Gotta wonder just how low miles Fieros are still hidden away in storage. Driving by the local Ford dealer today and noticed a Fiero on the used car lot. Stopped to have a look. It had 125 original miles on it. Even had the original tires
There appear to be a lot of Fieros with low miles on them. Just since I've been noticing them, I've seen several with under 70K locally and a couple around 54K.
What is kind of sad that I have heard of quite a few of the ultra low mile ones (under 1,000) getting sold to overseas buyers.
Probably because nobody over here in their right mind would want to pay $30K for a car that was half that when new, and that's been sitting in some storage facility for 30 years, not being driven.
I have an 85 base model with just under 2000 original miles on it that is for sale. It doesn't need to be restored. Runs and drives great; PM me if interested.
My 88 GT has 29k mi. When I bought it earlier this year I thought it was going to need work to get it running good, Internet purchase. Turns out it did not need much work and runs great. Thought about storing it for shows and making a trailer queen out of it but PFF members convinced me to enjoy it and drive the wheels off.
So this coming spring I'm driving it to Daytona. Hope to see lots of Fieros up there!
They do seem to show up.... I just grabbed four GT's locally.. all around 50k miles... had been in a barn for 15-18 years... the man had died and the cars were almost junked by his kin... Fortunately, his daughter seperated the Fieros out of the 50 or more cars that were scrapped.... One of them is an 88 GT 5 SPEED!
They do seem to show up.... I just grabbed four GT's locally.. all around 50k miles... had been in a barn for 15-18 years... the man had died and the cars were almost junked by his kin... Fortunately, his daughter seperated the Fieros out of the 50 or more cars that were scrapped.... One of them is an 88 GT 5 SPEED!
Glad you got these 4 Fieros saved.
My '88 GT had 49K on it when I bought it. I've been driving it, so the miles have since added up. One thing. The drive to Fierorama collected LOTS of bugs. In the future, perhaps I will cover the front of the car. I hate cleaning off bugs, tar, etc. Also, if you have a nice paint job, rock chips may be a concern. I don't mind driving mine, but don't like damaging it.
Probably because nobody over here in their right mind would want to pay $30K for a car that was half that when new, and that's been sitting in some storage facility for 30 years, not being driven.
original comment deleted by author because it was a stupid and insulting comment, sorry Dobey
[This message has been edited by Csjag (edited 09-21-2014).]
Originally posted by Csjag: You seem to make disparaging comments about Fiero's at every opportunity
How is that disparaging about Fieros? It looks like a comment on the supply & demand situation. North Americans don't have to pay $30k for Fieros because there are lots of them available. The market influences the pricing.
I met a Belgian this summer who flew to Alberta Canada from Belgium, picked up a 1988 Excalibur, drove it to Montreal, put it in a box and hoisted it on a ship to Belgium for less than he paid for any of his other three Excaliburs he sourced in Europe.
Europeans who are able apparently pay premium prices for cars not readily available there. Hence the market.
You seem to make disparaging comments about Fieros at every opportunity
His comments tend to be realistic, as opposed to delusional about the performance, value and capabilities of these cars. That doesn't make them disparaging. Just a different perspective.
[This message has been edited by cam-a-lot (edited 09-21-2014).]
The cars are worth little to nothing and low miles doesn't mean much if they're in unmaintained condition. People are trying for $1000-2500 for non-running low miles and nobody is buying. Wonder what the climate will be in 15 yrs? I spent a few hrs piddling with a Fiero in a busy junkyard and 2-3 people commented that 'you don't see many of those anymore', or 'bet those are hard to find now'. At another jyard looking for other parts I asked the owner about Fieros. He looked at me as if I wasn't serious and said there might be a couple left down the hill. Nope. They were gone. Talking with a neighbor about them I commented that my sister had one when they were new. He said his sister had one too and I could tell he didn't have much appreciation for them.
Originally posted by David Hambleton: How is that disparaging about Fieros? It looks like a comment on the supply & demand situation. North Americans don't have to pay $30k for Fieros because there are lots of them available. The market influences the pricing.
I met a Belgian this summer who flew to Alberta Canada from Belgium, picked up a 1988 Excalibur, drove it to Montreal, put it in a box and hoisted it on a ship to Belgium for less than he paid for any of his other three Excaliburs he sourced in Europe.
Europeans who are able apparently pay premium prices for cars not readily available there. Hence the market.
And over here, they have a bad rep, or people don't know what they are. People in the US are reluctant to pay what these dealers are asking for the cars they kept in a storage shed for 30 years because they thought they would be worth something one day, since GM was discontinuing the model. Over here, the only way someone's going to pay that much for a GM car/truck as old as the Fiero is, is if it's a numbers matching F-body, Corvette, or something else that doesn't have a horrible reputation, and is in pretty well restored condition and is well maintained. People who want Fieros know what they're worth, and aren't going to pay the price these dealers that keep coming out of the woodwork with their untitled 88 Fieros with only lot miles, want for the cars. A well maintained stock Fiero with extreme low miles, should at most bring what the car would have cost new, in a sale.
Only extreme rare Fieros, or highly modified ones, which are also well maintained (such as the IMSA with 427 L92 V8 that Don Krauss recently sold) and have massive investments in high quality detailed work, should sell for more than that. Most Fieros in the wild are worth less than $5000. Nothing disparaging about it. It's just fact. We all enjoy these cars because they're cheap and easy to modify.
When I bought my car in June I paid 10K, which included shipping. Cloud 9 Classics was asking 14.5K. I thought I was getting a great deal. Knowing what I know now ; and being a member of this forum , I only got a decent deal. Maybe could have negotiated 9K. The PO said the car was perfect. I say "no". Needed AC, it idled terrible, and the headliner is starting to let go. But, the interior still smells new! The factory floor mats were never removed and the under sides were a sticky mess and left black goo on the carpet. Someone took it to a terrible body shop to spray the front clip, rockers, and the deck lid. I guess they ran out of tape and paper. Overspray everywhere. Lots of hours polishing that off. Anyway…..just rambling
When I bought my car in June I paid 10K, which included shipping. Cloud 9 Classics was asking 14.5K. I thought I was getting a great deal. Knowing what I know now ; and being a member of this forum , I only got a decent deal. Maybe could have negotiated 9K. The PO said the car was perfect. I say "no". Needed AC, it idled terrible, and the headliner is starting to let go. But, the interior still smells new! The factory floor mats were never removed and the under sides were a sticky mess and left black goo on the carpet. Someone took it to a terrible body shop to spray the front clip, rockers, and the deck lid. I guess they ran out of tape and paper. Overspray everywhere. Lots of hours polishing that off. Anyway…..just rambling
You did well. I think all Fiero buyers have buyer remorse at some point and will have comparison guilt. I also have some guilt over spending what KBB history tells me I should feel but you have to get over that. Taking it to shows and having period correct plug wires, oem sail panels, supple wiring looms, etc is worth the smile on my face with each shift. The getrag makes this nice pure like a new OEM car would. I bought a 12k mile 88 GT for 10k. I looked at it from a cost per mile driven standpoint. Could I get a 175k mile Fiero for $1500 or get a practically new car for new car price. Any used car is going to need some TLC foreign or domestic. I also had to replace AC compressor and headliner, but other than that it's in 9/10 shape. It's yours, be proud of it.
In May I bought an 88GT CJB T-Top. It's perfect. It had 25,210miles. Now it has 26,000 miles. Gonna drive it.
BTW, I paid $9k Cdn, which in today's dollars is about $8,200US. I thought it was a great deal. It is fully loaded (including leather and subwoofer). It is an auto though. Everything works.
[This message has been edited by pcgold (edited 09-21-2014).]
I paid $10,000 (Canadian) for my 5,200 kilometer (3,231 mile) '88 Formula 5 speed in Feb 2008. I would do it again in a heartbeat. No remorse. No regret - well except I wish it had A/C ). Everything original except battery & heater core. It's got 25,000 kilometers on it now.
Despite dire warnings from some about seals, rubber parts etc, all I've replaced so far is the master cylinder, a caliper, the distributor & the coil (which came from my '86 Duke engine that I'd replaced with an '87 Duke. I added a low tone horn from the '87 parts car so the Formula would have a respectable sounding horn...
I never thought after owning an '84 SE since new that I'd find a showroom condition Fiero only 3.5 hours away that had been maintained and occasionally driven around the upscale neighbourhood by an original owner who apologised that there might be spider webs when I bent down to look underneath. He bought it for his son when he was born. When he grew up, he asked for the Mustang convertible that was also in the garage because it was a better chick magnet. Lucky me!
[This message has been edited by David Hambleton (edited 09-22-2014).]
Originally posted by dobey: Carfax? Dealer service history? Oil change sticker on the windshield?
I was thinking a car that doesnt get driven wouldnt go to the dealer much. I suppose under warranty they could go every 6 months when new for an oil change, dealers keep track of that or just owners?
We dont have inspections, emissions testing and such. I think if a car isnt sold or re-titled there wouldnt be any event to register in carfax? I guess every once in a while thestate may issue a new and different license plate number, but I'm not sure you have to report anything like mileage at that time.
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 09-22-2014).]
Originally posted by 2.5: I was thinking a car that doesnt get driven wouldnt go to the dealer much. I suppose under warranty they could go every 6 months when new for an oil change, dealers keep track of that or just owners?
We dont have inspections, emissions testing and such. I think if a car isnt sold or re-titled there wouldnt be any event to register in carfax? I guess every once in a while thestate may issue a new and different license plate number, but I'm not sure you have to report anything like mileage at that time.
Well, I don't know how well dealers kept track of things in the 80s, but today when I take my truck to the dealer for service, they have a record of all they've done to it, and what mileage was recorded when it was brought in at those points. If it was bought/sold through any dealers, there should also be records of mileage at that point as well. Also, any titles for the car would have had mileage recorded. Ask to see the title and compare the mileage on the dash and the title. Whenever a car is titled, the mileage is listed on the title (at least, always has been for me, in at least 3 different states).
But yes, if it's just sat, it's harder to confirm. But then again, if it's just sat there for 30 years, it probably didn't accumulate any miles either. But also likely not in any drivable condition if it has sat for 30 years without getting any miles.
I have just turned 30,000 on my 86 se bright red, it shares time on the road with my 85 grand am that just turned 40,000 both v6's and a joy to drive but living just south of buffalo we have more time to shine our cars than nice days to drive them.
Fortunately, his daughter seperated the Fieros out of the 50 or more cars that were scrapped....
). Everything original except battery & heater core. It's got 25,000 kilometers on it now. 
