Buying a Fiero

[lyleapgmc]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I'm looking at buying a Fiero and have some general questions about what to look for and what to avoid.

As far as rust is concerned, what are the key areas that should be given a good looking over?

Other than the usual suspects, what are some signs of neglect or abuse? Drive line play, clunking, etc.? Very dirty engine or dirty engine oil?

One I'm looking at has a five speed. Are there any unique issues with those transmissions. I don't know which transmission it is beyond five speed.

Is the 2.8L v6 the basically the same as the v6 used in other GM cars of the same era?

Any special areas or concerns that I should look at closely

Thank you,

Lyle

 

[SGPHIREWIRE]

I recently traded for my 86 2m4, which hasn't been inspected since 2009. You wanna look at the Trunk (move carpet) and look for rust, that's general location of rust. You also want to get under it and see if all the plastic protection pieces are there, and check the backend of the frame for rust. If the interior is beat normally the car is (keep in mind plastic interior does warp). Test the light motors, Shift the gears while on, and dry shift while off. Check Clutch fluid in front, make sure its clear not black. Other than that it should be fine, make sure all the lines in engine have a location (mine had hoses cut ect, its a giant pain in the ass) make sure you ask a lot of questions you wanna make sure the guy knew what he owned.

 

[tucsonsean]

Also check the engine and transmission mounts--they usually need replacing. It's not that difficult or expensive to do if you do it yourself.