The Metro is a great aircraft and does its job in the industry very well - carrying 2.4 tonnes of freight burning 600lbs/hr at 255ktas.
The trouble is that it is not getting any younger and there seems to be no easy or direct replacement. The younger passenger metro 23's getting around (i.e. the ones in the west with blue tails, or the ex Rex ones) are still in reasonably good nick, but the 35000hr freighters are looking very sad indeed last time I strapped in. I've come across cracked main wing spars, landing gear that snaps on taxi, avionics that don't work and hydraulics that self-flush after each landing... Now, I'm not having a go at maintenance as I've spoken to the blokes at the coal face and they say they are doing all they can, I've even had them in the right hand seat in flight shaking their heads looking at the engine instruments...
Look after the plane and it should look after you, know your systems, do thorough pre-flights, write up snags and trends so the ginger beers have some idea how the old girl is going. And here endeth the sermon...