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

[tucsonsean]

This thread is probably a dead horse, but I thought I'd stick in my two cents. I used to restore British Leyland sports cars, which were maddeningly quirky (the Lucas electronics might not work if the humidity got too high!). But they had an appeal and a cachet few American vehicles could match for me--until I got my Fiero.

For $1000, I got a car that is just as quirky and just as much fun to drive as any MGB, Triumph, or Austin Healey I've ever owned. Parts are relatively plentiful and cheap, and you can do major work on it in your driveway. Creative people are always reinventing parts of it, and it has an interesting and well-informed community for support. Modifications to the basic platform and drivetrain are seemingly limitless (although I deliberately sought out an original 2M4--maybe underpowered to some, but no more than the Brit cars).

The Fiero was a concept realized. The MR2, in my dad's words, was always "a genuine, Japanese imitation sportscar." I like being seen in my 'hi-liter yellow' Fiero; I'd rather not be seen in a Toyota Corolla, no matter what their virtues.

 

[SGPHIREWIRE]

Toyota is still alive because of kids seeking interest in imports. And that helped with GM going under which killed the line. If you look the MR2 Was taken out of the line up numerous times and to date it doesn't even keep any of the same style. MR2 Has more mechanical problems than the Fiero. Also, one main problem with mechanical issues is alot of people didn't know how to work on them correctly. Its pretty bad when a 30 year certified mechanic ask you where the engine is when he opens the hood.

Also how much can you tune and customize a Mr2, no where near as much or as cheap as a fiero.

 

[pontiaclivesforever]

When I was in the market for a used car in the early nineties, I picked up a copy of Consumer Reports auto reviews edition, and I remember quite vividly that the (by then) used 1988 Fiero models were "recommended" by this publication . . . a publication that is notoriously pro-Japanese / anti-American. I still see the old Fiero here and there, and in fact was looking on craigslist for one, and saw numerous examples available. I agree that if they are well taken care of, they last. There are some gorgeous examples in my area, and they are a steal.

That individual who posted here (and thankfully was banned as well as had an obvious bias against Pontiac/General Motors . . . not to mention an inability to write a sentence coherently) kept saying that Toyota is around and Pontiac isn't. Toyota is a company, and Pontiac was a division of a company (GM), so that comparison was "apples to oranges". As well, the decision to close the Pontiac brand was partly due to the shrinkage of market share over decades; the business model of five "tiered" car divisions from Chevrolet to Cadillac was gradually outmoded by 2009 as there was huge competition in the automotive industry as compared to the 1950's. The only reason that Pontiac was discontinued and Buick soldiered on was because of the popularity of the Buick brand overseas (i.e. China) where it had gained a cult status as from the 1930s as the car of choice of Sun Yat Sen.

I am sorry that I am preaching to the choir here because most of the people on the forum will already know all this information, but I just want to set the record straight for anyone less knowledgeable about Pontiac and who stumbles on this forum reading the posting and thinks that the banned individual had some iota of factual basis.

I love almost all cars, but admittedly, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Poncho! Glad to have finally become a member of the forum!

 

[melsg5]

thanks for the post and welcome

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[G-639041]

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

though true that the pontiac fiero caught fire, it was only the 1984 fieros that were prone to this due to a design flaw

 

[Max_lop]

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.

Hey Oscar I bought the fiero as my first car last year because I was just in love with the styling. DO NOT BUY ONE!!!! I love mine more than anything else but if you are on a budget it’s not worth it. It has become a complete money pit, all of my money goes into fixing a new problem every week. I would suggest something more reliable for now, something boring like a Nissan Sentra. But in the future when you have money to burn on a car definately get a Fiero.!

 

[G-738152]

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

I am sure that someone else has addressed this ...but that WAS a problem with the 1984 model but was fixed and very few of the later models had that same issue. So YES, a 1985 or 1986 can be a great car that lasts a very long time!

 

[Monzaguy]

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.

A lot depends on where you live. All northern cars tend to rust,
including Fieros. Rear frame rot is quite common on these cars that have been DD over the years. Maintenance is very important and can't be overstressed, especially on any car reaching its early 40s. Some Fieros have been passed around a (LOT) and have been badly abused and neglected,others have been well taken care of their entire lives. History of the car is important, the more you know about THAT car the more informed you can be. My car was bought new in 85 and immediately driven 1200 miles to " Yellowknife" in the "NWT"
where it spent its entire life, until it was purchased by his brother in law and driven over 2000 miles to Calgary. He didn't bother to renew the registration once the plates expired, and just kept it parked in his garage (some 15 yrs) until I came along and bought it. Being the third owner I DDed it for a full yr,
yes, a full winter too, and then started serious maintenance.
Now I just occasionally drive it in the summer months, to the odd car show, and short trips around town. It's a great car, only has a little over 100,000 on it and runs like a top. Mind you, I don't abuse it when I do drive it.

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