My '84 Fiero (Bought It New, Had It Ever Since)

Its on-again, off-again development took 6 years before it finally saw the light of day. Like almost every inexpensive sports car through history, it used numerous components from high-volume production cars to keep costs down.

Pontiac's crack marketing department predicted total sales of 60,000 that first year. Imagine their surprise when 30,000 people placed orders for the car sight unseen. By the time of its official introduction in September of 1983, there was a six-month waiting list. By model-year's end, 136,840 Fieros had flowed out the doors of its Pontiac, MI assembly plant, a record for any mid-engined car.

It was chosen as the Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500 that year, powered by a Pontiac 2.7L Super Duty 4 making 232 h.p. The 2000 Pace Car replicas sold to the public had the standard 92 h.p. Iron Duke 4.

Its Enduraflex body panels, bolted to a driveable space frame, never dented and never rusted. The lower door and fender panels would even bounce back from minor impacts. What GM learned about these body panels with the Fiero was applied to its first-generation minivans and its Saturn line of small cars.

This one was my first, and only new car. 26 years (as of April 9, 2010), 144,000 miles, (5,500 miles on this engine), two owners (for the first four years, the bank owned it. LOL). I ordered it in October 1983 from Townsend Pontiac in Merrillville, IN; it finally came in April 1984.

Mine is a Sport Coupe (the middle model), red with a gray interior and alloy wheels, and looks exactly like the Fieros Pontiac used in their print and TV advertising in '84. For this model year only, the engine cover grille was cast magnesium. The rear trunk held 5 upright sacks of groceries, the front compartment two more. (You listening, Solstice?)

It went 50,000 miles the first 3 years, thanks to a long daily commute; it took eight years to go the next 50,000. It took another 14 years after that to get to 140,000+ miles. Not that it had an easy life, being a daily driver in Chicago winters, where they throw salt on the street if a snow cloud passes overhead (notice I didn't say it actually had to snow.)

It's a 30-footer; from that distance, it could pass for new. As you get closer, you notice the stone chips, the clearcoat peeling off the wheels, the ripped driver's seat, and the swirl marks in the paint. But then, if any of you look like you did 26 years ago, raise your hands. Those of you who weren't even born 26 years ago can recuse yourselves.

It's on its second hood medallion; the first and only time I left the car parked outside my house overnight in 1987, someone tried to pry the first one off, and nearly succeeded. This is its second clutch and its second set of headlight motors, and its third set of tires (Eagle GT2's -- Goodyear no longer makes 215/60R14 tires, so my next set will have to be BF Goodrich). The old Iron Duke had to be replaced at 138,500 miles; with the new Duke, rebuilt by ATK, it's even faster than it was when new. The 4-speed has gone all the way

Other than that, it's original and bone stock, an increasing rare commodity in the Fiero world of turbo-V6 and small-block V8 engine swaps and one-off wheels, bodies and colors.

The only real problem I've had with this car is crappy repairs by mechanics, both dealer and independent, who shouldn't have been allowed to change a trunk light by themselves.

The Recall was the worst. The mechanics at my friendly local Pontiac dealer would loosen parts to get to other parts and forget to tighten them back, causing a noticeable rattle (hardly the car's fault) and refused to take responsibility for their shoddy work; I ended up tightening those parts back myself.

After 16 years of these kinds of repairs, through my local Fiero club, Northern Illinois Fiero Enthusiasts, I finally found a dealer mechanic, Dave Armstrong, who knew what the hell he was doing; he's the reason my car is still on the road. I found out from him that even when Fieros were still being made, it was OPTIONAL for Pontiac mechanics to be trained to work on them. If you brought your Fiero in for service, it was strictly luck whether you got a qualified technician (like Dave)or a clueless hack.

A possible consequence of getting a dealer hack, going to an independent mechanic or doing a backyard DIY repair? If the Fiero's cooling system was not flushed and refilled according to a specific procedure (clearly outlined in the owner's manual and, I would imagine, the dealer shop manual), the car ended up with HALF the antifreeze/coolant it was designed to hold. And there were engine fires? Gee, I wonder why.

Dave was the go-to Fiero guru at Jacobs Twin Pontiac in Chicago; now he's got his own garage near Harlem and Irving Park, doing a land-office business. It couldn't happen to a more deserving guy. He'll get your Fiero (or any other GM car) running right.

Contact him at 773-282-1444.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Chicago
• 1984
• '84
• Pontiac
• Fiero
• SE
• GT
• Formula
• GM
• General
• Motors
• mid
• engine
• sports
• car
• red
• manual
• stick
• 4-speed
• alloy

[FULLEFFECTCARCLUB]

i fucking love these cars. i just wish they put a more powerful motor in it. it would have been sweet if they put the sd4 fiero in production. ugh siiiiick.

[artistmac]

@FULLEFFECTCARCLUB If they had given the stock Fieros the 2.7 Super Duty from the '84 Indy Pace Car, it would have been a screamer. Pontiac dealers used to sell the parts over-the-counter to build the Super Duty from an Iron Duke. Anybody out there ever build one out?

[sandman19681012]

What a beautiful example of an automobile that could have and should have had a much longer production run.

[artistmac]

@sandman19681012 GM had a habit of doing that; once they finally got a car right, boom! They'd stop making it. The '94-'96 Impala SS and the '86-'87 Buick Grand National were perfect examples.

[nsalaptop]

Beautiful specimen sir! I myself had a Silver 1984 2m4 about 13 years ago, before that, my father owned it. After me my brother owned it. Unfortunately, it was written off by the hands of another. I can't remember the actual mileage, (well over 200,000km) and I know I put 50,000km on it in the 3 years she was mine.

Fast forward to today..

Got my house, Truck and my 1987 Black Fiero GT. This winter I am starting my 3800SC swap. LOVE these cars. BTW, I live in Ottawa, the 2m4 survived winter too!!

[artistmac]

@nsalaptop Nice to know an entire family had the Fiero fire! When you finish the engine swap, put up a video and let's see what it looks like!

[artistmac]

@ArniepII And that suspension works fine. Just got back from a 1,600 mile road trip in a 27-year-old car with that suspension (and the rear suspension and drivetrain from the front-drive GM X-cars). Every low-priced sports car from MG to Triumph to the Datsun 1600 and 240Z , Mazda Miata and Pontiac Solstice has used their respective makers' existing mechanical components to keep costs down. So, what's your point?

[firebird904]

I own an 86 fiero gt and love it. Sure old car's are gonna eventually give you some trouble they aren't indestructible and I really could care less what anyone has to say about my car because everyone likes different things but to be calling other people's car shit? Really? Not only is that immature but it doesn't show much respect for other people's property, I bet you wouldn't tell someone to their face that their car is crap.

[gtakilla22]

@artistmac Modern Examples.....The 04-06 Pontiac (Holden) GTO, Pontiac Solstice GXP/Saturn Sky RedLine.....

[ProjectCircaBellum]

Parts are sooooo cheap for this car, even the high end aftermarket suspension and or drop kit runs only ~$200 for all 4 wheels. Its amazing! My only problem with my 87 fiero v4 2.5 is the handling on rough roads while cornering, the wheel wants to jump out of my hand! Stock v4 pushing 105BHP at 5Krpm, 24 in city 29 highway, fiberglass hood, top and trunk 188187.8 miles is where the odometer stopped rolling at, still runs as my daily driver though! :D

[BugsyBruhh]

hi war  are you at

[BugsyBruhh]

ok

[BugsyBruhh]

you  funy

[tyrents334]

Its in great shape :) good job keeping it clean I also have a Fiero :)) 84 2m4

[Sktrtrsh]

I bought one new in St Louis back in '84. At first I loved it, aside from the seriously bad under steer and seriously weak motor and the sloppy cable shifter.Then after the 12mo/12K warranty, all hell broke loose. First the A/C compressor blew out, then a rod started knocking, the drivers side seat adjuster quit sliding, the tape deck in the stereo quit working, one head light quit opening ( I had to open the hood and turn the freaking knob!). Hated it!

[sandman19681012]

@artistmac You are very correct. You have a very beautiful example there. Best of luck in the future my friend.