This guy thinks he really has something....lol

I bought my 88 Mera about 16 - 17 years ago. At that time real 308's were well over $50,000 and well out of my price range. I wanted a 308 Ferrari bad. To me the 308 Ferrari was and still is one of the most beautiful cars ever made. Watching the local paper for real 308’s (which I could not afford but I still looked anyway) I found an ad one day that said 308 Ferrari replica by Mera. I thought - I don't want a replica. I knew nothing of kit cars. I did not call. After a few days my interest grew because the price he was asking ($22,000) was very high. I thought this guy was either an idiot with a piece of junk or maybe it is a really nice car. I called and asked to see it. Since this guy owned a used car lot he knew how to sugar coat the description of a car. He told me it was a very nice car. I would not be disappointed. I had to drive about 2 hours to see it. I meet him at a local hotel. I was parked in the lot for 10 minutes and he drove in. I knew at that moment I would buy it. It looked very nice. Bought it for $18,600. I was not disappointed. It was a very nice car. Fresh paint and new tires and some work had been done to it. All very high quality work. Being the engineer, designer, fabricator and machinist type of guy I am it did not take but a few days and I was starting to make changes to make it look more realistic. I’ve been modifying cars all my life and have owned several show cars I built/modified etc. I started going to Fiero shows and kit car shows with this 308 replica and others looked at my modifications and asked me "where did you get that part"? I told them I made it myself because no one sells something like this. They would ask me “can you make me one?”. Many things I needed no one else made. So I started making these parts for others. Thus stared my auto parts business. Over time (around 12+ years total) I did spend well over $50,000 (and many many long hours) on modifying my 88 Mera (all in parts, no one touches my Mera) but in return my business it started has made me a reasonably well off self employed person. I work out of my house. Life is grand. 

Rodney

PS: For those who do not know Fiero’s. The 88 Fiero was a single year upgraded suspension. The early Fiero’s had the Chevette front end and the Citation suspension in the rear. The Fiero sold so well in the early years that GM decided to make it a better car with the better suspension. The 88 Fiero has a better quality suspension and better vented brakes. I did not know that until I get involved in the Fiero world. I was lucky that mine was an 88. I have no regrets buying this car even if it did not start this business. I love to work on and modify cars. I have done it all my life. In a way I think I am very much an artist modifying cars. This is some of my best work and the last of my work. I'm getting too old to do this again!
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Fair enough. Not my ball of wax, but that is what makes the world go around I guess.

 

Rodney
To each his own I guess, but if you have both a real Ferrari and the mera, I cant imagine that you can honestly say that driving the mera gives anywhere near the experience that the real car does. I think in your situation, the fact that you put so much of yourself into the car is really where the value lies for you. Other than that, I just dont get the replicar thing.

 

Bolding mine, and it answers the question for just about any replica. It is truly yours because you made it.

The same could be said however, about someones' ugly kid.

That's the point of this thread I think. Rodney, your car is the exception.

 

Rodney, your car is well done, if a replica is your thing. I never understood the allure. For me, I need the performance as much as the look. Restomods appeal to me for that reason. You can have an old car with upgraded performance and they are relatively sought after if they are well done (Superformance cobra). I have to beleive it is difficult to sell these things when you DO decide to move on to other projects. In the case of the cobra, few people can own a REAL one.

I think the reason the seller is getting "beat up" here is because of the way he portrays the car.........most of the guys here that I have found, recognize and value good mechanical skill and well done cars. Nothing personal, just not my cup of tea.

 

the Fiero plant was here in Pontiac and I owned one. Not a performance car by any stretch. Hot inside, many actually burned as I recall.

 

True, prior to 1988. When finally perfected in 88', the Fiero was dropped from the Pontiac lineup once they got it right!

 

SOP for GM. Get it right then kill it.