I am Dealer, Every once in a while a Fiero will pop up at the auction. Some of these dealers want big dollars casue they think they are rare and are all bone stock.
Other dealers view them as a old car which they don't want on their lots. I understand that, Most people are looking for a newer car to replace an old one, In fact on my lot I sell nothing older than 05.
Just last week I saw a 88, 40,000 miles, great shape bring $1500 at auction. Im pretty sure the buyer was a buy here pay here lot or it was purchased for personal use.
Fiero markets are very limited, especially since they are 30 years old, weather and age have destroyed core areas of most of the cars, People cant just find parts anywhere any longer as most yards crush them as soon as they get them in since they don't have a lot of buyers for the parts
Most of those overpriced ones are just people trying to get as much as possible, hoping someone will swoon and pay out. Same with any car for sale really. IMO
I think part of it is assuming the sum is equal to the parts. I bought the car for $x, and I've put at least $y into it, so it must be worth $x+y. Unfortunately that isn't true in the vast majority of cases.
I find another problem with the Fiero vs. a traditional metal-body car is that you can have a very photogenic rust bucket. I drove five hours (each way!) to look at a Fiero last year. As soon as I saw it in person I realized it wasn't in the condition the seller claimed. Seats were good, and paint was fantastic, the trunk was rotted out, the floor pans needed work, and I stopped checking there. Unfortunately somebody just getting into it is going to see the paint and interior and think it's been taken care of.
I bought my yellow fiero, as a 86 se gold car, needed paint and motor, no rust. paid $500
I changed the engine with a crate, had it powdercoated yellow, Put all leather interior and headliner in it, Special Coilovers all around, 18" wheels, Speedhut gauges, 355 Nose, IRM rockers, Flush Mount headlights, and etc. The car was right and rode like it was on rails when it was done. Car was show ready and spectacular to drive
A few thousamd Dollars( cough cough) and 4 years later I sold it for $6500 on Ebay. that was top dollar even though I had way more in. I enjoyed the car for 4 years or so, drove it every where in the country,. attended all kinds of shows and etc. It was good to have and I enjoyed it. I wasn't worried about money it was a special car I built for me
Would I do it again, sure I would. But you never get what you put into anything. people forget that. Everything you own is used. It don't matter what you did or spent,
The Fiero has hit a stage in life that has changed its out look. The cars have bottomed out and good original examples while still available are becoming more valuable. [You still will not get rich on them[
The deal is now that rust is eating up many of these cars and the ability to get good NOS parts is more and more difficult even if you pay dearly for them. The reality is if you want a clean stock car you are going to have to pay near original sticker price for many. Prices are increasing and demand for clean original cars will continue to climb.
I just saw a low mileage 88 GT go for $14K with no trouble and ship cross country.
The key here is many GT models and V6 models that are below 50K miles and rust free models that are in good clean condition will soon be trading up to original sticker prices. the base cars and high mileage cars will still not hold much increase with collectors. Clean base cars will be big with people who are wanting to do a kit or engine swap.
The real key to a lot of this is it is cheap to pay more for a clean example vs. restoring one of these cars if you want it all original. But like the Corvair this is a car that you have to want and luckily the Fiero has a strong attraction to a large group of fans. This will help as the number of good cars continue to decline as supply will drop and demand will remain.
Sure there will be people who have a 84 BC and try to ask 88GT price but they will not sell while the GT may not last the week at the same price.
As for auto auctions and dealers these cars hold little value as that is not where you sell or buy a car like this for top dollar. Those guys are looking for the fast easy flip and the Fiero is a car you need to find the right buyer.
I would not be surprised to see a 88 GT with low miles sell for $18K in 5 years and with no miles even more.
The Fiero will hold its own but you will need to make sure you have the right one. V6 T tops and other more difficult to find options will be needed for the best prices.
I also recommend that if you need NOS parts to buy them now as they will be gone soon. It may be some good Fiero's will be worth more parted out than together. This is where many clean base cars may end up for needed trim parts the other cars can use.
I know some of you can take a $500 car and do your own work to make a $10K car but you are the exception. Many people buying cars like this will want them but can change a spark plug themselves and they will pay more for a clean car and we will be willing to take their money.
[This message has been edited by hyperv6 (edited 08-22-2014).]
^^^ That's my general assumption to what Fieros will do.
I paid $1,000 for my last Fiero which was an '86 GT. It ran and drove and I drove it for over four years no problem. One thing I've realized though is I will NEVER be able to find another fastback GT, running with no issues, for $1,000 ever again. Considering that fastbacks make up roughly a ninth of total Fiero production, you're going to see them steadily increase in value within the next ten years. I always feel however if I really wanted to I could probably get in and out of base model cars no problem for little money. Especially 1984 -1986 bumper pad cars with relatively high mileage (as in 150,000) that run and drive.
I also agree that now would be a tremendously good time to stock up on either NOS parts or really good used parts. One thing to snatch if seen is really good dashes of any color. Expect to pay in the couple of hundred to half a thousand bucks for really good to perfect shape dashes within the next ten years.
Ultimately though remember that asking price is an entirely different thing from selling price...
"One Fiero on Craigslist was an '87 for $1,700. Broken quarter window, rust everywhere, missing glove box, poor seats, bad paint, smoking engine, dead battery, bad tires, sagging headliner, more than 124K miles."
yes 1700 as I will get calls left and right offering half no matter what the price is. No one want to pay sticker price on CL so you will see plenty with an inflated price so both sides can haggle to try to get what they really want for it. Where I come from if you can drive it its worth 1000.
Edit: You must be in the market to buy. Buyers seem to post here prices are to high wile sellers here post there to low.
I bought a 88 GT in June for 10,500. included shipping transport. My girlfriend of 10 yrs. thinks I overpaid by 5K. She hates my car with a passion and calls it a plastic piece of sh*t. Anyway..this car is almost perfect, only rust is under battery. Runs great but A/C crapped out. R 12 shot…time for 134A. I saw the Meccum sale of fiero for 16,200 and it was almost identical to my car. I hope this is a trend to come. As much as i would love to modify my car, I will not to preserve the pristine original condition. This is my 3rd Fiero and the best one yet. I'm keeping the car for now but the girlfriend may have to go! I don't like people who hate Fieros!
The cars I see increasing are the cars with no rust under the batteries and the ones with no rust in the sides or bottom of the trunk. Also the ones with no rust in space frame over the axles. Collectors in the future will pay extra for cars that show no rust damage what so ever GT or not.
Parts that need to be collected are mostly some outside trim but mostly interior and the parts that have no replacements being made like stated the dash and plastic bits that are hard to find. All cars fro the 80's have major issues with plastic interior parts falling apart.
I also see special aftermarket items that you can not find today or that have been reproduced will be of interest since the aftermarket made many parts for these that dried up after 1988.
T tops will also be of great value and the glass will be a part that is a premium. You can sub in gaskets that will work but there are no tops available for these unless you get a set of used or stumble over some NOS ones that are getting harder to find. One drop and you are screwed.
The things that made this car interesting will play a big part of the future of these cars in the modification parts.
As for engine changes they will not change much. The better documented and better swaps will always bring better prices over hack jobs or swaps that are not well documented. That goes for any swap in any car or build.
When you look at the market there will be few cars of the 80's that will drive prices up but the Fiero will be much better than average for most cars of that era. Who knows Nostalgia at times can drive up prices and with the Fiero following the prices could do better than we expect at some point. Right now the only real givens are the Z/28/ Trans Am and Mustang. The Monte SS may be another and the GN is already doing well. Not much else out there other than the Fiero and late C 4 Vettes of any interest.
The bit about 88 prices makes me happy. My dad just bought an 88 GT with 48000km on it (about 30000 miles). (Bright) Red GT, sunroof. From what I can tell, it has all options except power mirrors (is there a list of what was available in 88 that I can compare with?).
No rust. Trunk is solid. Frame rails still smooth and painted. Dew strips still rubbery. Original Tires (though I'm not sure how they're holding air. They'll be gone soon, though). When going through the car, we found the documentation under the seat. Doesn't quite have every oil change, but it does have the original sales information, order sheet, deliver receipt, etc.
When you are selling a Fiero, you want "top" dollar for the car. When you are buying a Fiero, you want to spend "bottom" dollar for the car.
I have three Fieros, all in good condition and rust free, but I could never obtain close to what I have spent on them keeping them running. All have over 100K on their odometers and my 87 GT (bought new) has close to 149K miles on it. Driving in Colorado in 2012. (Forest fires in the background)
Oh there are all sort of games played when it comes to market prices but in the end the market adjust it's self as the high and low balances out to the market average. No matter the make or model there is someone who is foolish and over pays while someone else get a good buy now and then.
The way I see it get the highest price you can no matter what as too often many collector cars are not always profitable.
Right now the Fiero has hit the transition have predicted for years where the price has bottomed out and the prices will be moving slowly back up. It is not so much that people are discovering the car. While that is partially true it also is in response to falling available clean models.
Also it is important to take note we have been getting more Fiero media coverage of late and this can also drive market prices as it brings the car to the attention of the market shoppers.
You also must factor in too that even the cars of that era like the MR2 etc. are even more difficult to restore than the Fiero as were so many less made ad so few that did not rust out in much of the country. NOS parts there are pretty much impossible to find too.
If you want the Fiero to stay at a low price I am sorry to say that those days are drawing down to a close. It will be much like a Sunbeam Tiger and Sunbeam Alpine. Just about any V6 car will hold more demand and price but the 4 cylinders will always be around to help still offer a cheaper alternative.
As for the web it is what it is. This often is the place we invite people into our homes we would never let in the front door. So the rules of engagement are often more tough. To survive on the web people often have to say what they think and learn to accept in kind. Things have not always been too bad here but many auto related places it is not for the timid.
But to be honest there have been times I have had to set a buddy straight as I have one I think the world of and he will not listen till you hit him over the head with reality. I stopped being polite when I got tired of seeing him lose money when he could not afford it. It is not something I would do all the time but there are also a time and place for everything. I just wish I had know about the 74 GTO he paid $18K for sight unseen that was only worth about $10K at best. That was painful to watch and expensive.
Yup, you can't get back what you put into a Fiero, especially a custom with a highly modified engine; but then, the same can be said for lots of other cars. But on the + side, I have two highly modified GTs and the wofe wants me sell one. "OK, as long as I can get what I'd want for one! " LOL, they're going anywhere. :-)
Yup, you can't get back what you put into a Fiero, especially a custom with a highly modified engine; but then, the same can be said for lots of other cars. But on the + side, I have two highly modified GTs and the wofe wants me sell one. "OK, as long as I can get what I'd want for one! " LOL, they're going anywhere. :-)
You are correct as it is hard to make money on anything much anymore unless it is a car in a select group and you do all the work yourself. Even with cars like a GTO or Camaro you often can buy a fully restored car for less than you can restore one.
Now the exceptions are if you find a barn find Yenko or Shelby of course that you buy reasonable. Or the one type of car that defies the odds is the Street Rod. So many people want them and can't build one. Also you can buy repo bodies and frames so easy and cheap you can make a profit on nearly anything you build. Just document the build well and you can make a tidy profit.
Here's another thing to think about regarding price for a Fiero, and I'll use myself as an example:
My first car was an 87 Fiero purchased with 12K miles in 1989. I still have it, and it is now a convertible quad-4. I've owned several others, including a 3800 N/A. I love the cars and enjoy working on them.
HOWEVER
I also have a 2003 Birkin S3, which is a Lotus 7 replica. Its 1200 lbs and does 60 in 4.5 seconds. It corners like no Fiero ever dreamed, but its only usable in nice weather. It cost 15K plus 10K in engine/wheels/etc. In short, I found another type of cult car that I also love. I have a choptop VW Bug, and I love bugs and working on bugs too. And a Jeepster...... and and and
So, if I'm shopping for a Fiero and the price starts to even approach the cost of another Super 7 or some other type of car that I drool over, I'm going to have to think twice. My point is that any car's price is effected by the price of other equally awesome cars out there. The exception might be cars that achieve "moneyness" like Ferrari GTOs that sell for 35 million (they're not THAT much better than their contemporaries which sell for way less). The Fiero will never be a form of money, like a diamond, so we're back to the reality that they'll only get SO expensive.
Of course if the government keeps printing money, all cars will be selling for 35 million dollars soon!
Speaking of my VW Bug, though-- Thats a car that is in a similar boat as the Fiero, but it is farther down river. They've long-ago bottomed out and are well on their way back up the price curve. I am horrified, frankly, at what they're going for. No more tinkering with bugs for me, I'm afraid.
[IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/francis4
