I'm new here, been checking things out for a whiles now but have finally got up the guts to write a post...
Anyways, just wondering if you guys think it would be better to buy an FTO through a dealership or privately and if a dealership, what ones would you guys recommend?? I don't mind going for a drive to check out cars, There sexy as, and so worth it. I just can't wait until I finally get one... Not soon yet though...
First off.. welcome to the forums.. hope this is the first of many posts..
importing a FTO can be quite tricky and risky.. but there are a few major benifits like the price, and i also noticed most imports have low km's than most cars on sale here...
you can also get quite a few imports with mods already so you can save quite a bit of cash there too...
as for the downside.. i've heard a few horror storys... things going missing from the cars at the docks..ect..
also the importing laws have changed... or are just about too... so i dont know how that will effect things
personally.. i went for the dealership option.. as i got to get the car tested.. and i was happy with it... prob spent 2k03k more than if i had imported one.. but i was happy..
Hmm dude... If i am correct you are enquiring about whether to buy from a dealer or privately (through the trading post etc???, not imported).
Well, if you are thinking of importing the car on your own, i would not recommend it. With the new import laws, it has become quite a hassel to import the cars.
It has become more expensive - You buy a good 4 grade 95 GPX man or tip for around 550000-600000yen. Then you're paying around $2000 to ship it over. Now, with the new laws, the compliancing price has gone up by around $2000 to around $5000. Another new disadvantage with the new laws is that ALL modifications on the car. Including after market wheels, all interior mods etc... HAVE to come off. In other words, during the compliancing process they simply remove all the modifications and i am not 100% on this, but nearly certain they confiscate the modifications. Plus, obviously, you have to wait for around 10 weeks from the day it's bought in the auction to the time you can actually register/drive it.
Obviously, there are advantages of getting the car imported on your own, such as recieving a complete auction report, telling you of the condition of the car, (i.e. auction grading), the previous history, accident history, etc etc... That you can rely on as it is the law to disclose that information.
The shifty crap happens over here. THAT IS WHY YOU STAY AWAY FROM DEALERS!. Generally speaking, i don't understand why people would go to a dealer to buy an FTO. They almost NEVER supply an auction sheet (Where as they will mostly have one). Therefore, you can't really check up on the history of the car. a lot of the time, the car's from dealers have rewound odometer's on them. And, on the odd occasion that you find a good, decent non-lemoned fto from a dealer, the price will be sky rocketing compared to private buys from trading post.
This obviously leads me on to buying cars from the trading post (privately). I think this is the best solution and one which i chose when buying my car. The way i look at the private buys is that it plays a trade off between car's imported privately, and partially lemoned car's from dealers. However, in most cases, there are many good cars around being sold for very cheap (considering the other prices around). I think that due to the whole inflow of crappy >3 grade fto's arriving in Australia in the past year or so, the FTO's have dropped DRAMATICALLY. So, today there are a lot of good car's for good prices. If you decide to take this route, it will be up to you to find out about the car's condition, (or you might take it to a mechanic or NRMA inspection to find out more). But the main issues are to have a look at the alignment of the bumper's with the panels of the car. If they are not aligned, then there is a strong chance the car has been in a nice accident. Also body kits are a sign of poor history, as it is cheaper to replace the car with a crappy Veilside copy than an original bumper. Also, if you see 94,95 fto's showing 50,000k's, then it's time to have a look at the engine bay, dash and seats for wear and tear. That's ussually the only way to see if the clocks have been rewound.
Good luck buddy, don't settle for crap. Make sure that you find a nice FTO for a nice price. I looked around for 5 months, and found something awesome. I don't regret the time wasted one bit. I went through a heap of close buys of LEMONS. AND GO PRIVATELY, it's a competitive market out there. These days, not many people are buying FTO's, they are hard to sell, and there have been a sh*t load of them imported in the last year or so (following the announcement of the new import laws).
Dude I bought my FTO from a dealer about 9 months ago for $23,000. They were a bit dearer and I have since found out, NO DIFFERENT.
However if your interested in one. I have one for sale. I'm asking $19000 but I am very negitioable. email me on benn@randwrockdale.com.au if u wanna know more.
well, i imported my FTO through a broker and I have to say that I have been more than satisfied with the outcome to date... there were no major nasty surprises because the car came exactly as described in the auction sheets (except for my missing Bride bucket seats which were replaced with the OEM job).
In the process I reckon I have saved at least $5K and best of all i didn't have to put up with b/s from dodgy salesmen in car yards...
Have to disagree with you there Cohn about dealers. Occasionally you can find an excellent priced gem out there. One month after starting my search, I got my '97 FTO GPX tiptronic (5-speed) for only $23000 in Dec 2001. The ODO was wound backwards for sure, but the car was in excellent condition, inside and out. Have had no problems with it so far and my mechanic says it's in top shape.
I'm still not sure exactly the way to go, but i have a better sence of direction now.
A freind of mine who does a lot of cruises with toymods was talking about chatting to a friend of his in queensland who imports cars, but I am not sure if that is a good thing with all the import changes that are happening... I remember something about that in a past post.
But anyways, I am still looking and yeah... hopefully soon. I'm going insane here. I need my new car, I'm sick of driving the crapiest little Honda Accord ('79)... But she gets me from A to B - for now...
You guys are going to have to bare with me, I'm a little bit of a drongo when it somes to cars. I know enough to keep me alive and my car running but nothing flash like you guys.
the price of compliance has gone up slightly since the new import legislation took effect, but at the end of the day it is still much cheaper than buying one from the car yards...
a positivie flipside about the new legislation is that the quality of cars brought over now are of much better quality and condition, because there are strict rules which govern the overall condition of the car when it is brought into the country... if it does not meet the standards of the safety regulation, it will not make it to the sales yard (depending on who you know in the industry i guess)
in a nutshell, i think you will find better quality FTOs in sales yard from now on due to the new regulation, but you will also pay extra for it... Should anything go wrong during the warranty period, at least you have someone to point the finger to...
having said that, it is still possible to import your car in via a broker and still have warranty for it (with a 3rd party company) so at the end of the day you still pay less for it... the hard part is going through the paperwork and painful waiting time!
Rxboy, that is definately a great buy... You were very lucky... Was it from a import dealer, or from an oem dealer. Because i have heard of FTO's being let go for really cheap prices from Mercedes dealers (as a result of trade ins). They simply want to have to do as little as possible with imports etc...
O2NV. Those warranties from dealers are virtually worthless unless you are willing to pursue matters to their full extreme and take them to court. I have heard so many stories of these "3 year car dealership warranties". All they do is they buy policies from various "warranty" companies. By the end, they will ALWAYS find some clause in the contract, or some way in which they can get away with having to pay for any faulty issues with the car. I have a friend who had to wait 2 years for the warranty payment to come through on a leaking seal. It only came after he threatened, and worked his way like a dog in order to get through to them. You will probably save money by just paying for damaged goods, instead of wasting valuable time fighting to get that money which should rightfully be yours...
Cohn, i have no issues following up these sort of problems by legal means... if you know it's not your fault, and just as long as you're armed with the right knowledge and ACCC on your side, your chances for a favourable settlement will be good.
...most dealers cringe at the thought of legal action being taken against them because it has the REAL potential to damage their reputation, and because the import dealers are catered for a very niche (narrow) market, word goes around very quickly in the import community about their service and products.
so if you have an issue about being duped by a company, get in contact with ACCC... This is usually enough, but if that fails then get your solicitor to send them a letter for an intent to sue/legal action (as a last resort).
I agree 02NV... once you get them going with legal threats and complaints to accc, they will start moving... But who wants to be F*cked messing around with that stuff all day long for days on end...
Cohn, I bought my FTO from an import dealer in Campbellfield, Melbourne. He offered me a good price because I had previously walked away from a 96 GPX he was selling for $20000. I had it inspected with VACC, and $125 later, I found out that it had a major accident to the rear (among other problems). So he called me a week later offering me a new 97 model he had and I decided to give him another chance. Lucky me
In terms of warranties, I recommend AVC (Australasian Vehicle Cover). Although I have currently made no claims with them and am not sure if they will screw you around like others, I have heard good stories about them. They also throw in one year of roadside assistance when you sign up.
I paid $855 (inc GST) for 3 years of E cover. This entitles me to the following claim limits:
$4000 for engine
$4000 for gearbox/transmission
$4000 for differential
$1000 for cooling
$1000 for braking system
$1000 for electrical system
$1000 for electronic ignition system
$1000 for steering system
$1000 for drive shaft
$1000 for fuel system
$1000 for clutch
$1000 for turbo charger (provided originally installed by manufacturer!)
$1000 for air conditioning
$1000 for computer and solenoids
$1000 for ABS brake system
$1000 for power windows
whew
Plus you get one year of National Roadside Assistance.
The condition of this warranty though, is regular servicing every 6 months or 10000 km, whichever occurs first. But you don't have to service the car at the dealership, just any mechanic with an ABN.
