I usually catch H-E-double-toothpicks from people in the bay area about my Fiero; "They all catch fire!" and "Worst piece of American junk ever made!" are the two most common comments.
Approx' ten years ago I went out to Modesto (Central Valley) to get a part at the P&P...stopped to get gas and two fellow customers and another guy just walking by all complimented my Fiero- then at the P&P two others complimented it- I was scared, looking up for a METEOR to fall out of the sky and..."Balance accounts"
So today, not far from my house, waiting at a traffic light, two young men in a Scion TC pulled up and yelled at me...gave me a thumbs up, asked "How long have you had it?" etc...taking pics with their phones.
Once again, I am looking up in the sky for a meteor.....
I know the feeling to cherish the few positive comments about our Fiero's.. Most of my friends are older like me, and we go to car shows together. I usually drive a Fiero. People come by and look at the cars, usually a friends 66 Chevelle Supersport and a 68 Olds 442 Hurst tribute car. Viewers are all over their cars, while I sit and listen to the observations. Seldom does anyone ask about the Fiero. But, this summer I noticed a younger group of car owners, WRX, MR2, Scion, and similar owners, dropping by and showing a lot of interest in my Fiero's. Seems like they relate the style, size and uniqueness of their own cars to the Fiero. Us older hot rod guys don't really get their type of car. With me, I've always liked a large variety of car types. In fact my wife says "I've never seen a car you don't like!" Not true. Last weekend, the three of us, Chevelle , 442, and my mini wide body , went for a Sunday drive. We crossed the Columbia River on the ferry at Westport and first drove to Cathlamet, and stopped at their mooring basin where we encountered a number of duck hunters coming off the river. They were all over the other cars, asking questions and admiring them, rightfully so. Not one interest or question did we get about the Fiero. Wrong age group, in my opinion. So, the moral is, Appreciate the few times we get responses to our cars, but also accept the diversity of the car hobby as it changes and matures. We all love four wheels and gasoline engines! Keep the faith, I'm sure more compliments are on the way for that Fiero!
I really like all cars- except the "wings-&-canted-wheels tondas"....Back when I was in HS (1970s) most of the kids were into the "Funny-car" look, big fatties out back and skinnies up front, with the rear jacked way up. My father had been a sports car nut in the fifties before I came along and ruined his life. So I was always into handling, and of course, mid-engine cars are (Generally) better for handling.
My dentist bought a Pantera, and I fell hard for it...but in 1984-5, when I had enough mula to buy a used Pantera, I had found that all those Italian cars had horrible ergonomics, big maintenance costs, and lousy dependability....and then Pontiac came out with the Fiero, so I bought one.
Sadly, everyone (Apparently) has read the Car & Drivel (Hate-American) tests but nobody reads the '85 MT and R&T tests of the V6 GT. The Fire problem and the quality situation was complete BS, but you cannot change people's minds.
Same thing with my jet boat; "Can't ski behind them" and "They use twice as much fuel as my XXX boat"....I finally convinced an acquaintance to ski behind it after 4 years, "Very good- would never hesitate to ski behind it again" Also, my boat now gets better fuel economy than DD ski boats.
I very seldom hear much of anything regarding my blue-gray 4.9 car.
As soon as I bought my medium red GT fastback, people started coming out of the woodwork. Nearly every time I go to our corner gas stop, someone has something complimentary to say about it. I even got pulled over, on the way home from buying it, about two miles from my house. Since I had just bought it, it was not tagged. (In GA, tags are not transferable.) Once the officer checked my paperwork, to make sure everything was in order, he said, "You don't see many of these any more. You gonna stuff a Cadillac motor in it?" He was obviously a fan. I told him, "No. I already have one of those."
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Originally posted by cvxjet: ... Same thing with my jet boat; "Can't ski behind them"
Where in the hell did that come from? Seems to me that a jet could make a perfect ski boat.
There are two reasons why "Jet boats aren't good for skiing"......One is the rooster tail behind; A lot of them have quite a bit of spray, but my boat has the trim set 5* down and my father's jet boat had a wedge that did the same thing. (This angle also helps acceleration)
The other problem is that when cutting back and forth the boat, having no fin, can be pulled around a lot; My father's 19' Deep vee family boat would get pulled all over the place- had the ski-pull mounted on the stern. My CVX-20 has a ski POLE in front of the engine- basically at the center of gravity....It does not get pulled around.
... when cutting back and forth the boat, having no fin, can be pulled around a lot; My father's 19' Deep vee family boat would get pulled all over the place- had the ski-pull mounted on the stern. My CVX-20 has a ski POLE in front of the engine- basically at the center of gravity....It does not get pulled around.
Are you talking about the force/weight of the skier pulling the boat around? I wouldn't have pictured that, but it's been a long time since I've been on a boat, or pulled a skier, for that matter.
Yes- the weight and angular force of the skier cutting would pull the stern around- that is why most "professional" ski-boats have some fins on the bottom.
In our group, there was a college football player who liked to ski behind my father's boat because at 40 mph, it still had a wake (His father's Kona lo-pro had no wake above 35) He would get almost parallel with the boat, and then cut hard and jump the wake, clearing six feet (With his legs straight) and land 12 feet beyond the far wake...When he landed, a lot of times his fists would go in the water, and then when he pulled to cut, his shoulder would touch because he was leaned over so far. I wasn't quite at opposite lock trying to keep the boat straight- but it was close.
I wish I still knew that guy- I'd go by where a bunch of wakeboarders were about to jump (using a tower, and 2-foot wake...at 20 mph) and have this guy slalom ski at 40 past them jumping without a tower.....they'd all just wrap up and go home.
[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 11-01-2022).]
Stories from Older guys know someone who had one and loved it. On the highways, Younger guys honk and give me thumbs up. I've had about half a dozen girls - art students - who see it as art - 'specially the wheels. Folks photograph it all the time.
This is my 6th Fiero - my 2 brothers have Corvettes. The FIERO is always the attention getter!
There are two reasons why "Jet boats aren't good for skiing"......One is the rooster tail behind; A lot of them have quite a bit of spray, but my boat has the trim set 5* down and my father's jet boat had a wedge that did the same thing. (This angle also helps acceleration)
The other problem is that when cutting back and forth the boat, having no fin, can be pulled around a lot; My father's 19' Deep vee family boat would get pulled all over the place- had the ski-pull mounted on the stern. My CVX-20 has a ski POLE in front of the engine- basically at the center of gravity....It does not get pulled around.
I used the slobber over jet boats like this w/ the 455 Olds in my earlier teens when going to the Philadelphia Boat Shows. Later in life, I can do one these easy...hmmmm...now to sell the idea to my wife...might be harder than finding the cash in 72 for a new one.
Second, Mark, there is a CVX-20 Jet for sale in Colorado- looks to be in great shape- Does need an engine rebuild, tho. The CVX-20 Jet is much more comfortable than the low-pro jet boats.
Here is a pic of mine with my custom windshield (Stock one is lower)
Second, Mark, there is a CVX-20 Jet for sale in Colorado- looks to be in great shape- Does need an engine rebuild, tho. The CVX-20 Jet is much more comfortable than the low-pro jet boats.
Here is a pic of mine with my custom windshield (Stock one is lower)
That is a nice boat. Hmmm...if I sell the Tempest, I can buy the boat & another Fiero with the proceeds.....still there's the wife....BTW, your dog seems to be looking at you like your nuts!
I worked for the CG in SF-CA, and would order parts from NC....Sent the pic of me skiing to a friend back there, and she stated "Can't be you- your dog ain't in the pic" So I added her in. The pic of her was taken with her looking over the engine cover towards the stern. Had to darken her ears (Original flash pic). She always knew I was (Certifiably) nuts.
The CVX-20 jet is considered by many to be the second-most-beautiful fiberglass boat. (The most "B" is related...The Glastron/Carlson Scimitar, but it is a cruising boat, not good for slalom skiing)
Pic of the boat for sale- looks very well taken care of. I can give you his number if you wish (PM)
[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 11-04-2022).]
The FIERO is always the attention getter!
