I'm thinking about picking up another Fiero after not having one for a few years. Looking at an 85 GT that I can pick up for $750. Looks to be a great deal however the car is 1,400mi away, 2800 round trip. After looking at it on a map it would be a 4 day trip to drive down and back. Also looking to shipping estimates, which leads me to asking...
How far have you gone to snatch up a Fiero? Did you drive down to get or did you just pay for some one to ship it? What did it run you?
[This message has been edited by Fiero_Fan_88 (edited 12-14-2013).]
Drove to flint (700 miles one way) and back to pick up[ an engine. Drove to Virginia (100 miles or so one way ) to spend 8 hours in little more than a field at the height of summer to pull a trans out of Fiero (will NEVER do that again). Drove to Pennsylvania to pick up an engine for the Cougar, no idea how far but overnight trip. All my Fieors though have been local. My first was around the corner literally 200 yards away. 2nd and 3rd were maybe 40 mins drive. So actual cars, not far. Keeping them on the road, stupid distances!
------------------ Anything I might say is probably worth what you paid for it, so treat it accordingly!
I drove 530 miles one way to buy my first fiero because I could not find an 88 around me at the time. Left at midnight or so to get there, buy it, then drove straight back only stopping for breakfast/ lunch
So...... $750 for the car. That 2800 mile round trip sounds like it would cost you another $750 which now means the car cost $1500. Is it worth that much? I have drivin 300 miles for a project car but it was exactly what I wanted and I added the cost of the trip ( fuel and food ) and added in $10.00 an hour for my time. After the math, it added up to what the real worth of the car was. I had been looking for a project like this for over a year and am always looking for an excuse for a road trip so I did it.
I'm thinking about picking up another Fiero after not having one for a few years. Looking at an 85 GT that I can pick up for $750. Looks to be a great deal however the car is 1,400mi away, 2800 round trip. After looking at it on a map it would be a 4 day trip to drive down and back. Also looking to shipping estimates, which leads me to asking...
How far have you gone to snatch up a Fiero? Did you drive down to get or did you just pay for some one to ship it? What did it run you?
I went 1,500 miles for an 88 coupe and drove it from New York to Houston. I don't know if I would do that again, but it was a low miles car in excellent condition. I would not want to drive a $750 car that far. If you have a truck and can rent or borrow a trailer it's a little more convenient, but the gas cost will probably be almost as much as shipping.
Bottom line is for any car that's not local it has to be a REALLY special car to justify the additional cost, because it's never free to move a car across country.
I purchased my first 88 Fiero about 400 miles south/east and drove down and towed it back. Paid $800 for an 88 coupe 4cyl/5 speed back in 2000. The car ran and drove, but needed some TLC.
I wouldn't go much over 300 miles for anything but a very low miles car (below 25K) or very unique Fiero. Everything else, you really need to see in person, check the chassis for rust and other signs of abuse, and take it for a test drive.
Drove from here to near Cincinnati to look at an 86 GT that was in my price range, and ended up coming home without it as it had an engine knock...that was a full two day trip. Ended up buying my car in Colorado near Denver and driving it home the next day.
8500 miles for one. Shipped to me after buying from photos. $4000 to get it here. 7500 miles for another and bought from photos too. $3500 to get it here. Inside of Australia Bought one about 900 miles from home. Flew up and drove it home. Another about 750 miles form home. Flew down, bought it back to the mainland on the ferry and drove it home.
I bought my Indy in Virginia and drove it home to Arizona (2300 miles.) Uneventful trip and the scenery was nice to boot. This was the longest cross country trip I made in Fieros, the others being Detroit to Phoenix in a 4.9 auto and Burlington Iowa to Phoenix in a 4.9 5spd.
Bought the Pro Street from Minnesota, off the inter web. Chased it for two years. Had it shipped to Calif, never figured the miles. $1,000 to the car hauler guy. Multiple big bucks to the previous owner.
OK, got curious and looked up the miles. 1,935 miles.
When I take my Fieros on the road, I carry a box of tools and spare parts. I have only needed it once, last year was the first time I needed to use the parts for my car when the rotor broke when I was on I-80 in Iowa. Although, I have used the spare parts several times when someone else's car has had issues.
1780 miles to snatch up a beauty Indy! Flew out one night and drove back the next two days. of course, stopped along the way to eat with some Fiero fanatics along the way. one even put me up for the evening so I wouldn't have to stay at a hotel! Awesomeness! It was about $250 for the flight out and $250 for gas and food for the way back. I have had one shipped about the same distance and it was about $500 or $600 so it may be a wash money wise. The experience was worth it for me though and I made some great friends along the ride!
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Originally posted by Fiero_Fan_88:
I'm thinking about picking up another Fiero after not having one for a few years. Looking at an 85 GT that I can pick up for $750. Looks to be a great deal however the car is 1,400mi away, 2800 round trip. After looking at it on a map it would be a 4 day trip to drive down and back. Also looking to shipping estimates, which leads me to asking...
How far have you gone to snatch up a Fiero? Did you drive down to get or did you just pay for some one to ship it? What did it run you?