The idea of a daily-driver hot rod with styling and enough substance to hot rod mentality, but still decent enough to run every day without breaking the bank and melting your gas card has to be an appealing one, right? Pardon the term, but the idea of a “Pro-Commuter” ride that does excellent daily driver duty works on many levels. If you only have one car or the ability or space to own one car, it’s just about essential that whatever you drive would have to be small, nimble, and able to produce good fuel economy. But you don’t want to give up everything fun about a hot ride, do you? Of course not.
Take this 1988 Pontiac Fiero. On first glance, you have a clean Formula model that doesn’t look to be messed with too much. It’s small, it’s sporty, it will fit you and whatever you are packing around so you could even convince yourself that it’s an economical two door, right? This is the final year for Pontiac’s mid-engine wonder, and it’s the one to have, mainly because of the rear suspension redesign that the car so desperately needed. It’ll handle and it’ll go, and it’s fairly light, but what about overall power? Even if this was a 2.8L V6-powered example, it’s not going to be that quick, is it?
Meet the Cadillac 4.5L V8. Yes, it’s a form of the very maligned HT-series engine, but in the Fiero, this engine isn’t going to work that hard. It’s stock, so expect somewhere near 200 horsepower and 275 ft/lbs of torque to run through the Getrag 5-speed. It’s not going to be “melt your face off” fast, but if you can’t have fun in a V8-powered Fiero, then we don’t know what to tell you.
The interior is well sorted, with re-skinned seats, the engine is plenty for this car, it looks factory-fresh, and at $4,500, it’s within the Rough Start budget with cash to spare. Why wouldn’t you go after it?
Craigslist Link: 1988 Pontiac Fiero
(Courtesy: Bring A Trailer)
Amazing! – it looks like it came from the factory that way. It’s all the better for it and should be an example for other such swaps.
I certainly wouldn’t call this a rough start…
What’s so rough about this? When the engine goes, it’s all ready for an LS swap. An LS will fit in there, right, quick and perfectly, right Geordie?
Nice…
Sign me up!
AND a reasonable price point, not some bastardized Bad Joke with a FOR SALE sign on the front seat… No crackpipe needed on this one.
Here’s a lot of fun for cheap.
That’s the cleanest “rough start” vehicle ever! I would buy it in a heartbeat ( if I had the money and was on the right coast)!
The last year Fiero had an updated front suspension too, not the Chevette one.
Sweet car and its right here in Seattle! No i can’t do it saving for a 73 Firebird.
After posting earlier I remembered a Fiero with a Pontiac V8 in it. It was featured in High Performance Pontiac. That little fucker pulled the front tires!