Appreciate the thoughts, man - glad these are Stateside, too.
Wish there were more out here. I think I may have been the first one to get it legally in the US? Dunno - wish I weren't the only one with the car in the relative vicinity though. Lonely planet here, population = 1 ? (Would love to know that there's at least another close by.)
On the transmission - that's just it, I can't mess with this one. If I do, then it loses its novelty. Or does it?
Thing that's hard to consider is, how important is it really to keep a vehicle as pristine as possible - if it won't appreciate in value?
You're absolutely right about certain cars being undervalued. For instance, you could say that the Starion was a pivotal model for Mitsubishi, in that it paved the way for the modern Mitsubishi to be in the WRC. It preceded both the Galant Group A/B and eventually the B and then of course N and R Evos. Yet, today, one can pick a pristine example of a Starion up for next to nothing, despite that it's almost 4 decades old! Sad, but the FTO is pretty much in the same category of "unknown" yet "beautiful" in every way.
But, pick any Evo, or a GTO/3000GT VR-4 - different story.
So - to keep a COTY in stock condition - is it really worth the time and effort to keep it stock?
Take that red one in my avy. You think the FTO has low miles... that red one only has 288km on the odo. Any zeroes are leading, not trailing. Window sticker still on
But I know that one will appreciate in value. The FTO, not so much.
So, back to what I'd do.
I've already committed to at least working on Suspension with this one. But anything crazy, I'll probably just wait to get a second one to mess with.
My thing is, no matter what, taking a car apart to do a proper resto costs money. Incidentally, it's also a great opportunity to do a restomod.
That's why I've been so on the fence about it. If this were anything but a COTY, I'd already have pulled the trigger. Sooo... have to stick to my guns on that one.
As for Eclipses, yeah they were cool cars. Odd, FANTASTIC cars, as the 1st and 2nd Gen were basically CD/CE9A Evos with a US-made coupe shell for looks. Then they committed to the wrong thing and ditched the AWD in 2000 - which spelled the beginning of the end in my book.
I've got two still, last gen. And I swear, they're fantastic platforms, despite all the flak they get from reviewers. Extremely heavy (what late-model Mitsu isn't?), but solid. Absolutely no chassis flexion whatsoever - which makes them awesome. I'd take that over having to install a roll-cage. If it had an AWD option from the factory, I really think it'd be at par with the Evo at some level - and I know some 380s / Magnas / Veradas over in that part of the world could, if you had enough money. But alas, the famed shortsightedness of MMC. And now the only new Mitsu I'd buy is an old one. *sad*
Ahh, well - that's my other (older) world bleeding into the FTO world. I'll leave it there for now
Typing long responses - this is turning into a bad habit.