sorta' moral delema...

[billthekat]

well i just got done swapping a 100k mile 1.6 sohc engine into my festiva.
it runs fantastic but the motor squeals a little. someone i know sed it was just an over tight timing belt, (i looked at it before i installed the engine and it looked very new). the car runs great and goes down the road well. so the only thing i still need to do for it would be a passenger side axle and a passenger side front wheel bearing.

the dilemma is that someone i know has a 1993 Geo storm that is in really good shape except for needing an axle replaced and a new tire..

there has been talk of a trade, and i am not sure i would be happy with the Geo...(until now i have never even considered owning a Geo)


so if anyone here has or does own a Geo storm and could shed some light on the subject pleas do..

and fore the die hard festiva fans out there if at all possible i would highly recommend doing at least a sohc 1.6 swap...i got mine out of an '89 323 hatch, and it's friggen awesome...


plenty of power fore such a tiny car...


later...

[oxbrain]

I owned a geo storm for nearly 6 years.

Aside from being a complete cop/accident magnet, it's a great car.

Stock, the geo is quicker and handles better. With the b6 swap the festiva has 10hp less and weighs ~600 lbs less. With the aspire swap it stops better and corners better.

With a new axle and tire it will probably be worth more than the festiva. I'd trade, fix it, and flip it for ~$1500. Then take that $1500 and get yourself a killer festiva and a vacation or something.

There were a lot of things about the storm I didn't like. The clutch cable makes a couple 90 degree bends, and I kept snapping cables, about one per year. Finding parts can be a pain because it doesn't share parts with much else.

If you want one, find a GSI or go find an Isuzu impulse RS. The RS comes in AWD 1.6L turbo.

[billthekat]

well the one i am considering is a '93 gsi with the auto trans...the body is good, and over all it is in better shape than my festy, it has about 130k miles, and runs really well. but right now i put about 16 miles on my car every day, and i know the festy Will handle it, but i don't know about the Geo, so many what if's.....

[Gforcefd]

Im guessing you meant 160 miles a day not 16 right, because im sure my 21 spd bike could handle the later without a problem ;-)

[Deathshead]

The Storms are fast! the GSI's ever faster, with the 1.6 dohc, but i dunno about the automatics..

they are bullet proof cars!,

I used to have a isuzu impulse RS AWD turbo, now that was a cool rare car!, but couldnt get rear struts for it.


Steve lockett was running 11's with a impulse RS powered storm, he was pushing like 32psi with stock internals!!

[nonamekid]

The Storms are fast! the GSI's ever faster, with the 1.6 dohc, but i dunno about the automatics..

I thought the GSI's had 1.8's because that is what the impulse guys are grabbing to turbocharge.

If the body is in good shape you'll be ok, but the automatic is the only downside.

[htchbck]

kinda off topic I guess but in your original post you mentioned belt squeal. sounds like maybe a bad/overtightened water pump/alternator belt. A quick check before you mess with the timing belt would be loosen the alternator and take off the little v-belt and see if it still squeals... just mentioning this cause I had the same problem a couple of days ago and it was the water pump belt... $10 at advance auto and its running like new again

[todd00]

if you like your festy id keep it, you know whats been done to it you did it. and you know they are reliable. i wouldnt be happy trading mine for a storm. i never owned one but i didnt think they were as reliable, just what id heard over the yrs. i guess id be thinking of the what if's and the longer term. face it youd miss your festy wouldnt ya??? :lol: