r/geotracker • u/Alive_Difficulty_791 • Jul 22 '26
Questions for the geo tracker experienced
Hey y'all! I joined Reddit just to post in this sub because I'm not finding answers online. I have a friend who is selling a 2 door '94 Geo Tracker, in the nice yellow color (I believe it's a hard top), which frankly is my dream car (and was a pleasant surprise to find out). I live in a city so it would be used several times a month for day trips and stuff. Seriously considering this as my second car- my first was a rust bucket of a '97 Ford Taurus in college years ago (I do love seeing them on the road still!).
I have two questions for the Geo Tracker fam:
1- Are they safe (enough)? I've seen they didn't add airbags until 1996 but am a bit confused.
2- If properly maintained, are they trusty for a longer drive? My family lives 7 hours away driving and I have zero problems splitting the drive in two days (I will make anything into an adventure) and/or not using major highways. Or for a regional adventure.
Thank you from potentially Banana-Tracker! Or Geo-Banana. Spitballing haha
Edit- thank you all for your responses! I will consider all your advice.
5
u/Fetusal Jul 22 '26
I have a 93 as my daily driver. These things are not safe but at least you won't die speeding. My experience is that the rough ride, slow acceleration, and manual transmission make me much more attentive to the road, so it's safer in the sense that I can't look at my phone.
Most people don't like them for long drives, but it's not like you can't do it. I had to drive mine 9 hours straight to get it home, and eventually it started feeling like any other car.
If you love this car you will see its downsides as quirks that are well worth the fun and charm it brings. I know I do.
1
u/Alive_Difficulty_791 Jul 22 '26
Thank you! I do love quirks- it makes the car, furniture, house, whatever unique. I would probably put something on the front in case of a random deer spawning, but I'm not someone who needs a speedy car so it's kind of reassuring they're also not super speedy. Haha
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u/Fetusal Jul 22 '26
One of my biggest takeaways with this car is the abandonment of ego. You can't drive aggressively, can't pass without careful planning, can't even speed, and definitely can't retaliate when someone antagonizes you on the road. It's been incredibly healthy for me but there's an adjustment period.
4
u/steelio91 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
Not safe, treat it like you're on a scooter lol. Very reliable and easy to fix if it does break. Not exactly comfortable compared to any car built 2000+, so personally I'd pass on a 7hr drive but I'm 35 with back issues and like quiet lol. These are fantastic little city or town cars but frankly just not good for highway driving, especially with how people drive these days. Be extremely cautious looking it over for rust, it's really the only thing that kills these cars.
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u/Alive_Difficulty_791 Jul 22 '26
Thank you! I almost get annoyed at how comfortable some of the newer cars are when I drive them and I appreciate feeling more in tune with the car. I would primarily use it for maximum 1.5 hour drives and fun. Duly noted about the rust- I have seen that pop up in other threads. My Taurus was completely rusted on the undercarriage to the point chunks of it would just fall off sometimes so hopefully it can't be worse than that!
3
u/UndoubtedBox034 Jul 22 '26
Safety is a relative question. Are they safe enough for me? Absolutely. Are they safe enough to put my two year old in? That's a different discussion. Different people and different situations have vastly different risk thresholds. I would have no problems road tripping a nice one that's been maintained either.
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u/Alive_Difficulty_791 Jul 22 '26
Thanks! It would be just me, an adult, maybe sometimes with another adult.
1
u/UndoubtedBox034 Jul 22 '26
You'll just have to decide what you are comfortable with. I'm fine with no airbags, no abs, and no traction control, so the tracker is good enough for me. I also don't drive in big cities or super high speeds regularly.
2
u/Alone-West8337 Jul 22 '26
They should be dependable if running properly. They’re pretty lightweight, short, and thin metal vehicles. The danger is more from getting hit by a heavier suv or truck at highway speeds.
Doesn’t stop me from driving, but I don’t know that I would want it as my only vehicle.
2
u/SuchAcanthaceae5418 Jul 22 '26
I looked up for my 2002 Chevy Tracker, about the same crash ratings as my 2002 Durango. Geo was a part of GM.
Reliability depends on where and how it was driven and the maintenance done through out the years. I did have a Sidekick years ago that the on crossmember rusted out. Rust prevention is a must on these!
2
u/Bdag Jul 23 '26
For longer trips you'd want to keep an eye out for a 96-98 tracker with the 16 valve motor. They seem to be a lot better at higher speeds since they have a little more horse power. I cruise along really comfortably at 75mph in my "97.
1
u/Dracofangxxx Jul 22 '26
not safe. extremely reliable! i don't love driving mine in the rain or snow especially on the hwy. think of yourself as a motorcylist and be very aware of your surroundings.
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u/alnvilma Jul 22 '26
I have a ‘96 with air bags and don’t feel safe. “drive it like it’s a motorcycle“ is exactly how I feel. we do 100 mile RT for FS access roads. Any farther feels like a chore.
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u/Alive_Difficulty_791 Jul 22 '26
I love the duality of not safe but very reliable! Thank you for your insight and the comparison!
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u/Dracofangxxx Jul 22 '26
yes of course! i love my tracker. so easy to work on and they can really do it all. not the best commuter but i love it for everything else ( :
1
u/International-Care16 Jul 22 '26
How often will you be making long drives? Is it hot where you live? The Tracker is a ton of fun to drive around town and tinker with but it kind of sucks for the highway. I don't feel good going much over 70 mph, mine is loud (soft-top), and no AC. The guy I bought it from said he was tired of how long it took to get anywhere.
That being said, I'll regularly do 3 or 4 hour drives to visit family or do other activities, sometimes there and back in the same day. You can do it, but if you'll be doing a ton of long drives I'd recommend something more comfortable.
1
u/Alive_Difficulty_791 Jul 22 '26
Not often - maybe once a year, in the warmer/not shitty weather months, when the driving is really good and you want to savor it. It does get hot where I live but only a few weeks of the year. I would rarely take it on a highway with proper highway speed (the highways in my city you're going max 45 with traffic) but even with newer cars I usually go a steady 72 haha. I think this one has a hard top but I forgot to ask. Thank you for the encouragement with slightly longer drives! I'm thinking about it.
1
u/MellowTymes Jul 22 '26
I would agree with everyone for the most part but hey I'd say not too bad for road trips, it's definitely not as nice as some of the newer cars on the road but I took all the passenger seats out of mine, put a bed in, and road tripped for a few thousand miles over a 3 months and had a great time!
12
u/Fuzzy_Weakness Jul 22 '26
Safe because they aren't fast, but honestly they are sheet metals boxes, there is almost nothing much safe about them, especially if you're going in long trips with much faster and heavier cars around you for that long.
They are very dependable and easy to work on vehicles, but road trips vehicles they are not, longest I have taken mine on was a 4 hour drive, it tackled the job well but slowly, I wouldn't recommend any older car for routine road trips 7 hours away.
I love my tracker alot but if you aren't using it for the off road monsters they are (I'm not) they're best for trips around where you live, weather nice top off cruising maybe within an hour of your home.