Pontiac Fiero, Friend or Foe?...

[Drunkardsfist]

...Mechanical Issues? Ok i realize that the answer to some of these questions varies depending on the actual car. I also know that not all people experience the same issues. So i'll try to keep these questions as general as possible.

Are pontiac fiero's good cars?
Do they really break down all the time?
Do they overheat easily?
Does the clutch always break on fieros? Why?
Stick or automatic, what's more reliable?
Have you had bad or good experiences with your fiero? if so like what?
Are parts hard to find for this car?

Now, i should note that i would be using this car as a commuter car. I only need to comute a total of maybe 25 miles per day tops.

Knowing that would that make this car not a good choice?
Last but not least, does this car need a specialized mechanic? This will ultimately affect the fix costs if it ever breaks down, and the reliability.

Anyways, thank you for your two cents.

 

[freedismemberment]

I was married to a mechanic for 10 years and we built Big trucks, cars and race motors. As I was looking for a "new" to me car, I mentioned getting one and he pretty much flipped his lid on me. What kept me from getting it was his refusal to work on it and the cost of the constant repairs. If you can find one with a 3.8 lt S/C from a Grand Prix GTP you might be ok but I wouldn't do it.
Get a Honda....they run forever!!!!

 

[Wolf Harper]

Made from 1984-1988. Mechanically it's a Chevy Citation. (with Chevette frontend.) Most of the parts were just borrowed from other GM divisions. Except the 1988 Fieros had a suspension redesign by none other than Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars in England. Wheeee!

Transmissions, in that age two companies made automatic transmissions that were vastly better than all others: ZF in Germany, and GM in USA. Rolls Royce picked GM over ZF, they're that good. GM stickshifts, meehh, not so much :-b

I've heard the 6-cylinder engine is a pain in the butt to work on, due to clearances. The 2.5 Iron Duke 4-cyl. is also a very solid engine, being half a Pontiac V8. Solid=heavy, unfortunately for performance.

It's an 80's American car, and those do require actual maintenance. One thing it doesn't need is a timing belt. I really admire the Fiero, I think it was a neat car. It inspired the Toyota MR2.

Now then, the Honda Civic CRX is also a small car of that age, and the HF version got ... oh gosh, like 65 MPG.

I'm not aware of any overheat problems, but the car could be had with A/C so you can always switch to the bigger radiator used by the A/C cars. (and if you have A/C, turn it off when the temp gage climbs.)

 

[Autoinspector]

-- Are pontiac fiero's good cars?
Absolutely not!
-- Do they really break down all the time?
Yes.
-- Do they overheat easily?
Yes.
-- Does the clutch always break on fieros? Why?
Yes. It's a crappy rear-engine pontiac...
-- Stick or automatic, what's more reliable?
On this? That's tough... unless you mean "what's less unreliable"
-- Have you had bad or good experiences with your fiero? if so like what?
I've been in auto inspections business for over 20 years, and am smart enough to ignore others' mistakes by buying this thing.
-- Are parts hard to find for this car?
Most of them are in the middle of a junkyard, and it's only a matter of time to dig them out. So the answer is no.

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[Pedro S]

yes to all the questions...they were made in the 80s and early 90s when GM built crap...are they cool? yes..If u love it get it..a good choice for commute? no Get a honda or toyota or nissian.....