Your car really does look great and it's not out of driving distance from me. I'd really be interested in looking into your car as it is so well documented and I do like the modifications done to it. I myself am a Fiero enthusiast, though i'm part of the next generation (I've not even got my license yet.) but I am looking for something reliable as a first car, and would want a Fiero above all else. Hopefully I can put in a word about it to the people in my household with the money, and we'll see from there, but I am definitely interested in it.
This car will make someone happy. Keep in mind that a Fiero is at least 25 years old. No matter how good it is right now, the same things will happen to a Fiero as to any car. There is an ongoing expense to any car of this vintage, or of any vintage. Most auto shops cannot work on the Fiero. Are you willing to pay TFF to work on it? Who will pay for that? The Fiero has been discussed at length as a first car/daily driver on this forum. You may want to look up those threads for questions and answers pertaining to that, which may help when you speak to the people with money.
Fortunately, this one should only require minimal upkeep. Also, being an '86, parts are more readily available.
There is no need to go to TFF unless you want an engine swap performed. As long as Pennock's Fiero Forum is accessible, there will be very little the average owner cannot do. Before owning my first Fiero, I had never even changed brake pads on a car. Since then, through researching the forum and asking questions, I have performed complete engine swaps in my driveway with a VERY modest selection of tools. I think the Fiero has a lot going for it that makes it a great first car.
At least with this particular Fiero, you can buy it and drive it immediately and be proud of it from day one. This is my fifth Fiero and it runs and handles like a Fiero should. It is the best of all I've owned and the best one I've ever seen in person. If you drive this car, you will want it. Period.
I have come off my original asking price by $500 already. This is a beautiful car that is well sorted out, well equipped, well documented, low mileage, and is every day reliable. It was a bargain at my original asking price and it is an even better one now!
Who is going to be the proud owner of this great little car?
Weekly price reduction: Now asking $4900 firm for this sweet ride!
I put new Wagner Thermoquiet brake pads all the way around New rear brake calipers Rust free frame 2 new tires, 2 almost new tires Big brake booster upgrade Monsoon CD stereo with all new speakers including a factory subwoofer housing with a Tang Band driver Headrest speaker seats with new Tang Band drivers New Infiniti dash component speakers Front compartment carpet Sunroof that does not leak. Has been outside for several weeks in terrible weather and it is dry as a bone. Air conditioning has been changed over to cheap R134a! Works perfectly! Professionally detailed 1987 2.8 V6 engine installed. The original engine dropped a valve. The 87's are superior to the 86's. No engine codes!! Automatic transmission fluid changed with a new gasket and filter. No leaks! Grand Prix shifter knob. Original knob goes with car. Easy to swap. New set of dew wipes goes with car. Not installed. New rotor, button, cap, spark plugs, wires.
That is probably not the whole list. When I say this car has been gone through and is reliable, I mean it!
You guys tell me. What will sweeten the pot? This is a great looking car. It runs great. It handles great. It has a great stereo. It has an ever-dropping bargain price. It comes with any or all the spare parts I have.
Dude, don't feel bad. There's a beautiful 86 gt 4spd with only 40k miles that has been on ebay at least 3 times now.. guy hasn't been able to unload it for $4500. I'd strongly consider buying it but it's just too far and shipping is expensive.
Your car is awesome, but these cars just aren't going for that much money... There was another 86gt on ebay recently, red over silver, sunroof, 4spd, 85k miles beautiful condition, dealer owned - they listed it 3 times, finally sold for just over $3k.
Dude, don't feel bad. There's a beautiful 86 gt 4spd with only 40k miles that has been on ebay at least 3 times now.. guy hasn't been able to unload it for $4500. I'd strongly consider buying it but it's just too far and shipping is expensive.
Your car is awesome, but these cars just aren't going for that much money... There was another 86gt on ebay recently, red over silver, sunroof, 4spd, 85k miles beautiful condition, dealer owned - they listed it 3 times, finally sold for just over $3k.
The showing went well and I expect this guy to buy my car. If you have been watching this thread, this may be your last chance to jump in and snatch up this car!
Last bump and price reduction! $4500 FIRM FIRM FIRM!
I have been driving the car lately and I just plain enjoy it. I have reduced my asking price ONE THOUSAND dollars since listing it and I have now reached my bottom dollar. If it doesn't sell for this price, I don't mind keeping it! It is paid for so I can afford to keep it indefinitely.
It seems that my photos are too good. I have had several local shoppers who have been disappointed in the fading original paint. This is a daily driver car with original paint and interior. It is not a show car. This car starts on the first crank every time and everything works as it should. This is a car that should be bought and driven and given regular normal maintenance. You don't HAVE to paint it, you don't HAVE to fix this or that. It is perfectly functional and attractive as is. If a perfect car is what you want, you need to be shopping in Hemmings Motor News. There you may find a car in the condition you want but you will not find Fiero Forum prices! There is no free lunch.
Also, please be aware that NADA has incorrectly given Fieros top money for being equipped with a V8 and discounted if equipped with a V6. If you run the numbers both ways, the value should lie somewhere in between the two because of this error. Also, NADA, etc. do not discount for bald tires or mechanical issues. The pretty car that they value at $6000 might very well need to be completely re-built mechanically.
Again, my car is a daily driver and as such is safe and mechanically sound. It just happens to also look very nice. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings.
Unfortunate to read about the paint. So much of the value of these cars, especially stock engined ones, is in the paint quality. Paint being the most expensive prospect on them costing a couple thousand alone. So people expect one at this level of price to not need faded paint replaced to stand tall next to a shiny Toyota Camry or Civic. I was still interested in it but paint will do me in. I was interested when it needed nothing. GLWS
Unfortunate to read about the paint. So much of the value of these cars, especially stock engined ones, is in the paint quality. Paint being the most expensive prospect on them costing a couple thousand alone. So people expect one at this level of price to not need faded paint replaced to stand tall next to a shiny Toyota Camry or Civic. I was still interested in it but paint will do me in. I was interested when it needed nothing. GLWS
@ mental floss - this is not directed toward you. You just brought up a point that is a pet peeve of mine.
It still needs nothing. Whether or not you want better paint or any other feature or upgrade is a different story. While I have owned the car, I have made it my own by doing the things that I wanted to do to it. I like it better this way than the way I found it. It is up to each owner to do the same. I recently had a shopper tell me he was ready to spend $8000 on a Fiero. Said he had looked at several and was leaning toward mine. Said he liked all the mods that I had done and could tell by the road test that the car worked as described. Then he started in on the faded wing, etc. If paint is the problem and he's willing to spend $8K, why not buy the car you trust and paint it? He won't. He'll go buy one with nice paint and over-pay for it then it will sit in his garage collecting dust because it is unreliable. Then he'll be telling everyone that Fieros are crap cars because he had one so he should know!
Had another shopper tell me he liked the upgrades but had a problem with them not being factory original parts! What the hell? You can't have it both ways! Either a car is stock or it is modified. If it has a different battery or tires, guess what? It is modified! Everything I have done looks like it could have been a factory option. You either like what I have done or you don't. You are either willing to pay my asking price or you are not. It is very simple. If you don't like my car enough to pay my price, walk away. I don't need an attempt to lecture me on the dynamics of the used car market. I'm not interested. This is my car, I like it, and this is what it is worth to me. This is the price it will take to pry it away from me.
Another thing, Fiero owners are constantly upset that their cars aren't worth more. Well son, if everyone keeps giving them away when they are ready to sell, what do you expect. Do a package check and stick to your guns! No one can make you sell it at any price. The price it sells for is what you agree to. You are in control!
VW Beetles were once considered "throw-away" cars, too. Look what has happened to their prices! Now a rough one is worth 5X its original cost. Know why that happened? Because they don't make them anymore and nice ones are getting harder and harder to find. A nice Fiero should at the very least hold its value. That's all I'm trying to do, get my purchase price back. That completely disregards the time, money, and labor I put into this car to make it what it is. I have done a bunch of work to make this a better car and to keep it alive and on the road. It will be up to the next guy to take up that torch and run with it to the paint shop. I have paid my dues on this car.
It is what I need it to be. It starts. It handles. It doesn't leave me stranded. It is reliable. It gets me to work and back. It looks good and gets compliments. It is clean and comfortable. I can drive it until the wheels fall off and part it out for more than I'm asking. Either way works for me. In the mean time, what does your daily driver look like?
Red can be hard to capture the quality of paint in photos. I think the info divulging some fading is helpful for future buyers. With that info and looking closely at the pics I think the buyer is equipped with the ability to ascertain the value to them. You have the advantage of being within a 1 day drive to the majority of the population of the USA.
Rough Beetles don't sell for any more than they were new. Used VW Beetles (original Beetles) are commonly selling on ebay in decent condition for $1500 to $2500 and that's after 40 yrs of our devalued currency prices. Currency then was backed by gold and made of silver. Body off full restorations are going for $12k. I was hoping you were correct because a family member has a rough convertible she hasn't been interested in for a while, but won't sell it since they won't bring enough. A Fiero in pieces can't be worth even $4000 unless there's 3 sets of good GT tail lights.
Red can be hard to capture the quality of paint in photos. I think the info divulging some fading is helpful for future buyers. With that info and looking closely at the pics I think the buyer is equipped with the ability to ascertain the value to them. You have the advantage of being within a 1 day drive to the majority of the population of the USA.
Rough Beetles don't sell for any more than they were new. Used VW Beetles (original Beetles) are commonly selling on ebay in decent condition for $1500 to $2500 and that's after 40 yrs of our devalued currency prices. Currency then was backed by gold and made of silver. Body off full restorations are going for $12k. I was hoping you were correct because a family member has a rough convertible she hasn't been interested in for a while, but won't sell it since they won't bring enough. A Fiero in pieces can't be worth even $4000 unless there's 3 sets of good GT tail lights.
NADA has the 1963 Beetle listed as $5K for low retail or rough condition. Can't remember how they categorized it. They were less than $2K new. I have parted out Fieros and there is a LOT of money in parts. I even let a lot of people choose their own prices and I was never disappointed.
I WOULD CONSIDER A POSSIBLE TRADE WITH ME ADDING CASH FOR A KAWASAKI CONCOURS 1400 MOTORCYCLE! MAYBE OTHER BIKES AS WELL. never hurts to ask!
NADA has the 1963 Beetle listed as $5K for low retail or rough condition. Can't remember how they categorized it. They were less than $2K new. I have parted out Fieros and there is a LOT of money in parts. I even let a lot of people choose their own prices and I was never disappointed.
I WOULD CONSIDER A POSSIBLE TRADE WITH ME ADDING CASH FOR A KAWASAKI CONCOURS 1400 MOTORCYCLE! MAYBE OTHER BIKES AS WELL. never hurts to ask!
I'll begin by throwing out there that even with the gm red paint fade issues that you may now be around a fair price for the car, given what it is and all, just needs the right buyer.
That said, please do not go by the "NADA Collector Car Guide" values on much of anything, they are basically worthless and without basis in what things REALLY sell for in the REAL world for the most part. Take a look what they say a rough/low 70s chevy/gmc truck of any year is worth, it is almost comical. (As much as I wish those numbers were true as an owner of many older cars, including a couple of those trucks!)
Originally posted by KennyC: That said, please do not go by the "NADA Collector Car Guide" values on much of anything, they are basically worthless and without basis in what things REALLY sell for in the REAL world for the most part. Take a look what they say a rough/low 70s chevy/gmc truck of any year is worth, it is almost comical. (As much as I wish those numbers were true as an owner of many older cars, including a couple of those trucks!)
That and I think a lot of people forget that NADA gives a retail value, NOT private party sale value. Dealer values are always higher so that they can cover their overhead costs.
I'll begin by throwing out there that even with the gm red paint fade issues that you may now be around a fair price for the car, given what it is and all, just needs the right buyer.
That said, please do not go by the "NADA Collector Car Guide" values on much of anything, they are basically worthless and without basis in what things REALLY sell for in the REAL world for the most part. Take a look what they say a rough/low 70s chevy/gmc truck of any year is worth, it is almost comical. (As much as I wish those numbers were true as an owner of many older cars, including a couple of those trucks!)
I agree that NADA is not a good reference for older cars. I just brought it up because one of my shoppers was waiving it around like the Bible. I countered his data with a one-inch-thick stack of ebay auctions of Fieros. All in similar shape and miles as mine and all sold for more than I'm asking. I don't mind waiting for the right buyer who can appreciate my car. I know when he finds it, he'll be having a very good day!
I decided the AC could work a little better so I looked into it. I discovered that the compressor clutch air gap was too large. I have corrected that and the AC is now even better than before! I also did the math and it shows that I have put 22K miles on this car since I did the engine swap. I think that is a sufficient test period! It runs great and no codes.
I'm thinking about doing a cold start, drive, and walk around video. Might do that in the morning if it isn't raining.
[This message has been edited by Boostdreamer (edited 04-18-2015).]
You are simply asking too much. Checking out sold listings on ebay there are swapped Fieros as clean as yours that sell for less
That may be so but how many of them are so well documented? How many miles have been driven since the swaps? How long have they been owned and why are they being sold? What do they need? Are they reliable daily drivers or something to work on every weekend? I don't know the answers to those questions about those cars. I know my car. I am happy to drive it until someone decides they like it or I feel like accepting less. I'm in no hurry and under no pressure.
You can't have it both ways! Either a car is stock or it is modified. If it has a different battery or tires, guess what? It is modified! Everything I have done looks like it could have been a factory option. You either like what I have done or you don't. You are either willing to pay my asking price or you are not. It is very simple. If you don't like my car enough to pay my price, walk away. I don't need an attempt to lecture me on the dynamics of the used car market. I'm not interested. This is my car, I like it, and this is what it is worth to me. This is the price it will take to pry it away from me.
