The Nash For No Cash: Why I’m Giving Away My 1958 Nash Metropolitan (But Only To The Right Person)

I realize that putting a car up on the internet for free is playing with fire, but this is The Autopian; we have the best car-community on the web. And so today I must finally say goodbye to a car that I thought would be my LA daily-driver.

My entire car-world has changed since I moved from Detroit to LA. Most of the rusty cars I hauled out west are either sold or on the chopping block, as better, rust-free vehicles are available here for pennies. I’ve also run out of time to wrench, and beyond that: I underestimated the chaos of LA traffic.

You see, when I lived in Michigan, I daily-drove a 1965 Plymouth Valiant for an entire winter, and — aside from that column-shifter getting stuck in first gear every few days, requiring me to slide under on the cold snow and unjam it — it was great. That slant-six was unkillable, and produced more heat than power, which is what I needed.

So when I decided to move to LA, a land devoid of ice and snow, I figured I’d continue driving a classic car daily. Worried about fuel prices, I decided that a Nash Metropolitan would be the perfect car, and it just so happened that a nice gentleman named Nate, a friend of a friend, was looking to part ways with his baby.

So I took ownership of the Nash (technically, it wasn’t a Nash after 1957 but rather just a Metropolitan, but that’s nitpicking), which needed a new crankshaft, new tires, brake work, and frankly lots of other stuff, as it had been sitting for years. The problem is that, pretty much immediately upon arriving in LA in early 2023, when the skies opened up torrentially, I realized that I needed something newer.

Not only was the traffic (especially during inclement weather) genuinely terrifying, but I have a job that requires me to on pretty much always. And given how much time I have to spend sitting in traffic, I simply cannot lost 80 minutes of my day commuting. I need something that’s safe at freeway speeds, and that has a bluetooth system that will let me take and receive business calls.

When I test-drove a 2014 BMW i3 from Turo, I immediately fell in love. And thus, I had a daily-driver; the Nash has sat in a parking lot for years as I tried determining what to do with it.

I actually found a buyer — a super nice woman for whom this would be a dream. I had planned to get it running for her, but then I got married and had a kid and moved into a house. Now there’s no time and the buyer doesn’t have the skills. A shop quoted her for the repairs at over $10 grand! That’s definitely too much; I could probably fix it myself for $1500.

But time. It is gone, and so I must now search for a suitable owner for a beautiful 1958 Nash Metropolitan filled to the brim with new parts (see video above).

Here’s the thing about this car. It belonged to an Autopian commenter named Nate who loved it with all his heart before having to give it away due in part to his age. Seriously, type in “Nate Nash Metropolitan” into Google, and you’ll find dozens of posts by “VWNate” talking about his Met. This thing was his baby; he loved it dearly.

I understood this when I accepted the Metropolitan, which is why I’ve been careful, storing it somewhere safe, and not just selling it or giving it away to some rando. No, this is a car that, if ruined, would deeply sadden Nate.

And so, I’m searching for a new owner who understands the responsibility that comes with this Met. It’s been converted to automatic, it needs some engine work, and it has a tiny bit of surface rust on the doors, but it is rock-solid, and filled with thousands of dollars worth of parts. To someone with the time, and a few grand in their pockets, this thing could be an epic classic weekend cruiser – or, if you live somewhere that isn’t LA or have Nate-levels of bravery, a daily driver.

So if you have the time, space, and a heart that wants to do right by Nate — who just wants the car fixed up tastefully, cared for, and above all, driven — then email me at david@theautopian.com. Subject Line: The Nash For No Cash.

All Images: Author unless otherwise stated