Ferrari never installed grease fittings on the 308, so a complete renewel of the suspension is required after every 50,000 miles of driving. The lack of rustproofing is another negative 308 trait. Just purchasing and trying to maintain the 308 are the rest of the negative traits. From a financial standpoint, the Fiero makes much more sense. You would not be sacrificing any performance (in fact, gaining in many areas) by going with the Pontiac. And if you think the Fiero had a bad problem with headlight motor failure, the Ferrari would surprise you. The Fiero has shorter overhangs and a longer wheelbase. The Fiero is also wider with plenty of tire for the weight. I actually had a Ferrari 308 owner tell me his Fiero GT ('86) was a far better car overall. He used the Fiero as a daily driver and hardly drove the 308 at all since it let him down so many times and was not as comfortable as his Pontiac was.

Some Interesting Fiero Stuff

skidpad

The V-6 Fiero hit .84-.86g on the skidpad (4-cyl was roughly .80-.82g)
Porsche 911 Carrera -> .85g (the Carrera 4 was at .83g)
Ferrari Testarossa -> .84g
Lotus Esprit Turbo -> .86g
Lamborghini Diablo VT -> .87g
Acura NSX -> .87g
Acura Integra GS-R -> .82g
Pontiac Firebird Trans Am/Formula ('93+) -> .82g-.85g
Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX -> .86g

slalom

The Fiero ran the slalom at 63.4-63.9 mph (about 61.5 for 4-cyl. models).
Pontiac Firebird Trans Am -> 59.7 mph
Lotus Epsrit S4 -> 60.6 mph
Porsche 911 Carrera -> 61.9 mph
BMW M3 -> 62.8 mph
Corvette ZR-1 -> 63.6 mph
Ferrari 348 -> 62.8 mph
Acura NSX -> 62.3 mph
Dodge Viper -> 62.7 mph
Ford Mustang Cobra (1994) -> 61.1 mph
Nissan 300ZX Turbo -> 63.0 mph

acceleration, maximum speed

The V-6 Fiero consistantly accelerated from 0-30 in 2.2 seconds.
The Lamborghini Diablo manages 0-30 in 2.2 seconds.

Best 1/4-mile time for a stock V-6 Fiero: 14.7 @ 92 mph Worst: 17.0 @ 80 mph
Both Fieros were GT's with manual transmissions.

Best top speed for a stock V-6 Fiero: 135 mph Worst: 115 mph
Both Fieros were '85 GT's, the latter with an automatic transmission.

General

- Pontiac purchased Ferrari 308's for handling engineering and comparison purposes.
- Many V-6 engines in Fieros dynoed at between 150 and 160 bhp.
- The Fiero turned in a profit every year it was sold (including 1988).
- Fiero prototypes were running in 1980.
- Most foreign auto magazines raved about the Fiero's superior handling, its nimble response and excellent road feel. Most American auto magazines criticized the Fiero's handling as being numb, heavy and not responsive.
- The decisions to kill the Fiero was made on February 29, 1988.
- The Fiero had nearly 3 times as many sales as the MR2 during any given year in its lifetime.
- Pontiac spent over $300,000,000 to produce the Fiero, yet cancelled the car on a "hunch" they would lose a maximum of $20-million between 1988 and 1995.
- Several factory prototypes were made of a Fiero convertible.
- Two prototypes were made in 1986 of a Fiero with an aluminum frame. One of the aluminum Fieros had a 190 bhp Quad-4.
- Car & Driver called the Fiero, "One of the best cars in America" and gave the Fiero a slot in their top ten best category.
- The Los Angeles Auto Expo gave the Fiero their Design of the Year Award.
- The Fiero accounted for nearly 1/4 of all Pontiac sales in 1984.
- Spectators at the unvailing of the fastback Fiero mistook the GT version as a new Corvette.
- GM was struggling with the problem of employees purchasing Fieros before the public had an opportunity. Never before had this been a problem with a GM car.
- Even though the highest sticker price for an '84 Fiero was about $10,000, one Michigan buyer paid over $15,000 for an '84 SE.
- The Fiero was the first American car to win in IMSA GTU.
- In 1985, the Fiero won at Sears Point (one of 3 straight victories), beating such successful competitors as Chevrolet's Corvette and Ford's Mustang.
- A 4-cylinder Fiero belting out only 370 bhp took the NHRA's Competition Eliminator title at the Keystone Nationals on September 15, 1985 with a best 1/4-mile time of 9.72 seconds at 134.41 mph.
- The Fiero won well over 40 races in the 36 months it raced.