My investment rep accompanied me to the parking lot to see my '88 Formula. A friend of his had a Fiero years ago & they had lots of fun with it. He was amazed at the showroom condition (24,000 kilometers), original tires etc. etc. etc.

I get more positive comments about my Fiero than I did my Corvette. It was weird, I had a few kids ask to borrow the Corvette. Most people ask about & then compliment on the Fiero, despite it's hideous paint & swiss-cheese exhaust.

David, I hope you change those tires soon... 25 years is bad news for the same set of tires, no matter what mileage.

quote Originally posted by Doober: David, I hope you change those tires soon... 25 years is bad news for the same set of tires, no matter what mileage.

Before I got the car, it was kept in a garage & exercised occasionally, so the tires weren't subject to exposure & the rubber was flexed sometimes, keeping it supple. It's still an indoor pet, but it typically gets weekly use. There are some small surface cracks; much like are seen on most 2-3 year old tires. They also get regular garage inspections. I do think about them though...

quote Originally posted by sco77: I got to thinking that nearly every single time that I take my car out and stop somewhere I get someone that either asks what kind/year it is or compliments/asks questions about it. Took out this morning and first stop in a gas station and a couple bikers came over to take pictures of my car and engine, then stopped again somewhere 10 mins later and had a couple other people take pictures of it. Do these cars really cause this much attention?

use to get lots of attention, not so much after the paint faded. Once it get painted again (soon) I'm sure the complements and attention will be right back.

I get a few when I am working at the Quick Stop.

Ive always had more people comment on this when i had it.


Gas stations are where you get the most questions. mainly hey.. that doesnt sound stock... hey what is that.. hey how do you fit in that thing?

I have been getting a lot of compliments lately. I mean a lot of compliments. I think opinions are starting to change on our cars.

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

Had another comment last night, rolling up to the door of the gas station with my g/f. The guy had just walked outside and was staring at the car as he walked by As I got out he said "You still have that thing?!" - I was pretty confused by this, not sure if I'd seen him before or not, but it was nice to get another positive remark. The car's really more of a 20-footer in the day, and a 5-15 footer at night, but I try to keep it reasonably clean (including the wheels, I HATE brake dust), so it usually looks pretty decent.

Here's one for the history books!!!

Walking to my car after class, a young man is walking the same direction as me and notices me going to my GT. He says, "That is one of my favorite cars ever! What year is it?" I tell him it is an 86 and it is mostly original with low miles. He seems amazed. He replies with, "That's a Ford GT, isn't it?"

Uh, no. The PONTIAC lettering on the tail lights might give it away. Anyway, I did take it as a compliment! LOL

often actually, usually when I stop somewhere, gas station, parking lot.

Most of the time I do get good comment or good stares. At the 30th anniversary in Indianapolis, I was about 5 blocks away from the hotel sitting at a stop light when a big pick up truck pulled beside of me and the driver yelled "I thought all of those were crushed". I busted out laughing and I said they missed about 300 over at the hotel. He was just joking

[This message has been edited by notwohorns (edited 02-16-2014).]

I get a lot of compliments on my Nissan (07 Murano). But I get people craning their necks when I drive the Fiero. : ) The Fie has been waiting patiently to come out so hopefully soon. I wonder if a lot of the compliments are on the non stock ones. Mine is a bone stock 87 gt. It is clean, though.

Most of the younger nieghborhood kids think i drive a ferrari. hehehe



Lamborghini when the doors are up



the adults really like it but most have no idea what it is. Some even said Deloreon ? One lady, whom i never expected to know, asked while walking her dog,...is that a fiero ??

When i get some rubber on the new wheels, i really expect some raised attention.

[This message has been edited by exoticse (edited 02-16-2014).]

quote Originally posted by 84fiero123: and told him it was the only American made Mid Engine car ever made. he looked like WTF Pontiac made a mid engine car. Steve

actually the first ones that come to mind is the GT40 , Pantera ,Corvair, Fiero and also Delorean.

[This message has been edited by dematrix86gt (edited 02-17-2014).]

Pantera was Italian built and were imports. It just had a Ford engine.
Delorean, though built in Ireland was registered as an America Manufacturer - and it's REAR engine - like the Corvair.
So the only American Built Mid-Engine prior to the Fiero was the GT40 - and definitely not built for the masses.

Back to topic - YEAH, my cars get looked over now and then.

------------------
My World of Wheels Winners (Click on links below)

3.4L Supercharged 87 GT and Super Duty 4 Indy #163

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 02-17-2014).]

quote Originally posted by fierosound: Pantera was Italian built and were imports. It just had a Ford engine. Delorean, though built in Ireland was registered as an America Manufacturer - and it's REAR engine - like the Corvair. So the only American Built Mid-Engine prior to the Fiero was the GT40 - and definitely not built for the masses. Back to topic - YEAH, my cars get looked over now and then.

Eh... the GT40 was hardly an American car. The blue oval was there, but that was about it. Designed and built in England.

I've had comments at gas stations once in a while, but most of the time it gets ignored.

[This message has been edited by carbon (edited 02-17-2014).]

quote Originally posted by carbon: Eh... the GT40 was hardly an American car. The blue oval was there, but that was about it. Designed and built in England.

Well then that just makes the Fiero all the more exclusive - MORE special !!

I only drove my 88 for about 3 weeks before it went into my garage to start the 4.9L swap. I must have had a dozen positive comments about it. I especially liked it when people went out of their way to walk up to me in the parking lot to talk about the "classic" car.

I drove one in the late 90s-early 00s and nobody cared. It was just an old cheap car then, still pretty common. Hardly anybody thought much of them. I remember one fire question and one sunroof leak question (a Fiero owner).
This is my second round as a Fiero owner. It's funny how much changed during my absence, even though their market value really hasn't. They're no longer seen very much, and the general attitude toward the car seems more positive now.

I don't get many comments, maybe once every couple months. Usually at gas stations. My car looks rough on the outside, there's no major dents or anything but it looks like a worn out daily driver. The most common comments are from people who used to own one, or knew somebody who did. I'm terrible at socializing, but I've figured out that those people are easy, usually they just want to mention their car and they're done.
Met one lady who talked about the modifications, drag racing, bodywork, and car shows she did with a Fiero. Mentioned the front end lift issues also. That was an interesting conversation.
Generic "like your car" comments are rare but I've had a small number. I'm sure the appearance limits those type of comments. Had one offer to buy it, but I'm not sure that person was legitimate. Too flattering and hardly looked the car over.
Had one person mention a strange technical issue he had on a Fiero test drive, unfortunately at the time I didn't have much to say, I didn't think of an explanation until later.

I had a funny encounter recently. A lady pulled up on the opposite side at a gas station and asked me if it was a Honda. She then mentioned the spoiler. Spoiler = Honda - I didn't laugh at her but I thought her assumption was funny, given the reputation Honda does have for that type of thing.
She didn't mean it as a jab, she just honestly thought that's what it was. She was driving a Civic and wanted to share happy Honda feelings with a fellow owner. It was kind of weird. "Is that a Honda? .. No, it's a Fiero. Fiero, what's that? I love my Civic! 200K miles!" etc etc. The things Honda people always say to each other.
She started asking my opinion about oil changes. She asked if Fieros were still being made.. I don't think she's a car person.

I drive mine daily. I'd say 4-5 days out of 7 someone is asking about it, (what is that? How old etc...) or OMG I had a Fiero JUST LIKE THAT when I was in college, mid-life crisis etc. It's fun.

After reading the 2 pages of this thread, I realized that 95% of the questions and comments are covered by this shirt:



These are just some T-Shirts I did up to randomly give away at the Daytona Fiero Weekend at the end of March.

This summer will be 16 years that I've owned my 84 SE. Every year I get more and more people commenting of the car. Most often at gas stations. One guys in his late twenties asked me if it was a kit car. I told no and he asked who made it and when. I told him the details and he couldn't believe it was that old and mass produced. He said he had never heard of nor seen a Fiero.

I go to a lot of car shows with it and at most most show I draw a lot of lookers who never saw one and spend time checking it out.

Now that I have the powder coated chevy hotrod V8 with the comp cams roller people that hear it run ask me if a have a death wish. Thank you very much. Nobody asks me what color I am going to paint it, finaly!

When I still lived in Pontiac, and had my 86GT running, the question I got the most was what year. That was usually followed with "yeah I built that one".

That's pretty cool Robi Since my dad is still working with the General (40+ years now) every once in a while he'll say "I worked on the dies for that", I find it pretty cool... in other GM car things he also talked about working on stuff for my '78 Malibu when it was in production.

I seem to get a lot when starting it and leaving gas stations

last time at strip guy in 02 camaro ss gave me lots of compliments. Another guy with a stang glanced over and was like wtf that's got a blower? and was blown away. I was more shocked at his monster turbo setup.

I get more looks in fiero but more questions with the cobalt *raised eye brow*

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

3800 SC/IC Formula whines more than your girl... 12.7@113 330 HP/430TQ
08 Cobalt SS TC - ZZP tuned, K&N SRI, 6k HID's 13.31@107

I often get some comments (both positive and slightly curious) when I drive my cars almost anywhere. However, I am driving a Mera which is even less known to the general public than a stock Fiero and often have to explain what it is and is not (F308/328).

Even when I drive one of the project Meras I get a few "thumbs up" from some of the younger drivers who also want to know what engine I have installed or if I want to race. I had one guy who wanted to race a while back and I just hit the gas to activate the blow off valve (3.4 turbo) and he then decided to leave a a very reasonable low speed.

Nelson

I routinely get told that "You have the coolest car on the base!" when I drive through the gate in the morning. It's a great way to start the day.

While filling up the '84 SE today, the guy on the other side of the pump said "It's still kickin, eh?" "Yep" I replied, "364,000 kilometers & still going strong." He said he used to spray rustproofing on them for a local dealer that charged the regular price even though only the bottom got sprayed...

I also drove to London Ontario & back in the '86 coupe today - about half way between Brantford & Woodstock on highway 403 I passed a Dodge Caravan. Shortly thereafter I noticed it was coming up to pass me - I checked to see that I hadn't slowed down, then noticed it wasn't passing, just staying beside. I looked over & the middle-aged driver had a huge grin & was giving a thumbs up. The teen aged passenger was also grinning & taking pictures. I returned the smiles & waves, then he dropped back to his previous speed. I guess it's photogenic enough... lol!

Before I came to Korea I was driving mine daily and it was a rare day indeed that I didn't get some kind of positive feedback. My favorite was from a young millennial who asked me what it was. When I told him it was a Pontiac Fiero he replied,"Pontiac made cars like this?". I told him yep, from 1984 to 1988. He replied,"if they still made cars like this they would not have went out of business".

My wife says, "Don't take the kids in that!"

Oh, from other people. Well, I get comments like, "You mustn't get very good gas mileage." "Can you fit in that?" "They're all fire traps. Don't take my son in it." "They still make those?" "I thought they all burned up."

As I returned to my '86 Coupe (pic 3 posts above) in a grocery store parking lot this afternoon, I noticed a lady looking at it. As she got to the back she exclaimed "Oh! It's a 2M4!" She noticed me then & asked if it was mine; asked if she could take pictures; said it made her day, & went on to tell how it was her favourite car since she was 12 (soon to be 40). She said someone she knew had one years ago but she thought it had a fire. Lol!

Drove mine to work today and had a blast but on the way home I had someone that would not get off my butt even though I was cruising 60 mph in a 55 mph zone so I dropped my speed to 55 so he would pass, he didn't. Came up to a stop sign and I punched it and the Fiero took off as well as a 2.8 auto can and left him far behind and then settled in to a 60 mph cruise again and here he came at wrap speed with the same BS. I turned off and he kept going straight so I never did find out what his deal was. 10 minutes later I had another one only not as goofy but still had to get near enough to give me hug. What the hell, why do people think they have to do that?
By the way, that little 2.8 isn't bad for what it is. It feels pretty good actually, can't wait to swap in a 3.4!

[This message has been edited by BrittB (edited 05-21-2014).]

Yeah, I've heard several comments like, "I knew a guy, neighbor, relative, former girlfriend, etc. who used to have one of these". When driving home from the Fiero 30th at Indy, when I stopped for gas once, this trucker told me how he used to have one, but his wife got it in the divorce!

I pulled into the parking lot at the local community center yesterday, and as I was shutting the car down I noticed a young teenage boy (14?) literally running towards my '88 Formula. The car's nothing special (yet), but I still had my nice track tires/wheels on from autocross. He stood there admiring the car, and I asked him if he was familiar with these cars. He responded that he was, and then he said... "It's a Porsche, isn't it?"

I had a class to attend, so I didn't have much time to spare, but I gave him a real quick lesson on Pontiac Fieros.

This is a shot I took today just prior to installing lowering springs. (You can still see chalk on the tires from autocross.)

quote Originally posted by tshark: My wife says, "Don't take the kids in that!" Oh, from other people. Well, I get comments like, "You mustn't get very good gas mileage." "Can you fit in that?" "They're all fire traps. Don't take my son in it." "They still make those?" "I thought they all burned up."

when people make stupid fire comments,...respond in kind (such as) :

"yeah well i must have gotten a lemon,..it's been 30 years and the damn thing still hasn't burned "

" really,...btw where is the car you drove 30 years ago ??

" yeah you might want to stand back cause it could go at any minute !! "

" (i thought they all burned up ??) yep,..this is the last one "

[This message has been edited by exoticse (edited 05-22-2014).]

quote Originally posted by BrittB: What the hell, why do people think they have to do that?

Are you driving in the passing lane? If so you need to get over to the right.

If it's on non highway roads, I always detour this behavior by putting on my left turn signal. They slow down, & I take it back off. They get back on me & I put it back on again. Eventually they just pass.

Went to see X-men after work - great movie! Got in car, wife called - noticed car pull up next to me. I was parked way out in parking lot, tough area. Person stared and stared at car and I waved then slowly drove in circles around car while I talked on phone. Hung up phone and we talked a while. Person really liked car, he thought of it as a classic and I thought he might want to buy it. I have a bad knee injury and other health issues that bum me out sometimes. Bought my spirits up when he said " If YOU like driving it and working on it then that is it!". Just what I needed to hear after a really rough week.

[This message has been edited by fierobug (edited 05-24-2014).]