10th Mar 2010, 22:34
Comments One and Two are completely wrong, and it is those kind of misinformed individuals that kills this cars reputation.
I see a decent amount of Fieros cruising around. You have to keep in mind that it is over a 20 year old car now, people will just scrap them rather than pay an outrageous bill (outrageous because the shops don't want to work on them, and the truth is they are worlds simpler than today POS cars!)
Also I have to just LOL at comment 2, you ever seen the old VW Beetle crash test? Go to youtube and watch it come apart! The Fiero was top rated in its class back in the day, and it also met Swedish crash requirements, which are more stringent. It is a very solid car, it has a unique steel "space frame" that is completely solid, and has Enduraflex body panels. IE: No rusty body anymore and also is dent resistant.
I love mine!!!
4th Apr 2011, 18:39
People who bad mouth the Pontiac Fiero 2M6 are very misinformed.
First of all, the fire problems were with the 4 cylinder Fieros.
Secondly "built flimsy?" The Fiero space frame is one of the safest and sturdiest ever built for a car that size.
And lastly, if maintained these cars had no more problems than any other car, and they are definitely fun to drive. I have an 86, and it runs great and looks great. I have had no problems with it other than maintenance, which I am always careful to do when necessary. They are great cars in my opinion, and what value.. too bad they quit making them.
5th Mar 2012, 12:04
I agree with the positive comments on the Fiero. I have a 1986 SE 2M6, and it is a wonderful car. Have had no problems, and it's a great little sports car with plenty of power, even with the automatic transmission.
The amazing part is how cheap you can get a decent one, even though they have been increasing a bit price wise.
Anyway, I keep mine in beautiful condition (easy to do) and I just love it. I always get questions from people who see it and are not familiar with the Fiero, as they are now at least 24 years old. Pontiac made a mistake discontinuing them.
Also, if you buy one, get a pre-1988, because yes the '88s were the best ones in many respects, but parts and repairs for them, if you need them, are much more expensive.
30th Jun 2012, 18:06
These didn't handle very well, could catch fire, were designed hastily, the plastic body would break very easily (a simple blow out from a tire could chew up a bit of the car), and build quality was a mess.
That's why they're so rare these days.
1st Jul 2012, 18:47
But the "space frame" DID rust out.
I sold Fiero's for all the years they were made, and they were NOT the "great" cars so many of you say they were.
In fact the steering was terrible and took a lot of effort; the handling wasn't so great either.
I was young at the time, and did enjoy driving them (at least the 6 cylinder versions), but did not enjoy turning or parking them so very much.
Just when they were improving this aspect of the car, and had developed an electronic power steering system, GM decided to kill the car.
This is a shame, because the Fiero never reached its potential.
1st Jul 2012, 18:50
One more point - the VW Beetle was designed in the 1930's - safety was not at the forefront of its engineering. If it were, the fuel tank would not have been situated in front of the driver & passenger. Still, I would much rather own a mint vintage VW Beetle, than a Fiero any day (especially a Convertible).
1st Jul 2012, 19:14
From what I've read, the major problems were with early models, and were resolved over the design cycle.
27th Oct 2018, 23:35
This Fiero had a full space age steel shell underneath the plastic panel. It was very safe in comparison to say other cars. I recommend researching the true history, because there's so much hatred for such a little car. Things like a parts bin car? Because the suspension came from the Chevette and Chevy Citation and X11. No problem, Toyota did the same thing with the first gen MR2; Corolla parts galore, but no one even talks about it.
I have my second GT, a great car and yes I work on it like any other old car, but it sat for 6 years, only occasionally driven, and I've put 4 thousand miles on it this year.
OK, fires, 140 in the first year, none after of 360 thousand sold.
I've come to the conclusion that car snobbery causes unfair criticism of all GM products.
19th Jul 2021, 15:05
I was in a bad accident in my Fiero. I got rear ended at 55 mph. I had no injuries and I was able to drive my car home from the scene. The car that hit me was totalled. These are safe vehicles if in good condition.
19th Jul 2021, 22:28
There are so many factors that go in to a car crash — the cars involved; the speed; the exact angle of impact; the position of the occupants; etc — that making such sweeping statements about the model as a whole, based on just one instance, isn’t justified.
Besides that, it keeps coming up that people cherry-pick the experiences where an old car looks better superficially than a much newer car after an accident. Once again, this is anecdotal, and it fails to take into account that modern crash protection focuses on having the car crumple so that you don’t! It’s intended that the car crushes in order to absorb energy from the impact.
20th Jul 2021, 18:27
Agree, it depends on the comparison, too. A Fiero at 55mph impact is safer than a motorcycle. Is it safer than, say, a car which actually has airbags? Is it safer than a jacked up truck which sits higher off the ground - if the vehicle slamming into it is also high clearance, likely not. It’s like Corvettes which crash into the backs of semis, and the entire top of the Corvette gets scalped off.
20th Jul 2021, 21:51
Why? If the Fiero was already at 55 MPH, and got hit by someone doing 65, then the differential speed is 10 MPH. They didn't get slammed at full stop by someone driving at 55.
21st Jul 2021, 15:29
It's very true about modern cars and crumple zones. They are in fact designed to both crumple and break away around the cab. That's why in major accident a lot of modern cars get totaled since so much of the car is more or less destroyed. That and with most modern cars having a LOT of air bags, which costs $1000's to replace, that too also leads to a lot of write offs. While cars in the 80's had some crumple zones, they are not at all up to the same levels as cars made today. I would much rather get in an accident in something more recent than something made 30 years ago.
22nd Nov 2009, 20:27
I love the Fieros, the sunroof is easily removable and maybe you didn't see the special storage place under the hood?
Trunk space is small, and I have had trouble with the throttle position sensor and the headlight motors.
The car should also have a fifth gear. With six cylinders it would improve your mileage a great deal.
I disagree with the "death trap" theory, they are built pretty solid.