Outa curiosity, how many of you had the fiero as a first car?
Mine was so clichè. i love it. i was mowing my neighbor's lawn, and spied it all fenced up in her back-yard. asked her about it, and she said it was sitting for 7 years; she was origional owner. worked out a deal where i'd mow her lawn for free for X amount of months, and she'd let me tow it home. white 1984 SE. Dad helped me fix 'er up, and she was running within the month. new alternator, and fuel pump, and she was ready to go.
Hollywood would be proud. :]
------------------ "Be not led astray, bretheren beloved..." -James 1:16.
Technically, my first car was an '84 monte carlo, though she looked sooo rough that I never titled it, or got her running..... Which brings me to my first Fiero, an '88 Coupe auto..... That was the first car I had ever put in my name and I was 19 when that happened, so 13 yrs ago........ Graduated in '95...
------------------ Me, I sell engines, the cars are for free, I need something to crate the engines in.... Enzo Ferrari....
Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines.... Enzo Ferrari...
Today they are called garage's, yesterday, they were stable's! Eric Jacobsen....
IP: Logged
09:32 PM
topher_time Member
Posts: 3231 From: Bailey's Harbor, for now. Registered: Sep 2005
My first car was an 85 SE. I miss that car terribly. I had it for 2 years. Drove it for 5 months. Rest of the time it was on jack stands. I had to buy another Fiero just so I could drive one
Technically yes, the Fiero was my first car. I was driving my father's 97 Mercury Sable for a couple years, and when I got the Fiero, my little brother started driving the Sable, until he wrecked it. DOHC Duratec + 20mph curve @ 55mph = rolled four times, car totaled. That car had HORRIBLE understeer, as well as being just plain horrible.
Yep... I got my 85GT earlier this year. My goal was to get something *I* wanted and pay cash for it. Family had been pressuring me into something "safe" (I.e. Honda, Toyota). I found the fiero and fell in love. I've not even had it a year yet and I feel as though I've been driving one since they were new.
I think everyone should learn to drive with a car that has rack&pinion manual steering. Nothing like truly feeling the road. For me, it keeps driving from being a chore - I actually want to go places... If only so I can find a good curve or a nice rise. Its a real experience - something that everyone who has ridden along wants to feel again.
------------------
Notchback GT
IP: Logged
12:27 AM
Fierobsessed Member
Posts: 4782 From: Las Vegas, NV Registered: Dec 2001
That would have been nice. Sadly they were not around when I started driving. Besides in 84 if it didn’t have a V8 I wouldn’t have looked at it twice if it had more than 2 wheels.
IP: Logged
06:27 AM
grkboy707 Member
Posts: 3019 From: Kingsville, MD Registered: May 2009
my first car was a 72 honda civic,air cooled 1169. cu inches ,10 in wheels ,max speed ...about 50 mph with two passengers and a good tail wind ,held about 4 gals if i remember and seemed to go forever on that fuel,i was 14 and cut grass and drug it out of a neighbors yard ,my parents wouldnt let me leave the yard for a while so i used it like a go kart until they got tired of the yard being tore up....he he he .......fun car.....my dad held it up so i could change a tire one day .....ill always remember him laughing holding up the car while i was changing the tire......too damn funny
My first car was a 'Gold' 86 notchie with a duke. My dad got it when I was 14 thinking I was going to put a kit on it, but we thought it was in too good of shape to cut it up. I drove it until I was 18, then my dad drove it a little while before he sold it.
The fiero I have now is the junker we got and put the 355 kit on.
Nope. My 1st car was a 65 Ford Fairlane. (August 1968).
------------------
Without question the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza. -- Dave Barry
Yes, I know I'm resurrecting this thread (is that ok to do?) but I wanted your pros and cons as to the idea of a Fiero as a first car. For those of you who are my age (15-17) a few questions- how much do you pay for insurance? are they safe (for the parents' approval)? how much are parts/maintenance (at my free labor rate- I love wrenching)? and how hard is it to find a good one? I'm partial to all things notchback, and I'd prefer one with a manual 'box.
IP: Logged
06:40 PM
McTamney Member
Posts: 273 From: Tallahassee, Fl Registered: May 2010
mine is. im 17 and its my daily driver 86 se. got it when i turned 16 from my dad. was his for a few years before we build his 89 wrangler. i knew i would get it since i was 14 so i waited and waited and waited,
Yes, I know I'm resurrecting this thread (is that ok to do?) but I wanted your pros and cons as to the idea of a Fiero as a first car. For those of you who are my age (15-17) a few questions- how much do you pay for insurance? are they safe (for the parents' approval)? how much are parts/maintenance (at my free labor rate- I love wrenching)? and how hard is it to find a good one? I'm partial to all things notchback, and I'd prefer one with a manual 'box.
Where in Delaware are you?
Fieros are very safe, I've read somewhere they earned some of the near-top safety honors for their time. Insurance wise they aren't too bad even in evil evil Delaware. I pay 70 bucks a month for mine but I've got a clean driving record and I'm 24. At 21(when I got my Formula) it was about 120. Parts aren't that bad at all unless you're looking for 88-specific suspension parts. Finding a good one in the tri-state area isn't too bad, really depends on how much money you have to burn. But in our area you have to look for rust demons and paint abuse(as per my poor little Formula).
If you've got some wrenching experience and don't mind putting in a lot of work I wouldn't think twice about a Fiero as a first car. Do a lot of research and when you've think you've done enough, do more. Older cars in general can nickel and dime you to death.
North Wilmington. I've grown up around cars- my summer job this year was over at a Saab dealership.
quote
Originally posted by N3M3S1S:
Fieros are very safe, I've read somewhere they earned some of the near-top safety honors for their time. Insurance wise they aren't too bad even in evil evil Delaware. I pay 70 bucks a month for mine but I've got a clean driving record and I'm 24. At 21(when I got my Formula) it was about 120. Parts aren't that bad at all unless you're looking for 88-specific suspension parts. Finding a good one in the tri-state area isn't too bad, really depends on how much money you have to burn. But in our area you have to look for rust demons and paint abuse(as per my poor little Formula).
I don't have too much money at the moment- about $1650 or so. I'm saving though (I'd like to see a car maybe next year or the year after) so I have enough $ in the kitty to buy a good one, but still have some left over for ins/repairs. $120/mo ... eek. That's a lot... maybe I could talk to my parents about putting it down under their insurance and marking me as the primary driver. That's the only thing I suspect they might do for me and a car- my dad's a bicyclist and I am too, so he doesn't think that I need a car so much as I need to keep my bike running. It doesn't cost that much, seeing as he buys all the parts. I've put over 800 miles on my bike in the year-and-a-half that I've had it and I've suffered no major mechanical problems, save four flat tires. Paint abuse is the least of my worries- the people over at my job this summer taught me one important thing- it doesn't matter how it looks, it's how it runs. Besides, a p-o-s is less likely to get stolen!
Well if you ever see a faded paint 88 red Formula rolling around that's more than likely me. I'm all over the place, Newark, New Castle, Newport, Stanton, and all of Wilmington. I live in Newark though.
And that's definitely your best bet because insurance rates in DE are pretty evil. And definitely don't be in a hurry to get one(doesn't seem like you are) and hold out for the right one. I bought my Formula for $1800 and 70k or so on it. Paint had started to fade but I didn't care. Still haven't raised enough money to paint it to its real glory but its been a good DD for 3 years now and sits at 110k. I've driven it from Newark to the bottom of Delaware and all the way up to Carlisle and back down.
IP: Logged
07:03 PM
Valkyrie Member
Posts: 1199 From: Vancouver, BC Registered: Jun 2006
85 SE was my first, and most cherished car. That car had such a tough life. It was my brother's car before it was handed down to me. When he stopped driving it, it just sat in the yard and looked sad. I was 13-15 at the time, so I'd hop in it, and drive it around, practicing my driving in our field. Then I'd pull over and just sit and listen to the radio, watch the sun and the sky through the sunroof, which I thought was amazing when we first got it. Then the one time in the field that I got a little "fancy" with it, I ended up running over a stump, at a moderately high speed. Buggered up the tie rod, and the transmission never worked quite the same after that. So again, it sat for a bit.
Then, school came back around and I was in shop class and we of course got to bring in a project and work on it in class. So I brought the car in, worked hard on it. Got the transmission to half ass shift when it was supposed to, fixed the headlights and other small things and then it became my first actual car.
Then I bought my 87 GT, and I had planned to turn my 85 SE into a daily driver with a 3800 SC swap. Unfortunately after a bit of investigation, I discovered the frame was completely rotten... and I mean completely. So, I had to put my love to rest in the same field that it all started in.
This goes to people who have/had multiple Fieros. Is it just me, or does each different Fiero have a different "personality"? My 85 SE was so "laid back". It only had a little V6 and that poor automatic transmission, which made it a complete dog. But it seemed like the car didn't mind, you know? It was like a "Yeah, I'm kinda slow, but I'm completely cool with it. I'm more fun to drive than most cars anyways." kind of attitude.
And then when I purchased my 87 GT with V8 swap and Getrag 5, I noticed it seemed to be more of a "serious" car. Like, "I don't **** around." kind of attitude. Maybe I'm just crazy?
Does anybody else feel their Fieros have different attitudes/personalities?
IP: Logged
07:05 PM
darkhorizon Member
Posts: 12279 From: Flint Michigan Registered: Jan 2006
My gold 86 SE is my first car but I've added two more to my collection.I'm 15 now and got my gold car for my 13th birthday a little over two years ago.Then I got the red 86 SC,and then the 86 GT.Sadly my gold car is torn apart right now and I've decided to do a new engine and trans and the 3.4 I was going to put in it is going into my GT and the 4 spd is now in my red car.
[This message has been edited by NCTyphoonKid (edited 08-31-2010).]
My gold 86 SE is my first car but I've added two more to my collection.I'm 15 now and got my gold car for my 13th birthday a little over two years ago.Then I got the red 86 SC,and then the 86 GT.Sadly my gold car is torn apart right now and I've decided to do a new engine and trans and the 3.4 I was going to put in it is going into my GT and the 4 spd is now in my red car.
If only I got Fieros for my birthday... but geez you've got a lot of cars. Do you have a license yet and are they registered?
IP: Logged
08:13 PM
NCTyphoonKid Member
Posts: 1277 From: Trinity, NC USA Registered: Jun 2008
If only I got Fieros for my birthday... but geez you've got a lot of cars. Do you have a license yet and are they registered?
The gold one was the only one I got for my birthday i bought the red one and the GT was free. I have my permit as soon as I finish the trans swap in my red car I'm getting it registered.
------------------ Korey "Plastic Makes It Possible" 86 Pontiac Fiero SE gold on black options incl luggage rack,power windows,power door locks,sunroof,4 spd,GT lace wheels,3.4 swap in progress 86 Fiero sport coupe 2.5 4cyl/5speed 86 Fiero GT black,grey ground effects (in pieces) 86 Buick Grand National bone stock 93 GMC Typhoon #1710 black on black bone stock
IP: Logged
08:16 PM
Haggerty Member
Posts: 177 From: Goffstown, NH Registered: Jun 2007
Sure I'd driven an old hand-me-down Accord for a bit, but the first car I actually bought with my own cash was an '86 SE in '00ish. Even though I only kept it for a couple of years, I've been pining for another one ever since, and am happy to have finally bought my current GT to start my Yellowclone(ish) project a few months ago.
IP: Logged
08:25 PM
Scottzilla79 Member
Posts: 2573 From: Chicago, IL Registered: Oct 2009
Lucky jerks! I'm 31 years old and my 88 Fiero which I just got this spring is only the 3rd car I've owned. 87 Cav z24 89 Reatta. No I am not wearing a members only jacket.
IP: Logged
09:19 PM
KaijuSenso Member
Posts: 911 From: Westland, MI Registered: Jan 2007
Yup, technically the first car I ever purchased was my red 86 GT (4 and a half years ago). Looking back on it, I was too excited to buy it and thus paid too much. It's all good though, it's still my favorite car.