Remember the Pontiac Fiero???

[klynam]

My daughter is about to turn 16 and there is a nice little '86 Fiero for sale down the street from me. Does anyone know anything about Pontiac Fieros?

I remember seeing them around in the late 80's and early 90's but really don't know anything about them. Are they easy/hard to work on? Get parts for? Reliable?

Thanks...

[CFord]

I seem to remember some news about them having the fuel tank in a bad place and the accidents they were in being pretty bad. Check consumer reports for some of their old issues or recall data. Try this link for the recall data.

http://auto-recalls.justia.com/PONTIAC-FIERO.html

[Truckman]

I was a mechanic when they were still being manufactured...I made a lot of money on them back then but always hated working on tem...I'm surprised you found one still running...My advice: Run far, run fast...Ben

[toverman]

The car has its fans, but my opinion is that it's small for a new driver. I've only known one person who owned one, and he enjoyed it but said it wasn't too reliable. I think his was the first-year model, 1984. It's low to the ground and visibility is a bit poor. Being built before SUVs were so ubiquitous, it seems even smaller and low by today's standards.

Get her an ugly, slow-moving grandmothermobile until she proves to be a good driver.

[brad]

It wasn't the fuel tank that was the issue.. it was the engine. It was prone to overheating and engine fires were common on early models... that's what prompted the recall. (I had a friend who burned his up.. and then wrecked his replacement.)

Part of the engine also sits down the middle of the car, leaving a weird bump between the seats in the back - extending all the way to the elbow of the driver and passenger... this also got EXTREMELY hot, even when the engine was operating at a "normal" temperature... which in Texas means needing to run the A/C more -- and burning more gas.

Bottom line, if the Fiero is still running, it probably has had the overheating problem fixed.. but you can't fix that bad design of that hot ridge down the center of the vehicle.

[johnastovall]

A chevette suspension in a nice body, all looks and no substance. Due to suspension bolted directly to the underpan frame it was possible to hit a low solid object and rip out the entire suspension leaving the car in free flight. A friend did once.

[kenw]

The Fiero was/is a very stylish car with a devoted cult following. The artist in me has always loved that car.

The engineer in me has avoided it like the plague.

Let me 2nd Todd's suggestion: a dowdy tan sedan that won't be the most popular car for the gang to ride in or a "boyfriend" to hotrod (don't kid yourself). You'll save gas and a lot of sleep. My boys both got hand-me-down Camrys and not when they turned 16, btw. They did just fine and their self-esteem is firmly intact 10+ years later.

and so is my insurance rating.

[klynam]

hmmm - not looking good for the Fiero. Dang, the price was - oh, reasonable I suppose - compared to everything else we've looked at. Safety and reliability are two major concerns though...

[photonewb]

try civics or corrollas and accords

nissan sentras can be found relatively cheap in good shape

[boomerd35]

My father got a brand new Fiero when I was 16. Of course, I was so stoked to be driving any car- but man I loved driving that Fiero. I'd pop in my Rocky IV tape and play Robert Tepper's "There's no easy way out" and pretend I was in that scene where Rocky drove his Lamborghini (sp?) to that song. <Did I just admit too much? > Of course, Fieros were notorious for their UNreliability (and for getting the seats stolen that had speakers in the headrest). So if you're looking for reliability, it sounds like this car might not be what you were looking for.

[Gleep]

My father is a retired state trooper. I remember being in the market for a new car about twenty years ago and found a Fiero at what I thought was a good price. I told him about what I was looking at and he made it very clear that buying one was a bad decision. He says that the Fieros have a frame that offers little support for the passenger compartment when hit in the side. He told me that he had worked several fatal accidents involving Fieros that wouldn't have been fatalities if the car were better engineered. One that he mentioned involved a Fiero was hit in the side by a larger vehicle and split in half, killing the occupants.

As for the fire problem mentioned I personally know of one that burned. A friend who lived in Daingerfield got run off to the road and hit a tree. Her Fiero caught on fire and she burned to death.

[Hogleg 44]

I had a Fiero for several years. Mine was an 1985 SE 2M6 model. I really enjoyed the car. It was a lot of fun to drive. I belonged to the Fiero Club, and had a great deal of collector info on the car.

I got rid of my car after hitting an unavoidable piece of very large debris on the roadway, while in heavy traffic, during Christmas Season, and seriously screwed up the front suspension.

2M6 neans 2 seat, Mid Engine, 6 Cylinder.

A lot of the hype about the 'Fire Danger' primarily regarded the 84 models. As I understand about that....the car was very popular as a car that Pop would buy for Junior to take back and forth to college. Trouble was that Junior didn't want to take the time to maintain the car properly and would run the thing until the oil was very low. When the oil ran low a connecting rod would break, allowing oil to escape and come into contact with engine parts. The oil would catch on fire when it contacted the exhaust manifold or hot exhaust components.
The bad rap the cars received was blown clear out of proportion, and was mainly limited to the 1984 4 cylinder models anyway.

If I needed a car and came across a 6 cyl Fiero in excellent condition, I would have no hesitation in buying another one.
The "88" 6 cyl model is really the one to have though. They made a lot of great improvements to all facets of the car in "88"...then dropped it!!!!!

If you have a Fiero, and maintain it properly, (like you should any auto) it can be a wonderful car.

[groovyone]

My Dad had a 1987 GT. I'd say stick with mid-year 87 or 88. They didn't catch fire as often.

[mattman]

Switch the letters - F I R E - OOOOOOOOOO!

[C!LLY]

my Dad had one and never had a problem with it. I loved it when I was 16, but personally if it were me buying my 16 year old daughter her first car it would be a real car....1973 chevy nova. If she's in an accident in that car, chances are she wont be badly hurt and she'd be able to drive away.