1986 Pontiac Fiero 2.8L 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

An overall fun, and stylish little sports car

Faults:

Extremely small trunk.

Crack in back driver's side window.

Very electronic look to the inside.

Was known to overheat.

Pontiac recalled the Fiero several times.

General Comments:

Fast car.

Only seats two people.

Great design.

Sounded amazing.

Fun little car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th December, 2010

3rd Jun 2018, 15:11

Facts: #1 Fieros never had "2.8 4 cylinder engines" they had 2.5 4 cylinders and a 2.8 V6, unless you count the Super Duty engine which was a racing 4 cylinder custom built from 2.5 to 2.8 liters.

#2 Fieros never had "semi-auto transmissions", they had 4 and 5 speed manual and 3 speed automatics.

1986 Pontiac Fiero GT 350 Chevy from North America

Summary:

Good American car that is over looked

Faults:

Seats - Replaced with leather.

Alternator - Replaced.

Wheel bearings - Replaced.

None of these were unexpected, it's an older car and I replaced the parts with better than new parts.

General Comments:

Great platform for upgrades. The body panels all come off so you can modify them and put them back on, or buy replacement panels and just swap them.

Better engines and transmissions are also available so you can upgrade. I personally like the 5 speed that came stock in the GT, but first gear is a little short.

It's an easy car to get comfortable in, you get use to it and don't realize how well it handles until you get in a different car.

Has a good following, so there is a community to ask questions when you can't figure out something on your own.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 12th September, 2009

1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 2M6 from North America

Summary:

Fun to drive, but reliability issues

Faults:

Clutch failure (twice).

Transmission repair (cracked ring - engine must be pulled to make repair).

Alternator (twice).

Radiator.

Throttle position sensor.

Brake work (rotors and pads).

Wheel bearing.

Battery (twice).

Radio/Cassette.

General Comments:

Fun to drive. Nice power from 2.8 litre six. Responsive engine. Excellent air conditioning, heating, window clearing. Power assisted steering is a nice compromise. Purchased for under $3,000 (in 1993). Good instrumentation with optional displays (RPM, etc.) Fairly quiet for highway cruising. Okay gas mileage.

Lots of leg room. Almost no room for luggage. Two seats is a big drawback. Trunk compartment (a slot) too close to engine and tiny. Sun roof can be removed, but not easy to get out or store.

Many reliability issues (see above) -- apparently parts are hard to find, now. Those of the most concern were the transmission, clutch and battery (air vent lets rain through onto the battery; issue can be resolved by installing a battery with side rather than top posts). When battery posts corrode you will be left in a no start situation (this happened three times to me in three years). Alternator also failed at a most inopportune time.

Engine runs hot and it is important to keep an eye on cooling system.

I miss this car, but not the cost of repairs. It is probably best for someone who can make some of his/her own repairs or who has a reasonable mechanic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 13th June, 2009

19th Jun 2009, 10:54

Yeah it may be fun to drive, but there's a reason you never see these things on the road anymore. One of my neighbors at one time had 3 or 4 of these things in his yard, not a single one of 'em ran.

20th Jun 2009, 08:33

I remember these cars, they were cool and all but in reality they were freaking death on wheels. I mean it was so small and built so flimsy that if you hit a VW Bug, you'd go underneath it!! And if you were unfortunate enough to hit a real nicely sized car, it would resemble the Delorian Time Machine hitting the train in Back to the Future Part III. That's the real reason why you don't see them on the road.

1986 Pontiac Fiero SE 2.8L V6 4 speed from North America

Summary:

High school hotrod

Faults:

When I first I bought the car, I had to do a complete tune up (spark plugs, wires, oil and oil filter, fuel filter, air filter, and fuel tank) $750 total in repairs.

Car was still bogging down and losing power occasionally, but not as bad as before. Ended up removing the catalytic converter. (don't need to pass smog out here)

Car ran good, and had no more further problems throughout my ownership.

General Comments:

I originally bought this car because I was a senior in high school, and everybody loves sports cars.

This car was also pretty quick too. K&N air filter upgrade helped it beat Mustangs and even a 1998 Camaro.

Everybody kept telling me this car was going to be the worst car I ever owned, but hey it ended up great, only minor work to get road ready. I drove this car pretty hard too.

If you maintain this engine, it will treat you very well, and take you wherever you need to go.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th September, 2008

16th Nov 2008, 19:49

"Everybody kept telling me this car was going to be the worst car I ever owned..."

Isn't that the TRUTH? I've owned mine 14 years now, still waiting for that bad stuff to start happening. :)