FTO AUSTRALIA

Hi everyone,

am seriously looking at buying an FTO, however I want to see if I can afford its running costs and not just it's purchase!

Does it require regular services like any other car would?.. or does it require special services over and above the regular ones? and what are the costs I would be looking at?

I would really appreciate your help ....

Thanks
M

Hey welcome to the club,

Fto is just like any other normal car, it needs services to maintain it. It also shares components from locally made mitsi's like the galant and lancer.

The only problem is generally speaking australian mechanics have had not much experience with them so if you dont know your stuff they will rip you off. In saying that they will probably do the same with any car you own and that is why this website is so good. You can learn and find information before even having to see a mechanic if the unfortunate happens which should reduce the chances of being ripped off

Parts can be hard to find but as time goes on, it is getting easier and easier.

Ask any FTO owner past or present and they will all say they loved the car.

Hey M,

Some parts can be a little difficult & expensive to source, but most bits needed for your house & garden servicing are readily available & reasonably priced.

At the end of the day, its just a Lancer chassis with a Galant engine in it - built like any other Japanese car.

The only thing I would look out for, is the kms the car has done. If its done over 100,000 (which many of them have) just make sure its had a major service including a timing belt change, preferably done in a reputable garage. That can be an expensive service purely due to how much a pain in tha backside it is to do.

Apart from that, they are a good little car. Plus we have a number of members on here that can supply parts. Our club Vice Pres has contacts within Mitsubishi Japan & can get you just about anything you'd ever need.

Yup, pretty much what the guys have said! No real difference to any other car - regular servicing, with 100,000k being the big one.

Even fuel isn't that bad if she's well looked after... generally manage 600km on a tank for city driving. Pushing 700km on the open road.

thanks to all of you who replied. I just have two more questions.Fell in love with this particular FTO that's up for sale but it says he did 99,000km and the 100,000km service was not done yet. He is asking for $9,800. approx how much more would i have to pay for the 100,000k service? also,should i negotiate a better price factoring in the need of a service or is this rude and an absolute no-no?

Please help...the sooner I get this car .. the sooner I'll stop bugging you guys!

Hey M, WTTC.

Oh yeah you should definately factor in the service cost and timing belt replacement cost. I had a few quotes on my timing belt and water pump being replaced for $1100. And that is not including the car service, engine oil change, spark plugs, brakes + rotor checks, etc etc. So if i were would i would definately ask that person/dealership to have that done before you buy it. If they are not willing to do it, tell them to consider that in the price they are giving and knock of several hundreds of the final price! Hope all works well for you!

willit affect it's re-sale value if it's automatic rather than manual transmission?

thats very right shahrez, cost me around 1100 for my major service, with timing belt, waterpump, spark plugs, all oil change with synthetic oil, fixed some minor oil leak, check brakes.
btw, WTTC, maybe if u post up the fto that u want from the carsale site we can give u advice

Manuals are probably easier to sell than Auto's, but wouldn't outweigh which one you prefer yourself. You've gotta drive it after all.

... and you'll be bugging us long after you get a car! That's what the forum's here for after all.

thanks guys! really appreciate your advice. xxxxx will hopefully get the FTO I want and come join you in some gathering... I'll be the one with the biggest smile getting out of her FTO!!!

Have you had a look at the different models available and settled on the one you want yet (GR/GPX/GPvR). Each come with different options. If you havent found it already, this may help you make your decision:

http://www.completefto.com.au/CompleteFTO.asp?hid=255

And as the guys have said previously, if you post up a link to the car you are looking at, we can give you some idea what to look for and spot any obvious issues.

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/pri ... 40246846D4


thanks xx

Just saw the post
First things first is you need to check whether the car has been in a major accident before because you might have problems with it much later on.

Second thing is the price which he is selling is abit suss with new paint and a new front bar. 99k kms on the clock for less than 10 grand is pretty unusual though how much he needs the cash. might have got a new cluster or might have been in an accident before...but I may wrong.

Whereabouts are you located? Im sure there are mechs recommended by our forum members that you might wanna take the car for a check before making any decisions. And what is your budget? Check the Cars for Sale thread and see if any in there interests you.

Currently located on the central coast for the next few weeks... but will probably be up on the north shore soon. My budget was $10,000 ... have looked at the for sale up on here. Did like one but was over my budget and the rest where not what i'm looking for in terms of colour etc.

will keep an eye out ... not giving up just yet

Well, on the surface, that one is worth a look. Doesnt look like its copped a front hit from the pictures and looks fairly clean. Not a fan of the Veilside front or the rims, but thanks thats a personal opinion.

Yeah, looking at that ad, it seems like the fto looks clean at face value, its always very hard to pick out any issues on the internet though so it might be wise to take a mechanically minded friend or mechanic with you if your really interested in that particular fto. Thats the key to having a reliable fto, picking out any issues beforehand and deciding how they will affect reliability later on.

WTTC btw

Ive seen that fto on the site, and if u really want, i can check it out for u, since i live in RIVERWOOD too wahahha

wow.. i'm amazed at how helpful you all are.... thanks for the offer... will definitely contact you shortly for help!