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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  Great car - 1997 Geo Prizm
  By Bob - October 12 - 10:29 pm

  Bought this car in 1999 and I have driven it almost 90,000 miles. From cold NY winters to hot Las Vegas summers, this car has never left me stranded by the roadside.

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  Red - 1993 Geo Metro
  By 1993 Geo Metro Conve - October 4 - 12:04 pm

  I just bought this car and love it. It runs well, a little slow up hills. The air conditioner needs to be fixed, but no rust, body in great & clean condition. I have had this for 1 week and so far so good. It is cute, sporty and fun. Needs a new back window, and the motor makes a little noise. But runs great.

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  Not A bad little SUV off the Highway - 1995 Geo Tracker
  By James - September 6 - 2:18 am

  Other reviews on the money. A decent vehicle around town with a bit of a rough ride. On the highway it is underpowered, real noisy (even with hard tops) and affected by winds and semi-trucks. It has been fairly reliable, needing battery (wiring) work, some seal maintenance and an EGR valve. The gas mileage could be better for a 4 cylinder. But if you want a 4 wheel drive, none of them get fantastic mileage. The engine is noisy, sometimes I wonder if the accelerator is a noise generator because while the engine gets louder, it has little pep. It is a good choice for a small SUV, just dont plan on lots of HWY road trips.

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  Best car Ive ever owned - 1996 Geo Prizm
  By jan - August 29 - 6:41 pm

  This is the best car Ive ever owned. I had a corolla before the geo and the geo is better overall. Ive had it for about 6 years and Ive never brought it into the shop for anything except maintenance (oil changes, belts, brakes etc.). It is excellent on gas. I highly recommend this car. The pick up is not great but otherwise I love this car. I am so sad they stopped making it.

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  Great Mileage - 1997 Geo Prizm
  By Ringer - August 17 - 4:16 pm

  I am impressed by the great mileage with auto and air on, I still had 33 mpg. However, this car takes dents easily. The interior has cheap plastic that breaks. The tailgate plastic under latch is broken as is plastic under vinyl on car door rest. I personally find the car too low for me. But I am 55. Younger people would like the low-slung look and low bucket seats. I did not realize the rear window did not have a wiper until after I purchased it. (May not come with one in any style.)

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  VERY REALIABLE CAR - 1995 Geo Prizm
  By steph - July 28 - 12:15 pm

  I bought this car for less then 2,000 dollars and it has been well worth it. I really enjoy it. Its good in gas too. i drive at least 60 to 80 miles a day so I need a good gas car. This car has really been a good car for me and my family.

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  Dependable - 1997 Geo Prizm
  By Yak - July 18 - 3:55 pm

  Not a very peppy 105 HP engine but it is easy to work on and pretty efficient. It can get 38 MPG on the highway. Hopefully its good for another 50K miles

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  Not much to look at - but its reliable - 1995 Geo Prizm
  By chase - July 13 - 11:32 pm

  I bought this car at about 90K miles, at almost 172K miles 6 or so years later. starting to burn a little oil, but its about a quart every 3000 miles - not bad. Heres the great part - with A/C on - I get 34-35 mpg - with A/C off I get 38-40 mpg. Manual transmission. Make sure you change the timing belt & all bearings along with it every 80K or so!! I had one go at 140K, then we didnt replace a bearing and the 2nd went 6 months later. Otherwise, Ive only done brakes, 1 starter, 1 alternator, 1 clutch. not bad.

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  Id Buy It Again - 1996 Geo Prizm
  By Cheri Marks - July 7 - 11:55 am

  Most reliable, economical car Ive ever owned. Has 117,000 miles and still going strong. Only replaced starter so far.

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  Great car for the money - 1993 Geo Prizm
  By pleasantly surprised - June 27 - 6:04 pm

  I bought this car 2 years ago and havent regretted it at all. Ive had no problems except Ic had to replace the timing belt when the car hit 176k miles. You can ride this car into the dirt and it will still run great for you. With about 190k miles i get an average of 33 mpg (city and highway miles). This is a great car for the price.