1991 Pontiac Firefly 4 door 1.0 litre from North America
Summary:
The country should be flooded with them
Faults:
Head rebuilt at 132,000 kms, don't know cause - I bought it this way.
I've taken care of the 4 door sedan so there's no dings or rust showing, I keep it waxed and it looks really good.
I've replaced the top end again, because the overflow hose on the radiator tank fell off and I didn't check the radiator for 2 years, just the tank - it overheated - all my fault. The rest of the car is and always has been really easy on tires, brakes.
I've kept seat covers on it so the interior is very good.
I've always felt that the USA has not had the right idea in allowing the general public the choice of being able to buy a car like this. It's cheap to build (There's ton's of them still rolling) has a 1000 cc engine that, when taken care of will last for years, and when used with the 5 speed manual gears, gets a ton of miles to the gal. (The most I got, at 65 mph on a 1600 mile trip was 58 mpg measured on the USA gal.)
I don't need an electric car, nor a hybrid, and at 46 mpg in the city - I don't pollute like everyone else. The car cost me $2500 and is still worth a $1000, to the hell with the Kelley Blue Book price.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 28th March, 2009
28th Mar 2009, 13:07
That comment is very very close to being exactly how it is with these Pontiac Fireflys (Canada) or the Chevy Geo's (USA) with the 1000 cc. 3 cyl engines and manual transmissions. The cars are easy to mass produce, light in weight, with not very many extras, but very functional to own. The 12 in. tires can only be bought from the Orient, which is a shame.
The simplicity of the engine area has a lot to be praised. With new technology (2008 plus..) this kind of car would make the N. American problem of foreign oil, not go away, but it would do miracles to lessen it. The answer doesn't lie in the car itself, it lies in the general publics rendition of what they want-tell me, in all honesty-who in the hell, in this country NEEDS an SUV -- UNLESS you either want to keep up with the 'Joneses', or you have a ton of money in your bank account and don't really care about conserving oil, that comes in from the far east. This little car is the answer to a lot of auto problems - pay attention!