I'm seriously considering buying an 88 GT 5spd that's been fully rotisserie restored, it's a really sweet fiero. The asking price is $20k which is way more than book value. My concern is that if it were to get totalled I'd be out about $15K. Additionally it would be a daily driver and I need something reliable, the engine has been rebuilt so it should be OK but you never know with these cars. Thoughts????
That's the problem, the insurance company will only pay book value, I asked. The thing is with this particular car it needs nothing, it's basically brand new. Hard choice.
I have an agreed value insurance plan on my 88 fiero for $9,000. It's not my daily driver though. I'm not sure they will let you do that on a daily driver. You might be better off finding a fiero in good shape and having the suspension rebuilt and an engine swapped with a newer engine (3800 or something). Would probably be more reliable.
------------------ 88 Coupe: 2.0L Turbo 4 Cylinder, W2A, T25 Turbo, water/meth injection 84 Indy #64: Restoration Project 01 BMW 525i: The other summer car 03 BMW X5: bad weather car
You aren't looking at that Fiero that's been on ebay for forever, are you?
There has been a lot of money and effort put into the one on ebay, but not restored to like new.
Before you plan on a Fiero being a daily driver, figure out who will fix is when something goes wrong. You could pay around $5k for a good Fiero, give it a thorough check (probably need all suspension replaced), and be good.
Contact MstangsBware he's got a nice formula with a 3800sc he will placing on the market soon. It will be a nice daily driver and not $20K unless you want to pay that and he'd surely accept it.
20k is way too much unless you are serious collector and buying a low mileage car to keep.
you could buy a really nice maintained/rebuilt car for a fraction of that cost and still have a reasonably decent car as a daily driver. That being said, you still need to expect things to go wrong with it mainly due to it's age.
Yes, it's the red 88 on eBay, the car looks great and I like the leather interior. I no reason to believe that it wouldn't be reliable but who knows. Although it would be a daily driver, I'm retired and don't put a lot of miles on my vehicles now. I wouldn't even consider an engine swap, they are too much work, very difficult and quite unreliable, just look at all the threads on here about them.
[This message has been edited by Chief08 (edited 02-27-2017).]
A properly done 3800 swap would be much more reliable than a stock 2.8, but it sounds like that's not within your abilities anyways. I really can't imagine anyone considering $20k for any stock Fiero. Not even a low mileage, mint condition, signed by Hulki 88 GT with every single option in the rarest color. They simply aren't worth that. That's pushing C6 territory. And there are plenty of true classics well below that. You should be able to find a very nice driver well under $10k.
[This message has been edited by TommyRocker (edited 02-27-2017).]
It's not above my ability, it above my desired work level. Every engine swap on here is a thread that's over 100 pages long and span several years, it should be that hard or take that long to swap an engine, also they seem to have lots of problems. I do agree that $20K is very high but there aren't many good 88s out there for sale. I will most likely pass on it
It's not above my ability, it above my desired work level. Every engine swap on here is a thread that's over 100 pages long and span several years, it should be that hard or take that long to swap an engine, also they seem to have lots of problems. I do agree that $20K is very high but there aren't many good 88s out there for sale. I will most likely pass on it
Hey Chief08, Couple quick questions for ya first. Have you had a Fiero before? They are not for everybody. I say this as a 64 year old that had them new back in the mid 80's. If you plan on doing any of the work on it yourself, dang near everything is underneath, or at least a challenge to get to.
I had been away from them for almost 10 years, and found that my "abilities" have changed since I last owned one.
If you have had one, and are comfortable with owning another one, here is one I have been drooling over for a bit now. In the Midwest, south of Chicago, but it looks oh, so nice to me.
I would consider this one myself if my knees had not told me to stop driving a stick and get an automatic from here on out. lol
Seriously, I would have been money ahead getting a really nice one vs trying to bring mine up to where I want it to be. There is something about a well maintained and loved original one that will outshine a restored one any day.
I had 2 different fieros as a teenager and I loved them then. That one in Chicago looks great although I would change out the interior. By the way, my name is Dave too.
There is a really nice red 88GT w/ t- tops and lumbar seat option (very rare) , with only 50k miles listed on ebay currently for $12k. That would be a great car for you for far less $$$$ in my opinion.
Hello Minot AFB, I live in Bismarck and have a 88gt with T-tops and only 4,000 miles. Not currently selling but if you make down here I will show it to you.
There is a really nice red 88GT w/ t- tops and lumbar seat option (very rare) , with only 50k miles listed on ebay currently for $12k. That would be a great car for you for far less $$$$ in my opinion.
I saw that one, really nice but I'm looking for a manual.
Hello Minot AFB, I live in Bismarck and have a 88gt with T-tops and only 4,000 miles. Not currently selling but if you make down here I will show it to you.
I just finished a 3800 swap on my 87 notch back. The swap took 6 months, and I didn't thrash on it, mostly it was a funding issue that kept progress slow. I also rebuilt the suspension, and steering and brakes before that. I vinyl wrapped the car and replaced some worn stuff in the interior. Its like a new car, and I daily drive it now. I don't have a ton of money wrapped up into it, but its a great little car and I know I can insure it and sell it for around what I have into it. I would take a really hard look at the cars available and also seriously consider a swap. They are not that difficult, and if you have the money to buy all the parts and pieces up front it'd be really fast. Good luck with your search, I'm sure you'll find a nice Fiero :-) Jessica
I had 2 different fieros as a teenager and I loved them then. That one in Chicago looks great although I would change out the interior. By the way, my name is Dave too.
Hey Dave, Great name by the way. lol
Well having had a couple already, then you know what you like and are getting into, so I say go get what you want!
They are great, beautiful, and totally misunderstood cars to most of the general public, and I like it that way myself. Always had odd ball cars, like Studebakers, Triumphs, AMC AMX, etc. and that is the fun part about it for me, not being one of the crowd..... oh, and of course Fiero's.
Welcome to the forum also! Many great people still on here, and new ones always arriving daily.
I will be here on this forum, until I cannot anymore, and each visit I have to the forum, I get a little bit more educated so to speak. Reading every post I can has helped me through some repairs, shown me shortcuts, and improved my total Fiero experience.
Even totally off topic has it's moments. I use that section to browse and get a feeling for what is going on in the world every morning, and usually I get a chuckle or two out of it.
My take? I wouldn't pay $20K - or even $10K - for a Fiero that I was going to daily drive. You can find a low mile, perfectly serviceable Fiero, even an 88 GT, for 5K or less.
Those $10K and up cars should probably be insured as collectors. That will limit your ability to daily drive, unless you are retired and don't need to commute.
I am in a similar situation with my Formula fastback. I've probably got $15K in it, but I have it insured for an agreed value of $12K. I can only drive ~2000 miles a year, and not as a daily driver. Have to keep it in a locked garage, and etc., etc. (My State Farm agent went to a lot of trouble to get this done for me, but we've got a house and six cars insured through them. He did NOT want to lose us as a customer.)
I just finished a 3800 swap on my 87 notch back. The swap took 6 months, and I didn't thrash on it, mostly it was a funding issue that kept progress slow. I also rebuilt the suspension, and steering and brakes before that. I vinyl wrapped the car and replaced some worn stuff in the interior. Its like a new car, and I daily drive it now. I don't have a ton of money wrapped up into it, but its a great little car and I know I can insure it and sell it for around what I have into it. I would take a really hard look at the cars available and also seriously consider a swap. They are not that difficult, and if you have the money to buy all the parts and pieces up front it'd be really fast. Good luck with your search, I'm sure you'll find a nice Fiero :-) Jessica
Thanks for the input, I'd like to see some pics of that. For me funds aren't an issue, I just can't have my car be a static display for 6 months. What engine do you think is the easiest to swap with a manual trans?
lol
