Miss my bought-new 1984 SE. But now I see an opportunity to buy a 1986 GT for $850. BUUUT: Seller writes "THIS IS A COMPLETE 1986 PONTIAC FIERO GT. IT HAS A KNOCK IN THE ENGINE AND COMES WITH A FACTORY RARE 4 SPEED MUNCIE TRANSMISSION BUT STARTS AND RUNS. THIS WOULD MAKE A GREAT PROJECT CAR FOR SOMEONE AS THIS IS A RARE CAR AND EVEN MORE RARE WITH A FACTORY 4 SPEED MUNCIE"
All depends on you. How put together is the body? Rust? I am not sure if the 4 speed's are considered rare. You could just purchase the car and do a swap right away and not fool with the 2.8L.
All depends on you. How put together is the body? Rust? I am not sure if the 4 speed's are considered rare. You could just purchase the car and do a swap right away and not fool with the 2.8L.
Looking at the sale ad has me think that once the car is purchased, it will need EVERYTHING touched to be trust worthy. There appears to be little to no maintenance done, the car looks very "dry" due to elements, is being upsold by the owner, and is worth $850 only if a good chunk of change and disappointment go into her.
In an '86, the 5 speed Getrag would be considered rare, as the 4 speed Muncie was installed in most of the manual transmission V-6 cars. The Getrag was introduced late in the model year, a relatively small number had them.
As to the car, if the spaceframe is solid, go for it! $850 looks good, but offer $600....you might get it for $750.
The 4-speed Muncie is definitely not rare. The car looks like it needs a lot of work. And the engine probably needs a rebuild. So it's basically a parts car. Speaking of which, the ad says:
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THE PRICE IS FIRM AND IF WE CANT GET $850 FOR IT I WILL START PARTING IT OUT ON EBAY.
Yeah, he should probably do that.
BTW: Is that a piece of 2x4 wedged between the radiator and overflow bottle?
[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 05-16-2018).]
BTW: Is that a piece of 2x4 wedged between the radiator and overflow bottle?
What, you never had the plastic tabs break off of your overflow reservoir?
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Originally posted by 72and86:
Have a look. I'm not a mechanic...
You say you're "not a mechanic". Well, either you'll need to learn to become one... or any older car will end up costing you a small fortune if you're paying someone else to do the work.
Depending on how rare Fieros are in your neck of the woods, $850 doesn't seem like too bad of a price for what appears to basically be a "complete" GT. Being able to find a good 2.8 to swap in (maybe from someone doing an engine upgrade) would definitely help to make this car worthwhile purchasing.
No matter what, you'd still need to check for rust in the typical problem areas before making any final decision. Don't be this guy.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 05-16-2018).]
You say you're "not a mechanic". Well, either you'll need to learn to become one... or any older car will end up costing you a small fortune if you're paying someone else to do the work.
Depending on how rare Fieros are in your neck of the woods, $850 doesn't seem like too bad of a price for what appears to basically be a "complete" GT. Being able to find a good 2.8 to swap in (maybe from someone doing an engine upgrade) would definitely help to make this car worthwhile purchasing.
No matter what, you'd still need to check for rust in the typical problem areas before making any final decision. Don't be this guy.
Where are the typical problem areas on this GT? BTW: Fieros are pretty easy to find here in New England.
Originally posted by Patrick: You say you're "not a mechanic". Well, either you'll need to learn to become one... or any older car will end up costing you a small fortune if you're paying someone else to do the work.
For a non-mechanic, buying a sub-$1000 POS is false economy.
Spending 4-5k will get a Fiero that's mostly in order.
If you can't afford 4-5k, you can't afford the 1k car and the paying for the repairs it will require.
$850 for a fastback GT would be sweet if there's no rust, even if it needs an engine. I'd do it if I had the garage space to replace the engine in. Having someone replace the engine would be $3000+, if you're not mechanically inclined a Fiero really isn't a good choice...
$850 for a fastback GT would be sweet if there's no rust, even if it needs an engine. I'd do it if I had the garage space to replace the engine in. Having someone replace the engine would be $3000+,..
I would still offer $600, worst they can say is 'no'.
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if you're not mechanically inclined a Fiero really isn't a good choice.
I have a sign in my garage:
Pontiac Fiero - making ordinary men into mechanics since 1984
It's very appropriate, as I've learned a LOT since owning mine.
Engine Noise is only 1 thing Look under the car, under trunk carpet sides, etc or you could have same problem in https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/141298.html IOW "project car" can easily be a "parts car" at best because you can't fix uni-body frame.
Check local laws and/or HOA rules on parking for project/parts car. Unregistered cars park anywhere outside can cause problems in many places.
------------------ 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)
I replaced the rod bearings in my GT for $23, fixed my problem and runs like a champ. Not saying thats your problem, but definitely possible and easy fix
Looking at the sale ad has me think that once the car is purchased, it will need EVERYTHING touched to be trust worthy. There appears to be little to no maintenance done, the car looks very "dry" due to elements, is being upsold by the owner, and is worth $850 only if a good chunk of change and disappointment go into her.
It's very appropriate, as I've learned a LOT since owning mine.
