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Pontiac Fiero: Future Classic Or A Collectible
Introduced in the 1984 model year, the Fiero got
off to a great start. However, spotty quality,
high insurance rates, and a weak demand for two
seaters prompted GM to drop the line, just as
design and quality improvements made the car
better. No, it was never a great design, but it
was arguably smartly styled, fun, and interesting.
You can buy Fieros cheaply today. Is that likely
to change in, say, 10 years, when it's likely that
the vast majority of the almost 500,000 produced
will have been scrapped?
off to a great start. However, spotty quality,
high insurance rates, and a weak demand for two
seaters prompted GM to drop the line, just as
design and quality improvements made the car
better. No, it was never a great design, but it
was arguably smartly styled, fun, and interesting.
You can buy Fieros cheaply today. Is that likely
to change in, say, 10 years, when it's likely that
the vast majority of the almost 500,000 produced
will have been scrapped?
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Comments
You're probably right, this car isn't going to set the collector car world on fire, mostly due to the fact that it was, at least originally, an anemic, heavy underperformer that looked like a sports car but couldn't deliver the goods. Also it didn't help that it was a clunker for reliability. So in some ways very much like the Delorean....the car that couldn't.
But, in its last version, with a 5-speed and a V-6, the Fiero suddenly becomes a bit more interesting, with decent performance and some improvement in reliability. So I would hazard a guess that the last 5-speed V-6s, and ONLY those, will have a "minor collectibility" status in the future, much like the Toyota MR2 from the 80s enjoys now....not high priced, but a bargain for the collector.
But ultimately, no, the car will never have much value, I think, because of its reputation. It is essential for a future collectible to be admired when it is introduced, as this "fuels" future demand. along with rarity, beauty and all the rest.
The Fiero was a POS car, pure and simple!
I can understand how my question about the meaning of the POS could have come across as cynical, but I didn't intend it that way. I truly don't recognize the accronym POS. If you tell me I'll probably smack my forehead and say, "Oh, of course; I knew that!"
Your brother sounds incredibly lucky! (not to own one, but to own one that didn't self-destruct itself or him).
The sad thing was about the time Pontiac started to get the Fiero halfway right with the V-6 and all, they stopped production.
The early 4 cyls just were NOT a good car. I guess underdeveloped is the most accurate term.
But, Shifty, you are right. At least they tried!
Who was it that said...
" It is better to attempt something great, and fail, then it is to attempt nothing and succeed!"
But if it were cheap enough, it would be a unique ride, that's certain and once you got over the size and ponderousness of it, actually kinda fun I'd bet.
If anything, I think someday it might be worth more stock than modified. This, of course, is a V-6 manual trans car we're talking about, the most desirable of combinations.
Also, the 2.8 V-6 is one of the worst engines GM ever built. My advise would be to keep looking!
I had no such misfortunes with mine. Just a good little runner.. good on gas and reasonably dependable.
Incidentally, I thought that the principal reason for the engine fires wasn't the connecting rods (didn't know that there was a high defect rate in the '84s, did anyone else?), but the fact that the crankcase capacity was reduced for ground clearance reasons. Therefore, if the engine was run low on oil, it didn't have the margin of safety in terms of oil capacity that the 2.5 liter Iron Duke/Tech 4 engines that were installed in other GM models had, and they caught fire. Can anyone speak to this?