I have received no end of ridicule from friends and co-workers about buying this Fiero ! Some say its just a Toyota M2 wanna be, but the M2 came out after the Fiero! The Fiero is of course a rare American Mid Engine.
One of them just bought a F250 Diesel pickup ( not anywhere near cherry) for $8000 and spent $2000 fixing it, just to be able to drive it reliably, and still drives his old Tahoe more often to work. ( the 250 just sucks money out of his pocket ).
I just tell them laugh all you want, I paid $350, lets see what mine looks like in ten years, vs what yours looks like, spending the same money, and what the end value is!
Thick skin might suffice; aggressive disinterest in the opinions of the usually ill-informed detractors is typically an effective deterrent to unwanted conversation... If they persist, try: "In the extremely unlikely event that I ever even remotely consider being interested in your opinion, I'll suppress it."
LOL I like that one Dave, The more I work on this car, the more I actually like it, I first got it because there are not many of them, But I'm actually liking the way it was built, and just how easy it is to work on. The only problem that gets me cussing is corrosion. If not for that, this beast has so far been pretty easy!
Get a copy of the 1985 Motor Trend or Road & Track Test of the 1985 GT and have them read them; They were very positive. The Car & Drivel tests were pre-paid by Toyota........Also, harder to find- The 1987 R&T Sports and GT Special 1987 Peter Egan test of a Fiero GT.
All of those were good tests- How many Toyota ads did C&D have back from 85 to 88...?
I caught hell back in 86-94 about my choice- One guy bought a CRX, bragging about the plated bolts, etc and not minding having to adjust the valves....That guy had previously owned a 67 427 Vette....His CRX was a "HF" model (High Fuel economy) with an automatic...He would go out after work, pull the car cover off of it, then put on his "Racing gloves" and drive away.....Looked>>>like>>>a>>>F*O*O*L.......
I wonder what happened to his CRX...? I still have (And daily drive) my 85 Fiero.....And it will still perform as good as mid-80s 300ZX or RX7 (non-turbos).....and I still have NO dents in my doors....(We won't talk about dents in my head tho!)
[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 12-31-2019).]
Life must be pretty good if coworkers teasing you about your car purchase is an actual "problem".... Enjoy your new car, and try not to worry so much about what other people think
Ignore the naysayers for they know not what the f**k they are talking about!
Just put mine back on the road recently. Hadn't been driving it two days before someone started talking to me about it and I saw someone taking a picture of it when it was parked in a parking lot. You just don't see these on the road anymore and everyone over 35 either had one or knew someone that did.
Love it, look after it and have fun.
Happy New Year
------------------ Anything I might say is probably worth what you paid for it, so treat it accordingly!
LOL I like that one Dave, The more I work on this car, the more I actually like it, I first got it because there are not many of them, But I'm actually liking the way it was built, and just how easy it is to work on. The only problem that gets me cussing is corrosion. If not for that, this beast has so far been pretty easy!
If this is the 84 Indy you pulled out of the weeds, the corrosion is understandable. So to the MR2 smackass, ask him this- "What do you call a bunch of guys standing around in a field amongst large piles of rust?" "An MR2 club meeting" I'm sure that's exactly what an MR2 would have looked like if one were parked next to your 84 all those years.
Happy New Year!
Mark
[This message has been edited by MarkS (edited 12-31-2019).]
I just smile at the co workers when they try to make fun of my car. Then at the end of the day I have to shoo off the people standing around the car as I answer the "what is that". Let them snap a Pic or two and drive home with that same smile on my face...
Don't you know that Corvairs kill everyone who drives them?!!!
Good ole Ralphy Na-der....Never had a driver's license, never drove a car....But people trusted his opinion on (American) rear-engine cars...In 1973 the NHTSA tested a 1st gen Corvair against '73 autos and concluded that the Corvair had Superior handling safety!
As long as your car is kept as a hobby/classic you'll be fine. For everyday driving I would not recommend any 35 yr old automobile. If you do drive it every day then expect to put quite a bit of shop time in it.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
Some kid on Woodward was trolling me... probably late teens, doubt he was even early 20s. Anyway, the car was FAR older than he was. Says to me "Nice MR2!". I said "It's not an MR2, it's a C8 prototype"
Some kid on Woodward was trolling me... probably late teens, doubt he was even early 20s. Anyway, the car was FAR older than he was. Says to me "Nice MR2!". I said "It's not an MR2, it's a C8 prototype"
I used to do the same thing in the past but I would tell them its a prototype that will be out in a couple of years and I am in charge of the shakedown
As long as your car is kept as a hobby/classic you'll be fine. For everyday driving I would not recommend any 35 yr old automobile. If you do drive it every day then expect to put quite a bit of shop time in it.
Absolutely. Solution: One low mileage Formula 5 speed for shows & limited pleasure driving, an '84 SE 4 speed for daily driving and an '86 5 speed to share daily duties as shown below:
ps. Choose notchback profile styling to be true to the original concept...
In an additional note the guy who got the F250 Diesel has actually taken more of an interest in my project ! ( My foreman ) Vs. Bosses step kid ( a former F-18 pilot foolish enough to leave the Navy before retiring ) to work at this place, still sneers at it!
F - him too! lol
As some of my long time friends and I have always said: Beauty is in the eye of the Beerholder !!!
I dunno...I do like the original, but the flying buttress GT design looks good if you leave off the ground effects and use the late base car nose (Plus a few other mods....)
[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 12-31-2019).]
There’s always going to be Fiero haters out there. Funny thing...I used to get frustrated at all the stupid comments (mostly because of ignorance - they are just going off of what was said by others) but now I relish the “hate” as it makes my car stand out all the more. Being a “Lone Wolf” or “Red-headed step-child” can be a good thing. Kit
you need to join the pontiac club in jacksonville, everyone will like your car, i have a 87gt. dixie chapter pontiac club. or mabe see you at the avenue mall for cars and coffee, i park with the pontiac's.
Ignore the naysayers for they know not what the f**k they are talking about!
Thats my attitude, but if they persist there are a TON of facts that they have never heard of that can silence some of them.
jn
------------------ Astronomy says we will find a coded signal from outer space. Then we'll KNOW that life exists there, for coded signals aren't by chance.
Biology says there are coded genetic signals in every cell, but we KNOW that no intelligence created life.
I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!
In 25 plus years of Fiero ownership, only one tool ever had crap to say about my GT, or any of the other two past Fieros. He was leaning against my car at a meet, I asked him to move, he waved his one arm in the air (he has only one), and told me how great his 1980 wanked out TA is. I literally never spoke to the guy at another meet again, and life moved on.
In 25 plus years of Fiero ownership, only one tool ever had crap to say about my GT, or any of the other two past Fieros. He was leaning against my car at a meet, I asked him to move, he waved his one arm in the air (he has only one), and told me how great his 1980 wanked out TA is. I literally never spoke to the guy at another meet again, and life moved on.
I have not gotten one bad response from anyone yet. The older crowd usually says "I have not seen one of them in a long time" and the younger crowd usually say "what kind of car is that, it is cool looking". I have found that a true car lover is going to enjoy all makes and models, not make fun of them with bad intentions. That is probably done out of jealousy or self doubt.
Here in CA (Specifically the East (SF) Bay, I always have people sniggering at my car- Everyone "Knows" that they all catch fire, all have the WORST quality ever, and can't perform very well......Strangely, a couple of years ago I drove out to Merced in the Central Valley and had three separate incidents of people approaching me and complementing my Fiero...I was tempted to move there....Actually it was a total of five people because at a gas station I had two guys come up to me while pumping gas, then a guy just walking by came up and complemented it also.....Here is a map of Central CA to show you where I am talking about.
Skatulaki - I totally agree with spades. I’ve had mine for a little over 4 months and I can tell you..people ask either “I haven’t seen one of these in years” or “what kind of car is that”....and the more you can educate people on the uniqueness (and commercialization of some cool tech for the period) the more people will appreciate it for what it is...Enjoy having it and being an ambassador...and have fun with it!!!!
I’ve had mine for a little over 4 months and I can tell you..people ask either “I haven’t seen one of these in years” or “what kind of car is that”....and the more you can educate people on the uniqueness (and commercialization of some cool tech for the period) the more people will appreciate it for what it is...Enjoy having it and being an ambassador...and have fun with it!!!!
Here in CA (Specifically the East (SF) Bay, I always have people sniggering at my car- Everyone "Knows" that they all catch fire, all have the WORST quality ever, and can't perform very well......Strangely, a couple of years ago I drove out to Merced in the Central Valley and had three separate incidents of people approaching me and complementing my Fiero...I was tempted to move there....Actually it was a total of five people because at a gas station I had two guys come up to me while pumping gas, then a guy just walking by came up and complemented it also.....Here is a map of Central CA to show you where I am talking about.
From more recent history, we were getting looks and complements on our Fieros, no question. A lot of the crap from years ago seems to have mellowed. I used to love SF...not so much anymore- for a few reasons.
bought my son a POS 85 GT fiero when he was in HS. He is 30 now. He still race's it, breaks it, Fix's it. ( repeat). Now we both have Fieros and both have C4 Corvettes. Mine is the red one.
Find some reason to take him or some other guy with a "big mouth" for a ride "to pick something up... (?)".
It may not make them a convert, but usually they realize "hey, it's not SO bad..." LOL
I literally do this at car shows, even at Woodward I let a guy I met that day drive it with me and he fell in love with it. He in turn let me drive his 2JZ swapped Civic. Good times!
When I bought my car I was a celebrity back in 1985. It could have been a Ferrari for all the attention I got.
Then a few years later it became oh you have a Fiero. They catch fire you know. Or look at that crap car.
Then it went to I don’t like Fieros but I really like yours. I modified and cared for my car.
Next was I have not seen. Fiero that clean since they were new.
Now it is I had one or I always wanted one of these. They were a cool little car.
Yes there are still a few rude people but most are very receptive and the younger people are generally very interested.
I go to shows today with my car and have positive responses. Even at the shows I attend I even do very well with the last couple years pulling off best of shows, best paint and interior. Not bad for a car with half the paint still being factory GM paint.
Today things are pretty good. Yes you will face some detractors but every car has them yes even Ferrari.
One key though to being a responsible Fiero owner is this. Be Honest.
Do not come across claiming our car is the second coming of the F40 because you installed a V8. Don’t try to make it something it’s not. The Fiero really was a nice little car with some flaws and a very interesting story. Keep to this and people will respect that.
In the past I watched as the X1/9 people became fanatical about their cars and it got to the point notional media would mock them and not the car for their dishonest stand for their cars.
This summer will mark my 35th year with my car. I can say I have no regrets of buying and keeping it. The car has taken me places I never thought I would go or do and meet some great people. I have laps over 10” mph at Indy and Mid Ohio, I have won awards at major Pontiac events I never imagined I could win. I have been asked to display my car at events at GM plants and even got it display on a turn table in the Summit Racing Retail store. I even displayed it in one building where I had to drive down hallways of an office building.
The long and short of this is be honest and you will garner respect for your car and yourself. It has been a while since I went to a national Fiero event but to be honest there are some of you that scare me and I am one of you.
One dude tried to convince me he had a race car. He had some big wings and fake pipes sticking out of the deck lid but it was no race car. My buddy was with me on this trip and was not a Fiero owner. He asked me are they all like that? I told him no but that is what people think if you are dishonest. Or nuts. People will really think you are drunk, dishonest or just bat **** crazy. You are not fooling many if they know cars. Though I told my buddies mom my Fiero ran on a Rubber band when she did not see an engine up front. She had me pegged BSC till I showed her the engine. You still can have a sense of humor as it really helps.
Now I am not just picking on Fiero owners as most brands have their odd owners. But because of the Fieros rep people tend to over compensate or react not always in the best way.
If someone likes your car fine but if not don’t pick a fight or make it what it’s not.
I get someone negative I just tell them it is my poor mans Ferrari or the go cart my dad never bought me. They go away no better or worse and no one is butt hurt.
When they come up and they are a GTO Judge owner and they tell you they would like to own one or always wanted one you then have a good conversation.
As long as your car is kept as a hobby/classic you'll be fine. For everyday driving I would not recommend any 35 yr old automobile. If you do drive it every day then expect to put quite a bit of shop time in it.
I daily drive my Fiero 150 miles per day. I do a lot of work on it, mostly because that's what I like to do. This past year I had two mandatory repairs, water pump and fuel pump. It's been quite a reliable car overall and it makes a long commute fun.
[This message has been edited by liv4God (edited 01-16-2020).]
I literally do this at car shows, even at Woodward I let a guy I met that day drive it with me and he fell in love with it. He in turn let me drive his 2JZ swapped Civic. Good times!
Enjoy your new car, and try not to worry so much about what other people think
Absolutely. Solution: One low mileage Formula 5 speed for shows & limited pleasure driving, an '84 SE 4 speed for daily driving and an '86 5 speed to share daily duties as shown below:_11.jpg)
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