When he sits in the Fiero, he will forget about all of the details. It is low-slung and mid-engined and tons of fun compared to whatever minivan mom and dad have. I still remember riding in a pre-production model in the early 80's. Compared to my Impala, the Fiero was like sitting in an Italian Exotic.
In reply to pinchvalve:
Mom and Dad don't have a minivan, dude. That would almost as bad as having a Kia Rondo. And he currently drives an '88 CRX-si built to STS rules...
Woody wrote:PeteD wrote: Look like a nice one available in New Haven, CT http://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/4353255633.htmlI've been watching that ad for a couple of weeks. That car seems like a bargain at the price.
IMO, the '88 formula is the one to have, because i don't care for the GT nose or sail panels. the formula is more rare than the GT, so may be more collectible someday.
Woody wrote:PeteD wrote: Look like a nice one available in New Haven, CT http://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/4353255633.htmlI've been watching that ad for a couple of weeks. That car seems like a bargain at the price.
Yeah, looks like a good deal there!
In reply to AngryCorvair:
I'll travel a little ways for a car, but I'm not going to CT for one.
Some good info already. Check the battery tray for rust. Check the cooling tubes under the car - make sure they're not scraped/kinked/or otherwise damaged. Check the engine mount "dog bone" for play. They're easy enough to replace, but it might serve as a negotiation point.
Should performance ever become a concern, some bushings, sway bars, and a decent set of tires will do wonders. And there are more possible engine swaps than you can even imagine. From the mild Camaro 3.4 all the way to 3800SC V6s and SBC V8s.
An 86 GT is probably a good car for a kid. It's cheap but decent looking. Sporty but not overly so. No backseat means few passengers and distractions. That console is wide and high, so it'll serve as a mean deterrent for fun time with the ladies. 
If he dings it up, body panels are easily replaced.
Lots of good info here. I'll add:
I had an 86 SE V6. It was surprisingly reliable, and in many ways, a better DD than my Miata (but not as much fun).
bluebarchetta wrote: Lots of good info here. I'll add: * The stock brakes ('84-'87) are weak. Yes, they're 4-wheel discs, but they're 9.7" non-vented rotors all the way around. You can upgrade them with Grand Am brakes. * The V6 uses tubular exhaust manifolds that tend to crack...usually on the firewall side. You know, the side you can't access unless you drop the cradle/powertrain out the bottom. Once off the car, they can be welded and repaired. * Pennock's Fiero Forum is an excellent source of information: http://www.fiero.nl/cgi-bin/fiero/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro * The four-speed Muncie should not be a deal-breaker. It's as stout as the five-speed Getrag - the linkage is just a little wonky (especially on the 3-2 downshift). I had an 86 SE V6. It was surprisingly reliable, and in many ways, a better DD than my Miata (but not as much fun).
The pre88 brakes are not as good as the 88s, but can be considerably improved with suitable pad choices. The 88, while a better design, have limited pad options (I ran EBS Green because nothing better was available - the calipers are shared with few cars - one year of Cadillac and a few others)
They slotted the exhaust manifold holes on 88s to prevent the tubes cracking, but it is no big deal to weld them up - they are a high alloy steel and don't rust unless you wrap them.
I second the recco for Pennocks.
The Formula is a bit lighter than the GT and it just boils down to an aesthetic choice - none of them will ever be worth significant money. Too bad that the USA has taken only a couple of shots at making a mid-engine good handling sports car, pretty much botched the first one (Corvair) and didn't get the second one perfected until 1988 and then promptly cancelled the model.
So we went to look at this last night:
http://akroncanton.craigslist.org/cto/4380246831.html
Its as nice as it looks, at least from what I could tell without putting it on a lift. It is highly optioned as well, with power everything, working a/c, a factory CD player with equalizer, WS6 suspension, and more. It ran and drove really well, but it's an automatic. Still the price didn't seem too out of line for the condition. There was nothing wrong with it, although when we got there the seller already had it running and warmed up, so that's a little suspicious.
Funny thing, I wasn't really impressed with a manual trans Fiero we drove a couple nights ago. The shifter was really vague, and I've read that they aren't great and are somewhat troublesome. This car actually drove pretty nice with the automatic, which shifted crisply and didn't show any signs of any problems.
The seller claims the car has never been driven in the winter, and for most of its life it was in Virginia (had Va plates on it).
The engine sounded a little rough at idle, but ran strong, so I'm not sure about that one. Maybe a vacuum leak.
It has a camel colored leather interior that is almost like new. Not my favorite color, and neither are the gold wheels, but it's all so 80's it's almost cool.
I'm giving my kid a couple days to think about it. If he says he likes it, I'm going to ask to see it start cold, and put it on my lift so I can see under it. What do you guys think? Keep in mind this is a dd that he's driving into down town Akron every day to attend the university. Its not going to be a track car or anything, although it may end up on the track or at an autocross a time or two.
One more question, just in case. How hard is it to convert to a manual trans if we wanted to? I've done this kind of swap before, so I know all the generalities, but is there anything specific to this car that would make it more difficult than other cars?
That thing looks great, though I am a child of the 80's.
That is a very nice car and a fair price. You can convert to a 5-speed with parts from a donor car, toughest thing will be running the hydraulic line for the clutch. You'll need all V6 parts and 1988 mounts.
Check the EGR tube that that runs to the front of the intake plenum, they often crack and cause issues.
Check for the extra subwoofer under the dash, a very rare option. They do autocross fairly well with good tires.
Keep that thing out of the salt!
In reply to Gearheadotaku:
Can you expand on the EGR? Sounds like it could lead to it idling rough, which is the case with this car.
I'll look for the subwooofer. The sound system wasn't half bad, so maybe it has one.
Also, besides the fact that we all prefer a manual trans, is there anything particularly bad about the automatic in this car?
bravenrace wrote: Also, besides the fact that we all prefer a manual trans, is there anything particularly bad about the automatic in this car?
It's just a TH125c. The TCC solenoid is prone to failure (torque converter does not unlock and car stalls when you come to a stop) - otherwise, it is a reliable and unobtrusive transmission and works well with the torquey, low-revving pushrod motors GM put in Fieros.
How hard is it to replace the solenoid?
I can look at this for you if needed.
http://sandusky.craigslist.org/cto/4339522897.html
Thanks, but we already ruled that one out.
I dont want to derail, but this Celica looks like a perfect DD.
http://sandusky.craigslist.org/cto/4403027732.html
Still overpriced at $3.8 but he did have it at $4.3k, 23 days ago
Also was $4.5k
At under $3, it could be a deal.
I might not go alone to look at a car for sale by a guy with "PAIN" tattooed on his hand. 
RWD Celica w/ auto for $3.8k : http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/4395912149.html
Did you ever look at the Integra?
I really should go buy this for myself.
bravenrace wrote: In reply to Gearheadotaku: Can you expand on the EGR? Sounds like it could lead to it idling rough, which is the case with this car. I'll look for the subwooofer. The sound system wasn't half bad, so maybe it has one. Also, besides the fact that we all prefer a manual trans, is there anything particularly bad about the automatic in this car?
The autotrans is a durable unit, I wouldn't worry about it.
The EGR tube is just downstream of the throttle body, on the bottom of the plenum. The tube will run to the EGR valve itself which is on the y-pipe. The tubes tend to crack and cause a vacuum leak. Early design was an accordian like tube and was updated to a smooth pipe.
Car could just need a good tune-up and a long drive. I usually remove the cat to help cut down on the heat under the deck. Pennocks has already been mentioned and is a good source. The only concern I'd have is that the car may be too "nice" for a DD!
bravenrace wrote: How hard is it to replace the solenoid?
I've never had to do one, but judging by this guy's writeup, it looks about as easy as a Saturn valve body replacement (which is to say, pretty easy): http://www.kichline.com/chuck/fiero/TCC.htm
In reply to Gearheadotaku:
Well it idled like it had a vacuum leak. This would also cause an exhaust leak, correct? The exhaust was pretty loud to begin with, so a small exhaust leak would have been hard to hear.
JohnRW1621 wrote: I can look at this for you if needed. http://sandusky.craigslist.org/cto/4339522897.html
That blue is a one year only color and does add to the value. Car looks pretty clean but is over priced. Odd that someone swapped out the 15" wheels for 14"'s...
bravenrace wrote: In reply to Gearheadotaku: Well it idled like it had a vacuum leak. This would also cause an exhaust leak, correct? The exhaust was pretty loud to begin with, so a small exhaust leak would have been hard to hear.
Sounds resonable
With regard to the manual car that you drove: What year was it? The GM manuals weren't known as smooth shifters when they were new. They were just beginning to use Getrags around that time and the general consensus was the the Getrag shifted much better. I'm not sure, but later Fieros may have gotten the Getrag. I know the early V6s were GM four speeds. I think the 5 speed was a Getrag.
I'm pretty sure the 5 speed in the Fieros was the Getrag. That's what I drove, a '86 GT 5 speed. And it only had 76k on it.
Woody wrote: With regard to the manual car that you drove: What year was it? The GM manuals weren't known as smooth shifters when they were new. They were just beginning to use Getrags around that time and the general consensus was the the Getrag shifted much better. I'm not sure, but later Fieros may have gotten the Getrag. I know the early V6s were GM four speeds. I think the 5 speed was a Getrag.
The Getrag was OK, but after 26 years the cables are probably starting to show their age.
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