Cheap FRAC cars

[padgett]

There are some cars that were always interesting, take up little room,  and good ones can be had for little money (under $5k). These are the GM FRAC cars of the 1980s so AACA eligible.

At various times I have had all of them, all two door, two seat, and short (160" to 184" long. Some convertibles or removable roofs. These are the Fiero, Reatta, Allante, & Corvette (FRAC). Even though considered complex, most are simple to work on (some have built in diagnostics) and all have networks of enthusiasts and vendors (AACA Reatta group is very active).

 

Most were quite expensive when new but are pretty much depreciated out, ones that can be enjoyed immediately for the price of a taillight on some modern cars. And yet even at shows many have never seen one.

 

Just seems odd they are not popular but if want cheap and workable and all with their own support group. Toys for adults that won't break the bank. FRAC.

[B Jake Moran]

I always wAnted a V6 Fiero. GT. 5 speed. 

[John_S_in_Penna]

From what I've heard, Cadillac Allantes are complex

and problem-prone.  Therefore, their low price in

today's market is justified.  That's too bad, because

they are good looking little convertibles.

 

They have been discussed on another thread, but

that's at least a year old, so maybe someone familiar

with Allantes can detail their disadvantages.

[Terry Bond]

Have a friend who has had several of the Alantes. Electrical issues are numerous. Also believe the convertibles have manually operated tops ?  Could that be correct for a car like that?

Terry

[8E45E]

4 hours ago, padgett said:

These are the GM FRAC cars of the 1980s so AACA eligible. At various times I have had all of them, all two door, two seat, and short (160" to 184" long. Some convertibles or removable roofs. These are the Fiero, Reatta, Allante, & Corvette (FRAC). 

Don't overlook GM's little captive import of the time, the Geo Metro convertible.  I believe it was exclusive to GM (no Suzuki version offered), and probably least expensive of the four to keep on the road.

 

Craig 

[60FlatTop]

When you have a carburetted 4.3 Chevy V6 in a Fiero things get a lot easier. Shouldn't have sold it.

[TAKerry]

I bought a Fiero new in 1985. Great little car. Never had a problem with it. Wouldnt mind having another, however it would have to be a pace car edition.

[Matt Harwood]

6 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said:

When you have a carburetted 4.3 Chevy V6 in a Fiero things get a lot easier. Shouldn't have sold it.

 

 

How about a Northstar V8 in a Fiero? Looks like it was born to be there.

 

 

[padgett]

Does seem odd that neither the Allante nor the Reatta have power tops. OTOH I can put a Reatta top up/down faster than the power top in my SLK.

 

GM cars (dunno about others) have a mass of wires under the passenger seat and if wet, the carpet/underlay holds water for a loooong time. This can cause many and varied problems in any car (have to be careful about the drains in my CTS coupe "roof vent" and if the console in an SLK gets wet, it won't shift - don't ask).

 

GM wiring and computers of that era are all very similar, this group has the second generation of computers (P4) and are well known. Not a mystery to anyone who enjoys playing with cars and computers (dumb - same 8-bit processor family as an Apple-II).

 

Powertrains were both used in hundreds of thousands of cars.

 

Biggest surprise to me is the lack of an RKE in any Allante (but a Reatta RKE module interfaces with the anti-theft nicely, prefer to keep things factory-ish)

 

That said owners, service, and parts manuals are all available in paper or .pdf (some in both - I like a searchable .pdf) and are very complete including troubleshooting procedures for everything electrical (except a wet carpet).

 

Of course to me, reprogramming a computer is easier than pouring a babbitt bearing.

 

That said at under $5k for a nice 30+ year old example (at 30 Florida considers an "antique" and qualifies for a permanent plate.).

 

Have had my triple blue 88 Reatta sunroof coupe since 2001 and for a time it was my only car. Have had usual maintenance issues but over all is more reliable than any car I've had (except for the goat wagon - that needed nothing except a new timing chain at 100K. Instant 20hp.).

 

So yes all the FRAC have had bad reputations, that is why they are essentially pocket change now. Just my opinion.

 

Take two they're small.

[Terry Bond]

Agree they might be "collectible" and as such, represent a good entry point into the wonderful world of the old car hobby for enthusiasts.  It's interesting to see them on the show-field and listen to the comments spectators often make - "hey, I used to have one of these, should have kept it!" 

How about the 1st gen Chrysler min-vans, or even the Chrysler Cordoba - with genuine Corintian leather!

Terry

[padgett]

The Archie  (V8Archie) kit to add a SBC was almost a production car. Personally I prefer a 6. Fiero GT has one of the most beautiful sounds known, rivals a D-Jag on bananas or Corvair with trombones. Had five then moved to Reattas.

[8E45E]

3 hours ago, padgett said:

So yes all the FRAC have had bad reputations, that is why they are essentially pocket change now. Just my opinion.

 

Take two they're small.

As I said earlier, the Geo Metro will be the most trouble-free of all the two-seat GM cars from that era.  Very little in them to go wrong.

 

Craig

[padgett]

Thought about a Metro as a TOAD for my RV (light, FWD). Then decided it made more sense to have a trailer and a Tow Vehicle. TV is also my only 4-door. First was in 1972.  As a rule I prefer upscale two-doors with twice the cyl.. Unfortunately a Grand Prix (had four, two automatic and two manual trans) is NLA.

 

Have also had five H-bodies (3 Vega GT, one Astre, one Sunbird - Astre was only automagic) that gave almost no trouble atol. Maybe because all had AC and real radiators. In fact have had a lot of good service from cars that some considered lemons and maybe why were cheap (or were at time, in early 80s my Judge was a gas guzzler. Wound up costing $600. 4-speed, AC car. My kind of price (prolly equivalent to a coupla grand now. Think cheapest car I bought was a FIAT 850: $200. Paid $500 for many cars and $1k for the split window FI tanker. Just a matter of having tastes that are out of sync with the mainstream.

[60FlatTop]

A Fiero with the 4.2 or 4.6 Northstar is a "for your head swap. The 90 degree 4.3, 3/4 of a SBC gets you right in the bottom of the seat. Mine was from a 1992 C/K pickup- 4.00" pistons. The engine was short enough so you didn't have to cut the rear shock tower for room.

 

The Penock Fiero Forum is still active and intriguing: http://www.fiero.nl/cgi-bin/fiero/Ultimate.cgi

I check it out more often than a sane person would.

[padgett]

And this is getting silly (but not uncommon since tend to have multiples of cars I like. Guess it started in 1970 when  had three Corvairs (but different) - Corsa 140 autocross car, Fitch Sprint 180 turbo, and a Corvan (missing 2nd gear). Then another time a percentage of Reatta convertibles. So now it is happening again.  When it's pocket change...

 

 

[David Hambleton]

I bought the 84 Fiero SE 2.5L 4 speed (on the right) new in 1984.  It has 385,000 kilometers on it now (239,000 miles).  It's a daily driver except in wet salty conditions.  

I was looking for a spare in Feb 2008, but found the 88 Fiero Formula 2.8L 5 speed (on the left) with 5,200 kilometers on it (3,230 miles) in showroom condition, so, couldn't pass up a 'new' Fiero... It's for shows & occasional use.  

Still looking for a daily driver alternate, in Jan 2011 I found the red 86 Fiero Coupe 2.5L 5 speed in need of some TLC but very solid as it was a lady's summer car.  I replaced the increasingly noisy engine with an 87 2.5L in 2013.  

Since I try to do all my own car repairs but am only a 'pretend mechanic', it's handy to have a spare so I'm not without a daily driver Fiero! 
 

I got the house/car era matching 1929 Model A in Nov 2016.  It is very solid, the paint was ok for me, it was functional, but EVERYTHING needed TLC, lol!  Perfect.  I had looked for a four door sedan like this for about five years. 

 

After driving the Model A, all of the Fieros feel like race cars.  😁

Edited August 24, 2020 by David Hambleton (see edit history)

[rocketraider]

Odd this has come up. In the last two weeks I have seen a red Allante tooling around town and a Metro ragtop on the Chevy dealer's discount lot for $2350. It didn't look bad. But, it was white and I will never own another gray, silver or white car, and the Chevy dealer is just a little "oily" if you get my drift.

[padgett]

Just looked and Facebook has Fieros, Allantes, and Reattas under $3k. Doesn't say how you can get a tag/title transfer before the end of September.