Why do so many people dislike fiero's, I mean, aside from the 84 which had obvius problems... (still my fav year though >.> )

I mean, they look nice, there mid engine, yeah from what I've heard they can be a bit less responsive, but If I look at the Doge challengers and similar.. as far as I can tell they don't have much machanical stuff to brag about iether. other then they can burn 4x as much gas for the same power....

so why DO so many people laugh when I say fiero's are my fav. car?

[This message has been edited by Nick_Black (edited 04-20-2009).]

lack of knowledge, rumors, lack of knowledge, etc.

poor car got a bad rap and it stuck. can't tell you how many times i have heard: "my (some sort of relation) used to have one and it burned to the ground." funny i have met very FEW people who actually OWNED a fiero that burned (sadly i have met a couple).

[This message has been edited by fastblack (edited 04-20-2009).]

Unfortunately, your definition is cloudy. And that is a shame.

[This message has been edited by kevin (edited 04-20-2009).]

Here in Western Sydney Australia
most people know that they catch fire but they can't tell the difference between the SE or the GT and the 4 cylinder or the V6 nor fo they know why they catch fire.
Some people just know what they are but looking at the net and the others ask me
"What is it?"

Heck, i get nothing but props with my fiero Most of the people that come up to me, used to own one, and get a smile on their face:P Those that dont know what it is, are usually young kids who think it looks really cool Anyone that has anything bad to say about a fiero, has never actually OWNED one.. sure we all ***** about them when they break down etc.. but when they run, they get nothing but praise (well from me atleast )

[This message has been edited by kawana (edited 04-20-2009).]

well, if I couldn't fix a lot of the stuff myself and had to take the car to a dealer (or mechanic) for everything, I'd probably hate mine too .

JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY. wish they had one. (then th.y can experience the joy and the ecstacy of fiero ownership) lol

Because in marketing, image is everything. And the Fiero's image was tarnished by a number of things, and will always have that baggage.

I don't think people necessarily "dislike" the Fiero.
Perhaps its more a case of not seeing many nicely maintained examples of the car on the roads or at shows.
I can say from personal experience that when people see a decent Fiero, they generally tend to be both nostalgic and appreciative.
This past weekend I entered my 87 GT in 2 car shows.
The first one on Saturday had 119 cars entered and we received a Top 10 trophy. We were up against a LOT of very high dollar street rods and other cars.



All day long people commented on how they had not seen a Fiero in years, or how they had never seen such a "clean" example of the car. I think only a couple of people ever mentioned the "fire" issue or even thought the marque had any kind of bad reputation.

On Sunday we entered another local show that had 65 cars registered.
Some of the same cars from the previous day's show were present as well as a lot of others.
Everything from 30's era street rods, 50's Chevys, Fords and others, to an immaculate, showroom perfect 87' Buick Grand National that parked beside me, to custom late model Corvettes and even a couple of (admittedly nice) Japanese "ricers".

My 1987 Fiero GT took Best of Show



I think almost every car comes into it's own at some point, and given enough time, the nostalgia coupled with increasing rarity of the marque makes the car more "popular" or unique and a good, well maintained, example of the car can eventually garner the attention we Fiero owners think it deserves.

[This message has been edited by randye (edited 04-20-2009).]

I see you corrected it.

[This message has been edited by avengador1 (edited 04-20-2009).]

quote Originally posted by randye: I don't think people necessarily "dislike" the Fiero. Perhaps its more a case of not seeing many nicely maintained examples of the car on the roads or at shows. I can say from personal experience that when people see a decent Fiero, they generally tend to be both nostalgic and appreciative. This past weekend I entered my 87 GT in 2 car shows. The first one on Saturday had 119 cars entered and we received a Top 10 trophy. We were up against a LOT of very high dollar street rods and other cars.

Show off

I'd say the loudest people that dislike Fiero have never owned one.

quote Originally posted by FierociousGT: Show off

I KNEW I was going to get accused of that, just before I hit the "submit" button.

The truth of the matter is that I entered maybe 8 cars shows last summer and, (other than one show), my Fiero went completely unnoticed.
I could have showed up with the car all in spray can primer, a torn up interior and the engine knocking and blowing blue oil smoke and gotten the same amount of "love".

The other truth is that I don't necessarily *want* the Fiero to be hugely popular. I sort of prefer the availability of relatively cheap parts and project cars and keeping this Fiero obsession as comparatively inexpensive as possible.

[This message has been edited by randye (edited 04-20-2009).]

quote Originally posted by randye: I KNEW I was going to get accused of that, just before I hit the "submit" button.

I have too say you have the BEST perl orange paint job I have seen on a Fiero. Your paint guy a real good.

PS
What are you doing going to car shows on the weekend? Don't you have to be on the track with the Indy Light team?

quote Originally posted by FierociousGT: I have too say you have the BEST perl orange paint job I have seen on a Fiero. Your paint guy a real good. PS What are you doing going to car shows on the weekend? Don't you have to be on the track with the Indy Light team?

We dropped St. Pete and Long Beach from our schedule this year, but we will be at Indy next month and then Milwaukee after that.
Our main sponsor this season didn't sign in time for us to make the first 2 races.
I'd rather be Indy Car racing than attending local cars shows any day.

quote Originally posted by Nick_Black: Why do so many people dislike Fiero? I mean, aside from the 84, which had obvious problems (still my fav year though >.> ), so why DO so many people laugh when I say fiero's are my fav. car?

The #1 problem is from a (few) disgruntled owners. Think about it... how many times have you heard a previous owner say, " I had one of those POS?" Instead of improving upon what GM should’ve done… they rather trash it. The disgruntled Fiero owners then turns their hatred towards Fiero owners (who still have them) thus the spawning of various web sites are created and troll attachments. Examples of “hatred” are at you tube postings and other public forums… thus the cycle is completed.

------------------



"I drive modified Fieros- anything less would be uncivilized."

quote Originally posted by randye: The first one on Saturday had 119 cars entered and we received a Top 10 trophy. We were up against a LOT of very high dollar street rods and other cars. ... My 1987 Fiero GT took Best of Show ...

You better start building a big room for all the trophies you will collect. If all Fieros were like yours no one out there would dislike them

People like Fieros.

People dislike AMC Pacer station wagons. :P

aww, man, I like AMC Pacer wagons. Most people don't know there was a Pacer wagon.

quote Originally posted by madcurl: The #1 problem is from a (few) disgruntled owners. Think about it... how many times have you heard a previous owner say, " I had one of those POS?" Instead of improving upon what GM should’ve done… they rather trash it. The disgruntled Fiero owners then turns their hatred towards Fiero owners (who still have them) thus the spawning of various web sites are created and troll attachments. Examples of “hatred” are at you tube postings and other public forums… thus the cycle is completed.

I think Curley hit the nail on the head here.

The Fiero is not an easy car to maintain. Lets face it, it's a pain in the ass to work on in many ways compared to a lot of other cars.
I see some Fieros on the roads, most of them in, (lets be honest), poor condition.
The people who either couldn't, or didn't want to, maintain and improve on the car to make it better, (not to mention just keeping it in decent shape),got fed up with the effort required and then relate their experience to others.
Almost any custom shop and many hobbyists know how to handle the average muscle car, street rod and classic car but faced with a unique little 2 seater with plastic body panels and a drivetrain that drops out the bottom of the *rear* of the car they suddenly start scratching their heads. You can't just flip open your "Year One", JEGGS or any other catalog and find everything you could ever need to build up your dream Fiero street machine. The Fiero requires craftsmanship and inventiveness of a different kind, and given that it's not *easy* I think many people shy away from it.

quote Originally posted by madcurl: The #1 problem is from a (few) disgruntled owners.

You've hit upon an interesting topic. There's an old guy I see once per summer, at the same car show, every August. He owned a Fiero back in the 80s, and had some difficulty with it, and he has made it his mission in life to tell other Fiero owners how crappy our cars really are. We can spot him a mile away; scanning the show field looking for a Fiero so he can ***** to its owner about how his overheated way back in 1985, or whatever. He must live a sad and lonely existence if he holds a grudge this long.

But yes, there seems to be a certain segment of car owners who have nothing but trouble with certain cars they've owned, yet they go out and buy another anyway. Everyone knows one; the guy who keeps buying, say, Dodge minivans even though every one he's owned goes through transmissions like they're candy? They complain and complain yet as soon as its paid off they trade it in on another.

quote Originally posted by Nick_Black: Why do so many people dislike fiero's?

it's a Fiero thing, if you have to explain, people wouldn't understand!

Cheers Beers n Gearz. Joe

congrats randye ^.^

and I guess it's about time then that I get a fiero and increase it's rep around my place...

and thank all of you for the info-filled responses I wasn't expecting that many replys.

cheers again ^.^
Nick_B

I have rarely come across someone that truly dislikes Fieros.

In my experience, the Fiero attracts mostly two types of people. The first are former owners, or people who knew owners, who come up to me to talk about the car, and share their fond memories of the one they had while complimenting mine. The second are people who have no prior affiliation, but still think the car is “neat,” and come up for a closer look and to find out more about it.

It’s rare I actually run across someone who shows hate for the car.

I suspect those that dislike it seem like a larger group than they really are, because they are a vocal minority.

I tend to agree that the "disgruntled" Fiero owner are usually the ones who
thrash and beat these little cars and then expect them to perform flawlessly.
Isnt that what America does with cheap american transportation anyways?

In my opinion there's only one vehicle you can beat on day in and day out and
get away with it....the trusty Toyota mini-pickup with the 22R motor!

Hey, maybe when we see a disgruntled former Fiero owner we should steer them toward a Toyota truck?
Maybe then they'll be happy?

Kit

quote Originally posted by plumcoco: JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY. wish they had one. (then th.y can experience the joy and the ecstacy of fiero ownership) lol

Exactly what I was thinking!

I usually get comments like . . . "I haven't seen one of those in years" . . . "Ahh I remember thoses cars" or . . . "I use to have one of those"

I was getting my red GT inspected the other day when man walked into the service bay and asked me what year was my GT. "I had one of those" the man said and then the service tech jump in with his own story.

As they were talking it seem like they both were going back to the days of Members Only jackets, 80's rock bands, and parachute pants. By the smiles they had on there faces it must have been some Good times, really good times!

------------------
White 88 GT 5 spd
(Soon to be a Shelby S1 powered 6 spd)
Red 88 GT Auto
(Soon to be Shelby S1 powered)

Black 88 coupe 5 spd (wife approved)

Didn't Ralph Nader singlehandedly kill the Fiero with his scathing reports on the 84 engine fires. Meanwhile my next door neighbor owns an 84 Fiero that she purchased new and its still running over 200K miles later.

------------------
" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite.
"THE COLUSSUS"
87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H
" ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "

all i ever get when i tell someone i have a fiero is...........that car is a death trap.........the gas tanks on those explode...........or, those cars catch on fire like its their job

I had a guy tell me what a crapy car the fiero was. He was in a bmw. He had a super hot wife who you could tell she was with him for his money. So I simply said at least I didn't buy my wife then I went to tell him that's what bmw stands for....bought my wife. I dunno some people feel to bag on the fiero.

i have yet to meet anyone who truly dislikes fieros. when my teacher found out i had an 85 gt his response was "thats a death trap, a real proud flame. ill buy it from u for double what you paid."

Everyone that I have ran into like them and wants to ride in mine when it is done.


I do hear the fire bit often but they still like them.

I get "death trap" most commonly... I dont even respond to that one, as we know that mid engine cars have their own handling characteristics, and the crash test ratings were very high. I may say "I feel safer here then any honda"

Next up is the fire talk..... "yea actually they all burned down, this is the last one"

"you should put a v8 in it" response..... "my v6 is much faster than a v8"

The last one is sorta funny... "wow I had a fiero, they were pretty fast".... Well and my response to that one is usually a mixed one, because it confuses me so much.

quote [B] When I first showed up with my Fiero at my brothers Indy Car shop, a couple of the crew guys asked me "Why would you spend all that time and effort on a FIERO?? Once they were "educated" about the car and it's possibilities, I think they have almost all come to give it a bit more respect. A Fiero will NEVER be a Ferrari or even close to any other high end exotic or sports car, but once it's clear to people thats not what its meant to be , folks seem to begin to understand it just a little more and gain a little more interest.

My supervisor (a true vette guy) started out saying why try to make a slow car fast when you can make a fast car faster. We have internet access on the job so I calmly bring up the forum and show him all of the cool things you guys have done with a Fiero. I explained a few positive facts about or little car and now I hear things like "we should build a custom rear spoiler on your car ", "Did you get anything done on it this weekend". I think he is a closet Fiero lover now but will not admit it. He actually gets dissapointed when he hears that I did not get a chance to work on the car on my day off.
He actually came out and said that if he had a Fiero, he would want it to look like Madcurl's car. I am now known as Mr. Fiero at work.
He does hate it when I tell him that the vette is a front engine fiero on steriods. (Just kidding vette guys) But he hates it none the less.
My spouse also pokes fun at my car but when I test fit a design change I get positive input.
It just seems to me that people for some reason don't readily admit that they think the car is cool.
I have barely started on my 86' and am thinking about what I want to do to the next one and outsiders are pumped about it.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by darkhorizon:

"you should put a v8 in it" response..... "my v6 is much faster than a v8"


Amen to that.

Plastic envy.

people that don't like fieros are people that don't like cars in general. they just want something to jump in and drive and drive with little to no maintenance.

It's a generational thing as well.

I just showed off my Fiero to a 20-something about 2 hours ago in a parking lot. He loved it, was absolutely fascinated by the mid-engined-ness. And my car isn't exactly the best example of a Fiero.. (faded paint, etc..)

He thought the V6 engine looked really cool, with the red making it stand out. (mind you, this was at night, with dim street lights)

The spaceframe with non structural body panels fascinated him as well.

It's just people over 40 that will tell me my car will catch fire.
(or tell me it's a kit car, or tell me that it's a crappy car...)

quote Originally posted by madcurl: The #1 problem is from a (few) disgruntled owners. Think about it... how many times have you heard a previous owner say, " I had one of those POS?" Instead of improving upon what GM should’ve done… they rather trash it. The disgruntled Fiero owners then turns their hatred towards Fiero owners (who still have them) thus the spawning of various web sites are created and troll attachments. Examples of “hatred” are at you tube postings and other public forums… thus the cycle is completed.

I have what has to be one of the DUMBEST reasons I've ever heard- and this happened literally this past Thursday during a conversation with a co-worker. I was talking about a "fastback swap" and showing a co-worker a picture of before and after, and another co-worker walks in.

She see's the pictures and says "Those cars are dangerous! I wouldn't get into one of THOSE if you paid me!" So I ask, "Why exactly to you say that," expecting to hear "They catch fire," or "they're small."

Now, seriously, pay attention to this! Instead...I hear "A friend of mine in high school was killed when one rolled on her." To which I say, "Um, any car will do that if you're not buckled in properly. That's not the car's fault!" And she says "No, it ran her over." And I say "What? How is that the car's fault exactly?" And she says "She got stuck, and when she was trying to push it, the car rolled back over her and killed her. It's dangerous because it's so low and wide." Yes, she SAID IT.

To which I could only say, in my best Bill Engvall impersonation...

"Here's Your Sign."

[This message has been edited by FieroFanatic13 (edited 04-21-2009).]