When I first took this job, David and Jason were kind enough and trusting enough to give me near-complete autonomy, as long as I stick to the formula and hit deadlines. And I thank them for it, because it makes this job a lot more fun than if I had to run everything by them. Though the formula is cheap cars, there’s no actual price cap here. If it’s for sale on Craigslist (or Marketplace, or just about anywhere else with an ad I can link to), it’s fair game. Even if – hell, especially if – it has no business being listed for sale on Craigslist.
Yesterday’s choices stuck closely to the formula, two cheap old Toyotas with some questionable aesthetics and dubious mechanicals. I thought the Paseo’s possible oil pressure issues might kill its chances of a win, but apparently not; it took more than eighty percent of the votes. The Camry’s ratty interior and bland driving experience turned a lot more of you off than the chance of throwing a rod. Good for you.
I’d take the Paseo as well. I don’t care one way or another about the fact that it’s a convertible; it’s tiny, and has a stick, and that’s enough for me. Also, I used to work with a woman who drove a black Paseo, and I had an enormous crush on her for a time. It’s not always about the car itself; sometimes it’s about your memories of it.
When I found an F40 for sale on Craigslist, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It has to be the most expensive car I’ve ever seen listed there; it’s like finding a Van Gogh for sale in a Goodwill store. It just doesn’t fit. I knew immediately I had to feature it. But what to put up against it? Our very own Mercedes Streeter had the perfect answer: a Fiero. The two cars have more similarities than you think: both are mid-engined, with close to the same engine displacement; both have five-speed manual gearboxes; both have pop-up headlights and big-ass rear spoilers; neither one has power steering. So what makes one of them cost three hundred and forty-five times more? Let’s check them out and see.
1987 Pontiac Fiero GT – $14,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.8-liter OHV V6, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Puyallup, WA
Odometer reading: 81,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Pontiac slipped the Fiero past GM’s execs by claiming it was a commuter car, but we all knew different. The first couple of years weren’t anyone’s idea of a sports car, either, but as time went on, it got better. This penultimate production year Fiero GT doesn’t quite have the handling of the last ones, but it’s a lot more fun than the original Iron Duke/four-speed version.
The Fiero’s entire drivetrain and rear suspension is just the front end of a Chevy Citation, moved to the back. The GT model is powered by a “High Output” version of GM’s corporate 2.8-liter V6, sending 140 horsepower through the better-than-you-think Getrag 282 five-speed manual. It still won’t set the world on fire, but it will snap-oversteer with the best of them. This Fiero has only 81,000 miles on it, and is “so much fun to drive,” according to the seller.
This ad has half a dozen photos of the interior, but they’re all of little details. This is the closest we get to an overall interior shot. It’s in pretty good shape, but there are a few flaws: the driver’s seat bolster is worn through, and there are some cracks in the dash. But considering it’s a thirty-eight-year-old GM interior, it looks pretty good. It has a modern touch-screen stereo, which you may or may not think is a good upgrade. The air conditioning doesn’t work; the seller, of course, claims it just needs to be recharged.
The base model Fiero kept the original notchback body design throughout the run, but starting in 1986 the GT got this fastback shape, with rear quarter windows that are exposed on both sides. It’s in great shape; the seller mentions one small paint chip on the roof, but that’s all. They also installed aftermarket LED headlights, which is unfortunate, but at least it’s easy to undo.
1990 Ferrari F40 – $5,000,000
Engine/drivetrain: Twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter DOHC V8, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Odometer reading: 7,000 miles
Operational status: Probably runs fine, but is probably begging for exercise
I honestly don’t quite know where to start with this thing. It’s not even really a car; it’s a celebrity. Not, you know, a Celebrity; like a real celebrity. Like Penn & Teller. And come to think of it, I didn’t know what to say when I met them, either. I’ve never seen a Ferrari F40 up close, let alone sat in one, and I imagine I’d be terrified to drive one. I remember the reviews from back in the day, and everyone said this car was a handful, untameable, not for the faint of heart. It’s the sort of car that’s best enjoyed in poster or model kit form, I think – unless you’ve got a cool five mil sitting around and really want to know what it’s like.
The F40’s engine, visible from the outside under this iconic louvered Lexan rear window, is part of the car’s design. It’s so cool-looking that its performance is almost irrelevant – except that nearly five hundred horsepower will never be irrelevant. It has the power-to-weight ratio of a bottle rocket, and absolutely no driver aids of any kind. Not that anyone has had much chance to be scared by this one; it has only moved four of the six digits on its odometer. I always think that’s a shame. Cars don’t want to sit in climate-controlled storage, even rare Ferraris. They want to be driven.
The seller of this car is not the owner; it’s being sold as part of a bankruptcy settlement. Sucks to be someone, I guess. If you can wait a month, it will be auctioned off by the court, with a starting bid of $2.6 million, or, if you have the means, you can pick it up for a buy-it-now price of five million. For that price, you’d think you would get a stereo, but no; the F40’s only soundtrack is its wailing twin-turbo V8. It does have air conditioning, however.
Outside, it’s pure sex on wheels, the final evolution of the Pininfarina design that started with the 308. It has air intakes and louvers all over, and not a one of them is only there for looks; they all do something. Its most prominent feature is that huge rear wing, of course; because of it, there’s no mistaking an F40 for anything else before or since. You could only get it in red, though a few did later get painted in different colors. It looks great in blue. But I guess a red Ferrari is kind of like “Stairway To Heaven;” yeah, it’s overdone, but it’s so damn good.
I know it’s a silly comparison, and I know it’s a moot point – none of us have five million dollars sitting around to spend on a car. But just imagine you did; would you spend it on the last Ferrari built with the old man’s blessing? And if so, would you dare drive it? Or would you be satisfied with a humble Pontiac, and spend the rest on a vacation home in Monaco?
I’m letting the F40 drive me into bankruptcy or a tree
I sort of had to vote for the F40 because I stated it,along with a Golf mk2 Rallye as «cars I would pay silly money for» in a previous piece here. It is grossly overpriced though, I see examples on Autoscout going for 2,5-3 million euros. The Fiero is also overpriced,so I guess that’s a tie. To conclude my reasoning,if I’m to pay double the list price on anything,it will be a F40.
One of these is extremely overpriced and a waste of money, and the other one is an F40.
They are both overpriced,but one is still an F40.
I thought that when the F40 was 500k, but its price will always go up. Iconic car, decreasing supply.
I sort of hate “collectors cars” that don’t get driven. You have the right to do whatever you want with your things, but if they become mine, don’t expect me to continue your weird obsession.
I picked the F40 only because there’s so much more value there I could ruin by driving it, and I’ve been on the lookout for something to make me want to buy a season pass to the local race track.
I would never allow myself to be seen in a Ferrari F40 anywhere other than a race track. It’s not that I couldn’t drive it, it’s just that I really don’t like the design.