the best friends I ever had — a shiny new Chevy Metro Hatchback, with a manual 5-speed, 1.0 liter engine. Ok, you can stop laughing now!

First off, I’m cheap — I know that. Second, I was looking for something that I didn’t have to dump too much money into. When I saw this tiny thing on the lot, I knew I had a winner. Then I read the sticker: This little guy got 49 mpg on the highway and 42 in the city. Seriously! I asked the salesman for the keys, and was expecting the worst. Could I pull out of the lot without being killed? What about the freeway? Amazingly, I learned, this car could handle it all (unless you wanted to go over 85mph).

Over the next few years, this bond I had with “Mario” only grew as time went on. I drove him a couple of times to Charleston, South Carolina; several times to Pembroke, Ontario (on one tank of gas), and on daily commutes over 30 miles long. In the three years I owned him, I only paid for the following: oil changes, tires (which are super cheap for this car), and some fuses. Once, my muffler came loose, but I welded it back together. Cost? Free. My buddy was a real value, until the day …

Some idiot crashed into it when it was parked. Apparently, he was hopped up on drugs because he fled the scene before the cops got there (I did mention this was Philly, right?). He left the car there, and the cops went to the owner’s house, which turned out to be his girlfriend, or as I like to call her: the person I had to fight tooth-and-nail to get the insurance money for my loss. When I did get reimbursed, I had to watch them tow my good friend away. It was a sad day for me — no more cheap gas, no more filling up every two weeks. That day, I said goodbye to my go-cart, and had to buy a newer, less “fun” car (they stopped making the Metro in 2001).

This car made sense when gas was only $1.03 a gallon, but now it would be a lifesaver to some of the people struggling to feed their families. I ask you now, the decision makers at Chevrolet, to put the Metro back in your line up; maybe with a small face lift (I don’t think it needs one though). How hard would it be? Honestly! I’d buy one.