The Mecum Kissimmee 2025 auction had some truly stunning results for GM models that don’t normally spring to mind as valuable collectibles. Someone paid $33,000 for a 1987 Chevy Chevette, and a 2006 Chevy SSR festival car sold for what appears to be a record-breaking $88,000. Here’s another one with a surprising result: a 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT with 22 miles on it that sold for $40,150.
For what it’s worth, this is a highly desirable spec of the Pontiac Fiero. It’s a GT powered by a 2.8L V6 L44 mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. It’s also from the final model year of the Fiero, which got a new suspension system. While the original Fiero was criticized for its lackluster performance and driving dynamics, the 1988 GT model was a real driver’s car.
This Fiero is also in a desirable color combination: black paint with a tan interior and gold-colored, “snowflake” wheels emblematic of a Pontiac performance car from the 1980s. Although not explicitly stated in the Mecum listing, this Fiero appears to have the WS6 package, judging by the width of the rear tires and the 120 MPH speedometer. The WS6 package also brought upgrades to the suspension, brakes, and steering box.
However, the biggest selling point is the odometer, which only reads 22 miles. Someone with great taste bought this well-optioned Fiero in 1988 and simply never drove it. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the original sale price of this car actually would’ve been pretty close to the price it just sold for. It held its value better than anyone could’ve expected for a Fiero.
With the notable exception of the final Fiero ever built, which sold at a GAA Classic Cars auction in 2020 for $90,000, this is the highest sale price we’ve seen for a stock Pontiac Fiero. 1984 Pace Car editions have proven fairly valuable, selling for as much as $30k, and a low-mile 1988 model similar to this one holds the Bring a Trailer record, selling for $32,750 in 2021.
Is this a sign of things to come in the Pontiac Fiero market, or is it a one-off purchase by a particularly ambitious bidder?
Comments
many years working at a pontiac dealer a tech comes and tells me that the parts dept could not get a blower motor to cool the coil in a fiero. i made a call to the plant and they were all over it .. how many did i need i said 1 . they said we will send you a spare. next morning we had them .. out of all the build plants that i delt with they were the best.
That was the OLD GM. I had similar good experiences in the 70’s, 80,s and 90’s b/c I was a regular GM buyer who always serviced my cars at GM dealers. I had very common engine / lifter problem a couple of years ago on a GMC Denali and they wouldn’t help me at all even though it was under on mileage but over on time. That was my 5th new Denali and my LAST GM CAR!
I bought a new yellow 1988 Fiero Formula, it had the same V6 manual as the GT. The 88 suspension was much improved, it’s a shame the Fiero never reached its full potential. I kept mine 28 years, I finally parted with it in 2016 with only 44k trouble free miles on the odometer. I’ve owned five Firebirds and five Camaros, but none were as much fun to drive! The current C8 Corvette is just an expensive Fiero with more horsepower, but it doesn’t handle as well. GM politics between divisions is why the Fiero didn’t survive. Too sad!
Sorry I love my Fiero but the C8 is a much better sorted car that will drive circles around the Fiero. I have fun with mine and have had it for 40 years but the C8 is in a league of its own.
Fierro is another one that GM should look into bringing back with Pontiac. Maybe team up with Hyundai for the chassis. They use a 2.5 turbo, GM a 5.3, and actually try and make passionate cars for once. I have a feeling that this big truck fad is about to fad, and first kid on the block that capitalizes on affordable go fast cars can make a killin.
Did it come with a matching Members Only jacket??
These were neat little cars. Not exactly my cup of tea, but still neat.
I picked up a 1988 Fiero GT 5-speed with 6,000 miles in 1997 for $10,300. I kept it for 17 years and had a lot of fun with it. Joined a Fiero club, took it to many shows and won a lot of trophies. It got a lot of attention as it was in perfect condition. Young drivers loved it. It was a blast to drive and gave me very few problems. Sold it in 2014 for $14,000 and the new owner trailered it to Arizona from Ohio. I heard a couple years back that it was back on the market for $18,000.
Someone way overpaid.
This is just another case of the famed January Auctions over inflating car prices.
This car might be about a $25k car just because of the low miles. If driven it becomes a $18k. It lacks T tops, leather and rare yellow paint.
I’m glad for the seller but I feel this is just another inflated price from these auctions.
Fiero was such a hopeful optimistic little car. It was GM really fighting for the hearts and wallets of the young buyers that they’d been losing. Internally though, it was also a renegade cadre of Pontiac enthusiasts fighting the corporate bureaucracy. Its very birth was a bit of a miracle.
With the ‘84 Fiero, the ‘83 STE and the ‘We Build Excitement’ ad campaign, Pontiac was suddenly on the assent. As they had been in the ‘60s, they were the gutsy “in” brand again in the ‘80s. That energy propelled the ‘85 Grand Am to best-seller status, uplifted sales of all their models and catapulted the Pontiac brand into the Number Three position in US car sales during the 80’s.
When the Fiero died, it always felt like Pontiac’s renaissance died too. The magic wasn’t quite there anymore. I guess GM felt the Fiero couldn’t be sustained but axing the halo car that’d brought so much…..well, excitement to the brand was a huge blow. After that Pontiac began to morph into a caricature of themselves building overly festooned silly-looking versions of the sporty and European-like models that’d fueled their resurgence.
An end-of-the-run Fiero, viewed in that context, could be seen as the zenith of Pontiac’s second great era, the sequel to their success in the 60’s and, as such, perhaps merits its sales price. I truly see a 1988 Fiero GT as a high point in Pontiac’s storied history; a peak that they never again attained.
After finally spending Millions to build a non-Chevette-parts-bin front suspension and steering for the cool little ’88 Fiero, the brass-hats at GM killed the car ! More questionable management! The word had just begun to get out about how the Fiero was much improved and bang…dead ! Had an ’88 GT in Silver with Auto that I bought used in 1990 to flip. Had so much fun driving it I had a hard time making the decision to sell it. Would have much preferred the 5-spd but like the guy told me that I bought it from, there really wasn’t anywhere to put your left foot/leg when there was a clutch pedal taking up floor room. He was like me with size 13’s for feet and he was right. Had a nice fellow from SoCal fly into St. Louis to drive it home and he loved it but was so grateful I had the Ziebart paint sealant applied to it because he said he hit every bug in existence in Oklahoma but it washed off easily once he got it home.
This July will mark 40 years of ownership. I have actually been a Fiero fan since the first Magazine story in 1980 I read.
Many people never knew or heard the full story on the Fiero. Even the Fiero history books only tell the GM approved version.
Pontiac was on the way to being closed. GM had them marked for closure. So Pontiac did the Trans Am and Fiero to bring more people into the showrooms. This ended up selling a ton of Gran Ams while Olds killed the Cutlass Supreme RWD. This moved the target to Olds.
Now GM never managed divisions well and really never understood Pontiac. Most of Pontiacs best cars broke GM rules or decisions. The Fiero was canceled several times and hidden. They then sold it as a commuter car with full intensions of sports car.
No the car was not perfect but the 88 is not that much different. It is what they wanted and better but the early cars are not bad.
Pontiac made the mistake to over build the car in the first couple years to justify the plant on Baldwin Ave. they were buying time for the GM80 the FWD F body replacement. The car was killed and the Fiero plant was way under production. The Corvette people were worried they would lose sales and the car if the Fiero got more power.
GM at the time already was going broke. So they were looking for cuts and Chevy sold more cars so they had more influence.
The truth was the Corvette was canceled in. 1992 and work on the C5 was ordered stopped. The Corvette guys did as Pontiac and hid the C5 till they had one running. They won back funding and saved the car..
The truth is the Fiero may have lived another 5 years according to the insiders I have spoken to. 2 seat cars outside the Corvette and Miata live 5-10 years at best. They never expected a third Gen.
The Fiero had done its job bringing attention to Pontiac. It saved them till they had one bail out. Just as well as the type of cars Pontiac sold are not selling today. They would just be selling a restyled Chevy CUV.
When I bought new I was a celebrity with the car. 5 years later I was the village idiot. This lasted till they had one late 90’s and today the public is showing a good opinion again.
These will never see Shelby kind of money but a car in good condition is worth more than it was sold for. Few cars meet that goal. They are cheap to work on. The 88 can be hard to get some suspension parts for it since it was a one year deal. They are no kore hard to work on than any FWD car. The V6 is the car to own.
I have other cars now but I keep the Fiero. It is different. I can drive a Corvette in some place and it is just another Corvette. The Fiero draws a crowd. It was used by GM for one of their events. It has been on display at a retail performance stores show room, it has been in several magazines. Sticking through the tough years was worth it as people have turned kind again.
There is a lot more to this story of the Fiero. There is tons of mis information out there and even some proud owners who will try to convince you this car was the American F40. The truth was it was an affordable car that save a division. It was not handled well by GM or Pontiac. But the car lived and is still being talked about today.
Affordable 2 seat cars are difficult to build. They make little money and as money gets tight they really are difficult to build. With tight money now I don’t expect to see many hit the market so these older cars may get some help value wise. Trim and interior parts are difficult to find so if interested buy the best car you can afford but don’t over pay.
I wish a good accurate book is written on the car to tell the whole story.
Bits like the Lotus suspension can be shown false but things like Porsche Engineering tuned the 88 GM suspension for turn in and on center feel could be shared. At times the truth is better than the false info.
I’d guess Hulki Aldikacti, the father of the Fiero is looking down from heaven and smiling. Kind, friendly, honest, outspoken, erasable, brilliant and just a really great guy to work with on vehicle programs. One of the greatest conceptual, out-of-the-box engineers I ever met.
We was one-of-a-kind at GM (when it was rightly caps). It was an honor to have known him.
….outspoken, IRASCIBLE, brilliant…..
It was more than Hulki. The entire team were rebels in true Pontiac Delorean style. Most including Hulki came in under Delorean.
This was their last insurrection as most retires soon after.
The Fiero was the last true Pontiac. It was sold only by Pontiac, it was built in Pontiac and used the last Pm Tusc engine made.
John Schinella also should be given equal credit. Hulki was gone in 1984 and John was left to fight GM on the car. He was there till the last day. He still has his Fiero.