Remember your older brother’s first car in the 90’s?  It was that hideously-small, cramped, ugly, tin bubble Geo Metro.  You crossed your fingers every time you got in the thing, hoping a semi wouldn’t change lanes next to you.

The back seat was only big enough to fit a small child or someone with short legs.  It had a terrible stereo and with a three cylinder engine, struggled a bit on the entrance ramp to the highway.

But Geo Metro’s were cheap, throw-away cars that a high school or college student could actually afford to drive.  The best asset of the Metro?  It got an average of 46 miles per gallon.

This 1991 Geo Metro is currently for sale on Autotrader.com for $5,995 in Alexandria, LA.

Here’s the shocking part.  Used Geo Metro’s, once selling for around $1,000 or less, are now selling for up to $6,000!  Yes, that’s right. Six thousand dollars. Most of the Metro’s currently for sale have around 100,000 miles or more.

Why are cars like the Geo Metro, Hyundai Excel and Ford Festiva making a comeback?  One theory is that people who want a super-fuel-efficient car and don’t want to spend 20 grand on a Toyota Prius are resorting to the cheapest, most gas-friendly vehicles on the used car market.

This increased demand is causing the prices on these old clunkers to make big jumps.  A used, three-cylinder Geo Metro gets the same mpg as a brand-new Prius hybrid, reports USA Today.

This is the interior of the above 1991 Geo Metro currently for sale on Autotrader.com.

The Festiva and Excel get around 35 mpg and up due to their small engines and lighter weight.  Small cars today are heavier because they have airbags and other safety features that add weight to the vehicle.

The trade-off is about the safety.  Yes, you can get awesome gas mileage by buying one of these old, tiny cars, but are you really going to be comfortable driving 65 on the highway, knowing there are no airbags?

So if you aren’t worried about your car’s appearance or lack of safety features, you can be part of the resurrection of the once nerdy, but now semi-cool Geo Metro.