Only built between 1984 and 1988, the Pontiac Fiero was a unique and special car that many of us dreamed about in high school. This 48,291 mile example is located in Mt. Auburn, Illinois and is being sold here on Facebook Marketplace for an asking price of $6,500. The car has been a weekend driver and appears to be in very nice condition.
The grey interior brings back a lot of memories. I purchased a 1988 Fiero Formula for my son. It was red and 5 speed and I taught him how to shift a standard transmission. However, he grew 6 inches his freshman year in high school and could not fit in it anymore! I sold it to a Fiero enthusiast who wrecked it the next day. Check out the mint interior of this car. Event though the car has a sunroof, I don’t see any sun damage.
A total of 15,800 Fiero GTs were built in 1987 which have the fastback body style. This car is equipped with the more powerful 2.8 L (170 cu in) V6 engine which was deliver 140 horsepower and 170 lb⋅ft from the factory. The 5 speed Muncie-Getrag transaxle was standard on V6 equipped Fieros. With the light weight of the car, this would be a fun car to zip around town or use as a daily commute.
This car is painted M77 Medium Red Metallic and looks all original. These are fun cars and most of them are relatively cheap. A lot of enthusiasts prefer the 1988 Fiero because of the revised suspension. Over 46,000 Fieros were sold in 1987, does this one peak your interest?
Hi Bruce – Nice find! One of the most unique and interesting GM vehicles of that era. I spent hours riding in and driving a friend’s similar car with the same engine and transmission, carving up the two-lanes of northwestern Pennsylvania. Very pleasant and competent, and a nice V6 snarl behind your ears. Understeer at the limit prompted my friend to run rear snow tires year-round for more neutral cornering. This had nearly no down-side as 140 HP posed zero danger of wheelspin on dry pavement. However he raced at Watkins Glen so not a problem for most owners. Sometimes he would set the cruise on 55 on a twisty road and see how long he could go without cancelling it. Don’t try this at home, kids. I remember the guardrails whipping by about 4 inches from my door. I doubt anyone with today’s 400+ HP cars has more fun than we had in that Fiero. Thanks for the memories!
Todd, thanks for sharing your memories and input on the Fiero!
Looks nice, but I’m one of those who thought the suspension changes for ’88 did the Fiero a whole lot of good and would hold out for the later car. I suspected they would be extra-beneficial for any owner who wanted to increase horsepower, though I have no direct knowledge of that.
The “Formula” model was nicer: cleaner lines, and I think fewer doo-dads. But any ’88 with the V6/manual transmission package (and a/c!) would do fine. Prices, at least on eBay, appear to be all over the place; this one seems to be near the upper limits.
Not too long before GM pulled the plug on the Fiero, I had an interesting chat with a Pontiac engineer who was working on the Fiero program. Among other things, he agreed that the ’88 had come a long way from the ’84, but said the ’89 was going to be even better. Little did he know….
They say it cost GM three hundred million dollars to design and build the suspension for the ’88 Fiero. Then they built 26,000 cars and quit. the one ’90 Fiero that still exists is in the GM Heritage Museum. Gorgeous car, has a DOHC V-six in it.
Was it possible to swap in the ’88 suspension?
Put in all new aftermarket parts
These were Almost Corvette beaters. They were pretty quick and handled very well for the day. I should not have sold my ’88. Identical to this one. GM made a huge mistake by canceling this car……
They didn’t kill the Fiero, it just took 32 year to morph into the C-8 Corvette.
I have yet to see a new C-8 in the Wild yet, but when I do, I am going to ask the driver if it is the new Fiero I heard about.
Disclaimer: Confirmed current 1985 Fiero owner. I might be biased.
I hear ya. My first new car was 1984 ” Iron Duke”. Never win a race but was dependable as hell. And could it go through snow., much like a Vdub. I know, I live in North3rn New Brunswick, Canada. Enjoy your baby, I am envious!
Corvette beater (NOT) My brother in law worked at a Pontiac dealership the Fiero was a headache to work on in the engine compartment etc
I currently own an 88 Formula that I have restored the interior and made some reversible body mods to. These are fun cars (this is my fourth) with a great deal of support on-line. Affordable and easy to care for!
The Corvette beater. Save her forever!
These are interesting cars, and I would be very curious to see the underside. Every car I have looked at from Illinois has had rust issues.
igot a 87 gt same color with 11,000 miles on it been garage kept since new, and still looks new. never seen snow. if interested callm e its for sale. no rust anywhere.. its in Chicago
Another example of GM’s practice of introducing a car that isn’t quite ready to be sold, then pulling the plug on it when they’ve finally got it right.
Eventually, I want to buy one of these for my girl, she had one in the 90’s and loved it. Her’s had the four, so I’m hoping to find one exactly like this one for sale in the near future. I was more of a straight line guy with old muscle, but she just loves these. This would be perfect !
I have two 85 Fiero GTs, 2.8 V6, red. One is a 4speed, the other is auto. with 15,000 mi. Had them for many years and don’t drive them much anymore. When I did, the wasn’t a stock Corvette in town that would out perform either one. Speaker in head rest, graphic equalizer, spoiler, hidden headlights, red dash lights, etc, etc,. Just a fun comfortable car. Nomader
My ’88 was the same with a 5 speed. Were those headrests not good sounding. I traded her for a WS6, loaded TA GTA. Big mistake. The Feiro was a much better car in so many ways. Hold on to yours or hold out for good coin. I wish I had mine back. I know where it is and went to see it. Only 63000 kms on it and looks brand new. $30000 would not even budge him. I love these cars and I am a lover of these cars!
Sorry for being repetitive. Cheers from NB, Canada. And no, the lad that now owns my Feiro does obviously not want to sell it!!!! Enjoy your little bombs. As for myself, my little black TR6 will keep me smiling. Hope you are being safe during these trying times…….
My buddy in collage had a 85 GT. Sadly with an automatic. But he hated to drive. Bought it yo look cool and always tossed me the keys. I drove it more than him. And yes it was a blast. Loved “his” car
Quite a difference between the ’85 and the ’88 but they all were fun. The automatic response was pretty good. Bet you can tell I worked for a Pontiac/Buick dealership at one time. Very few problems with cars cars other than fuel injection which was/is an easy fix.
The extant numbers on these have to be far lower than implied. I had one import/kitcar export say to me that of the entire V6 Fiero production, by now about a third probably got wrecked by overzealous drivers and about half got dismantled for kitcars, because the Fieros proved to be THE last “affordable” body with an actual chassis suitable for kitcar conversion, and everyone wanting a non-VW-Beetle kitcar for obvious reasons wanted the 1987-89 editions.
I was told by this guy around 2000 “If you EVER find a good ’87-’88 manual V6 Fiero GT cheap, grab it, lock it up, and guard it with your life–eventually it’ll bring more than any Corvette of the era!” I’ll ask others here if he was right………..
The two things I remember about these cars were collision shops hated them because they were a nightmare to repair, and the drivetrain was basically an X-car running backwards. Interesting concept with a flawed execution built from the parts bin.
If they made suspension improvements over the years then definitely go for the last two years of production. The only one that I ever rode in (a friends Mom worked for GM) a very early 1984 rode worse than most track cars. It was not her car, but belonged to GM, so maybe the suspension tuning was not what they actually sold. As much as I liked the Fiero, the ride in that one kind of turned me off to them. Maybe wrongfully so.
I bought an 88 GT new. I had nothing but trouble with it. I had it two and a half years. When they redesigned the suspension GM went to a “ lube for life” control arm bushings and they would wear out constantly. The dealer replaced them under warranty twice. It needed new ones when I got rid of it. I would hear rattling from the front end. The bushing would wear so bad that I could see the front wheels move back forth when shifted from drive to reverse.
Map sensor failed, I lowered the passenger window one night and it wouldn’t go back up. Dealer said wires got pulled out by the window regulator.
At about 100 mph the headlights would get sucked up by the air flow. Window switches stopped working.
I tried to trade it but the value was so low.
Pontiac even had a program at the time that gave dealer incentives if you traded a Fiero in on another Pontiac.
What an idiot! I sold my 79 Z28 to get that thing.
Wow! You must have got a Monday morning built Fiero. Mine was, and still is, going strong. Just never what cards your going to be dealt. My first new car after university was an ’85 ” iron duke “. Not fast but dependable as heck. I just love these cars!
There were a lot of Monday cars in those days.
The Norwood Camaro/Firebird plant was a couple miles from my house and I had friends that worked there, and the stories they would tell!
I bought a new Silverado in 88 also and it was troublesome.
( 305 engine and 700r4 transmission replaced under warranty ) Mother bought a new V8 Cutlass in 86 ( 200r4 transmission and distributor replaced under warranty ) She also bought a new Chevette in 81. The crank pulley bolt snapped twice while under warranty. She would be driving and the crank pulley would go skipping down the road. The dealer said the bolts were heat treated incorrectly during manufacturing.
The Fiero was a good looking car.
I lost a ton of money on that car.
About ten years later a bought an 85 base model from a guy that I worked with. His wife bought it new. She cried when I drove it away.
4 cyl 5 speed
I drove it back and forth to work.
It was a great cruiser with the sunroof removed on a summer night. Same with the GT in that regard.
The 85 was gutless but it got phenomenal gas mileage!
The GT was a bit of a poser, not much power either. A buddy of mine had a stock late 80’s Civic SI and he would leave me in the dust. With the V6 in the back the front was light and made for white knuckle rainy days.
80’s quality control and GM not letting Pontiac develop the car for fear of taking sales away for Corvette and the F bodies.
Simple base model style Fiero with a hot 4cyl ( turbo?) would have been the ticket.
And they weren’t cheap I think my GT was like $16k
I looked at a new 442 at the time also. It was about the same price.
Should have bought it.
Wow! You must have got a Monday morning built Fiero. Mine was, and still is, going strong. Just never what cards your going to be dealt. My first new car after university was an ’85 ” iron duke “. Not fast but dependable as heck. I just love these cars!
If you know anything about the Maritimes, Canada, it snows a wee bit in January. I left CFB Greenwood AFB and should have been a 5.5 hr drive. Took me 13 hrs ( not kidding), but my ’88 GT got me home. Didn’t ever see third gear much……like never. I was young and foolish. I will never forget that drive. I will never say anything bad about a Fiero. GM messed up once again……