killerkeith
Well-known member
I`m going to be flamed for this, but it`s going to be used mostly Nov-Mar. Yes, I`m looking for a stylish beater.
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Pontiac Fiero
- Thread starter killerkeith
- Start date
invictus43
Well-known member
Haha! I have respect for you now!! That's about what the car deserves..
I'd go for a Corolla AE85 or AE86 personally..
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invictus43
Well-known member
I was thinking this one..
Or this..
Or this..
Haha! I have respect for you now!! That's about what the car deserves..
I'd go for a Corolla AE85 or AE86 personally..
Now were talking.
I had a Japan spec '86 corolla gts. Saved up for the 30valve motor and 100 shot of NOS. Car kicked some serous butt, problem was the rear diff kept blowing out of it. Back in the day performance parts for those were really hard to find, now there a cult car in the drifting world.
Should have kept it
But kieth if this is gonna be a beater then go for the fiero, that pos deserves to be driven in the winter. I it makes it thru one that is lol.
slowbird
Well-known member
If you want an older car you might want to look at a VTEC Integra GSR if they haven't all been stolen. It's front wheel drive, so you won't have to pay the mid engine insurance premium.
ya...instead you'll have to pay the "this car will get stolen" premium. LOL
Not to mention it's not RWD.
Are the older ones still being stolen? My was taken from an underground condo lot. If you see a green one like above with lion tooth marks in the back bumper, stay away - it was mine and was the first to blow a rod in N.A. also had the frame laser aligned once.
Is RWD preferable in the winter? The engine is still over the drive wheels on FWD. 5.0 Mustangs and Corvettes are usually first into the guardrail, followed closely by an SUV.
For those suggesting the Mr 2 as an alternative ... While not disputing the superiority of the drivetrain and suspension on those, when is the last time you actually saw a Mr 2 on the road driving around?
Ummm ... personally, I can't even remember the last time. The first generation Mr 2's were built before Toyota figured out that cars sold in North America need at least *some* corrosion protection, so practically all of them have rusted into oblivion. The second generation Mr 2's still had that problem but in addition, they hardly sold any of them.
The Fiero was an interesting layout but suffered from the bean counters forcing Pontiac to use only parts-bin mechanicals. Chevette front suspension, X-car (Citation) front suspension and drivetrain relocated to the rear, standard off-the-shelf Iron Duke pushrod 4-banger and (later) 2.8 60-degree V6. Tranny started out being a rompin' stompin' 4-speed manual or 3-speed auto, same as Chevy Citation, but it got a 5-speed manual later. For the last year of production, GM actually made improvements to the suspension and sorted out some of the earlier glitches, and the last year models were actually supposed to be reasonably decent.
Re engine swaps, any of the other 60-degree V6 engines should go straight in, and I know a V8 can be stuffed in there but the extra weight in the back buggers the car's weight distribution and makes the handling worse. The 4-bangers have the best weight distribution, but not enough power to make use of it.
The Fiero is not all that light (by standards of the day), about 2700 lbs for a 4-cyl model. By today's standards (in which a VW Golf is a 3000 lb car!) that's light, but it was several hundred pounds over what Pontiac had wanted to achieve at the time.
As others had mentioned, check the underbody very well. The plastic panels will hold up while the structure underneath completely rots away. (The plastic-panel Saturns - that were real Saturns before GM turned it into a badge-engineered brand - have the same issue.)
Ummm ... personally, I can't even remember the last time. The first generation Mr 2's were built before Toyota figured out that cars sold in North America need at least *some* corrosion protection, so practically all of them have rusted into oblivion. The second generation Mr 2's still had that problem but in addition, they hardly sold any of them.
The Fiero was an interesting layout but suffered from the bean counters forcing Pontiac to use only parts-bin mechanicals. Chevette front suspension, X-car (Citation) front suspension and drivetrain relocated to the rear, standard off-the-shelf Iron Duke pushrod 4-banger and (later) 2.8 60-degree V6. Tranny started out being a rompin' stompin' 4-speed manual or 3-speed auto, same as Chevy Citation, but it got a 5-speed manual later. For the last year of production, GM actually made improvements to the suspension and sorted out some of the earlier glitches, and the last year models were actually supposed to be reasonably decent.
Re engine swaps, any of the other 60-degree V6 engines should go straight in, and I know a V8 can be stuffed in there but the extra weight in the back buggers the car's weight distribution and makes the handling worse. The 4-bangers have the best weight distribution, but not enough power to make use of it.
The Fiero is not all that light (by standards of the day), about 2700 lbs for a 4-cyl model. By today's standards (in which a VW Golf is a 3000 lb car!) that's light, but it was several hundred pounds over what Pontiac had wanted to achieve at the time.
As others had mentioned, check the underbody very well. The plastic panels will hold up while the structure underneath completely rots away. (The plastic-panel Saturns - that were real Saturns before GM turned it into a badge-engineered brand - have the same issue.)
killerkeith
Well-known member
If you want an older car you might want to look at a VTEC Integra GSR if they haven't all been stolen. It's front wheel drive, so you won't have to pay the mid engine insurance premium.
I never wanted one of those in high school.
Other beaters on my watch/wish list include
Early 90`s Eagle Talon AWD
91-93 Stealth RT Turbo AWD (more of a dream really)
91 VW Corrado
93-96 Ford Probe GT
Too me the Fiero seems to have held up better over the years for the kind of car it is.
killerkeith
Well-known member
killerkeith
Well-known member
I would consider a 1991 GMC Syclone or 92 Typhoon
HOT!
HOT!
If you want a car with no balls and a shifter that's positioned at your head level, go for it. 
Seriously though, they were cheaply made vehicles with poor reputation and little following.
I don't like them, drove it only once, a friend had it.
Then again, if you will lose sleep because you didn't get a Fiero, then go for it. It's not expensive as you said. Sometimes you just have to please yourself and if you end up hating it, you probably won't lose much money on a resale.
Seriously though, they were cheaply made vehicles with poor reputation and little following.
I don't like them, drove it only once, a friend had it.
Then again, if you will lose sleep because you didn't get a Fiero, then go for it. It's not expensive as you said. Sometimes you just have to please yourself and if you end up hating it, you probably won't lose much money on a resale.
I'd go for a Corolla AE85 or AE86 personally..
A bit more money, those. Not in the same league.
I had an 86 GT Automatic - absolutely horrible in snow. With the rear end so much heavier than the front, they tend to pivot and do a 180 with the slightest loss in grip.
I wouldn't recommend one as a winter beater. And surprisingly, being plastic bodied and all, they have rust problems, the trunk area behind the engine bay tends to go first.
The rear brakes are a pain as well, it was GM's cheapest attempt at parking brake/caliper. Other than that rest of the car was standard parts bin GM.
I had one of the GM X cars and was told the Fiero was one of those built backwards. The Buick I had was the only thing that I ever owned that made me want to be an arsonist.
Bad brakes and bad steering boxes. GM never really fixed the steering boxes instead just kept replacing them until the cars crapped themselves off the road. There was a major court isssue over the X brakes IIRC.
The brakes were heart attack city. They worked fine for regular stps but the pads were too hard and for a panic stop you needed both feet on the pedal.
Bad brakes and bad steering boxes. GM never really fixed the steering boxes instead just kept replacing them until the cars crapped themselves off the road. There was a major court isssue over the X brakes IIRC.
The brakes were heart attack city. They worked fine for regular stps but the pads were too hard and for a panic stop you needed both feet on the pedal.
B
Bigevildoer
Guest
Had a Fiero GT years ago - it was tons of fun...
There are several different engines you can drop in - the most common back then was the 3.1 Turbo from the Pontiac Sunbird.
Biggest one I've seen in person it the 4 litre v6 out of the Chevy Astro van. Had to remove all trunk space to make it fit.
Suspension can be fixed up quite easily as well, you'll have a really fun car.
There are several different engines you can drop in - the most common back then was the 3.1 Turbo from the Pontiac Sunbird.
Biggest one I've seen in person it the 4 litre v6 out of the Chevy Astro van. Had to remove all trunk space to make it fit.
Suspension can be fixed up quite easily as well, you'll have a really fun car.
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