A few years ago I was talking to a guy who really knows old cars. He told me if you want to make money in buying and selling car, you buy them before they have value. The people who buy cars and spend money are 45-50. He said they all want the car that was cool when they wherein high school. So that is cars that are 27-30 years old. So a little math and 2014-27=1987 The Fiero is in that sweet spot. Go look up FoxBody Mustangs price 5 years ago (a dime a dozen) and then now. Most of us love are car and love the fact that you can buy and build one on a budget. as they get older, and people like us keep making them look cool, 45-50 year olds want to relive their youth. Mark my words, in 5 years prices on our cars will double if not triple. Think of how many Mustangs where built. Everyone in the 70's thought, " They built so many the 60's mustang with never be worth anything." 5 years ago I sold a 1967 convertible Mustang driver (it was a 289 car but had a 5.0. So it was not stock) that I paid $1200. Didn't do any thing to it except drive it for a while. When I sold it I had guys lined up to pay $8000. Now the same car is worth well over $12,000.00 It won't be long and we will all be rolling in the money and buying Lambo's (just joking). But the days of a cheap clean Fiero on every corner are gone.
For the most part I agree, especially when you see Fieros on eBay or craigslist listed at $15,000 to $20,000 The things not in our favor IMO, are the rear engine configuration, I think many tend to shy away from the Fieros unique layout and the technical skills required to modify or work on it. Also parts availability stock or aftermarket and if you want to make a FAST Fiero , its going to cost more than a conventional RWD vehicle of the same performance.
Like you mentioned though, the days of a cheap clean Fiero on every corner are gone
Good news for me then, I am properly swapping to a manual and upgrading with period correct mods. Maybe I will see a return on my investment, not that I intend to sell. Always a disappointment when I do locate the cars of my youth, and they've been bastardized. The Fiero being no exception.
Luckily, mine was unmolested with a fresh (albeit sat in storage for 17 years) 1 owner recall. Paid $1200
Sounds good, we might get lucky but remember it doesn't always work out that way. Many cars are never money makers. Would I like to get thousands for mine sure, would I ever sell her, never not until they pry her from my cold dead fingers. Maybe that's a good thing for the rest of you ! I hope it is, it would be nice for them to actually increase in value I would love that but hey that's everyone's dream isn't it? To buy a car cheap put little or no money into it and sell it for many times what we paid for it and have into it.
Maybe then I can afford to buy my real dream car, 67 Firebird convertible 400 CI 365 HP and enough balls to pass anything but a gas station. That's what I had in High School and have always wanted another but wives and kids and homes and jobs just kind of got in the way if that one.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.
[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 11-25-2014).]
I agree except I don't think automatics are a detriment to their future value. Buyers who fell in love with Fieros some 25 years ago are also getting on in age and don't necessarily want to go through the exercise of shifting gears. Automatics have an advantage for us older folks when driving in parades or cruising in stop and go traffic. From a monetary perspective Fieros with automatic transmissions cost more than their standard counterparts when sold new. For serious collectors who want to own a Fiero with nearly every available option, the auto transmission would probably be high on the options list. Also, don't forget the bragging rights that the Fiero was the first ever produced North American mid-engine sports car and that it was chosen to lead the Indianapolis 500 in 1984.
See following proof positive that stock unmolested Fieros are appreciating in value: 88 Fiero T-Top Receives 35 Bids on eBay & Reserve Not Met at $15,600! https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/094919.html
But that is a Manual. You have to remember you said "sports car" and sports cars (and even rotrods) are about being cool. Having the 3rd pedal is "cool", so autos will never have the value a stick has in a classic sports car.
quote
Originally posted by canfirst:
I agree except I don't think automatics are a detriment to their future value. Buyers who fell in love with Fieros some 25 years ago are also getting on in age and don't necessarily want to go through the exercise of shifting gears. Automatics have an advantage for us older folks when driving in parades or cruising in stop and go traffic. From a monetary perspective Fieros with automatic transmissions cost more than their standard counterparts when sold new. For serious collectors who want to own a Fiero with nearly every available option, the auto transmission would probably be high on the options list. Also, don't forget the bragging rights that the Fiero was the first ever produced North American mid-engine sports car and that it was chosen to lead the Indianapolis 500 in 1984.
See following proof positive that stock unmolested Fieros are appreciating in value: 88 Fiero T-Top Receives 35 Bids on eBay & Reserve Not Met at $15,600! https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/094919.html
A few years ago I was talking to a guy who really knows old cars. He told me if you want to make money in buying and selling car, you buy them before they have value. The people who buy cars and spend money are 45-50. He said they all want the car that was cool when they wherein high school. So that is cars that are 27-30 years old. So a little math and 2014-27=1987 The Fiero is in that sweet spot. Go look up FoxBody Mustangs price 5 years ago (a dime a dozen) and then now. Most of us love are car and love the fact that you can buy and build one on a budget. as they get older, and people like us keep making them look cool, 45-50 year olds want to relive their youth. Mark my words, in 5 years prices on our cars will double if not triple. Think of how many Mustangs where built. Everyone in the 70's thought, " They built so many the 60's mustang with never be worth anything." 5 years ago I sold a 1967 convertible Mustang driver (it was a 289 car but had a 5.0. So it was not stock) that I paid $1200. Didn't do any thing to it except drive it for a while. When I sold it I had guys lined up to pay $8000. Now the same car is worth well over $12,000.00 It won't be long and we will all be rolling in the money and buying Lambo's (just joking). But the days of a cheap clean Fiero on every corner are gone.
i hope you're right but i don't think so. Since i've been on this forum (more than 10 years), i've seen values do nothing but decline, ESPECIALLY for rare and hard-to-find parts. Stuff like t-tops should bring a premium but don't. Second generation headlight systems don't sell unless people just about give them away. i used to get them from the yards, but just let them go to the crusher. Some one will post "i want a v8 fiero for $500" and he'll get people willing to sell to him. I've jumped into a few threads but don't get involved anymore - but i sure as sh*t won't be buying or selling like i used to ...
The Fiero is just getting to the age where some of them will increase in value.
Good clean stock V6 examples will be first to increase.
As for the rest it will depend on the condition and options. A 4 T top or pace car will show more demand than a stock coupe.
As for the Modified cars it will be a mix of values. Much will depend on how well the car is documented and if you can prove the quality of the build. Many people are hesitant to buy a modified car as too often they are buying someone else's failure too often. If you can prove what work Is done and how it was done that can increase the value much.
Wait for it. As for that Ebay car, don't believe everything you see there unless you know the guy that paid. Most Fieros for sale are worn out cars that won't appreciate much. Only mostly stock very very low miles and properly stored or properly restored cars may see some of that. I think Fieros will be like Corvairs for good or bad.
This is a hobby, not an investment to most people. If you think you will make money on buying and selling Fieros... you are probably heading in the wrong direction.
I could have bought a brand new 88 Fiero GT for around $16K back in 1988. Now we are celebrating that a mint, low mileage 88 Fiero GT is selling for around $15-$16k? Taking inflation into account, that is actually a big loss, and the owner didn't get any "value" out of actually driving the car. If you took that $16k in 1988 and bought very modest investments (low risk GIC, T-Bill, etc) the money would have more than doubled by the year 2014, and there would have been little or no storage/maintenance/insurance costs involved and full liquidity. There is far more overhead/cost in caring for, storing, insuring a car sitting around for 26 years than in taking the same amount of money and collect 5-6% interest in a safe investment.
Yes, a very select few people in the world are willing to pay good money for mint, low mileage cars that are old. That does not mean that the vast majority of those cars that are in average to poor condition are magically going up in value.
I am not saying for a minute that collecting old cars isn't a great hobby, or that some people have not made money on classics. I am just suggesting that saying that Fieros are going up in value is oversimplified at best. These cars are fun, but they are not particularly rare, high performing, or highly sought after.
[This message has been edited by cam-a-lot (edited 11-26-2014).]
Fiero prices aren't going anywhere really. All the extreme low miles cars that have been in storage forever are coming out of the woodwork now, and selling for $10-20K, but those aren't really going to cause all the other Fieros that have been driven and beaten on to go up in value either. Likewise, the fox body Mustangs aren't going to see a huge gain in price either. Extreme low miles ones in extremely good condition will fetch a decent price, but in general, Mustangs are a dime a dozen.
The only fox bodies that were cool were the later model GT convertibles. In other words, the car from the Beverly Hills Cop movies that all the teenagers wanted. If you have one in decent shape and low miles, you might fetch a great price if you're trying to sell it. But if you've got a standard fox body that's beat up and been driven to hell and back, don't expect to make any money on it. Same goes for Fieros.
I'd be glad to have the value of my car tripled, but it's not going to happen. The only way my car is going to be worth triple what is now, is if I put four times the current value into it.
I'd be glad to have the value of my car tripled, but it's not going to happen. The only way my car is going to be worth triple what is now, is if I put four times the current value into it.
Yes...that would be the 'do' price vs. the 'due' price....
I agree with can...and I would think we are both backed up with the fact that 91% of cars purchased right now (new) are automatics and 9% are manuals.
Plus formula one and most of the super cars have paddle shifters. It's always going to be personal choice and I converted my 55 5.0 Healey from auto back in the day. Now I like my paddle shifter.
I agree except I don't think automatics are a detriment to their future value. Buyers who fell in love with Fieros some 25 years ago are also getting on in age and don't necessarily want to go through the exercise of shifting gears. Automatics have an advantage for us older folks when driving in parades or cruising in stop and go traffic. From a monetary perspective Fieros with automatic transmissions cost more than their standard counterparts when sold new. For serious collectors who want to own a Fiero with nearly every available option, the auto transmission would probably be high on the options list. Also, don't forget the bragging rights that the Fiero was the first ever produced North American mid-engine sports car and that it was chosen to lead the Indianapolis 500 in 1984.
See following proof positive that stock unmolested Fieros are appreciating in value: 88 Fiero T-Top Receives 35 Bids on eBay & Reserve Not Met at $15,600! https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/094919.html
I agree. I drove a manual Fiero for the first time, a couple of months ago and I didn`t like being so low and pushing the clutch in. It might have been the clutch pedal in the car was sort of unpredictable or maybe that I`m just used to the clutch in my F150 which you basically push down instead of pushing forward like in the Fiero.
That's what I had in High School and have always wanted another but wives and kids and homes and jobs just kind of got in the way if that one.
