So last week I finally got the Geo-trike back in running order after the big digger it took back in January. It still needs a windshield as there are numerous cracks in the old one and I need to get it replaced before getting stopped by law enforcement. I found a door from a guy in Oslo, MN of all places. That is an interesting story in itself and here is how it went; After perusing Craigslist for Geo Metro parts most of the winter, I found a guy in Rochester who had a four-door Metro he was parting out. However, he was still asking $800.00 for the thing, way too much for my taste just to harvest the door and maybe a fender. Anyway, I called him and told him to let me know if he sold it or not as he was looking to move it by the weekend. Low and behold, wouldn’t you know it, he actually called and said he had sold it to a guy in Oslo and he even gave me the guys’ phone number, of all things! I called the Oslo guy, whose name turned out to be Jeff and after conversing a while, found out that he is a bit of a Geo Metro nut, even belonging to a club of Geo Metro owners and having a small collection of the things parked out back of his house. I had no idea there even was such a thing as a Metro owners club. They even have a website dedicated to the things. We made an appointment for me to come down to his place on a Sunday afternoon and have a look at his stash of Metro parts and so I made the trek in my truck.
It was a cold, rainy day in late April when I arrived at his place. He was a friendly enough sort of guy and he proceeded to take me out back to his collection of Geo Metros parked in the weeds. There were eight or ten of them in various states, some with no wheels and missing body parts. I spotted a red four door that had minimal rust and I inquired as to the price of the drivers side door and front fender. “Sixty bucks for the pair” he replied. That worked for me. However, I had neglected to bring any tools with me for the removal process so Jeff brought out his toolbox and we set to work removing the door and fender. By now the rain and a foul east wind had picked up in intensity and his daughter found an umbrella to hold over us in a feeble attempt to keep us dry. Fifteen or twenty minutes of struggling with rusted bolts and the fender and door were removed and in the back of my truck. We then went into his modest house and exchanged emails, payment for the parts and I found out more about the Metro club events. Seems they have a Metro weekend in August and he invited me to come down and enjoy the festivities. He told me they will get fifteen or twenty Metros at this little gathering and they all stand around and talk about modifying their Metros. That sounded like my kind of party so I proceeded to describe my Geo-trike to him and he got even more excited and said that my trike would be a big hit at the “convention”. I told him I would make a serious effort to attend the party and then headed out the door and hit the highway for home.
I was happy to meet such a nice guy who is very sympathetic to the Geo brand and even more tickled to get the much needed parts for my Geo-trike at a good price. The only stipulation he required was that I bring back the old door for him to mount back on the donor car to keep the rain from destroying the interior. I told him this would not be a problem and so a couple weeks later, after I had the Geo-trike back in running order, I made the trip to Oslo and Jeffs’ place to return the wrecked door as per our agreement. As I pulled into the driveway the dogs sounded a warning bark and I saw a few heads peek out the house windows. I had barely come to a stop when Jeff, his wife and their two kids came piling out of the place. Seems they had seen me coming and noticed that this was no ordinary Geo at their house. His wife even had the cell phone camera at the ready and started snapping pics right away. Her comment was “I can’t wait to post this on Facebook. Nobody will believe it”! I stayed a good half hour, swapping Geo-trike stories with them and Jeff insisted that I “Just gotta come back in August for the Geo party”. I assured him that I would make a serious attempt and then I headed for home again, from Oslo, Minnesota, of all places. Strange days indeed.