“Dramatically innovative. Exclusively Pontiac.”
The Pontiac Fiero came to market in 1984 with ridiculous expectations, partially driven by Pontiac and partly by how the public sees two-seat mid-engine cars. What had initially been proposed in the late seventies as a “small, sporty commuter car” became a significant part of Pontiac’s mid-eighties We Build Excitement strategy.
Soon, the painful fact that the Fiero’s mechanical parts were from the low end of the General Motors parts bin became stunningly obvious. Citation and Chevette suspension parts abounded, and the only available engine was the distinctly uninspiring 2.5 liter/151 ci Iron Duke inline four with fuel injection, featuring all of 92 bhp.
Predictably, handling and acceleration did not meet expectations, with Road & Track clocking an 11.6-second 0-60 time with the standard four-speed manual. On the other hand, fuel economy numbers were impressive—27 city/47 highway by the day’s standards (21/33 by 2025 measures). Only the tiny 8.7-gallon gas tank kept range with a 10% fuel reserve at a mere 215 to 260 miles.
Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $7,999 Fiero (about $25,700 in 2025 dollars) included retractable tungsten halogen headlamps, Sport mirrors, rack and pinion steering, 4-wheel vented power disc brakes, and 185/80R13 tires (a size now only available from Michelin) on 13-inch Rally wheels. Inside, reclining cloth bucket seats, a floor console, and a rear window defroster were included.
Three Optional Models
The $8,499 Fiero Sport added an AM radio. Likely the most important feature of the Sport option was that it added the availability of options such as an automatic transmission, 14-inch tires and wheels, air conditioning, and upgraded seats.
The $9,599 Fiero SE added Soft-Ray tinted glass, the Special Performance Package, 195/70R14 tires (a size still readily available) on 14-inch Hi Tech Turbo wheels, Custom cloth reclining bucket seats, a Formula steering wheel, and an AM radio with a digital readout.
The Indy Pace Car Edition cost an additional $2,895 over an SE and added a specific exterior treatment with ground effects and a rear spoiler, a pop-up sunroof, and white bucket seats with red inserts. All Indy Pace Car Editions had a White over Medium Gray two-tone—Pontiac made 2,000 of them. At a minimum of $12,494 without additional options, they were about $39,200 in today’s dollars, or almost exactly what a 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata RF Grand Touring goes for.
Individual Options, Production Numbers, & Period Reception
Individual options included a removable glass sunroof ($300), a tilt steering wheel ($110), air conditioning ($730), an electric rear window defogger ($140), power door locks ($125), and power windows ($185).
Fiero sales overall totaled 136,840 in the 1984 model year, with 49% of those being the top-of-the-line SE. First-year sales accounted for 37% of the total number of Fieros produced over five years.
Reviews from the buff books were decent, though there was disappointment at the Iron Duke-only power—especially since Pontiac was already talking about a V6 (and alleging it would be turbocharged). Reading those early reviews, you can sense that the magazines wanted such an undeniably different domestic product to be good.
Then, of course, the recalls came—four in all for the 1984 Fiero. They were primarily related to the fuel system, and the recalls were driven by many fires (perhaps one for every 300 Fieros made in 1984). Pontiac would eventually acknowledge and fix most of the problems, but the damage had been done.
The View From 2025
According to Hagerty’s valuation tools, a 1984 Fiero Indy Pace Car Edition in #1/Concours condition is $25,000, with a more common #3/Good condition car going for $9,800. An SE is about 44% less, while a base car is 46% off. Fieros have a good club and forum following and a fairly strong presence in Hemming’s Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. As I update this blog entry in December 2025, there’s a White 1984 Fiero Indy Pace Car Edition with 1,676 miles for sale on Hemmings, asking $30,000.
Make mine Fiero Red, please.
Two other Fieros I have written about are the 1986 GT coupe and the 1988 Formula coupe. Other 1984 Pontiacs I have written about include the Firebird Trans Am 15th Anniversary Edition hatchback coupe and the 2000 Sunbird S/E hatchback coupe.
Last updated December 2025.
Eighties Cars 
I hung around a girl whose stepdad was a Fiero guy. I don’t remember exactly what it was, as I seem to recall he’d put the later GT nose on it, done some engine work etc. I did go to a meet of his Fiero club though, and the enthusiasts are out there. If you can fit in one, they seem fun to tool around in.
The Fiero was crushed by expectations. Pontiac guys have always railed about the Corvette and that Pontiac would have done it better if the Banshee had been greenlit, etc. I think ‘2-seater mid engine’ made Poncho fans think they’d finally dethrone the Vette. Trouble was the competition wasn’t the Corvette. It was the Nissan Pulsar and the Toyota MR2, maybe the Honda CRX.
It was always supposed to be an attractive commuter car, not very practical but sporty. Yes there’s a premium for that over the average Sunbird, but you were getting ‘sporty’ not ‘sports car’.
Mark,
My experience has been that Fiero folks are serious. Many years ago, I was at the AACA’s fall meet in Hershey. There was a Fiero being judged whose interior plastics were perfect—brochure ready. The effort that it must have taken to achieve that!
Thank you for your comment.