Hey all - I'm pretty new here, and have posted a couple times and folks have been very helpful (thanks!) so thought I'd bounce my latest quandary off you for opinions...
Quick back story: Graduated HS in '87, worked at a Pontiac dealer for awhile in HS, always wanted a Fiero yada-yada-yada... A couple months ago, we were faced with my daughter moving back in with us. Due to parking limitations where we live (no street parking allowed in our town overnight) we can only fit 4 cars in our driveway without having to play musical cars every day - and that's if they're 4 smaller cars. Well, I had a POS 89 Chevy truck that was my daily beater and taking up entirely too much room. Instead of selling out right, I looked if anyone locally would be willing to trade straight up for a Fiero. Believe it or not, someone an hour away was interested, I drove to them, and they wanted to trade immediately, so with only a 5 minute test drive, we made the trade and I drove my 87 Fiero Sport home. (4 cyl auto)
It's rough, but does run very well and I've been driving it this winter in Buffalo and haven't been stranded and have actually enjoyed driving it in the snow. I had to do (or rather, have done) the brakes all the way around to include rotors, pads and front wheel bearings. Also needed 2 new tires to pass inspection but that's all I've really put into it, money wise at this point. More needs to be done, but not to drive it on my 6 mile commute to work so I'm working on getting it done as time allows. (If I can't drive it to work, I'm forced to have my wife or one of the kids drop me off at work - and I HATE that lol)
It does suffer from a seriously botched after market sunroof installation - but I did manage to get it to stop leaking thank goodness, and for now I'm not too worried about the lack of a headliner. However, I've had others comment that they'd replace the roof. I don't think it rises to that level, but hey, what do I know? It needs an alignment, at least front shocks, maybe rear struts, etc etc - normal stuff for a 30 year old car. But it's not an eye sore even if the paint sucks, and I enjoy the hell outta driving it and wonder why it took me so long to finally get one. (Maybe raising a family had something to do with it - now that they're all older, I can get myself a toy and not worry about lack of rear seat leg room LOL)
So, my issue now is that a coworker asked how I liked my Fiero. Told him I love it. Turns out he has an '84 that he's owned for 10 years and bought off the original owner that also used to work here but has since retired. (She was the stereotypical female buyer of these I've been told.) It's an SE, with a 4 speed manual.
Initially told him my wife would kill me, but I offered to help him list it here and on Craig's. He's since offered to sell it to me for half of what he was asking. Nothing really wrong he says, he just needs room in the garage to work on his other projects (68 Camaro, and something else.) he just really hasn't driven it much over the last 10 years. Had his mechanic replace the clutch, he re-did the throttle body, he also replaced the valve cover and gasket to eliminate an oil leak. Car has under 80k miles. I haven't seen any pics yet, and he can't remember half what the car has on it (asked if it had AC, he said he had to check) so I dunno what was standard on the SE's, and if I'll get any goodies like power windows and the like. He says it needs tires to pass inspection and be driven. (Hmmm... I got some of those on mine LOL) and that's when I thought - what he's asking is reasonable for a parts car really - if enough stuff on his is interchangeable with mine (I've read about the Iron Duke differences on here between the model years) but his is red with grey interior (like mine) but sadly, it does have what he thinks is an aftermarket sunroof too so it's not just a roof doner. He did get later model deck lid vents over the battery.... the 84's weren't vented like the later ones?
So, at the risk of ending up with 2 serviceable Fieros, is either car worth it to be a doner car to the other? Or are the differences too great for that to be a good excuse to buy it? I will know more when he brings me in pictures next week, and when I finally get to his place to check it out, but I already explained to my wife that yes, we don't have room in the driveway for another car.... but being a Fiero, it WILL fit in my garage hahahahaha!
Logically, the only really "dream" Fiero I have is an 88 Formula, and I do want a factory V6 someday anyways, not sure if I'll put one in one of these cars. I don't have a huge interest to sandwich a N* or other more modern, more powerful engine in one as I prefer keeping things more stock - unless it drastically increases reliability - as I'd rather be driving then wrenching! But I do enjoy wrenching on a hobby vehicle.... as long as I don't have to drive it to work on Monday. Hmmmm.... maybe I do need two..... one to wrench, one to drive? But if I need 2, is an '84 my 2nd, or do I wait until I get a later model with a V6 already? (I am one of the minority that likes Notchies more - tho I wouldn't kick a fastback outta my garage!) Maybe I'm answering my own questions...
The 84 had 2 different manual 4 speeds.....which make for 2 very different cars. The M19 'sport' transmission is geared quite low and is almost 'quick' around town....while the MY8 is a mileage transmission, but not so fun at lower speeds. The MY8 is rare, and there are always a few people looking to own one. You should be able to see these ID numbers on the sticker on the front wheel well....or just ask about gas mileage. The MY8 could get 40 highway, while the M19 would be lucky to hit 30 mpg.
[This message has been edited by Gall757 (edited 01-24-2015).]
Is it a simple matter of 1st model year issues/problems? Or the entire Iron Duke recall that leads to a no recommendation?
How about other parts between the 2 cars? I had originally thought this may be a good parts car. But he makes it sound like it's better than just a parts car, but for what he's asking I am going to easily surpass that buying parts for mine, depending how "nice" I want mine to be. My joke was maybe I can get one good car out of the two....
My joke was maybe I can get one good car out of the two....
The 84 is not a good parts car for an 87. There are enough differences.....wiring....ignition....interior colors....etc. to make many of the parts non-transferable. The joke would be on you.
The 84 is not a good parts car for an 87. There are enough differences.....wiring....ignition....interior colors....etc. to make many of the parts non-transferable. The joke would be on you.
That'll come in handy. Gawd I hope the car looks worse than mine and I don't like it. it would not be a "smart" purchase it seems by all accounts, and I'd be better off waiting for a V6 notch. I would prefer an 88's stock suspension, but not the added cost and more limited parts availability.
Originally posted by CavScout: it would not be a "smart" purchase it seems by all accounts
"Smart" purchase - That made me smile! Like when someone asks me "Why do you NEED three Fieros?" "Need?" Hahaha! What's "need" got to do with it? Lol!
I ordered an '84 SE 4 spd manual in Sep '83, rec'd it in May '84 and drove it (as usual) to work yesterday. It has 367,000 kilometers (228,000 miles) on it. I don't drive it in wet salty weather, but other than that it's a daily driver. For it's 30th birthday I put 'new' dash and seats in it from an '84 SE at a St. Catharines Pick & Pull. The paint isn't great, but it keeps running.
In early 2008 I looked for another Fiero in case the '84 ever breaks down & is out of service for a while. I found an '88 Formula 5 spd with only 5,200 kilometers (3,200 miles) on it in showroom condition. Don't want to use that as a daily driver, but to have an early original and one of the last produced in new condition was an opportunity that couldn't be missed. Except in the winter, I usually drive it a couple of times a week, and it's the show car.
In early 2011, I found an $800 '86 2.5L 5 speed coupe in need of TLC. I drove it the 45 minutes home, and set about fixing it up. Lots of cosmetic stuff, and a head bolt and it became a daily driver, swapping duties with the '84. In 2013, I swapped out the 'death rattle' engine for a 2.5L from an '87 parts car I had delivered to my barn for $500. I sold and used more stuff from that '87 to more than compensate for the $500, then a guy gave me $100 and took the rest away to use part of the frame in his project.
Lots of fun! Need? Hah! Smart? For sure: Cheap transportation - the '84 purchase price and all maintenance is less than 7 cents per kilometer, or less than 5 cents per mile. Everything included except fuel and insurance.
[This message has been edited by David Hambleton (edited 01-24-2015).]
They have a way of following you home! I currently have two, my '86 DGP wide body car and I recently acquired a '88 Formula T-Top. They make numbers 8 & 9 for me in the last 20 years. Regrettably tho the IMSA will be going up for sale this spring to finance the paint job on the Formula. Too many projects and not enough $$$. As David Hambleton said, they are fun! And when you consider the cost of many "special interest cars these days, they really are not a bad value. Good luck with the '84 if you decide to purchase it.
[This message has been edited by h.d.fire (edited 01-25-2015).]
I bought my first Fiero less than a year ago. An '84 SE, red of course. Currently I have 3 of them. All red and all '84 SE models. The first is an automatic and the other two are manuals. One of the manuals was bought as a parts car and has a froze up engine. Been leaning towards converting it to electric.
MJ
[This message has been edited by mjstone (edited 01-31-2015).]
The only 84 I considered getting was an Indy. But like any car purchase, the better condition it is to start, the less $$ to fix it. This is especially true with the Red interior parts (which are next to impossible to find).
Lol, Fiero's seem to be like rabbits, they multiply rapidly. I t wasn't long after I got my 85 SE that I bought an 85 GT.
Seems they find their way to a new home somehow LOL
I did finally get a couple pics I'll post later when on a computer so I can resize properly. He doesn't need the garage space till after the weather breaks and he orders his crate motor for his other project car. Then it'll likely somehow follow me home.
Here's a couple pics as promised. I really have to figure out what I'm going to do. This deal has been a long time in the making. I've always wanted an '87, but I also really like this 84. I knew "someday" I'd have 2 Fieros - one as a daily driver, the other maybe for shows or nice weekends, etc. A "beater" and a garage car, whether or not the garage car would be totally restored, I wanted it "pretty". I also wanted one to be a 6 cylinder. I will be starting a thread trying to decide exactly what to do with these - but here's a couple pics for now....
And until I resize more, that's the only pic LOL oh well guess I'll save them for the other thread. Seems I've gotten the width correct, but file size is still too large. But I am trying to use PIP as it seems to be the preferred, if not the easiest, method.
If he's offering it at half the price, I'd buy it & flip it. But maybe that's just me.
And that's why it took months to actually pick it up. First time I saw it was when I showed up with my car's tires & battery to see if it'd start so I could drive it home. And it did obviously. (Ran real well even on 2 year old gas - reminded me the last time I drove a stick was a long time ago LOL) And yeah, settled for a bit under half of what he initially said. (Price kept dropping until I finally gave in LOL) He had just sold one of his collector cars, and was looking to free up more garage space so it was well within what I had decided I wanted to spend on another 4 banger. (He's planning on moving and clearing house.) Hard to say no. However, I really didn't intend to flip it either. Sadly, it also has an aftermarket sunroof (my 87 has made me gun-shy of 'em.) but I think it's overall in better condition than mine - so debating about swapping over the new parts I've put on mine onto the 84. Then maybe stripping the 87 for spare parts I'd want and / or sell the rest. (swap headlight assemblies, new shocks and exhaust I just put on the 87, stuff like that. I know the engine electronics and engine itself isn't a direct swap but the 87 has a "better" redesigned engine, even with more miles on it.) Decisions decisions.... what to keep? I have to dig into the 84 a lot more to see what I'm really working with to make an informed choice. Just don't think the 84 is quite up to being my garage queen as like I said I'd like a V-6 for that duty, and drive a 4 cylinder to work. The 87 did a fine job of getting em back and forth to work all winter. Ugh. Well, maybe this afternoon I'll try some rubbing compound or polishing wax or whatever and see how bad the paint is on the 84. Not as delaminated as my 87 which has horrible white rings in the paint like the clear coat is peeling, the 84 is more chalky white...... think it may buff out pretty good if I'm lucky. I'd still like my beater to look good getting me to work LOL Anyone in the WNY area wanna stop by, check out the cars, and give me their opinion?
The 84 had 2 different manual 4 speeds.....which make for 2 very different cars. The M19 'sport' transmission is geared quite low and is almost 'quick' around town....while the MY8 is a mileage transmission, but not so fun at lower speeds. The MY8 is rare, and there are always a few people looking to own one. You should be able to see these ID numbers on the sticker on the front wheel well....or just ask about gas mileage. The MY8 could get 40 highway, while the M19 would be lucky to hit 30 mpg.
It's the "sport" transmission. Which I'd actually prefer, as I have a very short commute to work. My 87's auto was sweet all winter tho LOL The 84 being an SE also has many of the bells and whistles I actually miss on the 87 - power windows, locks and mirrors, cruise control, rear hood popper... oddly no tilt wheel tho which WILL bug me as I use it all the time on the 87 falling into and outta it. Interior is in better shape, how much better I'll figure out when I get around to doing the inside of the car.
Ya buy it, then decide what to do with it. You can always sell it.
And that's what I'm gonna do. Discussing options with the wife she was not a fan of pulling parts off one running car to put on the other. Said fine, the 84 needs shocks? Get more shocks. God bless her... looks like I'll have 2 Fieros until I come across a 6 cyl I really want at which point I'll have to decide as she said we don't have enough space for 3 LOL but she did think it'd be cool that I'd have a back up incase one went down I'd still be able to get to work. Guess now is just the bare minimum to get it on the road legally
And until I resize more, that's the only pic. Seems I've gotten the width correct, but file size is still too large. But I am trying to use PIP as it seems to be the preferred, if not the easiest, method.
Props to you for using PIP. This way your images will stay in your posts/threads as long as PFF exists.
I use IrfanView to re-size and/or re-compress my images. It's a free program, and it's great. With IrfanView you can do batch re-sizing of a whole folder of images if you wish. (1024 pixel width max for posting here.) And a feature I love for use with PIP... you can predetermine the maximum file size to whatever you wish. For uploading with PIP, use 300 KB (under JPEG save options), and you're golden.
Personally had a hard time to justify owning more than 1 since when we went out it is usually together (we done the 2 car thing a couple of times to the car shows). No point in them sitting in the garage when someone else can enjoy them.
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
