Good morning! Today, I couldn’t decide between two pairs of cars for the letter G, so I’m showing you all four. Think of it as a Two-fer Tuesday. We’ve got two fairly cheap and common choices, and two downright weird ones for more money.
Yesterday, I made you choose between an overpriced economy car, and a fancy Danish potential paperweight. To my delight, the little Fiat won easily. It sounds like the fact that you can still buy parts for it almost 50 years after the fact swayed a lot of you, especially since there is absolutely no chance you’ll be able to say the same for the Fisker if it gets to be that age.
And yes, I know the designer’s name is Dante Giacosa, not Giacosta. It was just a miscommunication between my brain and my fingers. Usually, my wife catches typos for me, and what she misses, Pete never lets me live down. But I doubt either one of them would have known that one was a mistake. Thanks for keeping me honest.
Choosing cars for this feature isn’t as easy as you think, especially when we’re making our way through the alphabet like this, and trying not to hit the usual suspects over and over again. I have ideas of what cars to shoot for, but some of them can’t be found for sale, and others are stupidly expensive, so often there’s a compromise to be made. But today, I honestly couldn’t choose which way to go, so I’m going to do both. We’ll keep these short; be sure to click on the headers for each car to check out the ads and see more photos.
1995 GMC Sierra 2500 – $2,450
Engine/drivetrain: 7.4-liter overhead valve V8, four-speed automatic, 4WD
Location: Oregon City, OR
Odometer reading: 221,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
We’re big fans of the GMT400 trucks around here, as most of you know. I have one, David has one, Thomas used to have one, and Adrian really, really wants one. This truck represents a turning point in pickup evolution: it still means business, but it doesn’t punish you for wanting to drive a truck. The ride is comfortable-ish, thanks to independent front suspension, and the interior is not a bad place to be, especially on these post-facelift models. Like all trucks, the GMT400 was available in a wide range of specifications; this one is a 3/4 ton model, with an extended cab and a full 8-foot bed, making it a very long truck indeed.
A wide range of powerplant choices was available as well, from the 4.3-liter V6 that my truck has all the way up to this one’s 454 cubic inch big-block V8. Behind that big engine is a four-speed automatic transmission, and behind that is a dual-range transfer case providing shift-on-the-fly 4WD. You’ll get about eight miles to the gallon, but it does run and drive well, and will likely continue to do so for a good many years yet, despite having put more than 200,000 miles in its rearview mirrors already. It’s a Pacific Northwest truck with no rust, and while it’s no show truck, it won’t embarrass you at the lumber yard either.
1993 Geo Metro – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.0-liter overhead cam inline 3, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Odometer reading: 162,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Really successful economy cars are usually built so much better than they need to be. They look cheap and flimsy, but they’re plucky, and they have a knack for surviving harsh treatment. And there’s often a very devoted group of owners who keep them going far beyond their expected lifetimes. The humble Geo Metro is such a car. There is no earthly reason for any Metro to still be operational; most of them were driven into the ground ages ago. And yet, you still see them out and about, usually scruffy as hell, and usually hauling ass. This Metro is definitely scruffy, but the seller puts 70 miles a day on it without trouble. It has a new clutch, as well as some other recent work.
It actually looks pretty nice inside. The carpet is dirty, but the seats look good. And it’s the later dashboard design, so it doesn’t have the headlight switch buttons that pop off all the time. For some reason it has a Suzuki logo on the steering wheel instead of Geo, but I imagine most of these are Ships of Theseus to some degree these days. It has some rust outside, and a weird repair to the panel behind the driver’s door. It looks like a bad or incomplete collision repair that’s starting to rust again. The next owner should probably do something about that.
1963 Glas Goggomobil TS 250 – $21,000
Engine/drivetrain: 247 cc two-stroke inline 2, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Ruskin, FL
Odometer reading: 66,000 kilometers
Operational status: Runs and drives well
In the years after World War II, American cars got bigger and flashier, while in Europe, they stayed small and economical. Scores of little microcars and economy cars were introduced, often with tiny engines and bizarre styling – and weird names. The Goggomobil, produced by Hans Glas, was one such car. It was available as a two-door sedan, a small van, and this sporty little coupe. Mind you, “sporty” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. This car has a 250 cc two-cylinder, two-stroke engine that puts out 13.6 horsepower. It can’t even manage 50 miles an hour.
What it lacks in performance, however, it makes up for in style, with its cream-and-red interior and adorable shape. This 1963 model is the final year that the Goggomobil TS coupe had suicide doors, and there’s a warning sticker on the inside not to open the doors over 5 miles an hour. I’m not sure why anyone would, but better safe than sorry, I guess. It’s in wonderful condition, and the seller says it runs and drives well. Cars like this aren’t exactly useable as transportation on modern highways, though, and if you’re taking it to a Cars & Coffee or something, it had better be close by, and on surface streets.
1964 Gilbern GT – £10,750
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter overhead valve inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Carmarthen, UK
Odometer reading: 72,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Quick: Name a Welsh auto manufacturer. If you’re coming up dry, I’m not surprised; I only know of one, and it’s Gilbern. One of seemingly hundreds of low-production sports cars sold in the UK in the 1950s and 60s, Gilbern offered its cars in kit form, using BMC A- or B-series engines, tube-frame chassis, and fiberglass bodies. The GT was its first offering, sold from 1959 to 1967. This car is one of only 280 made. It’s a later GT1800, so named for its 1800 cc B-series engine. This one has an even newer engine, from a post-1972 MGB. it was restored 25 years ago, and is now showing its age again, but the seller says it runs and drives well.
The interior is really nice, if a little dirty. Small manufacturers rarely give much thought to interior styling, and Gilbern is clearly no exception. It’s stark and utilitarian, but the seats look comfortable. Everything works inside except the tachometer; the car has been upgraded to electronic ignition, and the old induction-loop tach isn’t compatible. The seller says the tube frame had some rust repair done, and it’s solid now. The fiberglass body is in good condition, but the paint is not great. But it’s got real wire wheels, real leather straps holding the bonnet closed, and real Lucas driving lights.
So there you have it: Two tiny economy cars, one rare sports coupe, and a big ol’ truck. What do they have in common? Practically nothing, except for the first letter of their names. But for our purposes, today, that’s enough. How do you go about choosing one of them? Beats me. But have fun.
The Sierra. After I cleaned it and found better wheels for it I’ll be getting a trailer to haul the Gilbern.
Sierra. If I still lived near Oregon City it would already be in my driveway.
My inner Tom Jones is shout-singing in my ear that I’d better pick the Gilbern. It won’t rust, it’s a bog-simple engine and electrical system and it’s pretty as well. Plus who wouldn’t want a car with a dragon badge?
Pure utility means GMC for the win.
Now that the Alfa is running, my focus is on the Fiat I picked up yesterday. Passing on G.
If I had the space, time, and enough frequent flyer miles, heading over the pond to grab the Gilbern would be in the cards. Shipping and licensure may also be a headwind.
I found my timing light though…now where is TDC in a 128?
put a pencil down the #1 spark plug hole and rotate the engine till you find it.
Wait….what’s a pencil?
If I needed another truck this would be perfect.
If I needed a DD commuter car the Geo would be perfect .
If I wanted garage queens where finding parts was going to be a continual saga then either of the other two.
I chose the metro today because it’s cheap and a manual transmission.
its gonna rust away eventually but I’m gonna die eventually also.
I was all excited about the Gilbern GT, but when I went to type the words “Lucas Electronics”, my keyboard shorted out.
Thumbs up for that comment
brutal!
It was a tough choice between the GMC and the Geo for me. Ultimately there’s enough rust on the Geo to scare me off at that price. These cars, as wonderful as they are, have a fatal rust flaw in that once the portion of the body that the lower control arm connects to gets rust holes, the car is a goner.
If I had $5grand to blow, I’d buy them both.
Ah yes, the frame horn rust issue where water gets trapped between the control arm mounting bracket and the unibody. Had a ’92 that developed a crack. Took the control arm off and swung a hammer which went right through while shards of rusty bits poured out.
Despite it being the same car, I’ve noticed the earlier ones don’t suffer this issue as bad as the ’92 and later ones built at the CAMI factory. I’d like to do some hands on research, but the only decent ’91 I can find right now is asking over 8 grand!
Oh, that’s interesting. I didn’t know there were any differences in the unibody. I only had one, a ’98 that I acquired for $140 and beat the living shit out of it for two seasons of rallycross plus a Gambler 500-Illinois. I retired it when the motor had finally had enough, and started pushing oil back through the fill cap and rod knocking like crazy. I can’t lie, I shed a tear or two when it drove itself into the junkyard. But it had the frame horn rust, plus a bunch of other rust, so I couldn’t see spending the time and money on an engine swap.
I’d love to get another one though. That car was way more fun than anything with 58hp had any right to be!
The simplicity, small size/light weight & higher stance make these cars a blast to drive on & off road. As far as the rust issue, I didn’t discover it until the hammer incident years ago. My two ’92s had rust problems but my 300,000 mile ’91 not so much. So I started looking under Geo Metros. ’90 & ’91s: no rust. ’92 & later: rust! (couldn’t find any ’89s). Another thing I noticed was any body panel/door work on the ’91 was a breeze, as parts could be removed & reinstalled easily. The ’92s though, fasteners were stubborn & bolt holes didn’t line up exactly. But why? The bodies are identical!
I couldn’t find much info online and the only difference I found was that some early ones had a vin stamp: mfd by Suzuki/Japan & the latter ones all had CAMI vin stickers. Despite the internet, my theory is they were made at two different plants with the later year ones having slightly relaxed build tolerances. I’d like to find out more all these years later, but supply is gone & the few remaining are ridiculously priced.
The 454 is super tempting, I learned to drive in a Suburban with that glorious engine and still love it, and it’s the best choice by a mile, but as I rarely go over 50 on a daily basis and have been wanting a kei car style, low speed, super goofy car lately, I had to go Goggo!
If you look closely at the GMC you’ll notice something odd about the front fascia, it at least has aftermarket lights, it has the ugliest wheels I’ve ever seen and the paint is shiny from the extended cab section back. I bet it’s a hidden basket case underneath that redneck veneer with Bondo filled cab corners and maybe even hidden accident damage. Look closely at the Geo and there’s a huge piece of bare sheet metal welded to the quarter panel. Of the two remaining, the Glas for something that’s only good for certain conditions but the Gilbern looks like an actual useable car that’s ready to go anywhere right now. So I guess it’s the Gilbern
You’re not wrong, but that’s why it’s $2500. If it were clean it would be $10k.
If it turns out it’s actually in decent shape underneath I think it’s a good buy FWIW.
Yeah, I agree.
The truck should win by a landslide here. Parts are cheap and the engine should be durable. With a set of seat covers, you should be golden.
And that’s the first time I have ever seen the phrase “I’ll take the Geo Metro.”
The truck is the most boring choice. Are we here to have fun or are we here to be sensible? Give me the Goggo. It’s the coolest.
I am 100% in on that Gilbern! Styling like a squished Aston Martin? Check! Fender mirrors? Check! Back ‘seat’ for the dog? Check! Peppy engine and a manual? Check! (Although I’d look for a 5-speed upgrade at some point.) Interesting color? Check! Wire wheels in good condition? Check! Spare parts? um…… Buy a 3-D printer?
If the Gilbern were nearer, I would take that. I also love the Metro and would love to find one in good condition, but this isn’t the one. I would take the GMC because it is cheap, and I could use it for a summer and then flip it for twice the price.
The truck is tempting but the gas mileage will require a mortgage and I don’t think it will fit in my driveway much less the garage. That metro is about to return to it’s ancestors as Iron oxide. The micro coupe would get me killed trying to exit my subdivision. I’ll go for the Welsh kit. I spent a semester in carmarthen many years ago so there’s a connection. Bit pricy though.
If you’re patient enough you can find decent GMT400’s and/or Geo Metros wherever in the US you live. You can even find Goggomobils, usually at dealers who overprice them to appeal to rich East Coast boomers to use as display pieces in their muscle car garages.
You cannot, however, find a Gilbern anywhere. So I would like the Gilbern.
My method of finding a Gilbern is showing up at a British car show in an Austin Allegro so I get parked in the “miscellaneous” section:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53736935168_e955969407_c.jpg
I came across my first one at a random British car show taking place at a Quaker Steak n Lube. It was a weird day.
I’m not really down with any of these, so I’ll vote for a nice, early-teens Infiniti G37.
Or maybe a 1977 Ford Grenada.
“G” is for “Go fish.” Ummm, gun to head I’d pick the GMC pickup, but that mileage! – nearly ten laps around the equator.
WTF is going on with adverts on this site? I pay $250 for ads to randomly take up the entire screen when I’m not scrolling and just trying to read? Do better Autopian team, this isn’t what we want to experience.
On that note, sometimes when I’m reading from work (shush!) I’ll get partway through an article and then be redirected to my corporate proxy’s naughty “you are looking at something risky” page. I’m sure it is related to some sketchy ad loading.
But I’m not currently a subscriber and can’t complain.
ALL!!! I WILL TAKE THEM ALL!!!
But if I have to chose just one, I’ll take the truck.
BUT YOU CANT STOP ME FROM PICKING UP THE GEO ON MY WAY HOOOOMMME!!!
It’ll fit in the bed! Just bring a friend to help lift it up there.
Any of the remaining three will fit in the bed of that truck on the way home.
My head says GMC, my brain says GEO, my heart says Gilbern. Heart wins today.
The GMT400 is the winner.
Those things are all quickly returning to oxide here in the northeast, or they’re pampered show trucks.
These trucks were striking at the time when they were new, but we didn’t realize how much of the future we were looking at.
Just a masterpiece. GM at its best. They still look modern. They were as much of a leap from the long-serving models that came before (which debuted in, what, ’74?) as the tri-fives were.
A clean example is a great starting point if you want to make it nicer.
If not, I mean, a $2500 truck is kinda unheard of.
And it’s got a big-block. Great spec.
I will never in my life own any 2 stroke anything of any displacement ever again. I have had too many in my life already, will not go back even if paid to.
I am going for the GMC. a long box, 4wd, big displacement, yes. Also I could flip it for about 2 to 3x profit by reselling in the rust belt/upper midwest.
Partial to the Geo Metro as I had a ’96 3-door hatch with the 3-cyl. Sure, this wasn’t for highway cruising, but it was the easiest car to drive. Also, a liberal application of the e-brake could make this car dance like a gymnast.
Every one of the GMC’s cylinders is nearly the size of the Geo’s entire engine.
Every one of the Geo’s cylinders is larger than the Goggo’s entire engine.
Anyways, that’s a lot of truck for the money.
On one hand, “There’s no replacement for displacement.”
On the other, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
I’m so confused.