[Shotimes] Re: OT: Pontiac Fiero or is it Firero? :)

[James F. Ryan III]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ron Porter
 
> Anyway, back to the Fiero. Died because of (1) low sales, and (2)
> insurance
> for the intended audience was too high. For those that were around, you
> may
> recall that insurance companies were lumping all 2-seater cars in the High
> Insurance category, and cars like the MR2, Fiero, and even the Civic CRX
> were getting nailed on rates. Fiero sales were high in '84, and just kept
> dropping. Yes, they really got the car "right" in '88, but it was too
> late.

Exactly.  However, I've read it as 4 reasons.  

(1) Low sales.  There was no Chevy, Buick, Olds counterpart to help with
sales.  The Fiero plant had the capability to build 200,000 cars/yr.
Obviously they were doing a lot less than that.

(2) Competition in the 2-seater market.  Why buy a Fiero if for a little
more money you could buy an MR2, CRX, or RX7 and get a lot more performance.
For even a little more money you could have a Mustang or Camrobird with more
performance and a back seat.

Lumping the Fiero with any of these cars is unfair because it wasn't
intended to be in the same class.  IMO I think Pontiac advertising should
have really pushed the commuter car persona a lot more, and maybe people
would have taken the car for what it was supposed to be.

(3) Insurance.  I bought a used Fiero while I was in college because I could
afford it, but as a 19-yr old single man I couldn't afford the insurance so
I had to sell it.  At that time I was the exact demographic Pontiac had
envisioned for the car, but the insurance companies saw it differently.

(4) Image.  Weak performance, numb handling, and engine bay fires is what
people do (and will) remember about the Fiero.  The pre-1984 teaser ads
created such anticipation for the car, however the product the public got in
1984 left them extremely disappointed because it wasn't the sub-$10k sports
car they thought they were getting.  This left a bad taste in buyer's mouths
and they swore off Pontiac.



Jim Ryan
Wayne, NJ
'91 Plus - all white/mocha with fiberglass hood, rod shifter, & rear spoiler

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