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86 fiero... worth repairing? |
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canucklehead88 
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Joined: 28 June 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 5 |
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 Topic: 86 fiero... worth repairing?Posted: 24 April 2012 at 8:20am |
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Hi, my daughter owns an 86 fiero (4 cylinder, automatic) It's got 158,000 original KMs.. and is in pretty good body and mechanical (ENGINE & TRANSMISSION) shape. I recently had the front brakes done, and they discovered that the rear calipers were seized... I've also had the Rear Strut assembles replaced with new (USED) strut assemblies (the car as not had a proper alignment since the Strut assemblies were installed...) The car also needs new tires all around.. and apparently also needs the steering damper replaced. The car also is handling badly over speeds of 70 km. The bad handling occurs primarily when the right side of the car goes over a bump or an uneven spot on the road (a mannhole cover will do..) the car will "waddle"and the front end will swerve back and forth causing a the car to waddle almost to the point of being out of control without careful and quick steering correction.. (the car is currently not being driven my my daughter.. too dangerous) I have been given a quote of $850 for new tires, new steering damper installed, and a full wheel alignment.. but it will still need new calipers for the rear brakes... so... long story short.. OPS..TOO LATE... :) ... Is my daughters car worth fixing? I'm concerned because of it's age, and the current state of the car, that it will cost me way too much to get this car back a place where it's a safe reliable car..My daughter is not all mechanical.. and I'm not a grease monkey, so these repairs would need to be done by a mechanic... Any advice you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.. thanks in advance!!!
Brette (Canucklehead88) |
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Dawg
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Joined: 15 August 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 988 |
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Posted: 24 April 2012 at 12:25pm |
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The bottom line is any car of that age is going to need some
attention to get it to the reliable stage. Your car seems to have typical things wrong with it. Good bet is there won't be too much more. However, it's probably never going to be a "hands off" car. Make sure she really loves the car before putting all that effort into it. The other side of my brain says "yes, fix it" just because it's a neat car that I love. You choose. Dawg |
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You dream it up....I'll make it
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canucklehead88
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Joined: 28 June 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 5 |
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Posted: 24 April 2012 at 1:00pm |
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thanks for the advice Dawg, my concern is with the weird handling the car is now doing.. based on my description of the problem, and what i've been quoted to fix it.. (new tires, steering dampner, and a wheel alignment) doe it sound like that work will fix my problem? Or is my daughters car (which she absolutely loves by the way..) gonna become a money pit?.. Also, can you recommend a good mechanic, garage to take it to? and last but not least.. what's your best guess on the cost on brakes..(probably new cailpers) on the rear wheels? thanks!
Canucklehead88 |
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Colby
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Joined: 30 March 2009 Location: Abbotsford/Sask Status: Offline Points: 665 |
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Posted: 24 April 2012 at 1:20pm |
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The alignment being off could completely explain the car handling poorly at higher speeds, and with bad tires, the effects of a bad alignment can be more pronounced. The tires themselves could also be the cause of the weird handling.
The rear alignment can change a lot when you do the rear struts. Enough that the car won't drive anywhere near straight again until you align it again. Drive around like this enough and you can ruin your rear tires pretty quickly. From what I know of the steering damper, it doesn't really contribute much to the stability of the car at speed. In fact, '88 Fieros don't even have them. |
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88 Formula 5 speed
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Dawg
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Joined: 15 August 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 988 |
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Posted: 25 April 2012 at 3:19am |
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The only Fiero mechanic working full time as one is Chris Zander.
His shop is in coquitlam. The place is called Ralley Tech. He gives great deals on labour and parts to Fiero people. If you phone, ask for him specifically so he can arrange the deal. Not sure on the brake cost as I have modified brakes. Cheers, Dawg |
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You dream it up....I'll make it
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Capt Fiero
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Founding Member Joined: 12 February 2007 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 4039 |
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Posted: 26 April 2012 at 10:07pm |
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If she loves the car, I'll come in on the side to defend it. Tires, all cars need tires and even a different car may need new tires, if you do some searching around you can find a decent set of tires on craigslist for $200. As Cheese said, if you had the struts done and did not get an alignment done, I am honestly surprised the car is even drivable. The back end of the car can be so loose that it will feel like you are driving on ice and want to slide all over the place, so get that fixed as soon as you can. Now the brakes, that is the one teeter totter thing. Being an automatic the "parking brake" portion is almost a moot point. If you are concerned about the car NEEDING to have an emergency brake then you might want to stop reading. However many Fiero people have done the "Grand Am" rear brake swap on the Fiero. Its far cheaper than repairing the Fiero's rear brakes, offers much improved braking and much cheaper parts, the drawback is that you lose the parking brake. Being an automatic means there is more weight on the rear tires than a standard trans Fiero, so getting a stronger pull on the rear brakes is really kinda nice. My wife has an 85 V6 Auto Fiero with the Grand Am rear brakes and the car will stop on a dime, without any major lockup issues. If you skim the tech area of this forum I posted a link that explains the Grand Am brake conversion. I think the only real issue for you will be finding a place to do the conversion. I am not sure if a shop will be willing or legally able to modify the brakes. Its an extremely easy conversion, just unbolt the Fiero parts and bolt on the Grand Am parts. Your other option is to look at other Fiero's possibly something with a V6, in better condition. Just make a note, that the newest Fiero out there is over 20 years old, and all of them will require some maintenance. LOL, with the exception of this one, but they do want $40,000 for it, http://bellingham.craigslist.org/ctd/2981479573.html |
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Capt Fiero
88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
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Dr.Fiero
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Joined: 12 February 2007 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1726 |
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Posted: 27 April 2012 at 5:22am |
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Other point of note....
You never mentioned WHERE in Canada you are! We're a big blob of land ya'll know.  Are you/she really cash strapped? That might make a difference which direction we point you. |
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Romeo
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Joined: 16 November 2008 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 3033 |
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Posted: 27 April 2012 at 11:21am |
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Alright, will if David's playing the defender, I suppose I'll go out of character and play Devil's Advocate: The Fiero WILL become a money pit. Like any car that's over 25 years old, they require constant maintenence, and if we're being honest, are fairly susceptible to breakdowns as compared to a more modern vehicle. If she loves the thing, well, that's something to take in to consideration. If you're looking at it from a purely practical standpoint, it becomes much more difficult to justify the repairs, especially if you wont be able to fix the things that will go wrong down the line.
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Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan.
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Dr.Fiero
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Joined: 12 February 2007 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 1726 |
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Posted: 27 April 2012 at 11:33am |
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And going with that note.... This is almost the bottom of the barral in
the product line (duke auto), so don't factor in much resale value. But as said... I she loves it... That's worth stacks. |
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Bassman
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Sir Brian Joined: 12 February 2007 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 2501 |
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Posted: 28 April 2012 at 10:52am |
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I have a really nice 86 Fastback if she's interested?:)
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Brian (Bassman)
86 GT Fastback 3.2L 2013 Mazda3 Sport GS SkyActive [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u243/Bassman68/BassmanSignature.png"> |
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