Rochester

iTrader: (9)

It won't be genuinely fast, but being so small and low it will *feel* fast. And with proper tires and suspension mods, it would be plenty fun to toss around. IIRC, the last year was '87, and that was the year they actually made a decent quality Fiero. The '87 Formula was the model to get, although I really liked the look of the GT fastback. The only negative thing I can say about the design is the interior. It's so 80s, truly horrible. Back then, every time I took my '83 Firebird to the dealership, I would check out the new Fiero in the showroom. That memory still feels fresh.

If you did go this route, you'd have a very unique car in 2023. It would turn heads, and be a relatively inexpensive toy.

Jesse's friend (Badger) drove a Fiero in Better Call Saul. We finally got around to binging that series, so the Fiero has been on my mind lately. Like I said, always loved the lines of that little go-kart.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

The Fiero or a Toyota MR2 would be a fun car for flinging around corners in town or a twisty back road. A small mid engine car is always entertaining to drive. The second to last gen MR2 can actually be made pretty fast with the turbo engine. However, these cars are about as far removed as you can get from the practicality of a Hummer if that is what you are after.

BillyTheMan

I do love throwing a car around corners and i must say its appealing to get a fun car without debt. 88 was the last year for the fiero and they had a fiero mera which was kinda like a factory body kit but ferrari found sued them for it, guess it was similar to one of their designs. 88 had a lot of suspension upgrades but apparently some of the parts are hard to find now compared to the 87 and older. 140 hp and 2800 pounds would feel fast kinda like a miata. The hummer was mainly being considered for the cargo space, off road/bad weather capabilities, and uniqueness that i like. Ls3 c6 or golf r would be other choices. Always wanted a vette and i like the awd power and the gas mileage of the golf r. Gas mileage isn't my main concern obviously but if i get the golf r for a daily over 20 mpg would be nice.

BillyTheMan

88 fiero mera. For those who don't know while the fiero was in production it was the second safest car sold in America. Volvo was first. From what I've read all the body panels are completely optional, its built like a roll cage in a sense, tubular steel bars in the doors and the gas tank was in the center of the car so it wasn't likely to catch fire from a crash unless it was really bad in which case a fire was the last thing you were worried about.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

2nd Gen MR2 Truly beautiful car. Never driven one, always wanted to. I've read they are so tail-happy as to be dangerous.

Never heard of the Fiero Mera, but holy cow that's a dead ringer for a 308.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

Wow, I can see why they got in trouble with Ferrari for that one. All it needs is Magnum P.I. behind the wheel

BillyTheMan

I've heard that mid engine cars like the fiero and mr2 aren't necessarily easy to kick the back end out but with the weight of the engine in the back when the back end does go it goes hard. Can't be any worse than a viper.

4DRZ

iTrader: (7)

The Viper gets loose for a totally different reason- a big V10 with loads of torque to break those fat rear tires loose. Most mid engine cars are pretty well balanced as far as handling is concerned. It's the old Porsche 911 turbo's that would swing the back end out quickly once the turbo finally spooled up because the engine hangs way out over the rear axle. It swings rapidly like a fulcrum. It was so common that the car actually used to be referred to as the "widow maker." The MR2 turbos might have had a similar issue with the turbos finally hitting boost at a bad time in a corner, but the handling balance should have been better than those 80's 911 Turbos.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

Fiero seems like an ideal candidate for a engine swap

https://westcoastfiero.com/p/engine-conversion-info

BillyTheMan

Whenever someone brings up a car getting away from you my mind immediately goes to a viper because of the reputation and lack of electronic assistance they had. The most common swap for the fiero is the supercharged buick 3800 v6. I've also seen people swap the pushrod 3.4 from the catfish camaros, 32 valve northstar, vw vr6, ls engines. I'd love to swap one but me not haven't great fab skills or the ability and equipment to weld i don't want to start something i can't finish. Not sure how they adapt the rwd ls engines to a transverse setup though i have seen a few longitudinal engine swaps.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

All those engines were in the link I posted. 3.4 dohc would be cool, so would northstar. I’d think the LS would be heavy. I bet the 3.8 SC would be easiest. Wouldn’t be surprised if there are kits out there so you probably wouldn’t have to fabricate anything

BillyTheMan

3800 supercharged is the easiest, there's a guy on YouTube that made kind of a documentary of his 3800 swap, step by step, pretty detailed too. Ls probably is the heaviest, don't know if the northstars are aluminum block or iron block. Personally I'd love swap in a vq37 or vq35hr but i haven't seen it done before. If you look up videos of a 3800 sc fiero it sounds like a 20 volt cordless drill.

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

Drove several iterations of the mr2; owned a mk1 with the 4AGE formula Atlantic derived engine. Awful fast for 112 HP.

the mk2s were very sexy and could be made to be *very* fast. I think Sport Compact Car magazine got one to 500ish hp.

I never did see mine as tail happy - it was very neutral. Suspension by lotus iirc. The mk2s had enough weight in the rear to break loose and slide but it wasn’t any worse than any other rwd car of the time.

backman_66

K24/K20 swapped Fiero would be pretty cool too

BillyTheMan

I'm not a honda guy but a k series would be pretty fun in a fiero. I love the idea of swapping one and building it i just have don't want to get in over my head and end up with a torn apart car and an engine I can't finish.