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buy a Fiero?

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jvandyke

jvandyke

Luke Skywalker
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I usually just hang out over at the Spridget forum but I'm going to look at an '86 Fiero. I have a daughter who started driving and a son who is close behind, my wife always wanted a Fiero and I just mocked them, but well, it would be a 4th car that isn't the same characterless box as everything else on the road. I know they were just underpowered econo "sports" cars with Chevette suspension but well, why not? ( I own a '63 Midget, isn't that an econo sports car too?) I'd drive it most often, give the kids my '98 Intrepid (big and full of airbags). It's probably a stupid choice but what are you going to get for $1,000 that at least tickles your interest a little?
I'd prefer a stick but the kids might drive it a little.
Here's the ad
Just digging for feedback.
 
I checked it out. Drove it. Owner bought it off Craigslist in the spring (probably for $500 or less). He works in the used car/after market parts world so he had a buddy respray it. He put a few parts on it and drove it all summer, still drives it everyday. I don't know. I don't like playing in the crap car market. It looks fair, runs okay, is a gutless wonder. Interior is fair. I suppose it's worth $750/800 but I don't know if I want one THAT bad, as a 4th car. It's a 10 footer and moves under it's own power. Not sure if I should expect any more than that for such peanuts. He's asking $1500 or best but I think it's an $800 car at best.
 
Sounds to me like you're not convinced.
 
Sounds like you're walking on that one....now, the little Fiero's with the 3.8 were peppy little suckers.
 
I was a non-fan of th' things too. GM had a chance to do something well and just DIDN'T.

Run. Let it lie there. 'specially with a slush-o-matic gear changer.
 
I think I'll pass on it. I'll keep looking for something similar a "commuter" for dad. Too bad almost everyone of these things have total clear coat failure. At least this one didn't look too bad paint-wise. Just too far gone for my liking. Man was that thing a pig, made the '63 Midget and it's 1098 feel like a rocket.
 
tony barnhill said:
Sounds like you're walking on that one....now, the little Fiero's with the 3.8 were peppy little suckers.
Click to expand...

3.8? Only if you stuck one in it.

They came with a lousy 4 cylinder (probably like the car the OP was looking at) and a much better 2.8 V6.
 
Oh, sorry...thought the V6 was a 3.8.
 
No, they only had the 2.8, but in the highest output version - 140 BHP.

A standard mod is to rebuild using the longer stroke 3.1 crank (that's what I did on my turbo motor) or swap out for a cast iron head 3.4 as used on 1993-94 Camaros (that's what I used in the Jamaican) which has the same long stroke as the 3.1 but with a bigger bore. The 3.8 was a different engine family, with a 90 deg. V rather than the narrower 60 deg. used on the 2.8 family - this also makes the 60 deg. engines useful as MG swapping material.

The 3.4 was 160 BHP and with a bit of conventional tuning 200 BHP is fairly easy. My 3.2 turbo is right up around 300 BHP (would make an interesting engine for the Jamaican!)
 
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