bogie@phoenix.UUCP (Rona J. Kopp) (05/03/85)
of all the cars i feel financially comfortable buying - the
pontiac fiero is by far the most desireable wrt to styling.
unfortunately i have heard many negative things regarding the
reliability of the car (i.e. "in and out of the shop since i bought
it").
can any of you fiero owners substantiate or refute this?
(if you've had problems - exactly what were they?)
thanks....
rona
--
Rona J. Kopp
AT&T Information Systems/Lincroft, NJ
{ihnp4|ahuta|pegasus}!phoenix!bogie
lz3f313 (201) 576-6315rosen@siemens.UUCP (05/06/85)
[]
I don't own a Fiero, but from what I have been reading about it I have to
laugh. It seems that GM is pulling the technical wool over the eyes of the
auto-buying public. A couple of years ago, before GM was convinced that the
public was hungry for little zippy sports cars, a couple of engineers
thought that GM should be selling a fast little car. Unfortunately the
engineers knew that they could not go off and build the car that they really
wanted to because it would not be approved by management.
What these guys did was to 'fake' a sports car by passing it off as a
2-seater commuter car. They borrowed parts from current GM cars so that it
would not look suspicious. The american public, upon first seeing this new
car exclaimed, "WOW a new sports, how sleek!" GM didn't intend the car to
be a sports car, but they figured that if the automobile public thinks that
they are buying a sports car then as far as we're concerned, they're buying
a sports car. Boy were people fooled (and are still fooled). The
technical aspects of this car are testimony to this fact. Do you really
think the Fiero is a sports car? Sure it looks pretty, but beauty is only
skin deep. Let's take a look under that plastic...
Front Suspension: Borrowed from a Chevy Chevette!
Rear Suspension: Borrowed from a Chevy Citation! (X-body suspension)
Hi-Tech Interior: Seats are from a Pontiac J2000 (Chevette Twin)
Engine: 2.5L "Iron Duke" - modified version of
an old Chevy Vega Engine
People complain about weak handling and an underpowered engine... Gee, I
wonder why they say that? The new GT version has a 6-cylinder in it but
Pontiac isn't going to upgrade the suspension until next year when the
Chevette goes bye-bye. These cars are in such demand that the factory can't
turn them out quick enough. It's hard to get spare parts because every
extra part goes into making a new car.
All this alone was enough to make me stop and wonder about the car, but
after a recent visit to a Pontiac dealer with a friend to get his Grand Prix
fixed I saw an array of Fieros in the garage all with their engines
partially disassembled, I really had to stop and think. You can draw your
own conclusions.
Steve Rosen
Siemens RTL
princeton!siemens!rosenman@bocar.UUCP (M Nevar) (05/07/85)
> People complain about weak handling and an underpowered engine... Gee, I > wonder why they say that? The new GT version has a 6-cylinder in it but > Pontiac isn't going to upgrade the suspension until next year when the > Chevette goes bye-bye. These cars are in such demand that the factory can't > turn them out quick enough. It's hard to get spare parts because every > extra part goes into making a new car. Unless they changed their plans, Pontiac isn't upgrading the suspension until 1987. The biggie for '86 is to include a 5-speed. I totally agree with you about the Fiero. It is not a sports car -- yet. Maybe in 2 years, but not now. Bring back the Cobra ! Mark Nevar
thoth@tellab2.UUCP (Marcus Hall) (05/07/85)
I have owned a Fiero since February. It is an 85 SE with the V6. I waited for the V6 because I was not impressed with the 2.5L 4. My previous car was a Fiat X1/9 which is somewhat underpowered and the 84 Fiero was just a little better. I wanted the power of the V6, but with the Fiat breaking down all the time it was tough to wait. Anyhow, I have about 3500 miles on the car now and so far I haven't had any problems with it. I three people who have had their Fieros for about a year and the worst problem any of them have is a freon leak. Last winter when the cold here froze most of the cars, one of these Fieros was parked at a party I was at and it and one other car were the only ones that started that night. Anyhow, on the minus side, there isn't much trunk room in the Fiero, but that isn't what you would buy the car for anyhow, is it? It does have an annoying blind spot due to the wide pillars in the back. The suspension could use a little help, but it isn't that bad. Car Craft magazine did a Fiero build up in a series last year. With relatively simple modifications they were able to dramatically improve the suspension. I am starting this modification soon. They were able to get .91 g skidpad results, most of which they claimed was the result of new tires. Overall, I am happy to own the car, so count me on the + side. marcus hall