[goatwgn]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

The 4 cylinders were the ones that had engine fires, not the V6s.



I owned an 86 SE 4 cylinder automatic 4 cyl. (daughters first car), tons of people asking WTF I would buy her an unsafe car like a Fiero. Maybe because the Fiero was actually quite a safe car with the passenger compartment surrounded by a full cage structure, if they bothered to look at the design of the car, instead of listening to idiots that don't have a clue. My own 88 was a 4 cyl. 5 speed. Put tons of miles on both of them. The timing gears went out of my 88 at about 130,000, fixed it and kept driving it until I sold it at around 155,000.

They were good little cars. Especially considering that GM corporate practically tied Pontiac Divisions' hands behind their back when designing it. There is a lot of misinformation out there over the years such as what you have mentioned regarding a lot of different things. Reminds me of the Corvair nonsense.

[gtofreek]

I remember going to the GM proving grounds near Phoenix in 1981. We saw the prototype 82 Firebird there. It had the Super Duke 151[2.5L] in it. That engine was really built up, and they claimed it would run a 12.9 in the 1/4 mile, and top out at 160 MPH on the oval track with 4.11 gears.

They also had the prototype Fiero there. It came pulling into the garage we were I touring, and we all said, "WTH is that?". We got to take a close up look at it. It also had the SD 151 IIRC, in it. They said they had over $1,000,000 in each of those cars. Just not stashed in suitcases!

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Will be turning 60 on March 27th.
Body belongs in the 90+ category.
Mind belongs in the twenty range.

Clay

[Frank R]

I think that I'm 29 but my birth certificate shows that I just turned 60.

[unclescratch]

I am 66. The GTO bug bit me when I saw a new '64 parked around the corner from where I lived. Never recovered................

Growing up thru high school right behind the Totem Pole on Woodward Avenue probably didn't help either!

Bought my first Pontiac at Ace Wilson's and had one Ram Air III balanced by George DeLorean at Leader Automotive.

I feel really blessed to have grown up during the muscle car and rock n roll era (in spite of the year I spent in Viet Nam).

I have enjoyed bringing my '65 back to life, but driving it just isn't the same as when I was younger. Blossoming arthritis in my right hand makes me wonder how much longer I can row this manual transmission. But I keep on keep-in on..........

[MD79TA]

Originally Posted by MD79TA

I would say this shows close to 80% of owners are in thier forties.and older. For us that just drive them for the love and great memories that's fine and you have what you want.I would also add that for people holding on to cars or parts hoping for big upside it not going to happen. Money will always be there for the special ones but IMO big price drops down the road How long is the question. Doug

got to update its now 90 percent or more are forty years old or more . I knew the average would be high but this is really a run away. Doug

[RocktimusPryme]

I wonder if there would be a notable age drop on a board where most of the vehicles were powered by SBCs with much more entry level price tags. I think there would be.

[Grand73Am]

Originally Posted by RocktimusPryme

I wonder if there would be a notable age drop on a board where most of the vehicles were powered by SBCs with much more entry level price tags. I think there would be.

That's a good possibility. I'm 64 now. At age 16, I bought a 54 Chevy, which got me hooked on old Chevys. I stuck with Chevys most of my life(other than a couple of Mustangs). Back in the 70's I bought a new 77 Malibu Classic, and a Corvette in 79. In the 80's I got into the 55-57 Classic Chevy restoration hobby and business. Having Chevys wasn't because of the prices. It was because I liked them and was familiar with them. That was enough to keep me satisfied and busy, so my younger years were spent with the Chevys.

There were always a few Pontiacs I liked over those years. Finally at age 49, I decided I wanted one of those old Pontiacs that I had admired. I found a nice low mileage driver in 2002 (still going). Since then, as I tend to do, I've collected a few more Pontiac projects. Now I have more Pontiacs than Chevys. So, in my case, it wasn't until I was older that I wised up and got me some Pontiacs, and that's the reason I'm contributing to the age inflation here .

[pontibeast]

You see this with the import tuner market. Kids can buy a daily driver and soup it up for a cost they can afford with a typical job for their age group. Without being able to do a lot of your own work on a muscle car it has become really expensive. Luckily for me I was able to get my Lemans for 3500 in good running condition and have been able to buy parts and slowly build the car. Hopefully as these younger people get older and have more disposable income they will be lured by the rear wheel, high horsepower and fun factor of our Pontiac's. I also try to be an ambassador for Pontiac by answering questions about the car and trying to instill an interest in muscle cars in my kids friends and younger neighborhood kids. Once a teenager gets a feeling of Pontiac torque and how much fun it is to blast through the gears and get sideways most can't see themselves in a Honda.

[Qball]

I'm 47. Been a GTO fanatic for about 43 of those years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

Maybe because the Fiero was actually quite a safe car with the passenger compartment surrounded by a full cage structure,

My dad designed the frame for what would have been the 2nd generation Fiero (the "P2") while he was in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering for CPC.

It was an aluminum spaceframe construction adhesively bonded together.

It was the first frame within General Motors to pass the durability test on the first try (it broke the shaker).

K

[johnta1]

Why skip the 80 to 90 age group (actually 80-89)?



Happy Birthday to Jim Hand!!!

84 years young.



BTW, the groups should have been like 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, etc.

[Jim Hand]

Thanks John. I didn't like the age grouping so hadn't posted.
But right you are - I am 84 today.

Jim Hand

[tempest1964]

Happy birthday Jim. And many more!
Tony

[b-man]

Poll choices edited so our octagenarians can vote.

[glhs#116]

I have always appreciated the knowledge, friendliness and decency on this board.

[MarkS57]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

My dad designed the frame for what would have been the 2nd generation Fiero (the "P2") while he was in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering for CPC.

It was an aluminum spaceframe construction adhesively bonded together.

It was the first frame within General Motors to pass the durability test on the first try (it broke the shaker).

K

That's cool; what might have been- aarrrgg!!

In the Fiero community, the big deal is engine swaps. Supercharged 3800's (L67) are very popular and make for a pretty quick little car. I myself was toying with a Buick 3.8 GN set up. To my knowledge, no one has tried a longitudinal Pontiac V8 swap yet!

[RocktimusPryme]

Originally Posted by MarkS57

That's cool; what might have been- aarrrgg!!

In the Fiero community, the big deal is engine swaps. Supercharged 3800's (L67) are very popular and make for a pretty quick little car. I myself was toying with a Buick 3.8 GN set up. To my knowledge, no one has tried a longitudinal Pontiac V8 swap yet!

Im fairly certain I saw a 455 in one years ago. But it didnt fit all that well, I think he ran it without the hatch.

I actually almost did that SC 3800 swap. I even went so far as to secure an engine that was a target of opportunity. Problem I ran into was when I tried to buy a Fiero. The only ones I liked were the GT models in the last couple years or production. And people are pretty proud of those price wise.

From what I read it was a pretty easy swap.

[pontibeast]

Originally Posted by MarkS57

That's cool; what might have been- aarrrgg!!

In the Fiero community, the big deal is engine swaps. Supercharged 3800's (L67) are very popular and make for a pretty quick little car. I myself was toying with a Buick 3.8 GN set up. To my knowledge, no one has tried a longitudinal Pontiac V8 swap yet!

One of the Pontiac guys over on Yellow Bullet has a Fiero with a big block chevy in it. Haven't seen pics but I have heard it's pretty fast.

[Greg Reid]

How about a 301 Turbo? I've had visions of putting one into my '80 280-ZX... I'll never do it but I like to think about it.