New Atlanta Guy

[Fierofool]

Common places for rust is in the lower corners of the trunk.  The carpet has to be pulled up to reveal that area.  The other is the frame rails behind the rear wheel.  The area is hidden behind the wheel well liner.  It can be inspected by running your hand up behind the lower edge of the liner, but I'm not sure one could photograph that area without removing the wheel to get the right angle or maybe one would need to pull the bottom of the liner outward a bit. 

There is a lot of rust there.  Especially on the front suspension area and I see some of the brackets have rust along with some corrosion on aluminum parts and the alternator.  If you can't personally inspect the car try to find a Fiero person near it to go take a look and inspect specific points. 

[Raydar]

The spring on the drivers side is missing because the cat (and the downpipe from the "Y-pipe") was replaced with the Fiero Store "test pipe". (I call it a "J-pipe".)
The hanger bracket on the Fiero Store pipe is in the wrong place for the springs to work correctly. (Been there, done that.)
Where the cradles usually crack is where the front trans mount bolts through the front cradle rail. It's about 14 inches in from the left side cradle rail, towards the center of the car. If it's cracked, it may be able to be welded up without dropping the cradle. The lower trans mount will almost certainly need to be unbolted from the cradle and removed. The engine/trans will need to be supported while the mount is out.
You will need to remove the parking brake adjuster (GM calls it an equalizer - it's the metal center link) and allow the cables to drop down, in order to access the inside/underside of the cradle rail.

Edit - I saw the "crack" that you mentioned. That appears to be on the bottom of the left side cradle rail. I'm not convinced that it's not a shadow. Hard to tell, though. That is not where the cradles usually crack. Cracks in the 88 cradle are usually caused by engine torque, trying to pull the front trans mount out of the cradle, when the engine twists backwards. (My cradle is reinforced, but I separated my lower mount, and broke some other stuff.)

[The Art Doctor]

Thanks for the replies.  To me, who is use to 70+ year old cars and being originally from the New York snow belt the rust doesn't seem to bad.  It is not all scaly and pitted but as a bunch of southern folks (I've been south of the Mason-Dixon for 23 total and south of Richmond for the last 11 but the'd still call me a Yank) your definition of rusty may be different than mine.  But I will certainly check the trunk, fender well and all the spots listed in the great newsletter articles from this past year.

How much actual paint was on the chassis?  Were these dipped or electrocoated or what?  I'm thinking it was a one step process no primer just satin finish black.  Not too much protection, correct?

The car is about 5 1/2 hours from Atlanta.  Its a gulf coast car, so salt air certainly.  I imagine if it had gotten hurricane'd it would be an awful mess by now.

Its a top two choices color, right year, right model, factory motor with moderate miles, a stick (the wife was extra happy with that) and a solid roof.  Got a lot of pluses for me.  Negatives are I would prefer a grey interior (though it is in nice shape), it is loaded (lots more stuff to break), the unknown bits underneath we have been discussing.  I think I could live with the interior and A/C and power gadgets.  If the frame has structural rust issues it is dead to me ( a reparable crack I can deal with). 

Might be a week or two till I can get away to see it,  carma says if it is still there it was meant to be (maybe, it is a good one), if it is gone it was not.  There will be another.

[Raydar]

IMHO, the rust doesn't look too bad. I'm thinking a lot of what we're seeing in the pics is just mold and... crud? I've seen similar. A good blasting with a pressure washer or scrubbing with a brush will do wonders. I also noticed that the tin plugs in the floor seem to be just about perfect. On a real rust bucket, they are usually shot.
But yeah... check the sides of the trunk, where the upper frame rails are welded to the ends of the compartment.
From what I've seen, it looks really nice. (I have no idea what his price is.)

[Fierofool]

To save you a trip, you might check with Tim (montegut).  He's in Montegut, La. and sounds like he might be close.  For a few bucks, you might be able to convince him to give it an inspection for you. 

[NoMad]

This doesn't show the weak point in the 88 cradles. Those are at the front transmission mount. It is on the member running side to side at the front on the driver's side.

[The Art Doctor]

Next question, how many of you have run the VIN or done a AutoCheck or CarFax on a Fiero or any other used car you were thinking of buying? 

There is a free VIN check for being reported stolen and salvaged/totaled from the National Insurance Crime Bureau https://www.nicb.org/vincheck .  It came back clean on stolen/totaled.

Both AutoCheck and CarFax cost money, no way around that.  AutoCheck says 30 records on that VIN and CarFax shows only 21 records, that is as much of a teaser as they will give you for free.  I have to assume they are all just registration renewals, and with AutoCheck possible sales at auction when in the dealer used car market, but it would be nice to know where it has been.  I have history from seller for past 14 years but that leaves a lot of time on the table.  Worth $25 for AutoCheck or $40 for CarFax?  Thinking if I like it in person, I can spend the $25 on my phone for cheap peace of mind before I hand over any cash.

[GTRS Fiero]

If you buy the car, it's good to have the info on file, anyway.  When I bought my '88, the seller gave me a complete file on the car, including CarFax, repair records, maintenance, and other info.  He threw in a new set of front shocks, and some other things.

The more documentation you have on file for a vehicle, the better.

[Fierofool]

I have used both.  At one time the club had an account and offered free CarFax to all paid members. 

I found that each has information that the other doesn't.  AutoChek gets some of their reports from garages, body shops and lube centers, so that may account for some of the extra items. 

I ran a CarFax on my first Fiero and it showed there had been an accident after I had bought it.  That accident was a motorcycle that laid it down and slid into the back end of me as I was slowing for a car turning into a gas station.  When I saw the bike coming, I accelerated to lessen the impact.  His handlebar put a small dent in my license plate.  That was the accident that showed up.  Yearly registrations can also be part of the hits on the VIN. 

You can take the VIN to the county tag office and have them do a check for anything outstanding.  Tell them you want to know before you purchase and sink any money into it.  I did that with one I bought from a junk yard.  My bill of sale said for parts only but I got a title on it through Georgia DMV. 

[Raydar]

A bit late to the party, but I found this picture of an 88 cradle on Pennocks.



The top rail in the picture is situated towards the front of the car, when installed. The rusty spot on the top left is where the trans mount is bolted.
There are two sets of holes, situated a few inches apart. This allows some flexibility in where the trans is mounted. (I have no idea regarding which trans "likes" which set of holes.) This area is where the damage usually occurs.
The pieces that are being sold on Pennocks are designed to fit inside the rail, from underneath.

[The Art Doctor]

Thanks to everyone.  Thanks for the pic of the cradle Raydar, easy to see the area that everyone is concerned with without a motor in the way.  It has been a long time since I have bought a new old car, much has changed since then.  I do a quick search every now and then to see if any new '88's have popped up, seems like every few weeks a new one gets added but most are still the same ones for sale.  They seem not to move to fast, pun intended.

[The Art Doctor]

I just dropped my $25 for full membership. 

You all have been very helpful thus far on my re-entry journey, thank you.

Larry

[GTRS Fiero]

TAD, it's great to have you with us.

[Raydar]

I just dropped my $25 for full membership. 

You all have been very helpful thus far on my re-entry journey, thank you.

Larry

Welcome to our obsession!

[The Art Doctor]

I like this one  https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-pontiac-fiero-26/

 I know it is red, but it is the more burgundy version.  I decided I just have to have a 5-speed and grey interior.  Lots of pics.  Looks very clean underneath.  What do you think it will go for?