Overview & Reviews

As the market for import automotive brands became dramatically larger in the late 1980s, the Detroit automobile companies created their own import-style sales divisions. In 1989 General Motors introduced its Geo division, which became the most successful of these attempts before the division was discontinued in 1998.

Geo re-badged various GM cars made for world markets. Its most notable success came with the Geo Prizm, a version of the Toyota Corolla then being built cooperatively in a California assembly plant by Toyota and GM. The Geo Metro compact car began life as the Suzuki Swift, while the Geo Tracker sport-utility vehicle was derived from the Suzuki Sidekick. The Geo Spectrum sedan was an Isuzu I-Mark and the Geo Storm coupe was an Isuzu Impulse.

The experiment ended because the Geo division was unable to establish a stronger identity than the brands from which its products were taken. Moreover, GM quickly realized that Geo was simply funneling its brand loyalists into the import brands of other companies.

User Reviews:

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  tracker - 1997 Geo Tracker
  By Fernada - December 3 - 3:49 pm

  I am very proud of my Tracker. Even though it is not the most confortable car, it is very brave and reliable. Other than the oil change, this car has never had to make a visit to the mechanic, and it has 120K miles. I love it because it has never let me down.

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  Geo Metro an Excellent Car - 1996 Geo Metro
  By brawny - November 9 - 4:15 pm

  Ive put 50,177 miles on my Geo in the last 5 years. I get between 40-45 miles per gallon, depending on city or hwy. Most of my driving is a combination of the two. The only repairs Ive had to make is a new muffler (the core rusted off). Its very reliable, starts up even after sitting a couple months in storage. Its easy to park, turn around in tight places, has a seperate trunk that is huge, amazing feature for this trim car. I do wish it had a rear defroster sometimes, but the heater is very adequate even in January in IL.

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  Great Little SUV - 1997 Geo Tracker
  By Kmer - October 5 - 2:00 am

  I havent owned mine for 7 all most cost free years.

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  VERY, VERY RELIABLE LITTLE CAR - 1993 Geo Prizm
  By oatmealboys - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Its so great to see so many reviews that share my opinion on this wonderful vehicle! I wanted to buy a car that would NEVER fail me, and almost a decade later, the Prizm has consistently shown its up to the task! Regular oil changes and routine maintenance keep my Prizm humming like it just rolled off the lot. I might even get it repainted.

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  My first car - 1992 Geo Prizm
  By first car is G-O - August 14 - 2:00 am

  A wonderful little car. If youre looking for power, look elsewhere. This is a fun, economical little car. The toyota seats are snug. Ill try to drive mine until it rusts apart. The only semi-complaint is with the body. One door has a baseball-size spot rusted through. The 5 spd manual is peppy and fun to drive however, reverse is sometimes hard to find. An excellent economy car.

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  Why wont it die???!!! - 1994 Geo Prizm
  By IRDoc - July 27 - 2:00 am

  Only one repair in 11 years! Alternator went. The CD player bit it at about 100,000. I just put a changer in the trunk. The car looks like it has 40,000 miles on it instead of 125,000. I would love something new, but how can I justify it when the inside including the upolstery is pristine, it gets 33 miles per gallon every tank, it never leaks oil, and it even has the original brakes (I keep asking if they need replaced at every routine maintanence. They say there is still 25% remained.) Has never not started.

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  no-frills transport - 1997 Geo Prizm
  By flex mex - July 25 - 2:00 am

  When you admit to yourself what a car is really supposed to do, this one is fantastic. When are you going to *need* 120 mph, or to go 60 in less than 6 seconds? The Prizm gets us around town and from state to state without any trouble. It may not be the fastest ride on the road, but you cant beat it for reliability. Also, we got japanese engineering for an american price. Well drive this thing well over 200K miles.

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  Just keeps going and going and going - 1996 Geo Metro
  By Susannah Brighton - June 21 - 2:00 am

  Got the car brand new in 1996 and drove it for 8 years and 78,000 VERY hard city miles. I could have driven the car into the ground but the AC went out and it cost more to fix than the car was worth. (Someone who didnt need AC could have driven the car for five more years at a minimum.) It was a great little city car but as other vehicles got larger and larger it didnt feel as safe as it should have been. But you could park it anywhere, repair work was reasonably priced, and nobody would ever, ever want to steal it.

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  I love it - 1997 Geo Prizm
  By Dave111 - June 14 - 2:00 am

  This car has caused me no pain. I drive alot and I expect to pay between 400- 500 dollars every 2 years on a used car to keep it running well. ie brakes and inspection and so on. Ive had the car for 5 years bought it with 50,000 and now have 130,000 and its a tough little customer

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  Great car - 1995 Geo Prizm
  By Markymark - June 5 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Geo for 4 years now. I bought it with 132,000 miles...and now it has 204,000!! Unbelievably, it has had NO major problems until just recently when I broke a tie rod in the back. It still has the original exhaust, alternator, and starter. I would recommend this car to anyone. It will definitely take you where you want to go.