Hello everyone, A while ago I made a posting on "looking to buy a fiero...". If anyone remembers, it was the posting for the 86 GT i was looking at. I sat on that one too long and it sold to another person.

Recently, I was contacted about a fiero for sale. It is a 1986 Fiero SE Automatic 2.8L. There's many goods and many bads about the car.

Good:
- Unibody and Body solid
- Engine compartment dry of any sign of leaking oil
- Interior is decent, no rips or tears.
- ONLY 48,000
- Transmission shifts on time for all of the gears
- Glasswork and dash is not cracked
- No dents or major scratches
- Daily summer driver, stored in winter
- Headlights work and fully operate
- Inspected Until September
- Brand new tires
- Brand new catalytic converter

Bad :
- A/C does not work
- Brakes will need to be entirely redone as well as the lines
- Paint fading in many areas
- Chip in tail light missing square in the middle
- Side mirrors are cracked
- Seams will be needed on deck lid, doors, etc.
- Oil Pressure gauge fluctuates back and forth rapidly
- Gas gauge is broken, beyond the full level all the time
- Newer kenwood deck, but does not work
- Takes some more effort to put down the gas pedal (is that normal..?)

Here are some photos below. The kid is asking $1300 for the car and I made a solid offer at $900 considering the brake work and radio. What do you think?

If it is not rusted, I think $1200 is very reasonable. I don't really look at mileage too much, since anyone can roll back, change the dash, or unplug the speed sensor for 10 years.. Mileage doesn't mean much Looks like a decent car

What's with the finger in the last picture? I noticed that in a lot of photos from the USA, you guys block out the license plate. Is this some conspiracy theory?? LOL.... What happened to being the Home of the Brave??

Well, it's an auto and I HATE AUTOMATICS but I think the price is fair if no rust in the critical places. Anything below what he is asking is a bonus.

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Anything I might say is probably worth what you paid for it, so treat it accordingly!

Dave

www.ltlfrari.com

quote Originally posted by cam-a-lot: What's with the finger in the last picture? I noticed that in a lot of photos from the USA, you guys block out the license plate. Is this some conspiracy theory?? LOL.... What happened to being the Home of the Brave??

I would assume it's because people are weary of strangers, especially online. Licence plates can give vital information, and as such, anyone would be able to find your address, ect from it just by going through a search online.

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"Discord"
Red 1988 GT under restoration!

Let's Go Mets!

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Thanks for the quick responses. Unfortunately the pictures look better than the actual car does in person. Im pretty excited, but I am expecting some work here. The only thing I did not do was remove the trunk carpeting to check out the shape of the trunk, the underneath looked ok.

I just checked out the prices for the seals that need replaced, and they are expensive from the fiero store!! Cant you just make your own or do they need to be custom?

Also it needs a paint job, but I'm just planning on a nice spray paint job. A nice repaint on this car will exceed the value of the actual car.

The gas pedal felt more heavy than usual cars, are they spring loaded or is that normal for fieros?

Thee are some nice pluses on the car. Low miles, new tires, new cat, etc. But for me I would probably take a pass at $1300 primarily because the cost to bring the car up to just a daily driver standard may exceed the value of the car even when all the work is done. I want the car to perform well and look good doing it so any car that needs a full repaint is an automatic red flag for me. Add to that the cost of all new brakes and lines even if you do the work yourself. AC is an absolute requirement for me here and that will most likely have to be converted to current standards. There is a good chance the fuel gauge problem will require you to drop the gas tank. Not a task I will look forward to some day on my daily driver. Then there are all the little things that will nickel and dime you to death.

Of course it all depends on how you feel about the car. Lots of guys enjoy doing the work themselves and are willing to spend the money over a period of time so that eventually they get the satisfaction of the work and a nice fun car to drive. I enjoy that too, up to a point. But for me there are plenty of nice SE cars in the $3000 range so it really depends on how much you want to spend up front, or over time, and how much work you want or can do yourself.

By the way, a low mileage summer driver that is stored in the winter would probably not have the kind of paint and weather strip issues you described. Just sayin'

--- Did the 86 V6 SE come with the 85mph speedometer?

[This message has been edited by Rsvl-Rider (edited 06-08-2015).]

The price sounds fair as I have seen some pay more for much less.

The issues here don't too tough to fix as long as you do your own work.

Even at $1000 you could part it out for more so you will not lose. They key is do the work yourself and don't expect to make a profit if you sell it.

The look of it appears to match the miles as seats are normally showing more wear. I assume it was stored outside due to the paint and wing sag. Eire is not a place with the snow to drive a Fiero. They get a lot in the winter time.

Pull the carpet down in the trunk and see if there is any rust there. The left side will have a hole if there is any rust on the car as the spot weld there is the first place they all rust out.

As for restoring cars it matters little if it is a Fiero or GTO it is hard to make money in restoring a car correctly unless it is some high dollar special model.

I think a grand will give you room bases on what you describe. I would sit and add up what you would pay to fix everything and then look to see what you can buy unrestored at the same price and see what it is worth to you then. Too often you can buy low mile compete cars for about what you would pay to restore one and maybe some times less.

I saw one here in Ohio the guy wanted more and it looked like the it belonged in a junk yard. It look like someone had been cooking meth in it.

I bought many cars in that price range around here an was satisfied with it. Just remember YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR.. if the frame rails are solid then it has potential. The only REAL problem i see on your list would be the oil pressure gauge, most likely gauge or sending unit or worst the oil pump. The brake lines are just a pain to change. As for cracked mirrors and taillights, i have extras over here ( just across Ohio stateline ) for you cheap.

As for no AC ..... roll windows down an drive faster
Replacing brake pads,rotors,and calipers....thats a must on any car

If frame rails are solid i would give $900 for it...

Thanks for all of your responses.. I havent got a response yet from the kid, but im sure he would take it. Havent found anything else in decent shape around Erie for the 2000 price range. I just want a fiero already!

The cluster is not original, it is from an '84. And every '84 had a four cylinder, so the tach will not read correctly.

Meh, it is an automatic :/

quote Originally posted by Fieroeddie: The cluster is not original, it is from an '84. And every '84 had a four cylinder, so the tach will not read correctly.

I agree, the instrument cluster does not look original. I can't say what year it's from, but the only cars I've ever seen with instrument faces like those were 4 cylinder cars. Because of that, I would be highly suspect of the mileage on that car.

Most "Bad" list are annoying...
Oil pressure: Use a real gauge to see engine pressure. And upgrade OP Sender. See my Cave, Oil Sensor

2 big dangerous problems:
Brakes: See and understand my Cave, Brake Service and rest of section. New Hoses, see rubber brake lines vs stainless steel before buying.

"- Takes some more effort to put down the gas pedal (is that normal..?)"
No. The cable(s) and/or Throttle Body have problems. You fix this or main cable could break on the road. almost
cable to gas pedal is binding or melted
TV cable (or Valve Body in Transmission) is binding
TB shaft is binding
worse, any 2 or all at same time

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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top and bottom of every forum page...)