when buying one, what is the safe mileage range ot buy in?

It all really depends on the owner. Some people have taken excellent care of their 4 cyl cars and have exceeded 250k miles! Whereas the previous owner of my GT did not take very good care of the car and I had nearly everything replaced at 100k miles.

Obviously the lower mileage the better... Good luck!

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Looking for Fiero posters?

Depends on how the car was treated. I had a motor go at 85K, and another one at 127K. My FIrst 86 SC had 130K and ran stronger than any other Fiero I have owned.

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http://www.geocities.com/fiero_24
1987 GT

so what you are saying is their lifetime is comparable to that of other GM cars of the same era?

what about trannies? are they pretty good? i've talked to some fiero owners and they had horror stories about the manuals

Just try and find the lowest milage Fiero you can. Personally, I wouldn't buy any car with over 100K miles on it without intimate knowledge of the history of the car. Even if it was taken care of very well, chances are it would still need small things if they hadn't been done yet (ball joints, wheel bearings, alternators etc). Fieros are very comparable to other GM cars mechanically, since they are full of parts from other GM cars of that era.

Trannies. The automatics are nearly bullet-proof. I think GM makes the most reliable autos on the market! A lot of people have had problems with the manual hydraulics, and replacing the clutch in a Fiero is absulutely NO fun! But that wouldn't cause me not to buy one.

Hope that helps!

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John
AOLIM: Fformula88

1988 Fiero Formula
1985 Fiero SE 2M6

The 2.8 V6 dosen't seem to last much over 100k miles. This might be because they are driven harder. But its the same even in other cars that have this engine. I don't think thats completely it.

The 2.5 L4 (iron duke) seems to last quite a while longer. Even if they are driven somewhat hard they hold together well. I have heard stories of the original ones going over 300k miles!

[This message has been edited by Master_Sushi (edited 01-30-2002).]

I have 126,000 miles on the Formula. Still running strong (knock on wood) with original clutch. I plan on replacing the motor and clutch this summer. I will have to say I am surprised because I drive it hard and fast taching 5 - 6 grand all the time with average speed around 85 and I hit 3 digits on the interstate whenever I get the chance !!!.
Used Mobil 1 oil, now use Royal Purple.

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My 87 GT ran strong right up until 90,000 miles and out of the blue the bearings went on it. It was very well maintained, oil changed regularily, but don't expect the engine to last long if you plan on running it anywhere near the redline. The night before I spun a bearing I was racing my buddy in his Celica and I took it up to over 5,000 RPM and that was the last nail in the coffin. Seems like around 100,000 is about the lifetime of the engine.

quote The 2.8 V6 dosen't seem to last much over 100k miles. This might be because they are driven harder. But its the same even in other cars that have this engine. I don't think thats completely it. The 2.5 L4 (iron duke) seems to last quite a while longer. Even if they are driven somewhat hard they hold together well. I have heard stories of the original ones going over 300k miles! [This message has been edited by Master_Sushi (edited 01-30-2002).]

It dunno about the duke lasting a real long time. They have a good reputation, but I have not seen many over 100K that were in good shape. My fathers 87 coupe's 4 cyl died at 95K miles. It received regular oil changes with premium filters and Mobil 1. I'd say most dukes in Fieros are worked fairly hard since you have to really punish them to get even moderate performance out of it. Sometimes, its also luck of the draw. Not saying one couldn't last a while, but a duke with over 100K miles would be a big concern for me.

I bought mine with 195000 miles on it. The second owner was going to kit kar it so he he kept it in good shape. Lots of new parts when it got it. There were papers and newspaper articles about the end of the Fiero, so it seemed the first owener was a buff too. Even found a business card in it, the guy worked for Jersey Central Power and Light.

Its up to 207900 miles now and still gooing great.

My 84 was treated poorly before I bought it, with well over 100k original miles. Most of the work I've done on it has been simple stuff: starter threw a bolt; spark wires, cap and rotor; fix oil leak, all less than $100 repairs. The only sign of age is that it don't like the cold. As far as the tranny is concerned, get the clutch lines on a manual looked at closely, as well as all the seals. I spent a good deal of money replacing the clutch slave cylinder.

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"Wise man say, when in doubt, mumble."

Well Chester's 86GT motor had 187,000 miles on it before he replaced it last spring, and the only reason he replaced it was he wanted more power, but didn't want to give up driving his car to rebuild the motor in it. So he built up a motor and then did the engine swap. On the other hand, my blue GT had 123,000 on it and needed a new motor. But that was due to a 16 year old kid dumping the clutch into second at 100+. OUCH!

Just purchased an 88 Coupe (4cyl) with 301K miles on original engine. Of course, this car was very well maintained and cared for since the body and other mechanicals are in very good condition.

I just rolled over 280K miles with the original 2.8....
Yep she puffs just a little sometime on start-up but thats okay, she's fixin to have a transplant shortly

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"If you want to blend in, take the bus!"

I thought the rule of thumb for 2.8L engines were they die at about 200K miles, and will last longer if taken care of from the time they were new. My 88GT 2.8L died at 192K miles, I'm not the orignial owner, but drove it from 113K to 192K from 1996 to 2001. When I got the car the only repairs I made were new timing set, water pump, alternator, and water pump.

Luck!

i have a duke with 105k miles on it... sometimes when i'm not paying attention and showing off to my friends i rev it to like 5500-6000 rpm..... rus great but latly its been blowign blew smoke (Dont worry i pait 150 for the car) hehe