One of my wife’s many good qualities is that she never questions my car-buying decisions, no matter how foolish they may be. Why would a sensible man with a wife and three children buy a 1984 Pontiac Fiero, a two-seater car?
In 1990 my wife had a fairly new Isuzu Trooper and I drove a Toyota Tercel wagon which was seven years old. I was doing a fair amount of driving for my work, and I thought if I put some miles on a third car, I could postpone for a few years replacing the Toyota with a new vehicle.
That was how I justified my purchase to myself, but to be completely honest, the real reason I bought a Fiero was that I liked the way it looked. The car was low and wide with a wedge shape and a steeply raked windshield. (I’ve read in a 1985 Motor Trend owner survey that 83% of respondents said they bought their Fiero because of its style.)
I also wanted something interesting to drive, and there is nothing more interesting than a mid-engine sports car, especially one that was famous for bursting into flames from time to time. I knew that every Fiero had been recalled, that their problems had been mostly addressed, and that they were quite inexpensive due to the aforementioned propensity to combust.
A local Toyota dealer was selling an ’84 Fiero with low mileage. The advertised price was $2,999; however when I walked in the door, the salesman said he’d take $2,700, as he needed space in his lot for something more desirable, like an Edsel. I don’t remember if my silver Fiero Sport Coupe had any options other than an AM/FM radio and a sunroof. I think it cost about $9,000 when new.
Pontiac introduced the Fiero to great fanfare in September of 1983. The concept had been sold to GM management as a gas-saving commuter car which would help GM meet its Corporate Average Fuel Economy objective, and the 5-year development project was canceled and uncanceled several times as the price of gas went up and down. A very detailed account can be found in Aaron Severson’s excellent overview of the car.
The advantage of a mid-engine design is its balanced weight distribution, which enables improved handling and traction for braking and acceleration. The disadvantage is space utilization; my Fiero had room for two people and not much else.
Let’s look inside. Between the seats is a tall wide tunnel underneath an armrest. In this tunnel are cables for the gearshift, a 10-gallon gas tank, and two ashtrays. (I don’t smoke but the Fiero’s chief engineer Hulki Aldikacti did.) Controls for power windows would go here if my Fiero had power windows, which it didn’t. The emergency brake lever is on the floor to the left of the driver’s seat. There’s no glove compartment in front of the passenger; you keep your gloves in a vertical storage box between the seatbacks. A pair of 3-inch stereo speakers is built into each seat’s headrest.
Overhead is the optional glass sunroof which could be opened slightly or removed entirely. With my Fiero, there was some combination of open windows and sunroof that resulted in a whiff of hot 5W30 oil in the passenger compartment. I once put my 10-year-old daughter through the sunroof opening when I locked my keys in the car.
The front storage compartment (I won’t call it a “frunk”) was only big enough to hold a spare tire, the windshield washer fluid reservoir, and the glass sunroof panel when it was removed from the roof. If you’ll look closely at the relevant photo, you’ll see the radiator fan and linkages for two motors for the pop-up headlights, about which more shall be written later.
There was very little storage space in the rear compartment, either. Once I returned from a business trip and ran into one of my employer’s executives at the airport’s baggage claim. He asked me for a ride home so he wouldn’t need a taxi. I said I couldn’t oblige as there wasn’t room in my car for two men and two big suitcases, too. “There must be!” he said. He rode home with his suitcase jammed between his knees and his chin. We did not converse much.
Fieros did not have power steering. I didn’t miss it in mine. A mid-engine car is said to have a “low polar moment of inertia” which means that it turns easily, although it’s susceptible to oversteer. I spun my Fiero only once, when I encountered loose gravel on a turn. The car stayed on the road and the only injury was to my self-esteem.
Most reviewers describe the Fiero’s “Iron Duke” engine in uncomplimentary terms, and I won’t argue with them. The unsophisticated OHV engine was equally miserable when installed in a Firebird (as the base engine from 1982-1985) or a Jeep CJ-7. The Iron Duke did not provide a surplus of power, nor did it make mellifluous noises when I tromped on the accelerator. The 4-speed manual transmission with its cable-operated shifter also discouraged overly-enthusiastic driving, so I adopted a relaxed driving style by necessity.
Early Fieros had a typographical error in their owners’ manuals, specifying 3 quarts of oil instead of 4, and an oil dipstick with incorrect markings. As long as the owner knew this and maintained a proper oil level, and a connecting rod didn’t break, your average Fiero rarely burst into flames. I did not display prominently any of the labels warning of a fiery death that Pontiac sent me from time to time.
The Fiero had pop-up headlights which were supposed to pop up in synchrony when you turned the lights on, and mine usually did. Each headlight had its own motor, and these could be problematic. While I owned my Fiero I kept an eye out for others of its kind in every junkyard within 50 miles of my house. One challenge was that a fair number of Fieros had been junked due to a front-end collision, which meant that quite often I couldn’t salvage a usable headlight motor, or a radiator fan, either. Unable to find a replacement headlight motor one time, I remember drilling out the rivets of a failing unit, repairing the gears within, and reassembling it with nuts and bolts.
About that radiator fan… the Fiero’s engine was behind my seat, however the radiator and its fan needed to be up front, just behind the bumper. I don’t know when my radiator fan stopped working because I live in a rural area and I did not often drive in stop-and-go traffic. This changed one hot summer day when I drove to Boston’s Logan Airport. It was before the Big Dig was completed, and traffic on the bridge over the Charles was horrendous. Much to my dismay I noticed the temperature gauge needle moving towards the red zone. There was no place for me to pull over, so I rolled down all the windows, turned the heat on, and set the ventilation fan to full blast. Fortunately this got me to the airport without overheating the engine – although I was rather overheated myself – and my drive home a few days later was in cooler, less-trafficky evening hours.
Engine air intake behind the door on the driver’s side only
I enjoyed my Fiero, but I didn’t like to drive it when there was snow in the forecast or on hot days because it had no air-conditioner. In 1992 when my Toyota was nine years old, an advanced age it reached with the help of the Fiero, I replaced the little wagon with a new Jeep Cherokee Sport. My XJ had a 190HP six-cylinder engine, a 5-speed stick, and wide tires. I realized it was in fact sportier than the Fiero, so I sold the two-seater to a young couple who were delighted to have it. Also the local junkyards had run out of donor cars by then.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1984 Pontiac Fiero 2M4 – Immortaly Cool
Curbside Classic: 1984 Pontiac Indy Fiero – Do You Feel Lucky?
Junkyard Classic: 1984 Pontiac Fiero 2M4 SE – Spiced Up With Supercharged V6 Swap!
Perhaps Fireo would have been a more appropriate model name, given its flammability.
Regardless: The mid-engine concept fits the shape, and the shape is appealing. It’s a shame the engine couldn’t keep up, judging by what we’ve read.
Are there any known conversions to other, more willing engines?
I don’t know about conversions, but a 2.8L V-6 was available from the factory in later years. See Aaron’s article: https://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/pontiac-fiero/ for more details.
A similar story to yours…I bought an ‘88 Fiero with having 3 teenage sons. My wife was not thrilled with this decision. It was a hoot to drive, Iron Duke and all, and I enjoyed it. Sold it to my friend’s son after 7 years of ownership when I wanted a convertible. It returned to me in 2008, when my son’s friend offered it to me for free. So, many repair $$ later, it was back on the road. Sold it last year when we downsized and I lost my extra 3 car garage, along with 2 other cars.
A colleague who was married with one child bought a V6 Fiero for herself, which seemed odd for a family of three … but she became single again shortly afterwards. I drove it once, and it was a lot of fun. Manual, I assume a 5 speed by then (1987?). I didn’t see her again for many years and by then she was driving a Yaris hatch.
I too thought these neat when first released .
I was driving a 1975 VW/Porsche 914 2 liter at the time, IMO it too had a good look to it and in spite of the tiny engine was fun to drive .
-Nate
“..the salesman said he’d take $2,700, as he needed space in his lot for something more desirable, like an Edsel.”
Ok, that made me laugh out loud.
I too really liked the looks of the Fiero, and still do. They look exceptionally trim, I suppose especially in times when one can purchase a Mustang SUV and not be thought ridiculous.
The sticker you show also made me grin. “In the event of your fiery demise, please ensure this is offered as a condolence for your loved ones.”
Am I the only Fiero buyer who wanted a small commuter car?
My sister had a fiero with the 2.8L V6. It was burdened by an automatic, but managed to get out of its own way. The biggest problem with her car was terrible fitting body panels with huge gaps. Eventually GM worked out the setup issues with the massive milling and drilling rig, but that would’ve best been accomplished prior to release. IIRC GM also developed an electric power steering system a few years prior to the cars cancelation. Oh GM…