My Fiero

A month or two later, while standing in the garage area at the dealership, my new car came around the corner for me to approve. Red and black, low to the ground, and very sleek; I hadn't expected it to be so "cool" looking. (You laugh now, but this was late 1983)

Flipping on the stero with the speakers in the headrest and just enough room for me and a friend, it was very personal already. This wasn't a mom car or a sensible car, it was the perfect car for me.

I wasn't the only one who fell in love with it either. The Pontiac Fiero wasn't really on most showroom floors yet. For the first several weeks people would stare, invite themselves to sit in it, and I would find large groups of them gathered around when I'd return to it in a parking lot.

My Fiero quickly became my best and most trusted friend. Sounds odd I know, but in addition to being a very personal car just based on it's tiny stature, it played an extremely important role in my life at the time.

I had moved several hundred miles away from my home to start my first job. I was a home based therapist who traveled through central and eastern Tennessee spending much of my time driving. To the tune of up to 290 miles a day. Yes, often working 6 day weeks and 15 hour days. My Fiero was there the entire time.

Unfortunately, as some had warned me, a car that is completely new to the market sometimes has "kinks" that have not yet been worked out. My Pontiac Fiero was indeed "kinky" in this manner. The worst of these problems seemed to be issues with the computer. Despite probably 10 to 12 trips to the dealership for various repairs, I suppose it is only fair to say I still managed to put over 60,000 miles on it in about 9 months.

My Fiero wasn't the ultimate sports car, but it cost me just over $8,000 as I recall. Even back in the 80's that was pretty affordable. I loved driving it; so easy to maneuver around slower vehicles on the backroads in Tennessee. For a person who drove a great deal, the fuel efficiency definitely held expenses down. I can't swear to it, but I recall 34-38mpg on the highway in my 4 cyclinder. It didn't seem to have the tightest turning ability (or perhaps it was the lack of power steering at the time) but it would fit in any parking space. It wouldn't hold more than a couple of bags of groceries but it was a car for driving not hauling.

I sold my first Pontiac Fiero at the end of the year, and despite my troubles, got a GT because everything else I drove seemed far too lumbering to tolerate. My experience with my second Fiero was flawless and although it's not my style now, to sit behind the wheel of one again, manuevering a winding road, or sailing along a highway would be a hoot.

The Pontiac Fiero started out as more of an economy car which defied the boxy look, but evolved into more of a respectable sports car from the time of it's introduction in 1984 until it's final year of mass production in 1988. It was the first mid-engine two seater by a US manufacturer and offered a number of other innovations.

There are entire communities of Fiero enthusiasts who restore these cars and others who merely want them to use as kit cars.

How Stuff Works offers a fairly concise overview of the history of the Fiero. Fiero Focus provides a nice discussion about it's space frame chassis and assembly and WeLovePontiacs gives an overview of the various models over the years.

For a history and discussion of the most common Fiero problems, readers can see this Wikipedia article.

For the milllions of people who have never driven a Fiero and live in todays world of tall, somewhat boxy, and heavy vehicles, a test drive is recommended for the fun of it. If that's not possible, at least check out the videos below!

Photo Credits
Introduction: BKM_BR.
Fiero Love at First Sight: nokrash.
Fiero Trouble: powellizer.
The Fiero Allure: scfiasco.
The History of the Pontiac Fiero: kplaten.