Fiero [Part 2] - The Fiero Today

        The Fiero is an intriguing car to own for a certain type of car guy. Every Fiero owner today has their own unique reason for buying one, as the car is somewhat peculiar. My particular reason involves the difficulty i had finding affordable car insurance whilst looking for my first car. When I came across a Fiero ad on the internet I gave my broker a call and asked him to give me a number to compare it to other "cheap to insure" vehicles. To my surprise a 4cyl. Fiero happened to be only $10 more annually than the cheapest vehicles I would ever consider owning. Even though the Fiero may be classified as a sports car by some insurance groups others offer a more forgiving rate since the car putters around with only 90hp. I wasn't completely sold on owning a car with so little to brag about, but even at a young age I new that I loved working on cars. I was aware of its downfalls, but more importantly the vast aftermarket and cult like following they had. I would only allow myself to be seen driving such an under-powered chick car if it was a stick-shift. The search commenced and in a short time I bought a 1986 "2M4" with 94,000kms. The insurance came in about where I expected at $373/month (17 year old male, clean record, cheapest car).

        I wanted to store the car for the first winter to save some dough for some new wheels and tires. With a young driver learning standard at the wheel, I stalled the car on the way to the storage depot. Sounds innocent enough but as I was turning the key to restart the car I was rear-ended by a distracted driver. After exchanging info I came to appreciate the toughness of the car. No doubt the foam in the bumper suffered but there was no visible damage of bumper displacement in what could have been whiplash inducing if I wasn't the manly man I am. I would come to find out that smaller cars are much more likely to be ignored on the road and miss-judged in parking lots.
 

My first car: a 1986 Pontiac Fiero 2M4

         The ownership process was new to me and a 21 year old Pontiac probably wasn't the smartest choice to ease me into that level of responsibility. I quickly learned how expensive a car like a Fiero can be. I was guilty of making the Fiero more expensive than it had to be. Every time the sun was out so was I, spending every bit of my disposable income on making that little Fiero as good a car as I could. I had a problem and I knew it. I would never stop, because I was never happy and the car could always use something. The big step I wanted most was an engine swap. It was obvious to me that the engine in that little all fiberglass car was it's only real weakness. The car became my "baby" and whatever I did to it had to be done right and a proper motor swap would keep my only car off the road too long. It would also cost more than double the cars value to be done correctly. I may be crazy and willing to spend, but I couldn't spend money I didn't have and wasn't "that crazy".

        Modifications aside, the car was a considerable burden to own daily. Fieros are not reliable by any automotive definition. I attribute most of the cars short-comings to the horribly designed 4cylinder "Iron Puke" as I like to call it. I never felt good pushing the ancient OHV motor, even after a rebuild and proper break in period. It was never running as smooth as I would have liked. There were quite a few problems I encountered with the car over the two years I owned it. The starter mounts cracked causing it to fall off; the engine burnt oil; the driver seat was rusted in place; all the shocks needed to be replaced and the emergency brake seized. I expected issues due solely to the cars age but the reality and the frequency of them were eye opening.

         The aspects of the Fiero that kept me coming back was the feeling it offers behind the wheel. There are few cars on the road that offer the same level of road feel as the Fiero. The light weight, standard transmission and lack of power steering made the car about as exciting and engaging as 90hp on four wheels can be. I drove that little car everywhere and enjoyed every minute in the drivers seat. It was frustratingly underpowered sometimes but I got slick with the stick and managed to have no trouble passing when I wanted. I will admit that I avoided any speed contests out of fear of losing and not from a strong sense to uphold public safety. The lack of anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control were things I liked about the Fiero. I learned how to drive in a car that allows the driver to control everything and I appreciate the experience I now have because of my old Fiero. Even in bad conditions the car encouraged the right foot to do its worst, despite the engine's noisy arguments.

My 1986 Pontiac Fiero 2M4

        The Fiero managed to become an old friend as it never left me stranded. It was difficult at times but kept me coming back because of the connection it manages to form with its driver. There is a reason why the Fiero has a cult following, and a reason why many Fiero owners go on to own more than one. The Fiero is the sort of car that an owner learns to love, but wouldn't recommend to a friend. I give it a 7/10

1984-1988 Pontiac Fiero [Part 1]

1984 Fiero showroom poster

        In the mid 1980's the North American market was absent of any domestic small sports cars. The Fiat X1/9 had an interesting niche market all to itself as Porsche/VW had stopped production of their somewhat affordable mid engined "914" in 1976. The oil crisis of the late 1970's set the wheels in motion at GM. They wanted a car that could be marketed as an exciting yet economical sports car. This would mark the first mass produced "mid engine" American car. An all fiberglass body was a goal for production. The fiero essentially became the test bed for what would become GM's new division "Saturn" and their full line of fiberglass cars.

 

In 1984 The Official Pace Car for the Indy 500 was a 4cyl. Fiero!
[ohioindy from Pennocks Fiero Forum]

       This release of the Pontiac Fiero came to light in September 1983. The "Iron duke" 2.5 4cyl OHV engine chosen to power the Fiero was chosen because of its fuel mileage. Along with great fuel economy servicing the cars was simple and cheap, due to the number of components shared with other common GM vehicles. The rear sub-frame which included the entire drive-train as well as suspension and brakes was a slightly modified version of the front clip from a J-Body GM(Pontiac Sunbird/Chevrolet Cavalier). The three models available in 84' were as follows; the base model "2M4"; the optioned "SE" and a limited production "Indy Pace Car Replica" model. The drive-trains available for all models consisted of the 92hp/135ft.lb four banger fitted to either a 3speed slush box or a somewhat satisfying Muncie 4 speed manual. Fiero owners were happy with the way the car felt to drive. It wasn't a speed demon, which kept insurance rates down, but it handled great. This handling is attributed to the Fiero's weight of just under 2500lbs. For the time its sub-11 seconds zero to sixty acceleration was decent and with 35mpg available on the highway the Fiero was impressive. Initial acclaim for its nimble composure and handling was a welcome sight. It seemed like the little car was living up to what it had promised. Over 135,000 Fiero's were sold in it's debut year.

84' Fieros all had 92hp 2.5L OHV 4cyl.

New for 85' 140hp 2.8L OHV V6

         The car was receiving some criticism as it was being heralded as a "secretaries car". The fact was the Fiero appealed to women quite well and a considerable chunk of its new owners were women. The idea of a bigger engine was considered to be a remedy and was already in the works. In 1985 Fiero SE models and the all new GT models were available with a 140hp/160ft.lb 2.8L OHV V6. This added some weight to the rear of the car but answered the call of the people who expected more from a mid engine sports car. Sales dipped lower in 1985 after reports of engine fires surfaced in the media. The cause of the engine fires was due to a mechanical failure when oil levels were low in the 4cyl. The bad media badly hurt the car's reputation and it would never fully recover. The positive news for this model year remained. The introduction of a true performance version in the GT was garnering respect amongst gear heads. The body panels were improved over 2M4 models and likened the car to the "official pace car" models. This would be the last year the GT was available in what would later be referred to as the "notchback" Fieros. The 4cylinder Fieros received a new 5-speed (Isuzu variant) transmission.

1988 "Fastback" Fiero GT

       In 1986 the Fiero was now available in 2 completely different body styles. The GT introduced the "fastback" Fiero to the world. Its was a remodel of the rear of the car and a true update to the overall look. The new tail-lights were accompanied with new "C-pillar sails". The new C-pillars did without artificial black Plexiglas rear side windows. Instead they were purely for aesthetics as they extended farther from the rear of the cabin for the illusion of a bigger car with more space and aerodynamics. Drive-trains remained the same with the exception of a 5-speeds becoming available mid year for the V6(Getrag variant). The Fiero was entering its 3rd year of production and news of the vehicles reliability issues were surfacing. With the previous bad media, the Fiero's days were numbered and sales would never again reach as high as they once were.

        Some Fiero aficionados today consider the Fiero's last year in production to be the car it should have been from day one if it was to be destined for success. It's a good argument because vast improvements were made in 1988. The suspension was re-designed along with the steering knuckles. The stance of the car also improved accordingly, helping its aesthetics. The option code for the improved suspension, might be recognized by fans of Pontiac's most successful sports car: the Trans Am. By checking "WS6" in the order form buyers received the best handling car the General had ever made with the exception of the new C4 Corvette. As a treat for minimalists Pontiac also offered the 1988 Fiero GT's performance features in a "notchback" body in the Fiero Formula.

        By this time the 1980's were winding down and the trend of the 1990's was expected to be larger SUVs and a resurgence of Trucks alike. Gas prices had loosened their choke hold on society and small cars would take a back seat to any larger models in development. In it's final year of production the greatest Fiero model year ever, a total of less than 27,000 units were sold.

To be continued...