The Pontiac Fiero carried the designation 2M4 which stood for two-seat, mid-engine, four-cylinder. And that’s what it was for five years between 1984 and 1988. As a light sports car of sorts, it was the first Pontiac to have fewer than seating for four since the 1930s. The seller’s 1985 model is the SE edition and is described as a “museum quality” vehicle with only 25,500 miles. Treated with kid gloves, this would-be classic is available here on craigslist from Westminster, Maryland, for the asking price of $14,000. Once again, Tony Primo finds another cool tip for our wandering eyes!
With 370,000 copies produced during its one-and-only generation, the Fiero was the first American-built rear mid-engine car to be produced in volume. It could be had with either four or six-cylinder engines and manual or automatic transmissions. Akin to GM’s Saturn that would soon follow, the Fiero used composite body panels which helped lower the car’s weight (and cost basis, probably). The SE edition, like the seller’s auto, came with an upgraded level of trim.
As the story goes, the seller bought this Fiero from the original owner a couple of years ago. At the time, it had 22,000 miles and he/she has added just 3,000 more. It was a daily driver in its early years, then parked when other transportation became available. So, it saw only minimal use for the next three decades. To ensure its continued viability, the seller took the car to a Fiero specialist in New Jersey who gave it a thorough going over. Besides normal servicing, a few things needed fixing like the air conditioning.
The seller goes to great lengths to document the Pontiac, which is very much appreciated. It has the “Iron Duke” inline-4 and a 5-speed manual tranny. We’re told it runs like a charm and looks like it was built just a couple of years ago, not in the mid-1980s. The body and paint are great with nary a spec of rust underneath. If you’re looking for flaws, the headliner would be it as the glue has lost its touch and it’s beginning to separate in places. Also, you won’t be able to play your Huey Lewis cassette tapes as the player doesn’t work. The tires are less than two years old. If you can’t afford a new mid-engine Chevy Corvette, what about this Fiero instead?
Back in 1986 I bought this same car for the wife. She was only 5’1″ and 105lbs, she fit perfectly. Fair gas mileage, but very slow. And a note about the engine fires problem associated with this model. The catalytic convertor and muffler were stacked on top of each other generating a lot of heat and ultimately a fire. Fortunately I was driving the car when smoke started to come into the cabin. Put it out and proceeded to drive home. Removed the convertor and replaced it with a straight pipe. Placed asbestos batting over the muffler and this seemed to fix the problem. Sold it shortly thereafter and bought a 86 Fiero GT with the V6. Loved that car, a real slot car on rails. She drove it for several years before selling it, I then got her a 1970 Mercury Cougar. She really liked the Cougar, very pretty car in green with a white vinyl top. She got it in the divorce and I kept my 85 1/2 Pininfarina Azzurra and my 68 Ford Torino GT CJ428. Seemed fair to me as I also got all my motorcycles. Of course, she got the house. Oh well, that was a long time ago. Lesson learned.
I was 16 when they came out. My mom was driving on the L.I.E in NY. Started to smoke. She pulled over the car burnt to the ground. I remember the speakers inside the headrest. Very cool feature.
Sounds like you had a couple little fireballs 🔥 on your hands Azzura
HAHAHA. Yeah, I did.
Never heard about the Fiero fires. GM must have paid the scribes, and Ralph Nader types, not to broadcast this news, back in the day.
Oh, it was a huge deal back in the day. Not entirely sure how anybody old enough to know cars and live in that era wouldn’t have heard about it.
Google:
The fire hazard associated with the Pontiac Fiero primarily stemmed from a design flaw related to the connecting rods in the Iron Duke engine. Here are the key points:
Engine Design Flaw:
The Fiero’s initial engine choice was the Iron Duke, a 2.5-liter engine.
The Iron Duke had a flaw in its connecting rods, affecting 10% to 40% of them.
Low engine oil levels exacerbated the issue, leading to engine fires.
Recall and Improvements:
GM issued a recall to address the problem:
Increased oil availability by changing the oil filter size.
Shielded the exhaust system!
Updated the dipstick with correct oil level markings.
Despite the fire incidents, the Fiero remains an iconic sports car with a devoted following, appreciating its unique mid-engine layout and daring spirit.
In summary, the Pontiac Fiero’s legacy is a blend of fiery mishaps and unyielding determination—a car that dared to be different, even if it occasionally caught fire.
So, I guess every time a Fiero appears on here. We’ll hear the story. Like the Pinto fable. Every. Single. Time.
I live in Australia and I have never seen a Fiero in the flesh but I know all about those fires. I totally agree that “anybody old enough to know cars and live in that era wouldn’t have heard about it.”
Meh… In an article I read on the subject some time ago, there were a total of around 250 Fieros that burned… almost exclusively 1984 models with the 2.5l four. I’ve seen other fire totals documented at 350. Either way its in the tenths of a percent of total production.
One thing to differentiate the Fiero problem from the Pinto is that there were never any deaths attributed to the Fiero fires.
I would never want anything with the 2.5L Iron Duke. I’d gladly take a Fiero GT though…
They found a Iron Duke in a wrecking yard with 450 thousand miles on the odometer. As the owner of a wrecking yard, we had dozens of GM H bodies with the Iron Duke, and every one of them ran good. The engines that were consistently bad were the Buick V-6 and V-8. Some of the Cadillacs. Most of the Ford 351-400M. All due to a bad lubrication design.
The 2.8 wasn’t much better.
Beautiful little thing. I’m 6’7″ and this thing (’85, ’86 GT) fit me like a glove. I developed a way of getting out of it that would permit me (or so I thought) to maintain my dignity. Getting in was akin to a controlled fall. Once inside though, that is where the magic happened. I couldn’t even think of buying one now without some kind of mechanical aid that Medicare might not even cover.
Nostromo didn’t that have a ratcheting type e brake that you had to climb over to get in/out?
Nostromo,
I hear you! The older I get and with each spine surgery; the more difficult it is to get in and out of my Toyota Avalon! I am waiting to see how their new Stout compact truck will fit me!😅
I was told by a car collector friend back around the early 2000s that if I ever found either a four- or six-cylinder in good condition cheap, to buy it and GUARD IT WITH MY LIFE. As he explained it, the four-cylinders kept catching fire, and all the sixes were being snapped up and ripped apart for kit cars, as it was the last cheap performance car you could get with a frame, and the engine fire problems depressed the prices to affordable even among the sixes.
I was later convinced of his wisdom when I went to the Carlisle (Pa.) Import & Kitcar Show and saw the “local” Pontiac Fiero club with its own display and line-up on the field, from dodgy to concours condition………
We had a mutual friend who DID grab one, and had a blast with it until the car’s engine also had a blast and put a leg out of bed. (Let’s just say he wasn’t mechanically inclined, and had too much ADHD to remember to keep the oil up.)
Didn’t GM reduce the size of the oil pan of the 2.5 liter 4, to make it fit the Fiero chassis? As I recall, this led to premature engine failure in some of them.
A friend of ours bought his wife s GT. She lived that car and drove it hard and fast, until she hit a Moose driving in the dark. The Moose came into the car, and his wife was in a coma for near 6 weeks.. the GT is a great little driver, but if you hit something like Moose it doesn’t offer much protection…
A Kenworth is about the only thing that would sometimes.protect you vs a Moose.
Reminds me of a great joke by Norm McDonald.
That said, glad she came thru.
A work friend’s sister hit a moose… she wound up in the hospital for a while as well… she was driving a Jeep Cherokee… that didn’t offer much protection either. However, I do remember reading a story about how Saab used to test their cars for moose and elk strikes. Leave it to the Swedes…
I’d like to know how they did that test!😀
Volvo…moose avoidance test.
A used car dealer up here in Maine had a black with gold trim/interior/mesh wheels (a Formula Fiero if I remember correctly?)but with a potent 383 “stroker” Chevy small block V8 paired to a Jericho 4 speed manual transmission.It would blow the tires off at 50mph mashing the loud pedal in 3rd…
Confirmed 1985 SE 2M6 owner here.
As Richard stated above, the oilpan on the 1984 2.5l was only about 3 quarts. Fires started happening when people let the oil get too low, and overheated the block. Problem got corrected gor 1985 production, when they put in a new pan with 5 quart capacity.
There was a problem with early 1984 engines, with piston and connecting rod failures. Poor quality con rods would fail, punch a hole through the block and spray hot oil on the catalytic converter / muffler, and instant bonfire.
Out of 374,000 + Fiero’s produced, there were only around 275 confirmed engine fires from these two problems.
Nice car for someone to scoop up and enjoy.
I used to buy these from a wrecker service auction for seats for MGBs. Frequently the pocket change under the seats would almost cover the cost of the car.
The old ad slogan “collect the whole set” – I damn near did. 4/4,4/a,6/a,6/5,notch, fastback. Zoning Nazis led to the end of that misadventure.
One day back in about 1988 I went shopping for a used sports car. That day started with a test drive in one of these. That was followed by a test drive in a Honda CRX and then a first-gen MR2. In that company, the Fiero drove like a truck. For that reason alone, I would never want one of these. A fews years later I met someone who was tracking a Fiero. He had the front wheel off. It had an incredibly small disk. He told me they were sourced from the Chevette!
Way overpriced. I recently picked up an 88 Formula (V-6 with the strong 5 speed, not the Isuzu 5-spd tranny) with just 17,000 miles on it, for half this price. My fourth Fiero, BTW.
I ordered one (GT) in October of 84, received in Feb 85. Mine was the first GT in the city, (PHX) due to a shortage of the whale tail, which I didn’t want. Also was annoyed that the only optional seats were pigskin light and dark brown which in no way fit with normal color coordination. Other than that, It was ordered with all options, about 17 grand out the door. It was able to outrun/out maneuver several police episodes 1 time being chased by 3, with my daughter in the car. Never a ticket/capture. It’s been in a air conditioned garage for 20 years. Current milage is 4750, yes 4750 miles. It currently needs the tank dropped to install new fuel pump and probably will have to replace the injectors, for the second time. I have a trashed out SE with the whale tail that I will install a supercharged 3800, or a 350 Chevy setup someday. By the way, had a 70 vett 350/350, rock crusher trans, flat out 145 (Indicated) also, was chased and lost 2 highway patrols. I’ve had 1 ticket in my life for going 35 in a unmarked road, supposedly a 25mph zone. Am lucky I guess. Will be restoring a Opel GT hopefully starting sometime this year. Be well all.
A job I had right out of high school came with a very nice boss/business owner whose wife had a silver 86 2m4 Fiero. She decided to sell it since they had purchased a new Audi 5000 (remember those?) and they asked me if I would clean it up and detail it in order to sell it. Ot had the 5 speed, sunroof, and the good factory aluminum wheels with Goodyear raised white letter Eagle gt tires. I took it home on a Friday afternoon and had it all looking great by mid day Saturday. Took my girlfriend to the county fair for the day, won her a stuffed bear that was so big, we had to cram it in the car with it sticking out the sunroof to get it home. It was a fun little car, but not in my budget at the time so it was sold. Had a great weekend with that car, still remember that time with a smile.
I can remember test driving a couple 4 cylinder Fieros back in the day… I was amazed that Pontiac was able to get this “commuter car” past the GM product planners and bean counters, but that agricultural Iron Duke was just a bad choice. A year or two later a work friend bought a Fiero GT with the six… That engine completely transformed the car… in a very good way.
This one was parked when alternate transportation came available. A moped perhaps?
When these came out I wanted one soooo bad. Went to a dealership to get info and ask questions. The salesman didn’t want to be bothered with a “future” buyer. He wanted a “now” buyer, so I got the cold shoulder. I took my money and ended up getting a nice 914.
My fondest memory of a Fiero is the neighbor who’d put on a tiny pink bikini to be wash and wax hers.