<![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll - Jalopnik Comments]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll - Jalopnik Comments]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> hoho my 91' sunbird had the same rims... FUN BIRD!!!

donkeyassman

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @athodyd: The cooling lines ran under the car. Check them for debris damage. Not a big deal but they're expensive and not always in stock at parts stores. The V6 is more fun. The 4cyl got great gas mileage (I got around 36mpg with mine).
Repairs are more difficult on the V6, as there is even less room to get at anything. Engine repairs on these cars are a PITA regardless of motor.

JayP71

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> i wasnt born untill 88' but i own 3 fiero's now. a 84' my winter car, a 86' for spring and fall, and a red 87' with 70k for the summer time. it sounds crazy but i wont buy anything else out there. and my friends love my cars. if only i was maybe 15 years older and i woulda bought one on day 1. ive never had any major problems. maybe a broken headlight or 2. easy fix.

fierobri

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @edfiero:

Thanks for proving a point.

bugattatra

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I still own the 84 Fiero which I bought new when I was a senior in high school. All you Fiero haters can SUCK IT.

edfiero

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Drive a Fiero, any Fiero, then drive an AW11 MR2 - one is a superlative sports car, the other a Pontiac.

bugattatra

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I bought a red '86 Fiero GT new. The day after I got it, I had the sunroof stored in the holders up front and went to Mickey D's. The girl at the drive through leaned over and looked through the sunroof hole. She then said, "I LOVE your car."

Yep. Jailbait just LOVED that car.

It had adequate scoot, but sometimes the handling could be surprising. Once I drove off the road slightly to avoid a pallet in the roadway. When I pulled back on the sequence of the right front tire hitting the pavement shortly before the right rear did set up a front to rear oscillation that continued until I brought the car to a stop.

It had different sized tires on the front and rear, but that's okay. There's not enough room in the "trunk" to put a full-sized spare anyway. The original Eagle GTs lasted only 19,000 miles.

One minor thing I liked a lot was that the stereo memory buttons could be "duplexed." Pressing 1 + 2 at the same time made a preset. So did 1 + 3 and 1 + 4.

I didn't drive it for gas mileage, but I don't recall it being bad, either.

I was told that only the '86 came with the Holley multi-point fuel injection. After that, they went to a GM system. The 86 also had a 4-speed because GM did not trust the 5-way transaxle yet.

To this day I think the Fiero GT is a great looking little car.

And the last of them got electric power steering, I heard.

Roundonbothends

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Commuter car? Mid-engine sports car?

Actually, the main purpose of the Fiero was to develop GM's metal spaceframe with a plastic body technology, later used on the 'dustbuster' minivans and the Saturn line.

Sure, there were other factors and markets involved, but mostly it was all about hanging a plastic body on a metal car.

bozoerrebbe

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @kingfloopy: A lot of it is also just knowing how to drive the thing. As I said, a friend of mine in high school drove one, and winter never stopped him. He spun it a few too many times in moments of exuberance, but I don't think he ever got stuck.

Maymar is convinced M.C. Escher engineered his car

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I fail to see the point of mid-engined cars. I wouldn't say no to a Maserati Bora or a McLaren F1 (or even an early, supercharged MR2) but just being mid-engined isn't enough to sell me a car. The Fiero in particular just screams "gimmick".

mr.chophoppers

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> The Pontiac Solstice is the spiritual successor to the Fiero.

ZWECK

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I think most of the people who don't care for Fieros have never even been around one. I really didn't care for them until I rode in one. I have a friend who owns 5 or 6 of them. They are not super cars, but what 80's car was? If GM would have put more effort into it they could have been a great car.

Plus contrary to a lot of peoples beliefs they can be made get around fairly well in winter if you put snow tires on, add sandbags to the front and take the rocker panels off for ground clearance.

kingfloopy

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> My cousin's husband races a Fiero in SCCA, and has another as a daily driver.

wookie1901

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Awesome, simply awesome...
[www.autotrader.com]

willin58

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I knew three unrelated people who had them and each caught on fire. A failed promise--and a bad rap. I never ssee Fiero's anymore. Amazing how that front looks like a Mazda RX7.

NovaloadMissesPolar

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> My first Fiero was an 85 GT, purchased new in 85. The first time I heard the V6, wrapped in Indy bodywork, I was a goner. Signed on the dotted line that night.
Although the V6 only had 140 HP, you need to consider that in the context of other 1980s cars. The 305s of the day had... what? 165 HP?
I stayed neck-and-neck with a comparable vintage Monte Carlo SS, in an impromptu street race. I could beat the snot out of my roommate's RX7.
But I came to dislike the way that the Fiero drove. (This was before anyone seemed to know how to align them properly.)
I traded it in 88 (coincidentally, 2 weeks before they killed the Fiero program) for a Firebird Formula. (What a complete POS *that* car was!)

Fast forward to 1997. I found an 88 4 banger coupe that was spotless. Although I really wanted a V6, I immediately jumped on it because it was in such good condition, and have owned it (and several other Fieros) ever since. The coupe is now home to a 3.4 Camaro motor.
I also have an 88 Formula that has had a GT fastback conversion, and a Caddy V8 swap. (Just a 4.9. Not a Northstar, but still...)
Sure there are better cars (remember, this is 80s technology) but these things are just a *riot* to drive.

Pretty much everything that has been said is true, though. GM has a long history of introducing cars that are not ready for prime time, using the public to find all the bugs, and then killing them as soon as they get them right. Now that Lutz is around, maybe they've gotten a clue.

As others have said, there is lots more info at www.fiero.nl. If you can't remember that, just go to www.fiero.com.

Raydar

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> i've actually been thinking about the Fiero for the past week, for some odd reason. i saw a Northstar V8 for sale for $475 in the paper this afternoon... if there had been a Fiero in there too, i could've made quite the stupid decision...

smokyburnout

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @sos10: I meant that the Cayman isn't a bad car, but it wasn't designed to be the best car it could be. The Fiero was under-engineered because the prototypes outperformed the Corvette, and the Cayman was not allowed to outperform the 911. So, in that sense, the Fiero is kind of like the Cayman.

Bubs

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I've owned two of these maligned little doorstops and neither was really a bad car. Neither broke very much, and when they did parts were cheap, and labor wasn't much more than it would've been on the crammed full nose of a FWD car.
The probelem really stems from them being just... cars, and nothing more than that. They not fast, or fun to drive; they're really not sports cars in any way. I still think they lokk pretty, but that's where it ends, and it could have been so much better.

bruxell

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @slowjoecrow: Actually, the SSR always had a V8. It just started out with a 5.3 that didn't have enough power to move the truck and an automatic transmission only. By the time the 6.0 and manual came in year 3, no one cared anymore.

Eric77TA

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @beercheck: I get the most overt flirt messages all the time from the ladies... from gay men, not so much... I guess the grass is always greener on the other side o' the fence...

PS about filler cap releases -- The buttons for trunk release AND fuel-filler for my '88 Continental were in the glovebox...! Trunk-release I can understand, but who needs defense against the valet siphoning your fuel while you dine at a fine restaurant...???

Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @CafeRacer1200: If only they would have just made the Corvette better then, instead of in the last few years. What I wouldn't give for a modern Corvair/Fiero thingy.

Turboner

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @biminitwst: Heh. No Lotus. Learned something unexpected today.

My '88 almost went up in flame once. It had previously had a coolant leak which had seeped into the heat shields (insulation sandwiched in metal) by the exhaust manifold. Turns out that dried antifreeze doesn't really mind burning all that much. Luckily I happened to be standing there with the lid up, after dark, and saw the flicker of flame. Exciting.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Yes, it could have been better. But to put it in perspective, the Fiero was a GM car that could have been better at a time when many American cars could not have been much worse.

Besides, if a major company announced a budget priced, mid-engined, 2600 pound, two seater, with pop up headlights today, most Jalops would practically crap themselves in anticipation. This site itself would probably hire a new writer just to feed our hunger for all info "Fiero". And I'd be in line, application in hand, for the position.

The car was a touch heavy, under powered, and the autobox was a bit too common, but that was the era. It was not an MR2, but a Solstice is not a Miata. The fact that the Fiero made it to production at all is a great testament to GM trying to produce an exciting design. Too often the "exciting" designs that make it through are of the Aztek variety, not the Fiero variety.

SubyDrew

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> The late V6 cars were good, but a classic case of GM's hype it, release unfinished decontented POS that fails to live up to hype, fix it so it's what it should have been in the first place, kill it. The SSR is similar, hyped, released with V6 instead of V8, finally given V8, killed because of poor sales.
I do have to give GM props for being the only one of the big 3 to try to build a small mid engine sports car, but at the same time I have to say that the Fiero indicates a company that couldn't organize a kegger in a brewery. OTOH base unit construction and bolt on body panels make this a kit car builder's dream. I wonder if any body has bolt on kits for Saturns to make them look cooler like the PCH Viewt?

slowjoecrow

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Sad indeed. I was 10 when the Fiero came out, and one of the younger teachers at our school had one. It was silver, which I liked better than the red ones that were more common, same wheels as the DOTS car, and with the trunk mounted luggage rack. And I remember a group of us hanging around the car lusting after it. I'm depressed just thinking about that.

ApolloV

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Since I have two Fieros in my driveway, one since 1997, I guess you could say I am somewhat of an authority on the P cars.
First, to dispel some rumors.
The front suspension wasn't borrowed from the T car. Only the rack is the same.
Lotus had nothing to do with the Fiero.
The early Iron duke engines were supplied with weak connecting rods. When the owner let the oil get low, they would let go. The Catalytic converter is beside the oil pan. Flames ensued.
Later Fieros didn't burn any more frequently than any other GM car.
Common engine swaps include the SBC, Quad Four, 3800 V6, Cadillac 4.9 and Northstar.
They are a blast to drive. All of them, especially the ones without the Iron Duck 4 banger.
The fiero has one of the best single model automotive websites out there: [www.fiero.nl]
It's run by a Dutch enthusiast.
Thank you for showing a Fiero without some awful body kit!

biminitwst

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @Bento: Had some bad Chevette experiences, eh? There are a lot of vehicles running around with "Pinto front suspensions" and "Beetle front suspensions", too.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Not the best cars in the world, but again, not the worst. I think they deserve more credit than they are given.

If you like mid engine hoonage, theres no better bargain.

danio3834

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> 3 words...Chevette Front Suspension

Mysterious Utility Bento

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I got very, very close to getting an '87 GT this summer, (eventually I got my '88 T/A). I am absolutely obsessed with Fieros. There is a beautiful white '88 Formula on the back roads by my house, and I swear it calls to me.

Benito

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> could have been great but wasn't
however now all the kitcars have a chassis to work with
and we can turn to the MR2 for cheap mid engined goodness

yellofury * * * * *

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @athodyd: There's really nothing terribly tricky about them. Treat them like any other car you're considering purchasing; all the same stuff applies. I'd *definitely* recommend holding out and paying the premium for an '88, though.

@Mike the Dog: The headlights are a pain in the ass when they don't work, but they're also very easy to fix and upgrade. There are a few outfits selling replacement gears.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @athodyd: Make sure the headlights go up and down. Seems obvious, I know- but they can be a pain in the a$$ if they are not working properly.

Mike the Dog

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> In my fitful search for a car to replace my Camry I've seen the odd Fiero pop up and have often wondered how viable an alternative it would be to an MR2, which is pretty much unobtainable anywhere near where I live. It sounds like the '88 is the best year and the V6/5MT the best powertrain, is there anything else to look at when considering a late-model Fiero?

Please respond with advice or I will be forced to make a complaint to cotomer sevis.

athodyd

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @Charles_Barrett: P.S. That attractive young lady probably knew EXACTLY where the lever was. To this day she's probably wondering how in the world you resisted her charms.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @Charles_Barrett: I, um, was severely humbled by that lever myself. In spite of the tiny interior, it turns out there are lots and lots, and lots, of other places one looks first. And when your mind is convinced of "button", someone can shove a lever right under your nose and you'll never see it.

Freakin' diabolical.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I think the Fiero got a bad rap, and I still have to stop and look when I walk past one when parked. And although they were more expensive, I think the MR2 played a large roll in the Fiero's extinction.

POLAЯMISSESEVEЯYBODY

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Also- I saw a Fiero cook off on the NJ Garden State Parkway back in '88. Not much left after the Fire-o...

econobiker

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @416Hammy:

Heard a couple of V-8 Fieros in a line of Fiero club cars driving through the Smoky Mountain area. These were stock cars through Lambo kitted ones with the 4,6 and eight cyl motors. That was a wicked sound through whatever stubby exhaust they had...

Probably they killed the Fiero as not to compete with the Firebird. Though, what 20 year old could afford 'bird insurance in that era?

GM has managed to blow so much brand equity in the last 30 years that it is amazing...

econobiker

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> My 88Gt has been for the most part reliable and a great car to own. For the price it was a good deal even though it has the 3 speed auto but when it comes to auto transmissions it's really not that bad. While I'm not rabid I do think the Fiero gets less respect then it should but on the other hand that keeps my ride unique and cheap to own. If anybody is interested in knowing more I rabidly endorse www.fiero.nl

I'm pretty sure you nailed the year on Fiero above unless somebody did a conversion to a later style decklid. And as far as I know the mirror plate is aftermarket.

TheAstronot

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> My one and only first-hand Fiero experience: when I was in college in the early eighties, I was at the gas station filling up one evening. An attractive young lady asked me for assistance. She had borrowed a friend's car (a Fiero) and was wanting to top off the gas tank before returning it. She couldn't get the filler door to open! Soon, she, I, and the kid at the mini-mart counter were all looking for the release button/lever. Not on the dash, not on the floorboard, not in the door panel... I finally found it on the interior of the "B" pillar or sail panel, right about where the driver's ear would be.

A friend of mine has kept his late wife's V6 Fiero and that thing really scoots...!

Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I drove a friend's 85 in 1986 a few hundred miles down I-70. Only thing I liked about it was the speakers in the headrest.

mobilene

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @axafgoob99:

If I remember right,most Fieros were driven by girls with big hair and short skirts. I can see how you enjoyed that.

AllenK

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I love the Fiero, though I vow to never own an '84. The 88 Formula is an awesome car. I'm glad the Fiero lived a short life as that makes it unique and special.

jaxed

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @axafgoob99: I'm 6' 3" I never had any trouble getting in or out until I broke my hip. Then I had to park it until I graduated from crutches to cane.

Mike the Dog

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @Jimal: My personal fave involves the drive unit from a 455-powered Toronado.....

Mike the Dog

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @beercheck: Agreed. I've had 3 of them (all'84-'86 4-cyl.), and I think they're great. A bit quirky to be sure, and the slushbox one was a total dog, but they handle great in the snow (with 4 snow tires on 14x4.5 steelies). The headrest-mounted speakers on the '84s is prety neat too.

Mike the Dog

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Moved to San Jose in 1985, just out of college. Wanted a Fiero desperately bad. Then I sat in one. Quickly decided I'd rather have a Mercedes 450SL hard top (someone living near me has one and I still drool over it while I drive my 99 Civic.)

GatoRat

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> And don't get me started on the luggage rack. Why, god, why?

MrSpyder

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> My 6ft 1 former sister-in-law (she said she was only 5 ft 13) had a red Fiero that she folder herself in and out of. It was a fine sight watching her do that - and her husband and me both appreciated it.

axafgoob99

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @sos10: Dude, if it had the qualities of a Cayman, it would be a different car entirely...a nice car.
Friend of mine had a v6 one. Kinda looked like the one in the pic, white but with some crappy 80's stick-on stripes. It was cool and fast but ate rear tires and had what we called "racecar" build quality(not good). I helped him put a cooling fan off a Goldwing in the back. i must've been like 16. It died while I was riding in it and noticed a weird smell. We were hauling ass down the freeway and I looked back to see flames shooting out the engine compartment. I told him it was nothing, just keep going.
Another friend of mine in high school had a black one. He got t-boned by a truck one day while pulling out of school. Just cut the car in half, him and the front on one side of the median, engine and rear tires on the other. Never forget though, he was without a scratch. Just had this look on his face like he'd never blink again.

MrSpyder

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> You know, when I was about four years old, I thought a bright red Fiero was the coolest car in the world. My infatuation died almost as quickly as most of the cars did.

Armand Bengle

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> But I'm still down with those plastic GM bodies (skins, whatever). They are the only thing that has proven to hold up to the road salt in Michigan winters.

mytdawg

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @Bubs: If it had the qualities of the Cayman, it would have been a huge success.

sos10

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @416Hammy:

Ah, but that was the beauty of the Northstar set-up. It comes with its own automatic transaxle sending power the right (or wrong?) way. (No adapting a small block to a transmission it was never meant to hook up to.) It's also light-ish for a V9.

west-coaster

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Mytdawg's meeting theorem #1 - ANY decision reached by committee will be mediocre at best and the potential quality of that decision will be inversely proportional to the amount of time spent in committee.

I liked the Fiero. I liked the idea anyway. And the last ones were the best ones. But the execution was indeed lacking.

mytdawg

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Fiero was my first introduction to the boneheaded product strategy of GM...introduce the car with whatever garbage was hanging around in the corporate parts bin, make incremental improvements to the car that should have been there from day one, then cancel the program right when it starts to gel into a halfway decent product.
Some guy here recently had a stock '86 2m4 (manual windows, 3 speed auto) for sale on Craigslist for...$12,000. I don't think he understands the collectible car market.

danhar2

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @west-coaster: The Norstar conversion must be a re-hash of the old trick of shoe-horning a Chevy 350 TPI motor (typically, from an IROC Z) into a Fiero GT.

It gave the car the straight-line acceleration the looks deserved, but exaggerated all of the handling flaws already inherent to the cost-cutting engineering methods.

416Hammy

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Murilee, how could you make this post without one reference to Ferris Bueller's sister Jeanie? This is the mirror image of her car from the movie (except the mirror trim, hmm). Ferris makes a point throughout the movie that the car should have been his, but in hindsight he was spared the agony of Fiero ownership.

I can still remember hearing the blurb on the news that they were killing the Fiero. I was 13 at the time and even then I knew GM blew it, thinking they had just gotten it right but gave up. It is decisions like this that haunt GM to this day, undermining their quest to show the quality of their current lineup.

HansStuckJr

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I really liked the 88 GTs with the almost-flying buttresses. There was an 89 Fiero prototype that looked to be pretty awesome but GM canned it. Knowing the quality of other 1989 GM cars, it probably wasn't a bad decision.

And I bet you anything that the chrome rocker trim is aftermarket.

LTDScott, Porcubimmer pilot

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> So sad...just when the Fiero was getting good with the '88 model, GM pulled the plug. Collectible Automobile magazine once had an article with design proposals for 1989 and beyond - many of the proposals were really striking, and use of the Quad 4 was planned.

When I was shopping for a new car in late '83, I looked at the new-for-'84 Fiero, but compared to the also-new Honda CRX 1.5, it was laughable - 500 lbs. more weight, the manual was a 4-speed, no storage space, it was slower, and it cost a couple thousand dollars more. I ended up getting the CRX and never regretted it.

GM pulled the same stunt with the Cadillac Allante - interesting concept, poor execution, and just after they made it into a serious car for '93 with the Northstar V8, they killed it off.

tonyola

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @VonPinto: Seriously? I have joked about people thinking that meant the headlights were on, but I didn't really realize anyone actually thought that. My faith in humanity has been eroded slightly more.

Paul Y. can't think of a better, shorter handle

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> This thing is the 4-cylinder model, 90 HP, 0-60 in 11 seconds. I had an 84 and used to rev up and use clutch slippage just to eek a bit better acceleration out of it. Once I upgraded to a more powerful car, the clutch told me I was not allowed to use that technique anymore.

nytmare

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Pontiac Guy #1: "Let's make an economy commuter car that's small and efficient but stylish and futuristic. It'll create a whole new category."

Pontiac Guy #2: "We really need a sporty, performance compact."

Pontiac Guy #1: "Can't we do be both?"

Pontiac Guy #2: "Well, it will most likely end up being an overpriced commuter and an under-engineered sportscar."

Pontiac Guy #1: "Wouldn't that be a whole new category?"

Pontiac Guy #2: "Not really. It'd just be a new Monza."

Pontiac Guy #1: "What if we gave it a gimmick?"

Pontiac Guy #2: "You mean, like a mid-engine layout?"

Pontiac Guy #1: "Yes! That's it!"

Pontiac Guy #2: "Brilliant!"

Pontiac Guy #1: "Brilliant!"

Tanshanomi

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Great chassis foundation - the entire pan went through a gigantic milling machine that would tune up all the body mounting points simultaneously, so the 10000th Fiero fit together exactly the same as the 1st.

Engine: meh. I drove the Iron Duke in a Citation, and it was OK. That's it. Combine blind-date performance with midmount service access, and you can keep it. Not in my ride.

Tranny: it's in there.

Suspension: it's in there too. I understand the later ones were pretty sharp. If you say so.

Styling: very not GM. When Fiero came out, it was really cutting edge. So much for that.

Elhigh

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @Jimal: Many, MANY people have made that a reality. But the supercharged 3800 and Northstars seem to be the favorites.

I kinda like the Ecotec angle at this point.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I liked it much better as the Toyota MR2... Now THAT was the mid-engine sports car GM should have built!

smarkle99

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I looked for a used 88 GT for months in the early 90s and never was able to find a decent one I could afford at the time. It worked out in the end though, because I found a pair of those awesome seats with the speakers in the headrests at a wrecking yard that found a righteous home in my ElCamino.

Smells_Homeless

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Somewhere, out on the web, there's a recipe for putting a transverse Northstar Caddy engine in these. Haven't seen one in person, but the photos show a real sleeper setup.

west-coaster

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> This car looks so European and fun to drive...alas...

bmoredlj

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> The Fiero is yet another example of GM introducing a half-baked car, then scrambling to getting it right just in time to pull the plug. The aforementioned Corvair is a perfect example. By the time GM replaced the swing axle suspension made famous in "Unsafe At Any Speed" the plot was already purchased and the hole dug. Same for the Vega and its many iterations.

Once they replaced the Chevette-front and Citation-rear suspensions, the Fiero was a pretty good handling car.

Image a world were a further refined Fiero was offered with one of the high horsepower Quad4 engines...

Jimal

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @Maymar: Oh, and speakers in the headrests? *Insert ringing '80's style enddorsement here* (Awesome to the max!). I'm actually a little surprised they haven't caught on a little more in our THX surround sound market.

Maymar is convinced M.C. Escher engineered his car

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Also, it's pretty money to ask Ferrari drivers "Hey, is that the new Fiero". They love it.

JoSCh

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @BSAKat: I'd like to hear that song... /whimsey

I think an early Fiero will be a top 20 need to get car for my Junior Jay Leno collection... once I get it started. Red with those fugly Pontiac wheels, it's an American icon whether we like it or not.

JoSCh

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @abgwin: That's true. However, the MR2 was also supposed to be a low-cost commuter car. Which one had better engineering? That's easy.

Unfortunately, GM and Toyota both lost out. Toyota sold 50K MR2s in 1985, but by the late 80s they were selling just a few thousand. The vanilla Celica was flying out the doors. Nobody wanted a mid-engined budget car. It was a malaise solution that failed. Most roads in America are straight and poorly made...who needs handling?

brandegee

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> No, GM did not just shoot themselves in the foot, reload and shoot themselves in the other foot. It was more like GM shot themselves in the foot while they were stepping on their own dick.

This was a typical move of GM in this era. The 1986 Buick Riviera also comes to mind considering it was manufactured by the Cadillac Motor Car Division with more computing horsepower on board than the Space Shuttle Columbia. Sad part is that GM had no idea how to harness that kind computer power so all it was just a car without any visible radio and HVAC controls and a very annoying digital dash. The turmoil that my parent's experienced with that bad boy of the Buick division has me running like hell every time I sit in a car that has a touch screen instead of a proper radio and heat controls.

And now you know the scars that caused my to purchase a Ford Panther. Roger Smith's GM is to blame for my youthful ass being in the most elderly of car types because of piss poor quality.

And my lovely handling 1994 C4 Convertible with all kinds of electronic gremlins did not help either.

cgarison

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @PeteJayhawk: Even though I know they're POSes.

Pete Gaines

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I wanted one of these so bad back in the day. Even today whenever I see one for sale I'm tempted to buy one.

Pete Gaines

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> They were fun to drive little cars. They coulda been a lot better. I worked on that POS as much as I drove it.

JayP71

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @abgwin: The benchmark model that GM wanted to emulate wasn't the Corvair, it was the 1964 Ford Mustang (i.e. a sporty-looking car to appeal to college grads, built to a cost using parts from mom's car).

The biggest issue that GM faced was that their parts bin wasn't nearly as good as Ford's was in the early 1960s.

FLB

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> For what it's worth, the Fiero absolutely bitchslapped the MR2, sales-wise. History may have vindicated the MR2, but at the time the marketplace voted for the Fiero, with their strange-looking old green money.

ViergangFuchs

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I am all for the Fiero being total crap. In theory it is not a half bad attempt. Mid engine 2-seater with an optional 6 cylinder. (If I remember it cranked out a whopping 130ish HP.)
Unfortunatley GM came up with the idea, so it is a total mess.

BustedWheel

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> One of my best friends in high school had an '86 for his first car, he also tried to teach me to drive stick in it (he had the five-speed). There were a lot of weird things about that car - you couldn't get out of it gracefully, if you put the handbrake on, you could barely get out at all. Handling was weird too (on a wet day, he managed to spin it on a corner that didn't seem to bother my understeeriffic Intrepid). Still, it looked cool, and it felt fast, and I guess that's gotta count for something.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want an '88.

Maymar is convinced M.C. Escher engineered his car

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Oh, don't even get me started.... oops, too late!

GM, circa 1980: "Let's make a sports car with a Chevette front suspension!" "the stupid public will never know the difference."

GM, twenty years later: "Let's make an SUV out of a mini-van!"

"...wait, do WE know what the difference is?"

Q: Is GM kinda like the ex you see on the street that you'd once made great plans with?

Fiero [en.wikipedia.org] Aztec [en.wikipedia.org]

Mark Miller

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @MalFuller: <--- Booksmart.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Another half-assed joke from GM. Before GM increased engine oil capacity they should have been delivered with a fire extinguisher as standard equipment. The company just put a front wheel drive set-up in the car's ass and called it mid-engined. Replacing the clutch was a nightmare. Inexplicably, the Fiero's defenders are a rabid group. I guess it's either that or admit to having been screwed.

MalFuller

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Man I love fieros. I know it's retarded. There's a really nice fiero around the corner from me. It's one of the late model ones and has been painted a candy dark red with black rims. sounds a bit corny but the paint job is really nice and to me it looks cool. When I pointed it out to my girlfriend, she laughs and says "c'mon, you can't feel like a man driving that car. When I see those cars I'm always wondering if a bunch of clowns are going to jump out." Ouch!!!

dolo54

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @CafeRacer1200: So, the Fiero is the Porsche Cayman of the 1980s!

Bubs

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> During the mid 80's I had a Fiat X1/9. I only wished I could have had a Fiero. That X1/9 was a HUGE POS.

creigs9

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I was a toddler back then but my impression of early 80's cars was that they really didn't need to handle, they just needed to meet the esthetic requirements of the times: sharp plastics edges, a swoopy-ish curve and some impression of power. this car seems like a pretty good example of that trend.
But really, you just need the Jalop-approved Hayabusa engine, a proper stick instead ot the dumb 3 speed auto, simple McPhersons for the suspension and you'll be hoonin.

franzouse

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I'd say both of the first two choices are accurate. GM blew it, but the Fiero also gets a bad rap.

I first had an '88 Formula. Terrifically fun car. Thought I'd keep it forever, but I ran across a can't-pass-up deal on a Corvette at a moment of weakness. Now I'm caretaking an '86 GT. The handling difference is astounding.

But that '88 gets the bad rap. GM had already all but killed the market, and then when they -- and Lotus -- finally had a product that could compete, they gave up.

beercheck

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> To bastardize a famous sports quote: "The execution of the Fiero development team? I'm all for it."

The high-profile failures of GM during the Roger Smith years still haunt GM today. This should have been a delightful car for recent college grads - something to bring them into the GM fold. But the Fiero's body was writing checks that the engine and suspension just couldn't cover.

goatrope

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> but I thought that the original purpose of Fiero was to be a low cost, high mileage commuter car. For those goals, it made sense - recycle the T body front suspension and X body drivetrain to keep costs low and use the cash to develop a spaceframe with plastic no-dent panels for urban parking.

Highjacking the project into a sports car was the mistake... well, and not re-developing it when they decided to make it sporty.

Fiero was very much a Corvair redux - an economy car that morphed into a sport-ish car due more to public demand than good reason.

abgwin

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> The Fiero story is both exciting and tragic. Pontiac desperately wanted a sporty car but were hamstrung and outgunned at every opportunity until they came up with the Fiero concept. A car that started life with so much promise now seems star-crossed from the very beginning. GM may have needed the car to be a success but Pontiac deserved it, and they didn't get it.

I've got many good memories of them, most involving women. Good times can be had both in and out of a Fiero. Too bad neither GM or I could keep a good thing going.

Uncle Bo, averting foreclosure

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I was 10 at the time. My mom knows I love cars, so she'd wait for me before going to the dealership for her car. I'd spend my afternoon looking at the cars in the showroom, talking to the salesmen (no woman as far as I remember). Everybody at that dealership knew me (or at least, of me). Eventually I got close to the sales manager. He taught me a bunch of dealer tricks that have been very useful to me as a customer through the years.

One day, he called me to his office and told me to close the door. In normal circumstances, he was cheerful, made jokes all over the place, constantly laughed and basically acted as everybody's friend. That time, he looked ghastly. Looking back as an adult, he may have been drinking, too. He let his guard down because he needed to talk. I was simply the one person available at that moment.

He'd just been told he needed to take in a bunch of Fieros, in addition to his unsold inventory.

FLB

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Had a friend who had an '86 2M4 (is that right?) that CAUGHT FIRE on him while driving his dream-girl home from school. Had to laugh though. this is the same guy that drove around for months with his high-beams on, arguing taht the blue headlight light was to say that you had your headlights on. guh.

The Fiero could have put up a fantastic fight for the MR2, and had it been what it should have done, could have potentially changed the automotive landscape pretty significantly. Do you think the Miata would have been what it was if everyone was building mid-engined small sports cars? Would it have cannibalized sales from the Firebird/ T/A? Would it have convinced Honda to build a similar-type vehicle (most likely at the expense of the CRX, I would only imagine)?

Just some thoughts of what could have been... Not that I would want to have seen the MX-5 be anything other than it was... but you have to wonder...

VonPinto

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> I liked the body style on the later ones. But, I have a bais against all GM through personal experience. Also, seeing the plastic body panels crack to pieces didn't do Saturn any favors.

That being said, Frod didn't do a whole helluva lot better with the Capri...which promised to be awesome when previewed as the Ghia, and then turned out to depreciate faster than a Hyundai (for good reason).

OctaneBoaster

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> My father worked for GM from the early '60's through the mid '90's and he ran a couple of Fieros up to Detroit after having put in transmissions at the plant he worked at. According to him, the Fiero we all wanted was out there but GM killed it when it outperformed the Corvette.

CafeRacer1200

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> My favorite car when I was a kid. I had a kickass R/C V6 Fiero with working flip-up lights and horn. I even wrote a song about it, which was a pretty kickass song about a car from an eight-year-old with kind of square parents.

BSAKat

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> @TampaRon:

Exactly right.

poxpopulus

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> So close, yet so far...

TampaRon

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> The Fiero really was a shame. It could have been totally awesome, but turned out mediocre and half-assed.

Thanks, GM, for turning a great idea into a joke.

Paul Y. can't think of a better, shorter handle

]]> <![CDATA[1985 Pontiac Fiero SE, With Bonus Fiero Judgment Poll]]> Some of the later v6 models where bad ass, then they killed it.

Buckster

]]>