Hey guys. I just went out and bought this 86 GT on a whim about a month ago. And I actually have ZERO knowledge about cars or mechanics. So please don't mind my stupid questions that will no doubt come your way sooner or later! Thanks in advance!

Robin

Must be http://www.westcoastfieros.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1190&PN=1 - This car .

The previous owner of your Fiero has been trying to sell that GT for ages. (Three years plus?) I don't know whether any of us actually ever met the previous owner, but you can trace the car's history in the club's forum http://www.westcoastfieros.com/forum/search.asp?KW=inder_hira&SM=1&SI=AR&FM=0&OB=1 - Here .

I hope it turns out to be a decent Fiero GT for you.

And welcome to the forum/club, Robin.

Congrats on the fastback.  The first thing you need to do if you are not mechanically inclined is do lots of reading, these are older cars and need routine maintains.  Especially if the previous owner did not do much.  For light reading, grab a Haynes and park it in the bathroom.  Hey a few mins every single day and you will have the book read cover to cover in no time.   Then go out and buy a factory service manual for when you actually start to work on the car.  The Haynes gets you a good round idea, but does not have all the little details that an OEM manual does.

I have always loved that colour on a Fiero, its the fact that it really isn't a colour at all.  Its kinda black ash colour in a good way of course.  Not really black, no really Grey, just cool looking.  I don't think anyone ever looked under the hood to find out what 5spd is in the car or checked the RPO to see if it says the RPO for any of the 4spds, I believe the 85/86 4spd RPO was M19. (early 4spd was MY8 and M17 IIRC) 

         Again congrats on the car and feel free to come out to a meet and check out the club. 

Thanks for all the comments, everyone! Yes, I bought this 86 GT with 5-speed from the kid Patrick mentioned above for $2,800. It's been exactly 1,000 miles and still no problem. 

I had to get new tires, brake pads and rotors. My trusted mechanic checked it out and said everything looked fine, besides the fact that there is an oil leak at the seal (perhaps a dozen droplets each day). He said this is not an immediate problem that needs fixing. What do you guys think? Sorry, my mechanical expertise goes about as far as checking the dipstick once a day :)

Also, one of the headlights will not go down. I just have to turn the knob by hand each time. The previous owner said it just needed a new gear. Does anybody know who can work on this for me? What about Canadian Tire? Is it something simple to do? Cost?

Thanks a bunch, guys. I do look forward to coming out to a club meeting one day. I live in Poco, work at YVR, and run a business in Vancouver! Talk about daily high-mileage driving! So far I'm quite happy with the Fiero. But I am VERY VERY reluctant to get rid of my 07 Sebring though. Not too sure how long this Fiero can take my 100km daily driving...

Cheers,

Robin

Hey Robin,

You and I seem alike, when I bought my Fiero it was from a buddy, just past a month later the engine went...so the rebuild began

There are many who use these cars as daily drivers, but have the knowledge and equiped to do all the repairs themselves, maybe invest on BCAA...I started to learn much more about cars in general and the investment began, I still 8 years later don't know a lot, but I try.

A great web site as a reference is Pennocks: http://www.fiero.nl/cgi-bin/main.cgi - http://www.fiero.nl/cgi-bin/main.cgi

I have to run and get my car ready for autox tomorrow, meeting with the club and getting to know and learn is what what you'll gain from this club

The oil leak...depends on where / Headlight motor, another resource is Rodney Dickman's who has a rebuild kit.

http://www.rodneydickman.com/retail.html - http://www.rodneydickman.com/retail.html

The motors you have in the '87 are the upgrade most of us want, as David said...read up

Boxin' Robin wrote: Yes, I bought this 86 GT with 5-speed from the kid Patrick mentioned above for $2,800.

Considering what he was originally asking for it, that's a pretty big drop in price. If there's nothing major wrong with it, you got a good deal.

The best $14.99 I've ever spent at Canadian Tire. A tiny shift knob that just slides right on top of the Fiero Store's short shifter .

Before:

After:

Boxin' Robin wrote: Thanks Romeo. Lessons learned. In fact, I've been learning so many things about cars in general ever since I got the Fiero. I didn't even know how to properly check the oil! Just went over the whole Haynes manual twice - but only the first few chapters made any sense to me haha... Robin

The shift knob looks fantastic, too.