Ever since I've seen one for the first time in my life, I've somehow loved the way they were all around. They just looked cool. I finally get a job and I have enough money to buy a simple, cheap one (Around 500 dollars, and runs). Except my dad says they're all deathtraps and I shouldn't get one. He won't sign insurance papers or plates for a fiero. I am 16. What's up with that? Can u guys give me any reasons that the fiero is good? And prove him wrong?

I finally get a job and I have enough money to buy a simple, cheap one (Around 500 dollars, and runs). Except my dad says they're all deathtraps and I shouldn't get one. He won't sign insurance papers or plates for a fiero. I am 16. What's up with that? Can u guys give me any reasons that the fiero is good? And prove him wrong?



Well congrads on getting a job.
Why Fieros are safeer than most cars
1.Space frame construction
2.Centralized gas tank (so you wont have a pinto moment)
3.Low center of gravity means it is unlikely that you will roll the car

Here's what I'd say to your Dad "Why are they deathtraps?" Then counter his arguement. Do you know why the fires happened?

The only difference between me and Jaredu is that I'm 14. I'm sure I could get a summer job and make $500+ dollars for an old Fiero. Since like 8 I have just really liked Fieros. Parents say that they light up when rear-ended! My parents are "safe freaks"! They have only bought Volvos for the past 10 years! Is there a cheap way to fix the problem with the fire? Reinforced oil/gas tank? I have a year and a half to think about it, but any suggestions? Thanks!

-I have taken joy rides before. 1983 RX-7! Fun fun fun!-

They are thinking of pintos a fiero would not light up in a rear end collision unless it was hit by a fuel tanker. The gas tank is in the center of the car between the seats (which is the best place for it.) If you guys look for the crash test ratings your parents should be won over.

*Edit* Show them this http://www.crashtest.com/explanations/archive/crash.htm#anchor106731

Pontiac Fiero's have Double....yes that's DOUBLE 5 STAR SAFETY RATINGS by the IHTSA. That's the same score as the Ford Taurus, which we all know has like the highest crash perfomance out there.

Back when the Fiero was around, it took second. It was beaten by Volvo, which only got a better score because there was slightly less damage after the crash.

Think about it this way, nothing in the front engine compartment is flammable, so there's one crumple zone,

and (as mentioned earlier) the gas tank is in the center, so it can't get damaged (like Ford Crown Vics, which explode when rear ended),

and given that there's a trunk, and a solid chunk of metal (the engine) behind you, it's almost imposible to damage the cockpit. Even side impacts, if you look at the skeleton of the doors, you'll see 3 diagonal super strong bars going front to back. Not one bar like some pro race cars, but three. If I can find the image, I'll post it.

BTW, the NHTSA's 3000lb weight rating for the 84 Fiero is wrong. In fact the heaviest Fiero ever was 2735lbs, which was the 88 GT. The 84 Fiero was exactly 2464lbs, except for the SE model, which had bigger wheels and tires, bringing it up to 2480lbs.

And the low center of gravity prevents roll-overs (as said before).

On top of that, they're incredibly reliable (except for the 84 models). My friend has an 87' GT with.... get this.....387,000 miles, and counting......ORIGINAL ENGINE, ORIGINAL TRANNY, ORIGINAL CLUTCH, ORIGINAL GASKETS, ORIGINAL EXHAUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Has never broken down. And the only mods was that he put a straight pipe in place of the cat, cause there's no emissions laws back home in PA, and it's cheap Horsepower.

On top of that, Fieros are the car that started Saturn, so everything you hear, like dent resistant panels, good gas mileage, fun to drive, reliable, safe, etc. is all the same in this car.

One thing though, if you get an 84, which I don't recommend, make sure the engine has been replaced. There was a goof up courtesy of the sub-contractor that made the piston rods :banghead: which caused them to break, sending metal flying through the oil pan, and dripping oil onto the exhaust pipes, creating a fire.

Less than 100 1985 models had this issue, so basically 85 and up is fine. I'm not saying don't get an 84, there are some absolutely gorgeous 84's out there for sale, I'm just saying buyer beware.

Honestly, 88 models are the best if you want a handling machine. The suspension was completley reworked, and pefected (rumor is Lotus graced it with its touch).

But if you want the lighter weight, better acceleration kind a deal, go for 84-87. There's more parts for non-88's anyway. Alot more. And they're cheaper too. Non-88's are best if you're on a budget.

To me, a Fiero is like a woman. It gets 100% of my attention, 100% of my money, 100% of the time. So I have a limitless budget, which is why I have an 88. With non 88 models (especially the 87 GT), you can neglect the car, and not feel guilty, and not regret it. Make sure you drive it alot. Fieros perform best when constanly run, not when they sit around.

Enjoy your plastic piece of excitement. And never sell it! Never sell your first car. Anyone who does so is a moron (unless your first car was a Ford).

Whew, I'm done with that.

"Hey Blue02R6, did that guy sell that 87-88 4banger turbo kit yet? I neeeeeeed to have it!!!"

I don't know, at least not to me.

fieros got the bad rap for engine fires from a problem with the design of the dipstick that would make it rattle loose and come out, spraying oil around that would catch on fire. that only happened for part of one year, and it was taken care of with a recal. as said before in its day it was the second safest car on the road. great for a first car, it looks cool, its safe, and its not so fast its gonna get you in alot of trouble. but you can fix that later. heh heh.

let me be the first to say your dads full of crap as was my dad when I was 16 and wanted one :biggrin: 22 now with my motor swap done and my dad loves the car!!

heres a link to my old page.. http://members.fortunecity.com/lowkey88/crashtest.htm

The only bad thing I've ever heard about the Fiero is that the insurance companies will RAPE you for driving one.

But then, is there a car that they DON'T do that to you for? I've never found one. And that's with a clean driving record.

IIRC, GM quit making the Fiero in part due to the insurance companies.

actually.. insurance is cheap on them believe it or not.. I could have full coverage for I think $100? heck PLPD on my crappy 85 winter beater (buick was $80 for plpd!)

course this is in michigan.. insurance seems high to everyone that doesn't live here.. which it is! believe in 2 more years when I'm 24 I'll be able to have full coverage for $300 every 6 months :smile:

The only bad thing I've ever heard about the Fiero is that the insurance companies will RAPE you for driving one.

But then, is there a car that they DON'T do that to you for? I've never found one. And that's with a clean driving record.

IIRC, GM quit making the Fiero in part due to the insurance companies.
Well i have a perfect driving record.... (at least whats actually on my record.... heehe)
i pay 416 a yr for basic called my insurance company up to find out how much full coverage would be on my car
if my appraisal isnt over 10,000$ then my insurance will go up to 800 a yr.

Dang! I wish I had your rates. I pay $200+ a month.

Well i have a perfect driving record.... (at least whats actually on my record.... heehe)
i pay 416 a yr for basic called my insurance company up to find out how much full coverage would be on my car
if my appraisal isnt over 10,000$ then my insurance will go up to 800 a yr.

I am in NYS - tried to switch auto insurance coverage away from company which requires that it carry ALL of my insurance (homeowners, auto, personal liabiilty) and could not find another company willing to write collision/comprehensive on my Fiero. Two would not write liability insurance at all. My record is clean; no accidents in 15 years.

Also have a Camaro IROC with full racing package and had the same problem - no claims made for any cars (liability or comprehensive/collision) in 15 years.

It would appear that the cars alone are considered an insurance risk.

Let me tell you that the 87 and up fieros are best. I belong to FERIO CLUB OF AMERICA and you should see some of the major crashes in which the driver got out and walk away. The car is safe. I own 4 of them. All 87gts. Both my daughters drive them. I am over fifty and still would recommend this car for safety.

The only difference between me and Jaredu is that I'm 14. I'm sure I could get a summer job and make $500+ dollars for an old Fiero. Since like 8 I have just really liked Fieros. Parents say that they light up when rear-ended! My parents are "safe freaks"! They have only bought Volvos for the past 10 years! Is there a cheap way to fix the problem with the fire? Reinforced oil/gas tank? I have a year and a half to think about it, but any suggestions? Thanks!

-I have taken joy rides before. 1983 RX-7! Fun fun fun!-

i am in just the same situation as u

it is true that fiero's just have a bad reputation-'84 was the only year they had the problem w/engine fires. the ultimate fiero, i think, is the '88 gt (but there quite expensive). all the negative things about the car where fixed for that model year (better handling, etc.). it was also the last year that the car was made. i would recommend getting an '86 or '87 gt, because they have the nice fastback look, and there resonable priced, even for a first car

Hello,
first of all, i think it will be hard to find a 500.00 Fiero that runs or reliable. It would be a real beater, and needs lots of work. Next year will be 20th anniversary for 84 Fieros, they will officially be classics. I noticed in papers lately, their prices are pretty high. I don't want to get you discauraged. If you end up with a bad Fiero. You may end up hating Fieros, lol. True that Fiero had bad reps. There are lots of cars outthere that had lots of problems too. I worked in dealerships before. Some make and model had recalls as thick as yellow pages. I don't think you'll run into Fieros with fire problems. Because they recalled and fixed those problems. I think some dealerships may honor recall work if the car hasn't worked on recalls. I am not sure any more, I haven't been checking for a long time.
On safety, like the guys mentioned above...
In my younger days, my dad didn't like the car. After a while, my dad grew to love it. Fieros are neat cars. You can do alot to them. :)
Pat Kalsmith
www.fibersmith.net

Hello,
first of all, i think it will be hard to find a 500.00 Fiero that runs or reliable. It would be a real beater, and needs lots of work. [/url]

i'd like to differ with you on that, fieros are one of those cars that can be found in decent condition for not alot of money, if you saw my dads fiero and what he got it for you'd crap your pants. that said, not every 500 dollar fiero is in good shape. look around, check it out good, and be willing to shell out a few more bens for the little better car. good cars can be found cheap, especially the earlier four cylinders, just make sure bout what u got.
by the way, thread starter...ever get a car?

Yeah my parent will never let me get a Fiero. I'll have to get one after I graduate. Maybe I could make one fit into the 'tuner' scene. That'd be fun! Hmmm isn't that weird? My favorite cars are veedubs and fieros...what a combination!! :icon16:

My favorite cars are veedubs and fieros...what a combination!! :icon16:

not that weird of a combination apparently, I'm a member on vwvortex.com (best site for volkswagen owner's period.) and here's a thread I found that shows what the VW community thinks about Fieros... http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=997632
I currently own a 1996 VW Jetta but I'm thinking of selling it to get a Fiero (My Jetta is an awesome car and I love it to death but I really want a car with mid-engine & rear wheel drive and i can't be 16 and have 2 cars :P)
any more information anyone can provide that would help influence the rent's to letting me sell my Jetta for a Fiero would be greatly appreciated!

Nah, keep your Jetta dude. It's more practical. I assume you'll be going away to college? You'll be glad you kept the Jetta when you leave home with all of your stuff.

I love MKIII Jetta's. I've wanted to soup one up since I saw Fast and the Furious. That white one is gorgeous. And old co-worker of mine had a sweet Blue GT from 94 I think, but it was auto, and kinda sucked.

I'm in the military, and with how much I travel, I so wish I had something with more room, but I can't complain. My Fiero has been great.

Good thinking!!!

Some tips for buying Fiero's.....

If the headlight motor's don't work, slice $200 off the price. Ask how long the car has been sitting around. Fiero's need to be run. My buddy uses his every day, and has 387,000 miles on it!!! Original engine, transmission, gaskets, clutch, everything!!! Never been rebuilt. Original owner too ;).

My Fiero sat for 2 years, and I had several issues pop up because of that. The parking brake wouldn't disengage (I'll cover a fix for that on my site), the motor kept stalling (bad coolant and O2 sensor) and overheated when it actually ran, then my ignition system interferred with the ECM, and literally did that sorta thing like in FF2, where that EMP device screws with the electronics. The cause? Bad spark plug wires (went bad in 500 miles), and my coils weren't too great either.

Funny thing is, it was all little issues that costed under $200 to fix. The problem was trying to find out the cause of them.

In other words, the big expensive thingies on Fiero's are darn reliable, and will make a great kit/project car.

Good luck with the project car!

I need to change my sig. I have a turbo now, as well as a 2.2 Ecotec that's going in my Fiero this March.

I will keep the Jetta and buy a Fiero as a project car.
yeah that would be great, but like i said, i cant have 2 cars. I dont even have my jetta fully paid for yet which is another reason to sell it and buy a fiero which is cheaper and i think i would like more anyways. I'm 17 and I could care less about practicality or luggage space.

There's nothing wrong with a Fiero, they are as safe as most other cars out there, and are (still) one of the few with a single mono-frame (you can drive a fiero with zero body panels, and I have a pic of one without any).

Some of the very early production 84's had the well publicized fire problem. A lot of rumors why, but the REAL reason is because they had the wrong dipstick in them. The Min and Max lines were too high, causing the engine to run perpetually low on oil. Eventually, things happen, something goes through the block and wham, you've got oil and possibly gas spewing all over some very hot exhaust pipes.

The official GM reason for discontinuing the Fiero was low sales. The real reason is, the car was starting to beat GM's leader car, the Corvette, and you can't have the 14k commuter car beating the 35k sports car.

Insurance on a v6 model won't be cheap. When I was 17. Insurance was $2400 a year for full coverage with a $1000 deductable. Before you get a Fiero (or any vehicle for that matter), find out what insurance is going to be on it. Buying the car is easy, it's the insurance that can kill you.

Just picked up a 85 GT, 4 sp with the wing, everything on it good except the headliner. $900.
I could pull the wing and get half that back.

yeah insurance is what i'm not sure about yet. but even if it is as high as what yours was, if i sold my jetta i should have enough money to pay for a fiero and still have enough to pay for the first year of insurance then. plus I have about $1000 saved up to do any maintenance necessary once i get it.

I've been debating between cars such as a stealth, beretta, neon, and possibly an eclipse. Fieros are just really really hard to come by in Indiana. I like the GT models the best....87-88 GTs that is.

Thanks...I'll have my dad check this out. Insurance is my main concern and the fact that I'm going to college in a year and a half and doubtful that I'll be working enough to pay for payments and insurance.

I have an 87 Gt Show car Insurance cost 69$/mo (I'm 20)

I have an 87 Gt Show car Insurance cost 69$/mo (I'm 20)
where do you live? and what kind of coverage is that?

Safety freaks heed this:
I've had an accident in a Fiero and now totally stand behind GM's engineering of the little rascals. :-)

I was travelling home one evening in particularly cold and wet conditions, about five kilometres from my place I hit black ice and lost control of the car. It slid sideways and hit a pole with the rear left wheel.

After the accident I remember climbing from the car - I was fine, not a scratch. I looked around the cabin and noticed nothing different, but the engine had shut down and the 'Check Engine' light was lit...

After getting out I looked at the car from the drivers side (right in NZ) and noticed some cracking in the bodywork behind the door, as I walked around the car and started climbing the bank I looked back at the passengers side and saw where the car was hit - the rear wheel appeared to have been pushed back a good twelve inches and there was messed up FRP everywhere.

It turns out later on that the sheer force of hitting a pole at 100kmh/60mph ruptured the spaceframe at the welds. While I was fine and everything seatbacks forward was fine, the rear end of the car was torn from the frame. Had that have been any other car, rather than tearing it would have wrapped itself around the pole.

The Fiero's design saved my bacon that night. And for that I'm eternally grateful to the designers at General Motors who developed its spaceframe. These really are the safest cars in the world. Naysayers can be damned - I've never seen a car take an accident like that and occupants walk away.

Just a week after my crash I was reading the newspaper - a man just a few minutes drive away had a similar accident in his Honda Accord... a reasonably late model one. The front of the car went bush, and he was thrown from what was left of his mid-size Japper to his grisly death.

Fiero's are not deathtraps. That's the moral.

i just bought a 86 se with the v6 and my insurance is only gonna be 20 month and im 21

i just bought a 86 se with the v6 and my insurance is only gonna be 20 a month and im 21

Explain to Dad, Fiero was the only American car ever built (at that time) to Swedish safety standards. It will hold 10 times its own weight on its roof! The Fieor was a manufacturing experiment to prove the theories that now give us Saturn. The space frame is the key, and they were many years ahead of their time.
I had a very nice '86 2M6. A kid in a '96 Ford exploder pulled out right in front of me. T-boned him GOOD! Totalled both cars. But... The doors still worked fine in the P-body. The kid had to kick out the rear passenger door to get out of the Ford. Fieros are TANKS! Saved my neck!

I own 5, yes 5 fieros. All the stuff you have read in the posts before this one are true. My son and I rebuilt an 86 2m4 about a year ago. It was a father/son project and he got a lot out of it. The advantages of the car far outweigh most other cars on the road today. What ever you do, don't go against the wishes of your dad. After all is said and done, "father knows best" even if you don't think so!

I've seen a Fiero hit from the backside by a Nova (on Mt. Baker Highway), it was by a bank and rolled a couple times. Shure it got really banged up and the taillights almost touched the engine... but inside it was fine. The driver would have been safe if they were inside & buckled down.