I am currently considering selling my Fiero and all parts. I am not ready to list in the Mall or elsewhere but wanted to ask if people would be willing to provide input regarding rough valuation. I have noted that prices in my region seem to be quite high though I may just be disconnected from the market as I have not shopped a Fiero in many years. I live in the greater Houston area and am seeing cars list at anywhere from 1-2k for a non-running or badly in need of attention project car, up to 4-5k for a car in reasonably good shape or having some interesting modification, and as high as 8-15k for best in show level cars.

My car is an 87 GT, Black, originally automatic but converted to manual Muncie 4-speed, originally 2.8 but converted to a 92 4.9 out of a Deville. Harness was wired by myself (I have shared the diagrams on here in the past) and was done primarily in fiberglass sheathed silver core wire that I got from a friend (it more or less wont melt, rated to over 1000 deg F, this was when I re-did the wiring after the first time I had issues), I have made other changes but the exterior is fairly rough and there remains plenty of work to be done.

It was my daily driver in college for more than 4 years before going into storage while work took me abroad. It came out of storage and I changed all the fluids, took the engine out to do the clutch and while I was at it took care of some other things so some mechanicals are recently refreshed and the car is road worthy.

Build details:
- 92 Deville 4.9, junkyard motor with something like 100k on it. New timing parts installed. New water pump installed. All new seals intake, throttle body, timing cover, water pump, oil pan, and valve covers. This is the second motor in this car after I lost the first to a failure in the original oil cooler setup.
- Speaking of the oil cooler, it is mounted on the cradle as many have done for 4.9 builds. At one point I replaced it after the adapters I had came off and I lost all my oil. Afte this incident I more carefully welded the bracket and used different lines with hose clamps instead of trying to adapter the cooler inlet/outlet connection to something else.
- Single O2 sensor
- 4-spd Muncie transmission
- Spec Stage-4 clutch (URSC884)
- LSC Aluminum flywheel
- Rodney Dickman short throw
- Rodney Dickman aluminum hard mounts
- PROTHANE full urethane kit all around
- V8 archie battery relocation kit
- KYB Shocks/Struts (front KG4538, Rear 234005)
- Eibach progressive lowering springs (-0.8'' all around, pro-Kit 3802.14)
- Fiero Store OEM ball joints all new at time of build in 2008
- Fiero Store OEM whell bearings all new at time of build in 2008
- Front cross member, rear cradle, and A-arms cleaned, primed and painted (unfortunately not powder coated and I was in a snow state so it shows it age)
- New stainless steel brake hard lines from fiero store at time of build in 2008
- FieroAddiction (Rockcrawl) 88 brake conversion kit. Drilled and slotted in front. I had one rear rotor that cracked after several years of hard use, problems with a sticky e-Brake, and then abuse in the snow. I just replaced it with brand new solid rotors that Jon was kind enough to make available to me so both the rears are now solid.
- Just replaced front 2 calipers with freshly rebuilt 88 units. I rebuilt the rears myself but the fronts I lost to stuck bleeders and a seized slide bushing so they are re-mans.
- Just replaced all brake pads, pins, sliders, bleeders, banjos, washers, bolts, and boots.
- Brand new eBrake cable all three portions
- Multiple chips: 1x FieroAddiction, 1x Stickpony OEM map, 1x Stickpony SC map (I have spare EEPROMs also)
- New master and slave cylinder at time of build 2008
- Freshly rebuilt steering column to take care of the notorious loose bolt issue, torqued to spec with medium loctite
- Brand new ignition at time of steering rebuild
- Steering rack rebuilt at time of build 2008
- All new tie rods at time of build 2008
- Exhaust done by shop, using magnaflow dual-in dual-out muffler, NO CATALYTIC CONVERTER
- Motor mounts from FieroAddiction with 88 trailing arm recently added as 4th mount point The car was eating motor mounts before on a semi-regular basis. Now it seems much better but I have not put many miles on this modification.
- Recently added one touch solid state window controllers to improve window speed and provide convenience
- AC-delete idler currently installed (though I have brand new AC compresses and mating Fiero lines to install, wiring already there)
- 17'' wheels (I think they are AR) non matching set 2x front and 3x rears, all but the spare need to be replaced with new tires
- Russel stainless steel brake lines. New at time of build.
- Rodney Dickman single strut deck lid support
- Larger injectors (I think out of a 5.0 ford crown vic) I would have to dig for details, they were cleaned by Mr Injector
- New Cadillac fuel pump at time of build

An earlier post with some of the early build pictures:http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000002/HTML/20120111-1-076351.html

The good:
- Mechanically all the important things work and it should be register-able as is depending on local exhaust rules (NO CATALYTIC CONVERTER) barring a quick fix of the horn.
- The car drives great pulls hard chirps the tires like it should is loud and mean and fun.
- I have vented qaurter panels than have not been installed, they are in pretty good condition they are however red
- I have two dashboards, one in excellent condition, the other has decent wear and tear
- I just replaced the seats with headrest speaker set out of an 85 GT they are in very good condition. Very minor seem issue on driver side otherwise nearly perfect especially considering they are original.
- I have two sets of just about every interior plastic piece (85 and 87) though the do not color match
- I have spare headliner in excellent condition
- I have brand new AC compression never before used
- I have a spare set of windows from an 85 that are in like new condition
- I have a spare set of headlights, with motors, and frame, from the 85
- I have a spare center console including the plastic skeleton
- I have a bunch of bins of spare Fiero and 4.9 parts including rubber seals, vacuum tubes, heads, rocker bridges, etc. I honestly don't even know all what I have at this point but I have many spares of all kinds of things big and small.
- I have a sway bar, honestly not sure which size it is, I intended it to be put on the rear but have not confirmed the size. I do have the hardware and poly bushings for the update also.
- I have a brand new never used or mounted Fiero store hitch I was going to install but never got around to.
- Heater has always worked without issues, no leaks in the core.

The bad:
- The dash is out and has been for the past decade
- Previous owner had aftermarket alarm installed and air horn. I recently removed all this. Car has always had a few mysterious electrical gremlins in the dash and I think they are related to stereo and alarm modification made previously.
- Speaking of the dash the gas gage does not work. When I did the build I carefully re-calibrated the float sensor and it worked. Shortly thereafter I melted the wires on the exhaust (before the switch to the improved wires). I made a repair and they are now routed better and sheathed in heat shield. I imagine the repair was wrong but have not confirmed as it still does not work. I would just use the odometer to tell me how much further I could go and if I could hear the pump loud enough I knew I was about to run out never had an issue.
- Speaking of the instrument cluster, I have no idea how accurate the reported mileage for the body is and honestly cant recall for sure but I think I might have swapped it as the one out of the 85 was in better condition or something. I might have this information in my notes somewhere.
- Stereo was cut out of car when I bought it. Has speakers but I do not know what condition they are in, I never had a radio in it.
- There is minor rust in a few places on the undercarriage, particularly on the front end. I got under it with a wire brush and determined it to be mostly superficial but it should be addressed.
- The passenger side headlight bracket is broken in one place. Previous owner used bailing wire to hold it together, it worked well enough that I never bothered to fix it, headlights go up and down fine and both work, but I have spares and this should be fixed.
- I had the rear suspension apart when I had it apart last year. Put it back together and alignment was good enough for runs around the block but should be done properly.
- Speaking of alignment, the tires are all gone as a result of previous alignment having too much camber and tires not being properly rotated at regular intervals. Handled great, did kind of plow the front end if over driven but otherwise was awesome. So new tires are needed also.

The ugly:
- The body is a bit rough. I am missing the wheel well plastic thing on one side in the rear
- Front plastic wheel well things are a little rough also as the wheels on it have wrong offset and they rub at full lock a tiny bit
- The body shows its age as does the paint
- The trunk seal needs to be replaced as it leaks in rain
- The trunk latch needs to be re-welded. I was picking it up by the latch using a spare throw away latch I had, before I knew better, and it resulted in a failure of the spot weld holding the nuts in place. So when I was putting the good latch back on one time I could not fully tighten it. It is a little loose but functional.
- The electric trunk latch didn't work when I got it and I never bothered to fix it.
- The lock on the passenger side fell apart on me one winter. This was after I already replaced both door locks a few years earlier. Regardless they should be replaced as I do not think the passenger side can be repaired.
- My GF scraped the side as we rolled it into storage one time, it took off the plastic trim piece and damaged it. The quarter panel is a little scratched on the drivers side as a result. I just bought new clips to put the molding back on have not installed it.
- The front mount points for the fascia show signs it was likely in a fender bender at some point but repaired. As a result the panel gap is a little off and the hood catches a little when you put it back down. It is annoying once you notice it.
- The doors squeak and there is a tiny bit of interference on the door panel of the passenger side. I think hinges need to be serviced on both sides. Also the body piece covering the driver side door needs to be re-riveted.
- There is junk tinting on the rear window and door windows that needs to be removed. Was installed by previous owner and I just never took it off. where I am now the humidity has caused it to get much worse.
- Rear drivers side taillight is cracked. Which is really unfortunate as it was my fault when lifting too high with cherry picker and not realizing I ran out of clearance. Its not terrible and I have been meaning to try and recover it. To that end I have a spare set of completely junk tail lights to experiment on.
- The quarter panels where removed shortly after getting the car as they were trashed. I never got around to replacing them with something.

So that is my honest assessment of where things stand. I probably forgot some things and I might edit if I think of something else. I can take pictures of anything your curious about. I am hoping to get everyone's opinion regarding what the car (and all the other stuff) is really worth if I was trying to sell it and if you think it is worth holding on to or is it just time to move on?

[This message has been edited by Dizzixx (edited 02-05-2019).]

Well it seems you did at one time care a lot because you did invest a bit of time into this. I can tell you that prices are going to be all over the place. I wouldn't mind trying to sway your mind to sell but of coarse I am going to low ball you. Hard habit to break. haha Honestly you should just think on it for a while if you want to part with it because what are the chances you ever get another one? If you have no desire to ever have one again it could be an easy decision. Updated pictures wouldn't hurt either.

Projects sit, we get distracted and stop working on them. Then the work we once enjoyed just seems like too much. Been there and done that.
I miss my GT and wish I still had it, I sold it off when I separated from my wife.
Think hard before you sell. Go fix something small and see if you still feel the same.
You cant eat an elephant in one bite but nibble away at it.
If you still want to sell then good luck I hope you find what you are looking for. I would offer $900 because I cant drive the car where I am living now.

There are two 3800 swapped cars that still need a little work in the Salt lake area for sale at the $3000 range. They have been up for sale at that price for about a month now. Doesn't look like any swaps are moving fast. I think the car is worth the money but I know buying someone else's swap does concern me. I think you can get a good price but it might take some time for the right buyer.

Double post

[This message has been edited by JMTUT (edited 02-06-2019).]

Thanks for your input. I figured that was more or less what most people might say. I do love my Fiero, I fell for fieros the first time I saw one as a teen before even having a license and knew I had to have a car like that. I am afraid however I will never complete the project to the point where I will be happy with it, or that I will find myself unhappy enough with it that I wont use it, effectively making it a large paper weight taking up my garage and the boxes of parts my attic.

To clarify I have not updated my profile and am no longer in the salt lake area. I am now in the Houston area and people seem to be generally asking more for them here.

Needs rebuild 2.5k - https://houston.craigslist....sale/6792033993.html
Need work 1.2k - https://houston.craigslist....peed/6789454065.html

Polarizing modifications, 5.5k - https://houston.craigslist....o-gt/6798555680.html

Clean 88 stock, 8.5k - https://houston.craigslist....o-gt/6803952827.html
Clean 87 stock, 7k - https://houston.craigslist....o-gt/6801180968.html

I'm tempted to buy a clean car cheap and then transplant what I have from mine to that.... probably more work than its worth...

I love driving my 87 GT, and we do it often. Hundreds of miles every month just enjoying her. That is why I kept it. Absolute joy.

Buy another car. Sounds as if your old Fiero has had it. Also seems like you have a lot of great parts just waiting to be used. If you are able to, do it. We only live once. Be happy.

I drove my unfinished GT for years and loved every minute of it.
I called it my rat rod Fiero

quote Originally posted by Jake_Dragon: I drove my unfinished GT for years and loved every minute of it. I called it my rat rod Fiero

I am in the same boat right now. I have my lower rear panel off for repairs. Been like that for about 200 miles. Doesn't stop me from driving.

Once you sell it, you no longer own a Fiero.

Working or not, at least you can still sit in it.

That’s a long list of parts and work you put into it.

Might wanna keep it.

Just sayin’

So I love my Fiero, and I drove the ever loving crap out of it, spring, summer, fall and winter, low ride height, kidney jarring suspension, no radio, no AC, terribly loud, and poor traction in snow be damned, for many years...

I did however recently buy a brand new Focus ST. I would have loved to have gone with the RS, and if I had I think this would have been an easier choice to make if I had, but I could not justify the additional expense.

On paper the ST should be comparable in many ways to the Fiero:

Focus ST, 3223 lbs, 252 HP, 270 ft*lb, 12.79 and 11.94 lb/HP and lb/ft*lb respectively
Fiero (4.9), 2780 lbs, 200 HP, 275 ft*lb, 13.90 and 10.11 lb/HP and lb/ft*lb respectively

When it comes to seat of the pants feel however the 4.9 Fiero hands down wipes the floor with the ST, I'm not actually saying it is faster or quantitatively better just it feels better, its more fun. Thing is there are also a bunch of things you start to notice after driving a newer car (before the Focus the newest thing I had owned was a 95 Tacoma, w/o anti lock brakes and a little 4-cyl motor, but that is another story...) the biggest of which is the relatively refined ride quality, the creature comforts, and the stopping power. If I could get my Fiero to ride like the focus, not rattle squeak and whine all the time, and stop like the focus it would be easy to justify keeping but getting it to do that I think may difficult, similarly if I could get the Focus to pull like the Fiero or feel like the cabin of the Fiero it would be an easy choice but I think either of those endeavors will likely be expensive.

Were I to get rid of the Fiero I would likely try to do a FF 818 all electric build (gotta prepare myself for the electric future...) but I dont know if or when that would happen.

For now I think I may just try to get the Fiero register-able as that will make it both easier to work on and sell should the time come to do that.

Anyone in the Houston area interested in beer and Fiero maintenance at my place?

Even a careful approach to advising on the value is not going to be very comforting. The unfortunate perception by buyers is that the work is all old work and of no overly valuable to them besides having the swap in place. If a person says it's valuable then they should be able to support that statement by purchasing it. New cars are considered fully depreciated in the amount of time this car had some 2008 updates. The dash being out, having electrical gremlins, needing paint and some panel replacement work equates to much lessened values. Extra Fiero parts are cheap so there's little value there unless they're installed. If you don't want to make repairs it would probably be more lucrative to part the car out. An upgraded braking system should go quickly, suspension pieces could too, the drop-out would sell ok too.

Being in Houston is better than Utah for selling since a bulk of US population is not anywhere near Utah. When I saw Utah under your username it was a total no go for most people the first, second and third time I looked here. Didn't realize you were in Houston until right now in the body of one of your posts. If the car isn't in Houston, forget Houston values. Presentation means so much. The car has to speak to the emotions in step 1a, and be reasonably close in step 1b. If the car looks ratty, then it is ratty. Peeling tint? Remove it and clean the windows. Mentioning the cradle was painted long ago but is now aging is saying nothing of value. A working heater is similar. What you could do is replace the dash wiring harness cheaply and replace the dash for better appeal. Get some quarter panels on it. Without pics of the car I'm imaging in it's current condition you'd get offers of $1000 at the upper end. The 3800 swap in the mid-west (I think in IL where huge populations live) on this site with missing body panels hadn't gotten a bite at what was it, $1200 I think? Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly.

I’m in Houston, sent you an email

quote Originally posted by mptighe: I’m in Houston, sent you an email

I'll reply shortly.

This I think this represents a more realistic upper end of what mine would be worth if in similar condition with a clean and buttoned down install neither of which are true of my car...

https://victoriatx.craigsli...iero/6813572617.html

My upper end statement was based on current condition. I hope you're right on the finished value. My 4.5 only needs the dash & struts replaced then the top surfaces repainted.

quote Originally posted by sourmash: The 3800 swap in the mid-west (I think in IL where huge populations live) on this site with missing body panels hadn't gotten a bite at what was it, $1200 I think? Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly.

In OH, listed for 1500, took nearly 3 months to sell, for an undisclosed amount (likely something less than 1500).
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/077219.html

Bump!

I am again interested in selling this car. Contact me if interested. I am in the Houston Texas area.

Thanks,
-Dave