1987 Pontiac Fiero GT 2.8

Summary:

Inexpensive blast from the past!!!

Faults:

Window switches work when they feel like it...

Headlight motors.

General Comments:

Love this car... this is my 4th Fiero... I'm now retired and use the car weekly for fun runs... casino, beach, and just fun driving. The car has all the options except rear window defogger, and all the systems work.

Purchased the car in 2014 from someone who left it sitting in a shop for 12+ years... paid $500... and put around $2000 into it. Updated A/C, new cat converter (California), water pump, fuel pump, heater core, shocks and struts, new tires. It runs great, drives great, and is very dependable.

I have a 2008 Mazda Miata MX5 Grand Touring, and my wife and I both prefer the Fiero. This year we are planning trip to Northwest Fiero Fest, an 850+ mile trip one way. The car is pleasure to drive, easy to maintain, and comfortable for us on long trips.

I have had several other sports type cars, and this by far is easiest to maintain and is affordable...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th May, 2016

1987 Pontiac Fiero GT 2.8L V6

Summary:

26 years of fun

Faults:

Motor rebuilt due to burning oil at 165k.

Clutch at 100k.

Thermostat twice 55k, 180k.

Water pump at 147k.

Radiator at 129k.

Distributor at 88k.

Starter at 90k.

Fuel pump at 130k.

General Comments:

Very quick, and the handling is amazing on this car, hence why I have kept it so long as my daily driver.

Gas mileage is not the greatest, but it is not horrible; I get 22 in mixed driving, sometimes 27 on all highway trips.

Besides the engine needing a rebuild and normal wear and tear, it has been great for me. Thinking about getting a CTS-V this year or next year.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd January, 2016

23rd Jan 2016, 19:28

That's amazing! Congrats on making it a keeper!

All the best.

Steven Lang.

9th Jun 2017, 21:28

THE Steven Lang of TTAC fame?

9th Sep 2018, 21:36

YEP! Type in 'Steven Lang cars Facebook' and you'll find my ever smaller footprint on the internet.

All the best!

Steve

1987 Pontiac Fiero 2.5 4 cylinder

Summary:

Passion project

Faults:

Clutch slave cylinder died 3 times.

Clutch master cylinder died once.

Alternator died.

Parasitic drain.

Crank shaft position sensor went.

Ignition coil pack went.

Ignition module went.

Throttle position sensor went.

Shift light sensor melted and caught fire.

Reverse light sensor went; still haven't fixed it.

Fuel tank level (ohm resistor) burnt out, and melted.

Speedometer circuit board is fried, bounces up from 0 kph to 70 kph, regardless of speed.

Head gasket went.

Fuel pump died.

Water pump died.

Rear A-arm alignment pin snapped, and I lost control of the car.

3/5 wheel bolts snapped on one of the hubs, leaving me stranded.

Door pin wore out, sagging the door.

Hell, at least the belt hasn't been changed.

General Comments:

Every day I get in this car, I wonder, will it start? Every minute it runs, every second I drive the car longer, will it hold together?

Everywhere I go, peoples' heads turn. The shouts and praises of children who think this car is a Transformer, fuels the car more than the 50$ tank of gas that runs it.

Others think it's from Back to the Future.

Screams of "Nice Car" can be heard on every city block I drive past. Kids tugging at their Dad's sleeves asking, "What kind of car is that, Dad??" greet me around every corner.

I love my Fiero.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th September, 2014

1987 Pontiac Fiero Base 2.5L inline-4

Summary:

Best friend ever. Wish I had never said goodbye

Faults:

Let's see:

Dead catalytic converter $200...

That was about it, LOL.

Oh, right. I replaced all of the gaskets. I highly recommend this.

Replaced the EGR, O2 sensor, timing gears (upgraded to aluminum). Highly recommended.

One day it kept dying at idle. Turned out to be the map sensor vacuum line that slipped from the manifold.

The interior was decayed, but I simply began to strip it slowly (weight reduction?).

I had to press all the way to the floor to shift gears.

Replaced the slave cylinder and master cylinder for the clutch system.

Headliner was sagging off.

It began to leak a whole bunch of oil. I knew what was the culprit, but didn't fix because I knew it would come back. It was the oil pan and front crank case cover. Couldn't get a good gasket for it, so just used a lot of sealant. Both parts were no longer good, as the pans had warped from age.

Also cylinder #1 was pretty much dead; was around 102 PSI of health, so that blow by was bursting the seals in that area even more.

Was gonna buy a new engine for around $1,500 bucks straight from Autozone, but didn't.

Needed new tach filter, and the instrument panel lights circuit fixed.

A/C didn't work.

General Comments:

The only fix it truly needed were these. I recommend you focus on these: O2 sensor, catalytic converter, EGR valve and 10-40w oil.

You will eventually need to replace the slave and master cylinders for the clutch line. I recommend you replace the clutch and rear main seal at the same time. This will save you labor in the long run.

When you have to replace the main motor mount, I recommend you get them to replace the oil pan, timing gear cover gasket and front main seal at same time. I know it sounds crazy, but believe me it's well worth it.

It's fast in its own way; I would rev it max to 4k RPM. I'd never rev higher as that would blow the oil pan gasket :P

A cousin even revved it as high as 6k RPM (that cut its life by a lot).

The suspension is real rough, but I loved it for it; it translated every bump and crack on the tarmac. I switched the steering wheel for a GT model; feels great. Just keeping up with basic maintenance makes these into dependable cars.

It passed smog in 2012 with flying colors, even with its dying engine. Pontiac truly made a special car. Don't really care what people say about the Fiero or Iron Duke. The transmission is flawless. It felt like a short shifter, and I mostly never missed a gear when I would let it loose.

Torque really does exist on it, as 2nd gear power induced slides were pretty easy, even on 180 degree turns.

I did some personal modification on the Fiero that made it real unique; just really secret stuff.

I sold it to some kid around my age (21) that really wanted it, so sold it to him for dirt cheap ($650)... He sold it a month later; I have been trying to track it down, lost track of it over at Stockton, Ca.

These cars are truly dependable. No matter what problem arose, the one thing this car never did (unlike at the Fiero forums) was leave me hanging... Well there was that one time where I left the lights on...

If you figure this car out, you'll surprise a couple of Civic DX's from a dig. You'll be with them until the top of 3rd gear. They'll soon be embarrassed to have been kept up with by a "Slow POS car".

All this car needs is a 4-2-1 header (look at the Pennock forums), remove the bypass valve at the side intake panel, K&N filter and 2.5 inch intake piping from the intake vent to the filter box.

That's the last modification... Scratch that... last setup, I would've run on that blue friend of mine.

I recommend 215/60 15 in front and 225/60 15 rear on aluminum rims.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th September, 2013