Saw a low-mileage Fiero locally that has been stored for years. Has the V6, no rust, everything works, tired, but easy to clean up. It's an automatic, which is what I want for the daughter, and might even be a small flip when she is done with it in two years. It would be a car to drive locally, no major road trips, no racing.
Should I run away, or embrace it?
I have no personal experience but from what I remember from a college friend who had one when new; it was a handful in snow.
I would recommend proper winter tires.
Get her a Volvo or a Honda....
I don't see how much you'd flip an automatic fiero for anyhow. Is there any demand?
If you are considering a Fiero, I would look at Cavaliers/Sunbirds/Sunfires instead. Plenty of them around, cheap and they have air bags and abs.
1g Neon R/T or ACR instead?
I would also lean toward abs and airbags for a new driver. Plus, how are the seats? They could be blown out since they're so old. I don't know how well young women can tolerate worn out seats, however.
airbags and abs? I don't need the latest whiz bangery, but I've seen enough bad accidents on the road that i'd rather have those two in a daily. Daily driving something from the 80's in Seattle traffic is a bit scary, especially with kids aboard.
The space frames are supposedly quite strong, just look how many Luminas APV you can stack. It might be one of your better choices from the era, but I also think airbags would be nice to have. Then again, my little sister survived driving a super beetle in the late 90's. She did make me promise to not discuss Nader's Small on Safety with our mother.
It takes a certain type of person to appreciate a Fiero. Your daughter will hate it within a week. Get her an older Jetta or something.
Get her a civic/accord/regular neon/cavalier/grand prix/
Although something without a backseat is a good idea. My first car was a 1980 LTD. :)
In reply to 81cpcamaro:
From what I've read of the Fiero's structure and crash ratings, and what I personally know of the J body, I'd much rather wreck a Fiero any day of the week.
Anything more than 10-15 years old I would really rather not have ABS, it is too easy for the computer to get the wrong input for one reason or another and remove braking force when it shouldn't.
Your daughter was likely born in 1999. I think you will have a hard time convincing her of anything build "before the beginning of time" (at least her time) is a "cool" choice.
In earlier threads you have said Bettle or Miata so I suspect that there is a "cute" element that you are also trying to achieve.
I think you can get all this out of a '05-'07 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe. The door configuration and the dashboard give that "uniqueness" I would think that the plastic body panels would be very good for PA vehicle inspections which seem to be strict on rusty appearances.
2005 saturn ion - $2500 http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/5178305814.html
Side note: avoid the Ions Quad Coupes of '03 & '04 since the automatic is an unreliable CVT. By '05, the Quad Coupe got the same 4 speed auto that was used in '03-'07 Ion Sedans. Therefore, any Ion Sedan of '03-'07 is a good choice too.
Mechanically, the Ion is pretty much Chevy Cobalt. Simple and plentiful but the much forgotten Saturn name can make them quite the bargain.
Have you spoken with your insurance company about it? They may have a word of warning about 2 seat, mid-engined, sports cars and young drivers. In fact their reccomendation might decide for you what the preferred car for the young is.
As ever my vote for first car/inexperienced driver is Ford Taurus. Bulletproof and safe, fun can come when they have enough experience to make (generally) the right inputs and decisions behind the wheel.
Take her with you on the inspection and have her sit in it. It's surprisingly low. My kids thought it was too low and they were in HS at the time I had mine. Plus she might not like the driving position. On the plus side, she'll only be able to take one person at a time with her.
I hear XJ Cherokees hold up well in a collision. Especially when geese are involved!
You could do a lot worse for a first car. Mine was a 1966 Dodge Dart - in 1996. One very good thing about a Fiero is it won't offer that many distractions for a beginning driver - either of the electronic or passenger variety.
I take it you've already taught her to drive a manual transmission on something else?
Not a bad ideal, a Horrible ideal.
pinchvalve wrote: Saw a low-mileage Fiero locally that has been stored for years. Has the V6, no rust, everything works, tired, but easy to clean up. It's an automatic, which is what I want for the daughter, and might even be a small flip when she is done with it in two years. It would be a car to drive locally, no major road trips, no racing. Should I run away, or embrace it?
Being a V6, it would be a later one- and from what I've seen, the later ones were the most sorted from the factory. I used to autocross against one almost 20 years ago- it ran pretty well.
For a first car, slow is a good thing, IMHO. Seems like it would be a solid choice.
Oh, and it was the choice of some kid who documented restoring one a few years ago. Her video showed up in the off topic area a week ago. But now that she's 16, I wonder if she finished.
The space frame/crash structure is actually pretty good. As good as anything (including volvos) from the time and yes probably better than some mid/late 90's stuff.
The cars have a few issues though that would turn me off to a non enthusiast first owner. Handling is good but at the limits the car becomes difficult to control and tends to spin easily. The steering is very heavy which may be an issue depending on her strength and makes recovery from slides harder. The brakes on non 88's are comically bad stock. The seats are very low and the dash is pretty high. Visibility is similar to a modern camaro for a shorter person. My wife was 5'6" when I had mine and she never liked driving it because of the heavy controls and poor visibility.
The good is plastic panels mean the inevitable hit the pole at the ATM won't damage things badly, they are fun to drive, unique, and pretty reliable. Fuel economy is OK @ 25ish.
There are probably better <$2k choices for a new driver but for the 80's there are lots worse.
I'm w/ the ABS and airbag crowd. Buy the car for yourself and SO if it's that good a deal, let the youngin' drive it after she proves herself.
I had a Fiero as my first car. As a 16 year old boy with a fresh drivers license and a pretty blonde girlfriend, I thought it was the greatest thing in the world - until I realized there was no backseat and the center console was 3 feet tall. 
You trying to talk in into it or out of it? 
If it's a quick, profitable flip; flip it and add the profit to the daughter's car budget.
Dan
I would say go for it. They are safe, reliable and cheap, perfect for a first car. I still have two of them in storage for future restoration. I do agree you need to have her try it out first. Getting in and out can be interesting, I imagine more so for a girl in a skirt. Interior is surprisingly roomy once you are in.
My dad seemed to think so when I went to look at one (in 1992.) Looking back, he wasn't wrong.
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