I've recently found a 3000GT VR4 for sale, Im thinking about getting rid of my Fiero because of some minor issues that wouldnt be worth fixing with the labor rates and would rather just do a swap but wont have the money to anytime soon so my question is what would a 1988 Formula Fiero 2.8L 5Spd with 53k original be worth in great shape with a trans leak all of the sudden?

with a trans leak...thats gonna kill the value to most people...atleast it would for me. seeing as that you would have to drop everything and rebuild it...if you can't / dont do it yourself gonna cost several grand i beleive. since you have the v6 you could drop in a 3.4 pr in a weekend it seems and have someone else rebuild the tranny.

Now for the root of the question...what would I pay for it?...i'll be honest...1k...maybe 1.5k...at most. due to that tranny issue. some may think its worth more some may think its worth less. it seems it could be a great base for a car though.

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Well, the cost of any obvious work that needs to be done, will just end up coming out of the sale price, probably more so. If it was fixed, you could probably get a lot more out of it.

Do you know why it's leaking exactly?

a seal isnt a very big job at all....this can be done in a few hours, with just average mechanical skills,,dont fret the leak... c

quote Originally posted by dobey: Well, the cost of any obvious work that needs to be done, will just end up coming out of the sale price, probably more so. If it was fixed, you could probably get a lot more out of it. Do you know why it's leaking exactly?

I dont know where its leaking I had all the seals done last year and its leaking again so idk where, whats the best way to check? Jack up the back tires put it in gear and just wait to see somethin leak?

quote Originally posted by White88Formula: I dont know where its leaking I had all the seals done last year and its leaking again so idk where, whats the best way to check? Jack up the back tires put it in gear and just wait to see somethin leak?

Possibly. Clean all the areas where it's already dirty/wet from the leakage first, so you can see exactly where it's coming from easier. When you see the leak hit the ground, shut it off, and see if you can't see the source. I'm going to guess it might be the TOB.

Found the leak its leaking out of the small housing crack that was JB welded last march, the crack either opened wider or the JB weld wore off, its right on the drivers side closest to the front of the car next to the axle

Well I definitely wouldn't get a VR4 IMO if you don't have money. They are hard to work on, and weigh bout 3800 lbs. If you keep your fiero and put a swap into it, it would probably still be cheaper than buying a VR4. Good luck in whatever you decide on doing!

quote Originally posted by White88Formula: Found the leak its leaking out of the small housing crack that was JB welded last march, the crack either opened wider or the JB weld wore off, its right on the drivers side closest to the front of the car next to the axle

I don't know what originally cracked your trans, or why anyone would have 'fixed' it with JB Weld. You should have been expecting it to start leaking again.

That said, you should probably just buy another Getrag, or upgrade to one of the FWD versions, or the F40 6 speed. Or have your trans pulled and fixed properly to weld the case shut. It would probably be cheaper to buy another Getrag and just clean it up and drop it in though.

quote Originally posted by dobey: the F40 6 speed.

How does this trans install? is it a simple bolt up? whats the cost because im just goin to patch the trans with Alvin Products Aluminum Lab Metal for now being its alot stronger then the JB Weld and the JB lasted me a year and a half this should give me some more time to save money

If you're having problems fixing your Fiero, you don't even want to know the type of problems you'll have when that VR4 goes down. There's a reason a lot of the ones that "need a little work" are now going for dirt cheap.

The reason I say this is you mentioned the Fiero is not "worth fixing with the labor rates and" you would rather "do a swap", but if you don't have the money for either of those then I can't imagine what the person is asking for that VR4. I can tell you that if it's in the $3k range or less (even if it's an early 90's model), it's likely garbage like the 95% of other ones are in that range. I've seen plenty of them to know that. A good early 90's VR4 with a solid drivetrain and no turbo problems should still be selling around $5k and above.

You'll pay A LOT less than that to have your Fiero fixed.

I don't see anyone paying big money for original fieros unless in new condition especially with issues the seller hasn't dealt with. If your car is real clean there is a chance you can ask a pretty penny but i would assume like most fieros after 20 years needs a lot more work than even you realize. After 20 years driven or not all the rubber has perished in the suspension and even with 50,000 miles probably new engine mounts. People will pay for looks so if it comes clean they might be interested but dirty with oil everywhere and your gonna be hard pressed to move it.

quote Originally posted by Fiero84Freak: If you're having problems fixing your Fiero, you don't even want to know the type of problems you'll have when that VR4 goes down. There's a reason a lot of the ones that "need a little work" are now going for dirt cheap. The reason I say this is you mentioned the Fiero is not "worth fixing with the labor rates and" you would rather "do a swap", but if you don't have the money for either of those then I can't imagine what the person is asking for that VR4. I can tell you that if it's in the $3k range or less (even if it's an early 90's model), it's likely garbage like the 95% of other ones are in that range. I've seen plenty of them to know that. A good early 90's VR4 with a solid drivetrain and no turbo problems should still be selling around $5k and above. You'll pay A LOT less than that to have your Fiero fixed.

The VR4 is a 95 with 69k and they're asking 10,800 for it, only reason thats doable is because i can get a loan to buy the car

quote Originally posted by White88Formula: The VR4 is a 95 with 69k and they're asking 10,800 for it, only reason thats doable is because i can get a loan to buy the car

Do you really want to get a loan on a 15 year old car? Or is this a family loan?

I say keep the fiero and fix it, it would be cheaper in the long run AND much more unique than the VR4.

J.

Dude you have 3 or 4 threads going now about this Fiero of yours. How many more are you going to start?

With $5K, there are several feasable swaps you can do but you seem to be too stubborn to listen to what people are telling you in all your other threads.

Worse case scenario, save most of your money and just buy a new trans. Your making this a lot more difficult than it is!

[This message has been edited by JimmyS (edited 09-01-2010).]

quote Originally posted by JimmyS: Dude you have 3 or 4 threads going now about this Fiero of yours. How many more are you going to start? With $5K, there are several feasable swaps you can do but you seem to be too stubborn to listen to what people are telling you in all your other threads. Worse case scenario, save most of your money and just buy a new trans. Your making this a lot more difficult than it is!

"Dude"...5k ask Sinister, ask Archie, they all say 7500-10k so apparently its not feasible to have someone do it, and im not paying to ship my car anywhere when two shops 3-4hrs away both specialize in it

can't do the swap yourself?

fiero factory quoted me approximately 3k for a complete 3.4 pr swap. minus any parts they could use / keep to sell etc. if you're willing to take a loan for 10.5k out to buy a different car but not to fix / swap a fiero for less...I think you just don't want the fiero anymore...that's what it sounds like to me.

FYI they quoted me this with in the last year so the price should not have changed much if any. They also said they would take trade ins ( to the price ) on almost anything ( with in reason i'm sure )

So you have to ask...do you want to take a loan to do a swap ( which when i have a steady job i may do...family issue came up so i had to leave my job after one day....-sigh- ) or take a loan to buy a 3k gt?. if archie quoted you the same price i'd just do that...heck if i was gonna take a loan for 11k i'd buy a lsx and dump money into the fiero.

So answer this for yourself...is this just an excuse to ditch the fiero? or does is the thrill of a new car ( different model ) car luring you.

quote Originally posted by White88Formula: "Dude"...5k ask Sinister, ask Archie, they all say 7500-10k so apparently its not feasible to have someone do it, and im not paying to ship my car anywhere when two shops 3-4hrs away both specialize in it

Well, Archie is especially drastic in terms of prices, since he basically won't install anything that's not a crate motor or V8. And his LS1 master kit alone, is almost $5k.

But yes, swaps aren't cheap. Just the labor to swap out your trans with another, is going to be crazy. Heck, the labor it cost to get the broken exhaust manifold bolts drilled out of my car, and new manifolds installed, was ridiculous. But the average shop is charging $80/hr for labor. It adds up really quick.

quote Originally posted by White88Formula: "Dude"...5k ask Sinister, ask Archie, they all say 7500-10k so apparently its not feasible to have someone do it, and im not paying to ship my car anywhere when two shops 3-4hrs away both specialize in it

Take $3K, buy a crate 3.4PR Motor, another trans, get two local forum members to volunteer to help and do a swap in a weekend!

You have a lot of options with $5K to spend but for whatever reason, you just don't want to take the advice that people are giving you. That in itself is baffeling me cause you have 3 or 4 theads going asking for advice but yet you arent listening to the advice.

Edit to add... I gave you links (on one of your other theads) on where to get everything you need, to do a 3800SC swap, pre done for you. All the hard work is done already. All you need is a set of wrenches, screwdrivers and some time. Again, get a couple local people to help you out on a weekend or 2. Any issues that come up can be answered here, just start "1" build thread. With a little help, you can easily do a 3800SC with $5K

[This message has been edited by JimmyS (edited 09-01-2010).]

I too would price the repairs and parts for a 3000GT VR4.

I had a buddy with one that was in good shape but it was expensive to repair and buy parts for. It was as bad as a 928 Porsche.

quote Originally posted by Genopsyde: can't do the swap yourself?

I wish I could, if I knew how then it wouldnt be a problem 5K would be more then enough to cover the swap since I wouldnt have to worry about 3000$ labor price and i would already have started on it but I dont have the knowledge or garage to do it, sucks...

quote Originally posted by White88Formula: The VR4 is a 95 with 69k and they're asking 10,800 for it, only reason thats doable is because i can get a loan to buy the car

Jesus Christ!! Nearly 11k?!?!? That's still way too much for it. You can find those in the 8k-ish range all day. Don't go off of what people ask for them, because that's not what they actually sell for. There is a difference.

Plus I kind of have to agree on exactly what institution is going to give you a loan on a car like that. They don't look at the fact that it's a unique car, but rather that it's a fifteen year old car. Not many places I know of are willing to dish out an over 10k loan for a 15 year old car, when you can find plenty of one to two year old cars for less than 10k easily all day.

And yes, I would contact the Fiero Factory in Alabama if all else fails. While you might not be able to afford their 4.9L swap services, the 3.4L might be more in your range. I personally know of a local guy that had them do a 3.4L swap back some time ago and he never regretted it (his name is Larry Henthorn and they have some of what he had to say about the Fiero Factory in the 'customer's experiences' portion of their page). It was very much affordable for him.

JimmyS has given a good piece of advice too if you're wanting to tackle it yourself. There's a LOT you can do for under 5k.

quote Originally posted by Fiero84Freak: Jesus Christ!! Nearly 11k?!?!? That's still way too much for it. You can find those in the 8k-ish range all day. Don't go off of what people ask for them, because that's not what they actually sell for. There is a difference. Plus I kind of have to agree on exactly what institution is going to give you a loan on a car like that. They don't look at the fact that it's a unique car, but rather that it's a fifteen year old car. Not many places I know of are willing to dish out an over 10k loan for a 15 year old car, when you can find plenty of one to two year old cars for less than 10k easily all day.

This dealership looks to me like they specialize in high end used performance cars and retail value on that VR4s 11,800 so its about right for dealer price cars in great shape but like what others have said the repairs when problems start in the next 20,000 miles is going to be an issue, I had assumed that
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