03 Jun Mid engine, mid 80’s classic ahead of it’s time…
I’ve always had an interest in classic cars. I was going to the car shows with a friend who belonged to Barrie Thunder Classics, a local car club. I wanted to join the club and buy myself a ride. the problem was I only had $1400 in which to buy something. After an exhaustive search I found my 1984 Fiero. I liked the looks of it and after a test drive purchased the car as is. I took the car in to be safetied, a little scared. I didn’t have a whole lot of money left. To my surprise the previous owner had maintained the car very well, and $160 later it was safetied. It’s a reliable daily driver. The little car has attitude as well with it’s duel exhaust that splits into quads. Well it’s my third season, the only things that have gone wrong are a broken wire, and a broken trunk strut. I also replaced the sunroof gasket. I have less than $2000 in the car, and parts are dirt cheap and easy to get. The Fiero was the only production domestic mid engined coup ever built. It was first designed as a commuter car during the early eighties gas crisis. To save weight plastic body panels were mounted to a space frame, and were easily removed. Very high tech for the eighties. The car gets better mileage than my 2007 Dodge Caliber. Many of the technologies were of course new in this car, so there were problems in the early days. The car featured cool things like speakers in the headrest, throttle body fuel injection,one of the first computers that controls all of 6 functions. The Fiero was in production for a mere 4 years. To me this car paved the way for future cars. The Fiero is big business with exotic bolt on body kits and websites devoted to Fieros to supply needed parts. I love this car, and along the way I’ve joined a car club with a great bunch of guys. I’ve gone to car shows like the Copper Kettle Classics, I want to thank the organizers for all their hard work putting on the show in the great little community of Creemore. I’ve met so many great people. I’m having a blast driving my go-cart like car, and meeting people. The car was a significant change in my life, and historically significant in it’s design. This website is a great place to share stories and photos. I’m looking forward to this years event.
PS I can drive there from Barrie and back on a needlewidths worth of gas!
Glenn LaMarche
