This is actually the first time in our Rare Rides series where Rides applies directly to a single story. That’s because this is more of a rare collection of cars from someone who is dedicated to a singular passion. A passion which only comes in one color, and which bears mostly misleading badging.
You don’t want to miss what you’re about to see.
That’s because listed on the Richmond, Virginia Craigslist is the following set of stunners.
That’s right, a collection of three Suzuki models and one Isuzu where three are badged as Geos and all of them are the same color of Cheap Cheerful Rojo. Let’s proceed from left to right, and see what we’re dealing with here.
- 1991 Geo Storm Gsi, 280,000 miles, 5-speed
- 1993 Geo Metro, 30,000 miles, 5-speed
- 1996 Geo Tracker Lsi, 120,000 miles, 5-speed, 4WD
- 1996 Suzuki X-90, 70,000 miles, 5-speed, 2WD
There’s something to recommend three of these to the right sort of customer. The Storm, which was actually a rebadged Isuzu Gemini, has a suspension tuned by Lotus. The Metro is very low miles, manual, and a convertible. The X-90 is actually my favorite automotive flop, and it boasts low miles and a manual (unfortunately, it’s a two-wheel-drive example). The Tracker I left for last because it’s not special, and the black hood is ugly.
Our seller has assigned “worth at least” pricing to each model, for a grand total of $19,000. Since each one is “worth at least” that much, we’re really talking about $23,000-plus worth of metal here. So, I guess it’s good he’s willing to let his prized collection go for the pitifully small sum of $12,000.
Even at that 47-percent discount, he’s still asking too much. What would you pay for this Suzuki Red Rides Redux?
[Images: Craigslist]
What kind of BS is this. The GEO Storm is an Isuzu. >_<
Yep, it’s a rebadged Impulse. But it looks like something Suzuki would make…
That was my original error, and it has been fixed.
The guy is missing a great biz opportunity.
Get a huge economic development grant from the state.
Lease an out of business big box retail store.
Start America’s first Geo/Suzuki/Isuzu museum.
I don’t think any of them are really terrible cars (yeah, even the Metro), but I would price them thus:
The Storm? $1,000 (it may run and drive well, but, 280,000 miles?)
The Metro? $3,000 (only because convertible, and 30,000 miles)
The Tracker? $1,000 (nothing impressive here)
THe X-90 $2,000 (only 70,000 miles)
You know your Tracker is nothing special when the best you can come up with in its description is “getting hard to find a well maintained one.”
I know those photos aren’t exactly hi-res, but that Storm looks to be in phenomenal shape.
It’s the best one of the bunch, but I just worry about the miles.
Why worry? It’s the Heartbeat of America!
I think those miles just make it near worthless. What are the chances any of the Lotus suspension components are still any good, or that you can find OEM replacements these days?
Believe it or not, I’d take the Metroid if the price were right. Might be a fun little runabout.
I’m just amazed that Storm even made it this far. I haven’t seen one in years, maybe even a decade. Someone fed it honey and nightshade.
Metroid Prime?
I wonder if the guy is tossing in his collection of Debbie Gibson and Wilson Phillips cassettes with these cars.
(Bonus: a complete collection of Billy Ray Cyrus if you buy all four.)
I’m just amazed that it is red. I thought that 90s teal was the only color Storms came in.
I have also seen:
Purple
Yellow
Black
I dug the yellow.
Super Metroid if it is in excellent shape.
I’ve seen a silver Storm, neighbor had one when I was in high school. It was an automatic.
It could be that this car was loved by its owner, and therefore it could be in better-than-new condition, as in upgrades when possible, stock or equivalent when not. The entire drivetrain could have been rebuilt, along with the suspension and brakes and so on.
I just don’t think its right to judge the car based solely on its odometer reading. A Storm with 70,000 miles might be worse off mechanically than this one, especially if neglected and driven by a teenager who didn’t give a crap about the car (and therefore beat the $#¡Г out of it).
I’ll take the Tracker and only the Tracker because they were everywhere back in my high school and college days. They’re much more capable off road than they look.
Weirdly true. In my travels, they seemed to be loved by women who kinda wanted to be Jeep people, but couldn’t afford to. I had an ex-aunt that put a couple hundred thousand on one over years and years. The top had rotted away completely. It was scary as all get-out in Dallas traffic. It was loved to the end of it’s days anyway.
(Forgive the term ex-aunt…but sister to the mother of the woman who divorced me sounded bizarre.)
Yup. My best friend in HS got one (well, a Sidekick); I taught him how to drive stick on it, even though I didn’t exactly know how to drive stick myself. It had a great transmission: short throw, fairly light clutch but with good feel.
And yeah, way better off road than you’d ever expect. Used it to explore the wilds of western north Jersey, even got some air down by the old railroad tracks (we were, uh, not expecting that).
A subsequent very good friend had a hot pink Tracker in the late ’90s, but AFAIK never took it off-road.
The only one I’d buy is the Tracker. I dig the black on red.
I bought a black 1990 Storm when they first came out, after owning various domestic GM cars in the previous decade. The Storm was my first taste of Japanese quality and even though I have an Audi today, that car showed me how much better a car could be built.
12,000 is a great deal I think. I’d pay 6,000 for the x90 alone, the others are all probably worth around 2 or 3….but of course I’m talking in Canadian dollars. Almost 16500 CAD is probably too much.
I have no interest in a Tracker unless it’s an Asuna Sunrunner. Same with the storm, I mostly want an Impulse hatchback in purple. I’ve never even seen an Asuna Sunfire which was the Asuna equivalent.
I’d take the X90. I wish it was 4wd, but it’d still be a fun runabout.
You guys are wrong as hell about the Tracker.
My ACV/Sell-For ranking?
$500/$900-1000 – 1991 Geo Storm Gsi, 280,000 miles, 5-speed
$1,000/$1500-2200 – 1993 Geo Metro, 30,000 miles, 5-speed
$1,200/$2000-2800 – 1996 Geo Tracker Lsi, 120,000 miles, 5-speed, 4WD
$1,200/$2000-2500 – 1996 Suzuki X-90, 70,000 miles, 5-speed, 2WD
…and the Tracker sells the quickest. Online. CarGurus. To some 70 year-old who wants to tow it behind their RV and tell me all about how beautiful Arizona is like I care.
The Metro sells to a snowbird who keeps it in their condo in Dunedin. They stop by every two weeks for half the year to show me something they either fixed or to ask me where I can obtain some part that broke.
The X-90 sells on eBay for $3200, then the buyer is a no-show. I relist and take $2327. It gets shipped to some weirdo in the midwest whose driver’s license I laugh at and show to my friends. His name is likely Delphus or Keithroy.
Everyone likes the Storm until they realize its a stick and/or has a lunar mission of accumulated miles. I eventually ‘sell’ it to one of my bosses’ lot washers at the boat dealership on payments who gets it impounded for loose drug parahanalia and open containers with a two-month-expired temp tag.
Hilarious.
The sad thing is I remember when people were asking $5,000 for three cylinder Metros in 2008/9 before the oil crash.
I wonder if all the fools who traded in their newer, low-mileage H2s for Priuses or Highlanders have hung themselves yet…
2009 HUMMER H2 LUXURY – MMR
5/8/17 $51,000* 37,978 – – Black Atlanta
3/10/17 $31,750 93,120 3.6 Black Nevada
2/16/17 $22,000* 109,441 2.6 Beige Dallas-Fort Worth
1/19/17 $29,000 109,895 4.6 Silver Southern California
3/14/17 $27,500 124,330 4.2 White Ohio
2/22/17 $26,000 151,330 3.8 Gray San Antonio
Daymnnnnnn. 57K is crazy for extra clean/clean but with 109K+ miles 22-29? Who is buying this retail for 40k?
A friend has an H2 with the open bed and a G8 V6 bout new (both bought at the fire sale). I’d say he’s rich.
The girl I’m talking to on the phone right now says Hummers are only bought by d*uchebags. So there’s that too.
This is a buy just for the lulz. Jay Leno where are you?
Little known fact as told to me by a U.S. Suzuki executive several years ago: the X-90 was intended to be a competitor for the Honda CRX.
That sounds like lies to me, the CRX was long dead.
Depending on where the Suzuki guy was from, I can totally see a two-seat targa micro SUV aiming at the two-seat targa Civic audience.
Recall that the Del Sol was still the CRX in much of the rest of the world.
Well I didn’t know that about the Del Sol, but that’s a good point. Also, the Del Sol model was *not* fit to wear the CRX badge. Shame on Honda.