I Bought a Car Across the Country on a Whim and a Prayer

"Mach-inator" (Mach-inator)
11/22/2016 at 22:25 • Filed to: None

As many young jalops in high school did, I dreamed about my first car. I would look through the local Autotrader classifieds for the coolest car I could find. I knew my parents couldn’t afford much, so I would only pitch a car after enough research was put in to justify my selection and most importantly: it had to be below $5k. That’s how I came to want a Fiero. I knew nothing of the car before then and was completely dumbfounded that Pontiac made a car with the engine behind you. And it was cheap! I found many that were under $5k in the mid to late ‘00s (pronounced: naughts, anyone who says otherwise is wrong). My parents, being the typical shelter-you-from-the-world type, shot that down and christened me with a green ’98 Honda Accord 4-cyl coupe. Awful car, but I never stopped wanting a Fiero, and I was determined that the first car I would buy with my own money would be a Fiero.

Fast forward to the summer of 2011, having started school in Michigan and acquired a co-op at an automotive supplier in Northeast Georgia, I was now in the position that I could actually buy my dream car (I have realistic dreams what can I say). So I begin searching Craigslist across the country only to find out I’m spoiled for choice. It’s like people were just throwing them away. So I narrowed down my search to what I exactly want: black, manual Fiero GT with tan interior, and lo and behold there’s a black ‘86 GT with a 4-speed on Craigslist........ in Redding, California. This brought up a conflict: my grandparents happened to be working in Sacramento at the time, so I could visit there for free, but (and this is a big BUT) I would have to fly there…. I really, REALLY, don’t like flying, now I’m no stranger to flying, I’ve done it many times, its just being 40,000 ft in the air in the most complicated machine known to man kind of irks me. I get around the way nature intended: In a car. I drive from Jacksonville to Flint 8 times a year, 17 hours one way. Will I take the 3 hour plane ride? Nope, nope, nope. But I was starting to fall in love with THAT one, and that Fiero was worth swallowing my fear. So I eventually book a one-way flight from ATL to SFO, let my grandparents know I’m going to visit, and wait for that dreadful travel day to come.

Condition when I first bought the car (Notice the droopy headlights).

If you’ve ever seen the movie French Kiss , Meg Ryan plays a role where she’s afraid of flying and there’s this whole mantra that she goes through when she gets on the plane. My grandmother loves that movie and I’ve seen it a million times because of that. So now whenever I get on a plane, I essentially quote Meg Ryan during take off to distract me. I purposely chose an aisle seat, away from view of the wings, bought a Pokemon game to keep me occupied, and wore a nice comfy jacket. The flight was smooth and I thankfully arrive in SFO late at night, safe and sound. Grandparents pick me up and we make plans to see sights tomorrow. I spent four days in the Sacramento area seeing Old Sacramento and Calaveras Big Tree State Park and just staying with my grandparents.

Now, if you’re wondering why had I skipped the part about contacting the seller and looking at the car, it’s because I hadn’t done that yet... I called him on the third day in Sacramento to go look at the car the next day and he agreed. This was AFTER I had bought a one-way ticket 1 month prior and AFTER landing in California and spending a couple days with my grandparents. I hadn’t even seen the car yet or driven it, but it was either buy it or get an expensive ticket back home. My grandparents of course wouldn’t have any of this, but I was able to goad them into taking up to Redding the fourth day (because I’m the favorite grandchild).

I get to Redding the next day and look over the car and take it for a spin. Apparently this guy bought the car for his son and his son would occasionally go surfing and, I assume, strap a surfboard to the roof in the process? Anyways, the son doesn’t like it because it rattles, like any 25 year old 80s car does, and he wants something bigger with a better ride. Can’t really blame him for that. It’s inspecting it that I find out that the car was originally red and was painted black. Which is no biggie to me, but probably explains why it was the only one I could find, I guess they never made the Fiero black on tan. The headlights don’t go up or down and the sail panels are cracked and falling apart and it’s missing the rearview mirror, but everything else seems to be in order. I buy the car there for less than $3k and head back to Sacramento and prepare to start my trip back to Georgia the next day. What happens if the car breaks down you say? Oh, that won’t happen, don’t worry. The engine and the transmission were rebuilt by the owner before last, it’ll be fine (My younger self was very laid back, what can I say).

First day’s sunset approaching Death Valley. Somewhere, CA

I start the trip back South the next day and for the most part it was pretty uneventful. I wanted to see the sights along the way so I drove through Yosemite and Death Valley, spent the night outside of Vegas, and saw Hoover Dam and the new bridge the next day, but missed Meteor Crater by a hair as I pulled up as they were closing the gate. The next two nights were spent in Albuquerque and Oklahoma City before making the final push for my grandparents’ house north of Atlanta. Only a few minor problems to report: driving down a twisty road into Death Valley I learned that the headlights needed adjusting and I had to stop to fix that as best I could, but one of the lights wouldn’t stay up all the way, I learned that downshifting down mountains was a necessity as I would quickly overheat the non-ventilated brakes, I had to replace the wipers in Flagstaff, and the cottonball padded two-by-fours known as the seat was very uncomfortable over bumps and I actively sought out the smoothest passage.

The worst thing to happen was on I-22 in northwest Alabama. I took I-22 because I knew it was relatively new and the road would probably be smooth. Well, shortly after the sun had gone down, I was just cruising along at 75 when all of the lights go out. ALL. OF. THEM. Dash lights, headlights, tail lights, all out. It’s black outside, but I can just barely make out the lines in the road, thankfully I’m the only car on the road in either direction. I begin to slow down and frantically flip the light switch multiple times and to my relief they came back. It never did that again the whole trip, but I checked it out anyway at my next stop in Birmingham. It was here that I learned that a fat Gatorade bottle will fit perfectly underneath the headlight to hold it up. Sadly, it poured down rain the rest of the way into Georgia and I spent most of it drafting a truck who was in a hurry and I thought he could probably see better than I could.

So after stopping at a gas station every 200 miles and countless radio stations, my high school ambitions had finally come true and the Fiero was safe and sound in my hands. This trip was easily the best trip I’ve ever done and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but in the future I would definitely contact the seller before I got there and thoroughly make sure the car is good to drive across the country. And with that dream filled, I set my sights on the next one: something....weird?

Fiero’s condition today

DISCUSSION (5)

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Mach-inator
11/22/2016 at 22:35

You should totally try get this in Road Kill magazine, it fits them so well.

Birddog > Mach-inator
11/23/2016 at 02:05

The “fastback” Fieros are hands down the best looking Fieros. Have you repainted it as it sits? The red on the headlight doors would drive me up a wall.

I’ve never ventured that far on a questionable car. Respect there!

The farthest I ever went was about 3hrs one way and 5hrs back for an 80 AMC Eagle coupe in West Bumblefart Iowa. It was serial #101 and completely unmolested. It still had the Marchal 750 fog lights with their covers! Unmolested also meant it had never even been tuned up. Ever. It was so terribly slow. 55mph was maxed out.

Every following long distance purchase was done with trust, pics and a good shipping company.

Nauraushaun > Mach-inator
11/23/2016 at 03:22

Awesome car. We’ve all made that wonderful first trip home in our dream car of the time I’m sure :)

Mach-inator > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
11/23/2016 at 07:37

Hahaha, okay, I’ll try to pull some strings.

Mach-inator > Birddog
11/23/2016 at 07:55

That AMC sounds great! I’m definitely not as reckless anymore, so this will probably be the only time I will ever take that much risk again.

As for the Fiero, I’m not in a position to work on it as much as I want to, I don’t even have a garage. I do have a bottle of touch up paint that I went around with, but more paint just keeps flaking off. I’ve since graduated college so I should be more financially stable soon and painting is a top priority.