is the Pontiac Fiero a good first car for someone on a budget?

[Oscar F]

I am looking for a good, reliable first car for myself and i just want to know if the Pontiac Fiero would be a good buy. i want to know if there are a lot of things wrong with it and if there are, if they are easily fixed. any other info on the car would be good.

 

[bhuddah]

only if you don't need to drive it everyday, unless you're a decent backyard mechanic because finding a shop is hard that will work on them depending on where you live. you might want to check that out first.

 

[Oreif]

only if you don't need to drive it everyday, unless you're a decent backyard mechanic because finding a shop is hard that will work on them depending on where you live. you might want to check that out first.

That is not correct. I have been driving mine since 1986. A friend has a 1984 with over 355,000 miles and still drives it daily as well. It is like any used car. It will only be as reliable as how well it has been taken care of.

 

[tehpunisher99]

That is not correct. I have been driving mine since 1986. A friend has a 1984 with over 355,000 miles and still drives it daily as well. It is like any used car. It will only be as reliable as how well it has been taken care of.

same here I bought my 85' 2m6 for pizza delievery and I put anywhere between 50-150 miles a day on it when I work. I haven't had one single problem with the motor. You just got to find a good running fiero. Take time and look at all your options for that vechicle.

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[bhuddah]

thats funny since when I bought mine new in 84 it burned up me after only putting 800 miles on it. the foam from the fire dept didn't cause as much trouble as the poor design that caused the thing to catch on fire. Pontiac finally after I filed my lawsuit against agreed it was their fault and I got to replace it with a firebird. the fire problem happened to many owners, you'll know about this if you're old enough to remember

 

[Oreif]

thats funny since when I bought mine new in 84 it burned up me after only putting 800 miles on it. the foam from the fire dept didn't cause as much trouble as the poor design that caused the thing to catch on fire. Pontiac finally after I filed my lawsuit against agreed it was their fault and I got to replace it with a firebird. the fire problem happened to many owners, you'll know about this if you're old enough to remember

Then you did not take care of your car. The fires were caused by oil leaks leading to piston rod failure.
I am well aware of the Fiero recalls and the cause of the fires. I was 21 years old when the Fiero came out in 1984. Design of the Fiero was NOT the problem, It was GM's bad idea of thinning the metal of the engine block and cheaper rods of the 2.5L FWD engine. (They did not do any mods to teh RWD version) What most folks do not know is that ALL FWD 2.5L engines in 1984/1985 had the recall. It did not matter if it was in a Fiero, Grand Am, Celebrity, Cutlass Calais, Skylark, 6000, etc. It's just the press focused on Fiero's because the mane was easy to associate with "fire".

As for facts, out of over 360,000 Fiero made between 1984 and 1988 only 114 actually caught fire. That is less than .00005%!!! Ford had ignition fires in the mid 90's at a rate of .006%, PT cruisers had power steering fires at a rate of .001%

You filed the lawsuit???? When was this? Only 800 miles? On a new car or was it a used car with more miles? Most Fiero's had over 30K miles before the problems occured. The official first fire happened in April of 1985!

 

[geminidb]

No On Fiero

The fiero was never a good car even when new. I new an ex engineer at GM who said this car should have never been built. It is not the owners fault that GM put in faulty connecting rods in the 84 models it was GM's. It is not the owners fault that the car was an assembly of a chevette, GM X-car and had a putrid 2.5 Iron Duke that sprung many oil leaks. It is not the owners fault that the cooling system was flawed by tubes that could be damaged if the car was put on a lift to change tires. IT IS GMS FAULT ALL THE WAY!! You never hear of any of these problems with the Toyota Mr2. Wonder why toyota is still around and Pontiac Dead? It is not the owners fault IT IS GM!!! Look at the consumer reports at that time, The fiero had a good structure and was fairly safe but never ever was a reliable car. The ex engineer knew of an 18 month old baby who died as a result of one of the fires. The first fire occurred at GMS testing ground on oct 6th 1983 in front of their own engineers. So 1985 is incorrect. There were over 200 fires listed and the NHTSA forced GM to recall all fieros eventually because of the fire problems. Stop making this pile of junk a great car. It never was. It only looks cool but was crap from the start. That is why it is gone.

 

[Oreif]

The fiero was never a good car even when new. I new an ex engineer at GM who said this car should have never been built. It is not the owners fault that GM put in faulty connecting rods in the 84 models it was GM's. It is not the owners fault that the car was an assembly of a chevette, GM X-car and had a putrid 2.5 Iron Duke that sprung many oil leaks. It is not the owners fault that the cooling system was flawed by tubes that could be damaged if the car was put on a lift to change tires. IT IS GMS FAULT ALL THE WAY!! You never hear of any of these problems with the Toyota Mr2. Wonder why toyota is still around and Pontiac Dead? It is not the owners fault IT IS GM!!! Look at the consumer reports at that time, The fiero had a good structure and was fairly safe but never ever was a reliable car. The ex engineer knew of an 18 month old baby who died as a result of one of the fires. The first fire occurred at GMS testing ground on oct 6th 1983 in front of their own engineers. So 1985 is incorrect. There were over 200 fires listed and the NHTSA forced GM to recall all fieros eventually because of the fire problems. Stop making this pile of junk a great car. It never was. It only looks cool but was crap from the start. That is why it is gone.

WOW, You have so many facts incorrect. The last reported "Fiero Fire" was 1989. Making the grand total of 114 Fiero's had documented fires. So out of 360,000 Fiero's made from 1984 thru 1988 .0003% caught fire.


Never said it was a "great" car, But it is a good car. I still have mine which was bought new in 1986. If MR2's are/were so much better, How come you don't see any first gen's? (hint, most rusted away)
Yeah, Toyota is still around.
Here is something to think about:
Documented deaths caused by Fiero Fires = 4
Documented deaths caused by faulty brakes and electronic throttle bodies on Toyota Camry's in the past 4 years = 89 including a state police officer, his wife, and their 3 kids all under the age of 10.

In the past 3 years Toyota has recalled more vehicles than GM. In fact with the latest recall they are very close to passing Ford which has the most!

Funny, Ferrari, Toyota, Lambo, and Lotus have all used coolant tubes on their mid-engine/front radiator cars and have had the same problem. Stupid people/mechanics not paying attention to what they are doing.

Maybe you shouldn't be on a Pontiac forum is you don't like Pontiac's or GM.

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[geminidb]

Toyota is still around and is a world class corporation that never needed government assistance to survive. Look at Toyota's service record vs Pontiac. Read the book Comeback and see the true story of Fiero. On page 123 it states the first fire date and the urgent memo that engineers sent to management only to be shot down. Remember Pontiac is long gone Where Toyota is not. Read how GM ( crap company) was forced to recall all fieros and did so on the eve of Thanksgiving so that the publicity would not be widely known. Also read how the stunt did not work. Fieros reputation was never good so get your facts right. Read the recalls of Fieros vs Mr2s. Toyota will always kick the crap out of sorry GM. I was 19 when the fiero came out and remember the problems. If you were burned by one of these flops you would feel different. Look at the VW gti - ( I owned one back in 85) It and the CRX by Honda kicked the crap out of the fiero. Read the consumer reports review & the compairsons. GM deserved what it got. Pontiac is dead because of them not the owners fault. That is a tactic that Generic Motors always used and now look no more pontiac. lol!!

 

[geminidb]

It is page 105 that states the fire issue in the book Comeback by Paul Ingrassia and Joseph B White. Oct 6th 1983 two fires occured. How is that the owners fault when the car was not even in production yet??? Page 107 states by mid 1987 the 1984 fire count as about 20 blazes per month. " Fieros were blowing up at a rate of one for every 508 cars sold" " No other mass market car had ever come close to this rate of fires" It also states how one couples car caught on fire at 4:30am and how the couple had to go to the emergency room. Never heard of this with a MR2. Philip W. Davis NHTSA's top detective wrote to GM in a letter demanding attention. Eventually GM had to recall all of the 1984 Fieros admitting it was their fault. I am on this forum to speak the truth of the Industry not as a pontiac fan btw. If you read the book you can see how all of the bad press Killed this car. It is sad because the car looks cool but really was a parts bin car from GM's Chevette, & X cars which were dismal failures on thier own.

 

[melsg5]

geminidb
In the post above you state
"I am on this forum to speak the truth of the Industry not as a pontiac fan btw."

Do you intend to contribute anything positive to this forum or just continue to "flame" the Fiero? Thanks.

 

[Oreif]

It is page 105 that states the fire issue in the book Comeback by Paul Ingrassia and Joseph B White. Oct 6th 1983 two fires occured. How is that the owners fault when the car was not even in production yet??? Page 107 states by mid 1987 the 1984 fire count as about 20 blazes per month. " Fieros were blowing up at a rate of one for every 508 cars sold" " No other mass market car had ever come close to this rate of fires" It also states how one couples car caught on fire at 4:30am and how the couple had to go to the emergency room. Never heard of this with a MR2. Philip W. Davis NHTSA's top detective wrote to GM in a letter demanding attention. Eventually GM had to recall all of the 1984 Fieros admitting it was their fault. I am on this forum to speak the truth of the Industry not as a pontiac fan btw. If you read the book you can see how all of the bad press Killed this car. It is sad because the car looks cool but really was a parts bin car from GM's Chevette, & X cars which were dismal failures on thier own.

WOW you read a book that doesn't even have it facts correct.
The first Fiero for sale rolled off the assembly line on September 13th 1983. There is even a congressional record of this fact. GM made a huge publicity event in Washington DC and the senetor from Michigan took the first 12 Fiero's and let congress test drive them!!! In the U.S. Congressional record, Sept, 13 1983 is listed as "Fiero Day" That book has many facts twisted or are inaccurate. It was written by a fan of Japanese cars. As for comparing the MR2 and CRX to a Fiero, You might as well compare a Toyota Corolla to a Camry. They are two totally different class cars. In reality the Fiero's "competition" was the Mazda RX-7. Same weight, same wheelbase, similar power. The reason the magazines never compared them is because the Fiero always came out on top.

Since you only believe books, Try reading this one: http://www.amazon.com/Fiero-Pontiacs-Potent-Engine-Sports/dp/0879384670

It has actual facts AND documentation from the actual engineers and managers that were in charge of the Fiero program. It also covers the real reason they ended production of the Fiero as well as addresses the fire issues. It even shows the official NHTSA documents as to how many cars burned.

Geez, get a life and go drive your Toyota. Hope your throttle doen't stick and your brakes work correctly.
We are fans of Pontiac here. If you are not a fan of Pontiac or GM, Why do you post here? You are not going to change our opinion of Pontiac and nobody here wants to die in a Toyota. (Who just sent Toyota and Lexus owners another recall last week for faulty valves in their V-6 engine! HaHaHa!)

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[scanjet5100c]

I have to agree with Oreif!

 

[rawmaciass]

sounds like sour grapes!

Im the second owner of an 87 fiero. Have had the car since 1995 and have had no major concerns with repairs from non dealership shops. Repairs have been normal wear repairs. Parts are still easy to find at usual parts suppliers and online. the only oil leak I have had is a drip from the drain plug when walmart didn't tighten plug well. maintainence is the key. Don't let the fire thing (sounds like a dirty engine or bad maintainence). Did the guy that bad mouthed the fiero ever own one, or was he just a disgruntled employee? Lastly, my fiero is a daily driver i use to travel to work (20 miles) . just got it painted and plan to keep it forever! Im 58 and well experienced on all makes e of us cars from pontiac (owned a 69 formula 400) 72 mg miget, 54 ford , 57 chevy , 67 couger, 64 chevell , 2000 mustang, 93 t'bird sc, etc no unusual concerns so far. oh ya , a 88 harley too!

 

[geminidb]

The facts are that the Fiero was recalled numerous times vs the MR2. The fiero had a death of a six month old child as a victim. It is not the owners fault that Sorry GM put in Faulty connecting rods it was GM's. I even knew a guy who had one new and it caught fire at 11,000 miles. He took the Insurance money and bought a MR2 drove it to over 200000 miles and NO fires. Pontiac is dead for a reason it was not a good car. The only positive with a fiero is the looks. I read about so many people having to replace headlight motors, sensors, suspension kits etc, etc. Why not just buy a better car if you have to go through the hassle of all this. The book comeback has facts the problem here is the ponitac victims are not willing to look at facts. I am not here to trash any car company but as an ex pontiac owner ( had 3 all junk) I am entitled to speak the truth. One other Fact Pontiac Is DEAD- Toyota is going STRONG!! HA HA!! BTW I drive a BMW. Another car company all over the world going STRONG!! BYE BYE Pontiac HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

 

[geminidb]

I had a look at the Book by the Pontiac Engineers. Very slanted and non factual. If you want facts check out the recalls and the masses of recalls. Also the Fiero and Pinto are the brunt of jokes by the Japenese car makers. Any car company that produces a car the the company knows is going to catch on fire should be out of business. Again is it the owners fault that Ponitac is gone? No it is GMs fault just like the fire issue. That is the problem that the book comeback states. GM always puts the blame on the owners but since two fiero's caught on fire before production that B.S. of blaming the owners does not work. You never hear of the fire problems with the MR2. You do not have the recalls on fires with the MR2. Oh well My sympathies to you Pontiac fans as It is sad that GM did not do things the correct way. All over the world ( I travel extensively) American companies are known for their greed. If GM did thing the right way Pontiac would still be around along with Olds and Plymouth would still be made by Chrysler. But producing cars that are the same model and rebadging them with different name plates worked for years ( Surprisingly) but no more. As it is now Pontiac bit the dust. I feel Sorry for U guys.

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[melsg5]

Why after 6 months of silence have you come back to reignite this thread? Exactly what is your personal beef with this car that you go around internet sites (wiki.answers.com) and this one blasting the car and GM, have you ever owned a fiero?

 

[Oreif]

The facts are that the Fiero was recalled numerous times vs the MR2.

Really? Hmmm... Funny according to the NTSB's website the Fiero was recalled once for the problem with the 4-cyl (fires) and the MR2 was recalled due to faulty air bags. Seems the air bags had a nack of accidently going off while driving.

The fiero had a death of a six month old child as a victim.

NTSB lists 0 Deaths in Fiero fires. 4 Dead in MR2's when the airbag went off and blinded a driver on a highway. Given the choice of carrying a small fire extinguisher or to have an airbag blind me while driving, I'll keep the extinguisher. Also The Fiero recalls were over 20 years ago. Any Fiero that was not recalled and burned is long gone. I have had mine for over 25 years now and never had a fire and never had a problem with it.
FYI - All deaths in a vehicle on a public road are reported to the NTSB. Been a federal law since 1967.

I drive a BMW.

Yep I owned a BMW as well. Bought it new in 2002. It was a 325Xi. We also bought a Pontiac Montana AWD in 2002. Traded BMW in back in 2008, too many problems kept re-occuring and it only had 76K miles on it. We still have our 2002 Pontiac Montana AWD with over 110K miles and running fine.
Traded the BMW in for a Pontiac Torrent, been happy ever since.


So as already asked, Since it is obvious you have an obsession with hating the Pontiac Fiero and nobody really cares what you say, Why are you here?
Shouldn't you be on the Toyota or BMW forums? Or did they kick you out for lack of knowledge?


FYI - Toyota Camry 2006-2009
Recalls = 3 (2 for engine 1 for brakes)
Total deaths attributed to recall = 93 (In U.S. alone)
As their ad's state Toyota...Moving Forward (because the throttle sticks and the brakes don't work)
LOL

 

[aceaglesfan1]

Really? Hmmm... Funny according to the NTSB's website the Fiero was recalled once for the problem with the 4-cyl (fires) and the MR2 was recalled due to faulty air bags. Seems the air bags had a nack of accidently going off while driving.



NTSB lists 0 Deaths in Fiero fires. 4 Dead in MR2's when the airbag went off and blinded a driver on a highway. Given the choice of carrying a small fire extinguisher or to have an airbag blind me while driving, I'll keep the extinguisher. Also The Fiero recalls were over 20 years ago. Any Fiero that was not recalled and burned is long gone. I have had mine for over 25 years now and never had a fire and never had a problem with it.
FYI - All deaths in a vehicle on a public road are reported to the NTSB. Been a federal law since 1967.



Yep I owned a BMW as well. Bought it new in 2002. It was a 325Xi. We also bought a Pontiac Montana AWD in 2002. Traded BMW in back in 2008, too many problems kept re-occuring and it only had 76K miles on it. We still have our 2002 Pontiac Montana AWD with over 110K miles and running fine.
Traded the BMW in for a Pontiac Torrent, been happy ever since.


So as already asked, Since it is obvious you have an obsession with hating the Pontiac Fiero and nobody really cares what you say, Why are you here?
Shouldn't you be on the Toyota or BMW forums? Or did they kick you out for lack of knowledge?


FYI - Toyota Camry 2006-2009
Recalls = 3 (2 for engine 1 for brakes)
Total deaths attributed to recall = 93 (In U.S. alone)
As their ad's state Toyota...Moving Forward (because the throttle sticks and the brakes don't work)
LOL

pwned. lulz

 

[86FieroSE]

id like to say... "if you dont have anything productive to say... GET THE F@#K OFF HERE."
thanks.

i have had my fiero for a while and i've only had problems that I, me, myself had made occurr by my raticle driving. i push my cars to the limits and my 86 se was a champ untill the oil pump failed and my overzealous mind said to itself "screw it" and continued to drive untill the engine blew and siezed.

i come to this site for advice, to give advice, and see what everyone else with these little machines are doing these days. so if you rather talk trash please go away. if the MR2 is so great; go get one.

guys, anyone with knowelge or advice please comment on my posts if you have any help to provide.
thanks, cody "86se"