Fiero Comparo
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- With 370,168 Fieros built on just over 5 years, they’ve got to be pretty much all the same, right? Not so fast! This comparison of a first-year 1984 and third-year 1986 Fiero reveals dozens of differences. It’s a rare junkyard treat!
Steve, 2M4 stood for 2 seat, MID engine, 4 cylinder. (or 2M6 for the 6 banger). A 6:39 you bring up M for manual for the 2nd time. But at 8:16, you can see through the rear window of the red car that it is in fact an automatic.
He gets a lot of things wrong
@@danielknepper6884- I think he's got too much info in his brain & it's easy to mix things up. Hes frequently correcting himself quickly.
Yep. We had some of the Fiero design engineers come to our Society of Automotive Engineers meeting back in '84 and that stood out to me.
@@danielknepper6884 That's OK, we're all human. He does things fast and in one take, so mistakes will happen.
@@umrmech84 You mean "T Body (Chevette)" and "X Body (Citation)" engineers mostly because the early Fieros raided those parts bins heavily. LOL.
A friend of mine used to work at "The Fiero Store" which sells repro parts for these things. When he first took the job I was skeptical about whether or not there was enough interest in these cars for that business to last more than a few years. Well, that was 20 years ago and "The Fiero Store" is still going strong as far as I know. These are cool little cars with loyal enthusiasts.
People swap all sorts of engines into them which is a feat in itself. It's not an easy car to work on, that's for sure.
There's a black one sitting forgotten in someones yard about a mile from my house.
I keep passing by wanting to stop and ask about it but... It doesn't have a for sale sign on it, and some people get butthurt about it. So I've been sort of reluctant to do so.
@@lilmike2710 - Yeah, anymore these days you gotta watch doing that. People might think you're the government out to get them, and you may end up close and personal with a Glock.
@@michaelnazaruk4100 😏 right? Or cursed out... "Do you see a for f***ing sale sign anywhere?!?" 😡 But if I see someone outside already, then I feel more comfortable with asking.
@@lilmike2710 - And if they don't have a holster on.
Please everyone who cares about Steve, watch as many of his videos as possible to support him in his recovery. Thanks
What’s wrong with Steve?
I noticed that blazer and thinking it could be like a 2dr and cutlass up there has a neat convrtible.
That black one isn’t a 1984 looks to be a 1987 as the front and rear bumper is a 87-88 style piece, steering wheel is later and missing the black buttons on the hvac controls. In 1985 they went to a black off button and gray buttons for the different functions. Also missing the glass sail panels those are 85+ plexiglass sail panels.
Ok good I wasn't going crazy when I had red flags going up as he described the black front end as an '84!
yep noticed that right way. Def a later base model 87/88 would be my guess as well.
The deck lid has been changed to a 84 model. Steve was explaining the speakers which are clearly not in the headrests even though that is what he was saying. The speakers were never in the center stack.
@@robertcross5794No, headrest speakers was what he never said.
Also the side mouldings are rounded. Those started on the 1987 model year. And the bumpers on the '84 had large, rectangle, black pads on the bumpers. All & All, the black car is not an '84. Hope you get well soon Steve.
I had an 85 with a v8 shoehorned in , it was an absolute beast, if I had to do it all over again I would use a 3800 Buick motor.
This. 100% this! Buick 3800 and Fiero were just meant to be, a totally missed opportunity by GM
@@Drmcclung There's a '88 in my area running a 3800 supercharged.
@@jonathanmorrisey5771 Ultimate Fiero right there 👍 Some would call that a waste of an SSEi motor but I'd say Fiero is the car that 90° Buicks should have gone into the day those engines debuted! It would have saved Fiero, finally made GM a profit on it, and made Fiero a sales fire when supercharged versions came out (not just catch fire like most shitty irondookies did 😆)
I had a friend who put a 3800 in one: he said it was awesome on dry pavement.
@@Drmcclung they had the L27 series I 3800 by the time the fiero production ended, and the series I L67, both put the 60 degree V6 to shame..... but the 3800 got it's real potential with the series II L67. the fiero was long gone and done before that engine debuted.
still GM had the hardware to do more with the car.
I was working at a GM dealership in 1984 and I remember how excited we were when we got the first one in off the truck. We were amazed at the stereo speakers in the headrest, and everything seemed so futuristic at the time!
Not correct, 2M4 meant "2-seat, mid-engine, four cylinder".
Yup, just like the Impala SS, once GM gets it right, they drop it. Ditto on the Pontiac G8, Epsilon platform and countless others along the way. Back then, GM was quite myopic, and they figured a 1984 Fiero owner might have gotten rid of theirs by 1988 as people often changed cars like socks back then. Someone else noted the black one might not be a 1984, and I think I agree with that.
The VIN is slightly different on a 1984 versus 1985 and up, but not by much, with an '84 VIN if we had it for the VIN: 1G2 for US made Pontiac, A for manual seat belts, E for Fiero coupe, 37 for two door coupe, R for 2.5L four cylinder with TBI, aka Iron Duke, then a check digit, E for the 1984 model year, P for Pontiac, MI assembly and the rest is the production sequence. The Pontiac, MI plant closed in 1988 and last assembled the last of the "G" body RWD cars and the Fiero before closing. The '84 is code 41 Black exterior paint.
For 1986, the VIN is slightly changed (but mostly the same) with that VIN if we had it for the win: 1G2 for US made Pontiac, PE for Fiero coupe (note the use of the "P" nomenclature), R for 2.5L four cylinder with TBI, aka Iron Duke, then a check digit, then G for 1986 model year, P for Pontiac, MI assembly and the rest is the production sequence. The red one is code 81 Bright Red exterior paint.
I was never a fan of them, especially with the use of lower tier model parts, but at least that makes getting parts easy for them and of course with "parts sharing", makes parts replacement very cheap as well.
Yes I used to change vehicles like my socks and like the proverbial cow the grass is always greener on the other side.
Sometimes I would get rid of a good vehicle for a piece of junk. 🙃
@@garymckee8857 That's how some folks were. I kept/keep my vehicles for the long haul, but that's me.
@googleusergp I only had one vehicle that I really liked and it was a 69 Roadrunner but l had to sale it to help my mom out.
@@garymckee8857 It happens. Fortunately, we kept the Trans Am that we bought new.
It's a shame Pontiac gave up after 4 years......this car should have been huge.
I remember the marketing campaign, particularly the excitement they got in the car magazines. There was a lot of enthusiasm. If they’d kept at it, maybe at least offered the Quad Four banger in later model years as an option with a stick until they could figure out something else, it would have been a marked in performance. I remember driving an 88-89 Grand Am with the Quad Four/ automatic and thought it was surprisingly quick.
Yeah, it could have been huge, but GM wanted the Corvette to be their biggest 2 seater, so they decided to make it smaller than the 'Vette. 🙂
Imagine if it got the Buick grand national 3.8 turbo engine or the cyclone 4.3 turbo
@@sombra6153 I was in 10th grade when the Fiero dawned......my best high school friend then was a GM fanatic, who loved it.
I was always a Ford and Mopar fan, but I still respected Pontiac and Olds way more than chevy.
I agree with all you guys....it seems like the right engine and this Fiero might have become a real collectible.....right?
5 model years
Great content Steve. Just a note that the 1984 only had a 4 speed Stick. So that dark Fiero is Not a 84.
Yes, an '87... with no speakers in headrests...
When most college juniors would be studying for finals and partying when able… Steve was in his dorm room building plastic Fieros. I love it
The black Fiero is a 1987. The decklid was replaced with a 1984. We can tell by several features & we're surprised you didn't check the VIN Steve because you are so good & thorough! We love your show, keep up the good work sir!
I was wondering about that, actually made a comment, I saw it had like 87 88 headlights and the steering wheel and some other things.
Came to the comment section to point this out. Glad that someone has already beat me to it.
Yes, so many mistakes in this one... if the speakers would have been in the headrests, there would have been little round holes over them...
The front looks like it's from an 88. It doesn't have the two bumper pads of the earlier ones.
Thorough? The moron running his mouth?
No one has mentioned the mono paint scheme on the dark Fiero.
There's a rumor that the real reason the Fiero was discontinued was that the last year model was run on a road course by GM drivers against the Corvette and the Fiero won hands down.
GM then said that the Fiero has to go, the corvette is our flagship sports car and we can't have anything out performing it.
It would be interesting to see if there is any truth to it.
GM did stop the try-power carbs on the GTO, mandating only on the corvette after 1966.
I'm 6'4" and I actually fit into the Fiero, I had a 87 GT and it was so much fun,I drove it hard and got tired of replacing clutches, if you want to have fun try replacing a Fiero clutch sometime.
A clutch replacement had to be a sheer nightmare on the Fiero. One would think you may have learned to take it easy on that car after replacing the clutch one time. Or learned not to use the clutch pedal as a footrest.
That's true. It was interfering with Corvette sales too much. The upcoming 1990 model would've had an aluminum V8. That definitely would've killed Corvette profits.
@michaelnazaruk4100
The first time took me three days to complete because of the learning curve.
The second time, I started in the morning and finished that evening.
The third time with help, it took half the morning.
The clutches for the Fiero at the time were crap, two of them actually exploded, and they still had plenty of material on the plates that were still there.
The pressure plate was still in excellent condition.
And I did run it hard back in the Ozarks back roads, that's what I bought it for.
This was in the early 90s. I think I was 30 at the time, 60 now, and a lot more mellow.
A powerful Fiero vs a C1 - C7 Corvette would be like a C8 vs a C1 - C7...
Porsche had same problem with mid engine Boxster/Cayman if it had some HP, it would destroy the flagship 911 WidowMaker!
@BuzzLOLOL
Remember this 1988, the only place that the corvette won was straight line acceleration, and the Feiro was no competition.
But running corners and curves, the corvette couldn't keep up.
I'm not putting down the vett, I have a 1993 C4 Corvette, and I drive it daily almost 71,000 mi on it, and I remember my 87 Feiro V-6 5 speed not fast(120+) but light and quick, I also had 86 vett it handled OK, but the hp wasn't there.
I'm sure the Feiro was more than capable of out running it in the backroads of the Ozarks where I'm from.
I believe the iron Duke was the power plant in the venerable mail truck for decades.
Yeah i believe thst is correct, for him to say "not a bad little engine" is crazy. That is one of the best little engines just not high HP.
Iron Duke was in tons of vehicles... AMC and Jeep... and industrial/commercial apps... like leaf vacuums...
Still is. A very solid engine.
My brother had a boat with an inboard iron duke engine@@BuzzLOLOL
@@blowupbob1 - Yeah, that marine 4 was available in 2.5L and 3.0L... bigger than the Fiero 2.8L V6...
Hey, Steve. Actually, the Fiero roof glass was completely removable with quick releases. It would store underneath the front hood in a special area. There was also a little plastic air deflector that would clip in place on the roof.
True, but he was really comparing the removable targa style roof on other cars compared to the "fixed" roof of the Fiero.
Not to mention the black car even still has the wind deflector under the hood for use when the sunroof is out. Kind of a rare thing to still find with the car in my experience
The fancy little black bag that sunroof went in was like 250 bucks😢
The thing about the Fiero roof glass is that it was almost the entire roof... Pillar to pillar. Like Steve says, "Almost as good"
I remember my Mitsu Eclipse had a similar sunroof setup - either pop it up, or take it out and store it in a protective sleeve, then clip on the deflector. I guess that was a thing for the '80s and early '90s.
I owned my 88 Fiero Formula 5 speed for just under a year. 4/22 to 3/23. 42k original miles. Fun but impractical. Sold it and my 91 Camaro to buy a truck. Had a Camaro Trans Am GTA and Fiero Formula all at the same time (profile pic). At 51, nostalgia is a hell of a drug.
I always consider these to be what the Corvair might have evolved into had it survived Ralph Nader. Say what you will about GM, but you have to admire them for taking a chance on cars like this that likely would not have gone beyond “what if’s” for the car show circuit with most other manufacturers……..👍
@ddellwo Yeah your probably right the Corvair went for 9 years. I think they had a good run though. I Had a 1962 Rampside abought 6 years ago. Great little truck. Never let me down.
That black one isn't an 84 it's an 87-88 has the formula front end, and Steve said it's a 5-speed the 84 was a 4 speed manual...
This is correct. Another key 88 point are the rear section "raised PONTIAC letters", which only came on that notchback style for 88. That rear decklid however, is from an earlier year 2M4. Good catch and eye!
And that black one has a tech4, the 84 had an iron duke later years it was called a tech4
Formula was ONLY in 88. 87 and 88 had redesigned front and rear bumper covers for the base and SE coupes. The 88 Formula was a V6 only in the coupe style body.
@@FastSS02 - Also GT models...
Great video Steve. My buddy had one back in '84 and it was surely a better Looker than it was Performer. I believe '2m4' denoted 'two-seat, MID-ENGINE, four-cylinder'.
that is correct and later the 2M6 for the 2.8L V6.
I remember in 83 my dad who is retired from G.M brought home the first fiero built it was a white 2m4 it was the first pilot car. the neighbors were looking at it and wondering what the hell it was.
I am so proud to be a owner of a 1986 fiero! Still a daily driver today!
The 3800 would have been the PERFECT engine for this car. Not too big or too much torque for the size of car that it is like a V8 would be but still enough power and torque to make a small, light weight 2 seater a total blast to drive.
There have been numerous 3800 swaps into Fieros. You can find plenty of videos on UA-cam of them.
The supercharged one, with a 5-speed manual gearbox . . . mmm mmm mmmm!
@@redmondjp That's cool but really even that's a little overkill for this car. The 200 hp and 220 lb/ft tq of the base Gen II 3800 from 1998-2003 is just the absolute SWEET spot for a car like this. Enough to make it a blast to drive, but not overkill to where you'll just drive it right into a telephone pole by just touching the gas.
@@joe6096 That makes sense - I hot-rodded one of my former cars to the point that it had way more engine than handling and brakes, resulting in on accident and a few near-misses. I was scared to drive it after that (especially in the rain) and got rid of it. To me, the Fiero is the reincarnation of many early-1960s GM vehicles which were far ahead of their time technology-wise (Corvair & Tempest comes to mind), but the car-buying public really didn't take notice, and then after improvements, were cancelled.
I think I read in Hot Rod magazine years ago that Pontiac was going to put the Buick 3.8 Litre with a super charger or turbo charger in the car but higher up executives wouldn't let them because it would out perform the Vette. A place called T/A performance have aluminum 3.8 Litre blocks, heads and improved timing case with better oil pump available, would make a great engine to swap!. Always wanted one of those 88 GTs thought those were good looking cars.
12minutes and 29seconds off great car knowledge. Thanks Steve
Lots of mistakes in this one...
This with a quad four. Would have smoked everything for a decade.
I like that barbecue grille by the back window to heat up a grilled cheese sandwich while driving
Would love to have a 88 with the six and a stick. Way to go GM to kill it off right when it got good.
Pick up a used one...
Steve, great show and amazing info. This time though, you showed the true Steve. You were a nerd in college.😁
More about the history of this car from Hagerty ua-cam.com/video/anHmoiS6QeY/v-deo.html. It's an amazing story.
A Fiero would be cool with the modern 2.0L Turbo or the supercharged 3800.
the black one is not an 84 steve, but thats ok!
Could have been a Mazda Miata killer if GM kept this going. Sigh.
Every episode when I see "Katie" in the background, I get distracted and have to rewind to hear what you said.
Fun little cars! How about that Saturn in the shadows? Any plans on a Saturn episode?
Looks like an SL2, 94 or older
Imagine if they had put the Quad 4 in the base model and a larger V6 😮
A hot version of the 3.4 would have been nice!
@@suzi_mai Or the 3.8 supercharged from the Grand Prix GTP
Weren't the early Quad Fours rather problematic as well?
The Turbo 2.9 was more than adequate, as was the 3.3L L4.
It isn't just about a big, heavy engine. You have to match the entire vehicle.
@@suzi_maiThe 3.4 is only a minor improvement. 3400 not much better, unless you mean thw DOHC version, which was junk.
My attentions went away from Fieros to that blue Cutlass sitting up high behind them. I'd like to see a Steve presentation of the final Oldsmobile Cutlass years.
Oh yeah another discontinued Model. That was huge back in the day. 👍
People were putting 350's and supercharged 3.8's in those.
And now LS of course
And who could forget the Lambo kits you could get for those 😂
Yep, that black one for sure is later than an 84. My friend in high school had an 84, which had headrest speakers, 4 speed, and a different steering wheel. Also his had a volt meter below the tach, and not an oil pressure gauge, which must have been deemed more important than voltage for later model years.
I loved the idea. I loved the style. Someday I hoped to get one. But in 1984 when it came time to buy a new vehicle, I opted for a Chevy S10, with V6, 4x4, and extended cab. It was a decision made with my head rather than my heart. Still love the Fiero original body style. If I could design one from the GM parts bin, it would have the '84 body, the '88 suspension, a N/A 3.4L, and a 5-spd manual. In '87 when we were getting a Quad 4 for our engine lab (U of Minn), we saw a prototype Quad 4 Fiero. The engineers hosting us said it really ripped.
I owned Two '88 Fieros -- totally different than the other years. No Chevette front Suspension. LOL Lower & Upper control arms. that were parts all to themselves Firebird parts were different. Production #'s in '88 came to every 100 Fieros you saw ONLY 2.6 of them were 88s. Basically of the 306K of them made Only less than 10K were 88s. If half were Fastback GTs & half were 4cyl Coupes they Qualify for Haggerty "Rare Car" production list.
Fieros had a bigger oil pan & Vents after the rear window in mid production years added to stop the Fire hazard.
You could put Grand Am Various styles of 16" wheels on them for a Nicer look but had to watch your speed though. Better Gas Mileage for Sure also.
No Power Steering (they didn't need it) Fiberglass & Four Wheel Disc Brakes, rear wheel Independent Suspension. Front wheel Drive System moved to the rear = Great Traction --Mini Vette
Fireos were discontinued b/c before 88 production year they were testing & adding Turbos & Superchargers. They took them to the proving grounds & Blew away the New C-5's. GM & Vette owners weren't going to put Up with That. lol
They were made @ Lansing's Grand River Craft plant. Where I lived for 40+ yrs. Reattas soon followed. 88s ARE Extremely rare & Are a Miniature Corvette!! I know --I owned Both.
In Spanish, it means wild, savage, violent, etc. Either way, they are both neither savage nor proud.
My friend in college (1988) had a 1986 Black EXP, my 1982 silver Mustang 5.0GT would blow Him away .
To me the Fiero was GM's biggest mistake ever, and I don't mean the car itself, it was a perfectly OK vehicle, but they missed a HUGE sales opportunity by letting corporate bureaucracy destroy it every inch of the way (GM being it's own worst enemy) by putting so the wrong engines in it, in conjunction with their monumental marketing fuckup of pitching Fiero to the public as both an economy car (ironduke pushrod 4 was a crude and inefficient piece of shit, utterly unacceptable for the time, not even fit for Chevette!), and a V6 sports car that was anything but sporty.. (that generation V6 was a heavy, underpowered and unrefined thirsty boat anchor compared to far cry better V6's such as the Buick Series) - Both engines being cheap cheap cheap parts-bin specials right out of the awful-in-every-way S10 pickup. Why the F would you put cheap truck engines in a mid-engine two-seater and call that eco and sporty!? You can't tell me GM bigwigs weren't snorting rails of DeLorean's coke off the backs of drunk hookers all through the late 70's & early 80's!
You nailed it! LOL All of GM was fucked up, and still are to this day.
Iron Duke a very efficient engine, 28 MPG city/34 hiway when it came out in Gas Hog Days of '76, and not that rough with 5 speed OD tranny to keep RPMs down... also, no timing belts or chains to fail! And more power than Ford V8's up through '53!
@@BuzzLOLOL No such thing as Iron dookies getting anything close 30+ in the real world in the 70's with a carb unless you were the asshole driving an S10 45mph on the freeway, and nothing small from GM had 5 gears until the 80's, not even the X cars. It was absolutely bottom of the barrel for 4cyls, even by 70's American standards it was a lousy engine. It was barely a step up from a Briggs & Stratton. It was so bad GM went to Isuzu for Chevette motors, but for some unknown asinine reason they kept sticking it in other half-decent cars they had no business cramming them in WELL past its sell-by date. Most people opted for the V6 S10.. Just a super crude vibrate-o-matic. Even Ford had their own SOHC engine in 1972.
good video but - 2M4 / 2M6 , 2 seat, mid engine , # cylinders. Also, SE was not the base model, it was a step up and alot of times came with the WS6 suspension option.
Steve - that Fierro model with the 400 is awesome! You ought to finish it. Hopefully some old Pontiac enthusiast’s heart (and back tires) will be warmed today after watching your video. I don’t remember exactly the chronology, but Dodge had a mid engine four banger concept car around that time (Charlie Sheen, “The Wraith.”). Don’t know if the Fierro had them exploring to see if there was a market in America. Toyota brought the MR2 to dealerships across the US right after the Fierro debuted, IIRC.
A friend of mine back in the 80s, Scott B. had ine of the first gen models. The thing is, he (his dad) traded his 1968 Mercury Cougar for it.... Or rather, sold the cougar and went and put a down payment on it. Although I thought the little white Fiero was pretty cool, i would have much rather had the Mercury, had it been me.
I wanted a Fiero so bad when I was in High School.. til I drove one. The non power steering killed it for me. Torture to try to maneuver that thing around a parking lot.
I guess some late model 88’s got ‘em but much too late IMO.
A note on the transaxles, the 5 speed wasn't available until 1985 with the 4 cylinder and 1986 with the V6.
My '85 GT did not have rear speakers in the cab, only in the dashboard and built into the headrests of the seats.
I don't think it's an 84. Nose looks like the later nose and no speaker in the headrest...and no 5; speed
Black one is an '87 with some older body parts...
If you're not aware. Steve is in the hospital. Im re-watching his videos to try to help him pay the bills. Please do the same.
Get well soon Steve!!!
Im old enough to see those things come and go ! Motortrend really blew it canceling your segment, but what's with the chefs hat 🤣✌️
I think it's because of the name, Roadkill garage 🤣
Maybe it should have been called, "Idiot Runs Mouth".
God Bless Steve...may he get better... wish they had put a Turbo Quad4 in it.
I had seen this one before but it's always good to see them again. Hope you are well enough to bring us new videos soon, Steve.
Big console, big drive shaft tunnel? That's where the fuel tank is mounted.
the 5 speed started in 87 4 speed till then they also offered a limited amount with T-TOPS and also the sun roof is removeable the m is for Mid engine ...still a great channel man it a daily for me
Pontiac made them with t-tops in 1988. Cars & Concepts did the work before that.
I caught a glimpse of Sweet Katie the Wonder Yard 🐕 Dog 🐕 a Treat
Love you katie ! hope your ok today
That Fiero with the "fuel injection" badges is indeed correct. The Iron Duke 4 in the Fiero had throttle body injection.
Still, technically fuel injection, just mechanical, not electronic.
@@davidgalinat4257 It was still electronic fuel injection. Just a single throttle body injector.
GM's mechanical FI disappeared with '58 Pontiac and '65 Corvette... EFI started with '75 Caddy Seville... all Fieros TBI or DPI EFI...
@@BuzzLOLOLThe 6 cyl was multiport injection.
@@vanceogden2482 - Yes, DPI... Direct Port Injection into all 6 ports...
Enjoy your videos but how long are you going "to beat a dead horse" about being canceled so many years ago?
Great video! The mention of the Ford EXP reminds me of when I borrowed a friends EXP to take my bride on our honeymoon to Canada…as I thought it would be more dependable than my 76 Caprice ( which ironically had ice cold A/C)! This EXP was so under-engineered that it overheated for most of the journey requiring us to run the heater in August all the way back from Quebec. The 80’s were generally the “era of shoddy” when it came to the automobile ( with a few exceptions).
They weren't far off when they said that the Camaro & Firebird were going to front wheel drive. Back in 88/89, the Beretta was rumored to be the f body replacement. Thank goodness that cooler heads prevailed and the f body lived on in RWD form.
Ford was going to replace the Mustang with the Probe and many folks wrote letters (back when you did that) to Ford corporate in protest and it worked as the Mustang remained rear wheel drive and was sold alongside the Probe. The Probe is gone, but the Mustang obviously made it out.
@@googleusergpI saw a Mach-E the other day and think they should have let it die.
~
I always thought that they were a x19 copy, not that I was impressed with fiats
I've owned my 85 GT since new. It's got the 2.8 V6 and 4 speed manual transmission. The 5 speed became available the next year I believe. From what I remember reading at the time it was insurance cost that drove sales down and resulted in the model being dropped. That being said I'm sure the next model year would have yielded some better performance in the engine bay. The Olds Quad 4 was the hot ticket at the time and I've seen a prototype from the factory that was so equipped. A review of the 88' in car and driver said that it had a new transmission made by Gertag in Germany that was rated for twice the horsepower that the V6 was making. Pontiac surely had something planned. The front suspension was all Chevy Chevette stuff and the rear engine cradle and suspension was pulled from the Chevy Citation. The 88' car had a completely redesigned front suspension. Pontiac spent a pretty penny to change a factory over to the 'mill and drill' body mounting so they told the engineers to use every possible piece from the parts bins. I've got 47k miles on my 85 and I rarely see another when I'm out driving, unless I cruise by the salvage yard!
I have a white '85, it has the unusual finned wheels...
Mine's white also with the grey interior and the wheels look like small versions of the TransAm wheel. The bolt pattern is different, I checked!@@BuzzLOLOL
@@markmalm3713 - Fieros prolly have a version of the FWD lug nuts pattern...
The fiero was dropped by GM because it failed the 35 MPH crash test into a concrete wall
@@gregorylyon1004 - Actually, Fieros were top rated at 5 Stars in crash tests...
Really one could call the Fiero the grandfather of the Saturn ( remember them? ) because they shared the same ideology of a ridged inner structure covered by easily replaceable high impact body panels. The Iron Duke 4 got a bad reputation in the Fiero because of a bunch of bad connecting rods that tended to let loose at high RPM and go thru the oil pan and set the car on fire. The resulting loses incurred by GM fixing the Fieros with the multiple mandatory recalls are what really killed the car off as the sales took a nose dive.
Ironically, it looks like a Saturn behind Steve when he's talking about the black Fiero.
2 M4 meant mid engine not manual trans
Too bad the “new” Quad 4 never made it into the Fiasco err sorry Fiero
Wasn’t the “M” in 2M4 for mid-engine? Thanks for another great video! 5:03
I almost bought one of these in 1984 but ended up purchasing a Mazda 626 2dr coupe. The Mazda was a really nice car and I had no regrets.
Another great vid!!!
11:11 Katie...in Stealth Mode...😅
My wife & I bought a brand new 1984 black Fiero when they first were offered....a cool little car that we enjoyed
Speedy Recovery Steve. The automotive world is pulling for you and your family. 💪💪💪💕
Love the “disco sauce” comment.
Steve, I'm surprised with you. 2M4 meant: 2 passenger, MID-ENGINE, 4-cylinder. The "M" didn't stand for "manual transmission" as you asserted. In fact, you had just mentioned the automatic transmission right before this little boo-boo that, I'm sure, slipped right most viewers but, you've seen my comments; you know that I'm a stickler for things like this. (No malice intended. You have so much to remember about each of these cars, and I would think little details could slip through the cracks when you're taping five episodes a day. Keepup the good work!)
And black one is '87 with '84 parts... and it doesn't have speakers in headrests...
Pontiac did some pretty different things with there cars. To bad there no longer made.
I think the original 2m4 fiero body, with the perfect wedge up front is the best look 👌 original design...clearly. but the rounded nose formula is slso good. The black one seen here is meh, looks too much like a gladiator helmet. With that said these along with the early 80s chargers,tourists, would be ideal to make battery power toys for adults. The design of the cars like an 80s Toyota mr2 fits the aesthetic of "electric" and "techno" The whole Robert downer Jr. Electric classic approach is a joke. Some cars like the BMW 2002 should just be petrol power if you ask me...
Turismo...not tourist . But thx to Steve and Shane for another great episode :)
Remember the time I took it to Walmart for a oil change. They didn't know it was mid engine. So they looked under the front hood. L.O.L. I went out in the shop and showed them where it was.
Loved my Fiero. Super Sporty and great gas mileage.
Almost 200K miles before selling, never a problem.
All too many people overdrove or just didn't maintain and those are the ones who had problems.
I worked at Pontiac when these were new. Entire shop filled with them everyday. Engines, transmissions, recalls, fires, parking brake cables, clutches, check engine lights, AC problems, overheating, coolant leaks, not one good part on them. Good thing, because I bought my first house with the money made.
Remember when I was a kid in the 80's, finding one parked in the road. Thought it looked so futuristic!!!
At 4:00 did you notice the oil bottles? No, that was not from an oil change these motors consumed a quart of oil ever 500 miles right from the factory. GM claimed that was not an excessive amount, less than a quart between gas fill ups was considered to be normal and not excessive.
Yeah, and runs it low on oil. Then it spins a rod bearing and then the rod exists the block. Oil goes on the hot exhaust and catches fire. The recall had us install a sheild to divert the oil. Did nothing about the oil consumption .
You got it Pontiac!
The Fiero always reminded me of a hot wheels car called the jack rabbit
2 seater, mid engine, 4 cylinder
The feiro is nice and all but....the 1st gen saturn sl2 in the background. Thats my jam right there.
Not really much room up front huh
I had a good friend who had one of these, I think it was an 84 model. It was bronze with a tan cloth interior. It was a nice car and definitely different from other cars of the day. I do applaud Pontiac and GM for producing this vehicle even though it could have been better. This was a bold move in the 1980s where everyone was looking for small cars with good gas mileage. Performance was not the first thing on the list.
I think I heard soon after Fiero's came out that Pontiac had to sell it to management by saying it was commuter car, not a sporty car.
Enjoyed watching Steve great video like usual. Keep up the great work man.
I owned an 84 in Guam. Very non-standard to work on. I took it for a new alternator to a shop that advertised "free installation". When they saw my Fiero they said they'd have to charge me an additional $100 for the installation (very counter-intuitive process). I asked if they could lend me a couple of wrenches. Five minutes later I had my alternator out. They were so surprised and asked me how I did it. I told them it would cost them $100 for me to show them. I guess they weren't that curious ... the belt always squealed (see the movie "Mud" for confirmation of that). Fun car!... worth all the tubes of belt dressing.
@@Lazarov_Tweevles Thanks for watching and writing. I'm still recovering from encephalitis but am making progress. It lifts my spirits to get viewer feedback. -Steve Magnante
I had a shop tell me that also. The isaue was they went by what their estimator guide said. The problem with that is the standards and the automatics were two different animals when it came to removing the alternators. In the autos it had to be removed from the top as the transmission was in the way and it included removed the wishbone and other parts. The standards on the other hand could be taken out the bottom and I did it more than once over the many years I owned them. I also helped do a alternatir job on an auto and it truely was an absolute bear getting it out. I told them the same. "Give me a couple wrenches and I'll set it on your counter in under 10 minutes"
Not a family car but I really liked them. People who have them are holding onto them and I don’t blame them.
you could get t tops on a fiero
Ha, so funny I wasn't the only one Frankensteining model cars, back as far as 1st grade show and tell I would show up to class with my presentation and loved the other kids response. Must say your rendition of the Fierhoe would have been the top of the class Steve, 400ci, holy guacamole 🔥💯
My older brother bought one the year they came out in 84. Very cheaply put together. Not very well made, but what car was in the early 80's? Super easy to break into. Ha! My brother also put the turbo badge on his!😊😂😂😂
I had a couple Fieros back in the early 90's. One had the sunroof with the deflector & bag.
My best friends older brother had the last year 1988. And I think it was a 6 speed. Maybe I’m wrong but the designs of that body were sweet.
I’d always heard the Ford Probe was slated to be the new Mustang
Mustangs looked like Mazdas from '79 - 2004?
Mazda's MX6 version was much better looking than cousin Probe...
You could get a T-top Fiero in the later years.
I have a 2006 Grand prix GXP with the 5.3 LS4 v8 and I have seen a lot of guys swap the LS4 into Fiero's. That would be a fun car for sure!
Actually, the glass sunroof was COMPLETELY REMOVABLE, and fit securely on 4 prongs under the hood! I bought a brand new 1986 SE which came with the upgraded nose, and big whale tail spoiler. I chose the optional V6 and manual transmission. Mine was fully loaded, and the V6 was ALOT quicker than the awful 4 banger. I still have it, lifelong Southern California car, its still on the road.
This is an amazing junk yard. Steve has an abundance of vehicles to talk about.
Steve is the man!
The "84 Fiero" has an 88 Formula Fiero nose on it. Either its an 84 with an 88 nose or, it's just a 1988 Formula Fiero. Can't really tell unless you get a look at the suspension.
Hi Steve, I had a 1984 from new. It was a 4 speed with the removable sunroof. Great car. Drove it cross country, got great gas mileage. Wish I waited until 1988 to get the GT.