pontiac fiero: love em or hate em?

[l337r3nn]

well, my mom is getting a new job, and since it is an hour away, she WONT be driving it in the crown vic (18 mpg at anything like insanely fun.. um i mean my moms reasonable highway speed ) adn was considering a fiero because they are cheap, cool and have good fule economy. any yay/nay or other opinions on them?

[Mon Rominee]

Didn't they stop making the Fiero in 1988?

That and they're not very reliable, moreso that they're 20 years old...just forethought....they do have a cult-following these days...and alot of aftermarket...

[fenderhutz]

Those cars are known for breaking down and the parts are a pain in the rear to find.

Just get a used Civic, Geo (older ones made by Toyota), or something. MUCH more reliable.

Fieros were junk. There is a reason you don't see many on the road anymore.

[wld3]

The best thing about Fieros is that they are 2-in-1 vehicles. Car and BBQ.

The reason you don't see them is because they were prone to burst into flames.

I had an old Monte Carlo and used to frequent junkyards for parts. I can't tell you how many of those Pontiacs I saw with the rear-end burnt out.

I'd pass.

[RED5]

I drive stupid cars, old,high mileage, foreign But I wouldn't get a Fiero. They look cool and it was neat concept,but....What's Fiero Spanish for? fire? I strongly suggest that if economy and reliability is igh on your list? get a Toyota. Otherwise if your'e just itching to get to know how that little thing under the hood, next to the washer tank that always smokes works? Step right up,(keep an extinguisher handy) I certainly understand! BTW current daily driver here is an 84 633csi, only a couple hundred parts and a paint job short of brand new with 225k on the clock. I was restoring an 89 Taurus, and decided I needed something a little more ....unique?. And you wouldn't believe how much Amp you can squeeze into it.

[Phalex]

A guy I work with has a Fiero. He somehow managed to put a 350 short block in it. I think he said it has something like 500hp. It's just like riding in a go cart. A really really fast go cart. The 8 gallon tank is bit of a bummer though. I think he said he gets 10 miles a gallon or so.

[Mon Rominee]

The fire issues were directly related to the smaller engine (the 2.5 liter). If the oil level got low, you could throw a rod (failure) and spit oil over the engine compartment, that was mostly kevlar, like the rest of the body...not a good combo for fire retardance.

Sure, they are pretty cool looking (designed by DeLorean), and near the end of production started looking like a Ferrari 380 (which is now so with the Hyundai Tiburon) but yeah, not the best choice unless you're a go-fast boy who loves tinkering and adding on performance parts and has another car as a daily driver.

Meh.

[RED5]

9

Originally Posted by Phalex

A guy I work with has a Fiero. He somehow managed to put a 350 short block in it. I think he said it has something like 500hp. It's just like riding in a go cart. A really really fast go cart. The 8 gallon tank is bit of a bummer though. I think he said he gets 10 miles a gallon or so.

That's like the 914/Buick v6 conversion I worked on once. Superfast rollerskate.

[Woodchuck]

Wow, talk about a blast from the past! I was in the Army with 5 guys that owned Fieros, 2 guys even spent their entire re enlistment bonuses on theirs. Two years later, it became abundantly clear to them what a few of us had already known. They had indeed, made a bad decision.

[RWP]

I like the 3 wheeler!

[ubado]

Originally Posted by fenderhutz

Those cars are known for breaking down and the parts are a pain in the rear to find.

Just get a used Civic, Geo (older ones made by Toyota), or something. MUCH more reliable.

Fieros were junk. There is a reason you don't see many on the road anymore.

+1

Especially the Toyota/Geo's .... great cars. I owned one (standard shift LSI .... the automatics are slow as death ). I still see them around now and again.

As for a Fiero .... they aren't known to be reliable.
FUN, Yes .... Reliable, No.
They are rather expensive to fix when they break down .... it seems all do. Heck, a person in my neighborhood has one .... it hasn't moved for over 2yrs.

If it's that style of car she is looking for ... try a Toyota MR-2.

My $0.02

[doctorjazz]

They're fun cars in that they offer both the potential for an LS1 swap and the excitement of knowing that your vehicle could burst into flames at any moment.

[winston]

Originally Posted by ubado

+1

If it's that style of car she is looking for ... try a Toyota MR-2.

My $0.02

That's what I was going to say. The Fieros were made in part to use up Chevette and Citation brake/suspension components.

That Fiero chopper is hilarious! I remember seeing someone who made a topless Fiero simply by chopping off all of the roof behind the windshield.

[Jeremy Crockett]

There is no poll. How might I register my extreme distaste with the "auto" in question if there is not poll?

[jmcgliss]

As is typical of GM, the Fiero GT didn't become a decent car until they killed it. I ran open track autocross events in the 80s with a Toyota MR2 MkI against a V6 Fiero GT. In the hands of a good driver we fought tooth and nail all season. But my MR2 was lighter, easy to work on, and dead nuts reliable for the 21 years I owned it. The new owner is still competing with it. I doubt many 80s Fieros have those credentials. Buy one if obscure car clubs are your thing, not as a daily driver.

[MoD_Scotty]

Originally Posted by l337r3nn

well, my mom is getting a new job, and since it is an hour away, she WONT be driving it in the crown vic (18 mpg at anything like insanely fun.. um i mean my moms reasonable highway speed ) adn was considering a fiero because they are cheap, cool and have good fule economy. any yay/nay or other opinions on them?

Is this a serious question?

[casualmadness]

I considered buying a Fiero when I was around 19 or so. I decided not to.
That's all I have to contribute.

[tplyons]

The Fiero was a junker, and should not be bought with any intention of having a reliable vehicle. Fun second toy car, but nothing more.

[FretlessArt]

They are ironically prone to electical fires. I love them for that reason but would not own one.

[iamlowsound]

They look super cool. I would love to own one, but alas I have a motorcycle and can only have one fun summer toy.

lowsound