How much to fix this baby?

Guni_GuGu · Post by **Guni_GuGu** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 9:13 am

I know, this is getting tedious, but maybe, I found the rite one now...

Basically, I'm looking a silver 94 gpx manual (yay!! 2 points!!!) it has less then 40k's on the cloack (Sus?).

Anyhoo, for the most part, the car looked in good nick, I couldn't see one scratch or dent on the baby, however....

The back taillight had been chipped, i'm pretty sure the light still worked, is it expensive to replace, just that plastic stuff?

and here's biggie no 2.
The left folding mirror, would only fold out, not in (if you push it in, it will unfold by itself) Is this expensive to repair? anyone know wtf happened there?

and here's the no 1. biggie...
We took the car for a bit of a drive, gave it, a nice little thrashing... got back, popped the hood, and smoke and steam came out!?#@

I really like the car, but smoke and steam? umm.. no thanks.... do you think, it could be something minor, and I should continue with a full inspectoion?

Please any help would be appreciated, as i'd like to, if I do, book in the inspection 2day, so I can have it inspected saturday...

ruchi · Post by **ruchi** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 12:00 pm

Rather than starting a new topic each time you find a new car, could you keep them all under the one thread? It helps to keep the forum less cluttered

Post by **smorison** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:42 pm

agreed!

ok onto the original post:

the clock on that car has definately been wound back.

tail light i can source them for you for i think about 300 each

the mirror they are expensive to replace not sure what they cost

smoke / steam: was it smoke or was it steam? both have very different meanings, if its steam it could be as simple as a radiator cap being worn out, or much worse. get a mechanic to look at it

FTO338 · Post by **FTO338** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 2:28 pm

If its genuine 40k, & got this many problem, i wound question how was the owner treating this car.

I think you already had an answer in your mind before you post this & my guess would be "give it a miss"

Guni_GuGu · Post by **Guni_GuGu** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 3:25 am

Lol, I'm sorry for pissing ya'll off, with the amount of thread's i've been making.. i just want a nice fto, that's all. It's all I want, trust me, just a nice clean FTO.

It seemed like both, steam and smoke coming out..... but the car was stock standard, not one mod, so I would guess, it hadn't been driven too hard.... I kinda like the idea of no mod's either, because I can do it up, how I like, with the "unique FTO exhaust" and their CAI.

Ya'll reckon it's worth shelling out $200 (really a little less) for a full inspection on her?

btw I checked out another "GPX" that same day, with little 100k on the clock, but when I popped the hood, I didn't see the mivec label over the engine, just like the dohc 24valve cover i think, plus the back didn't have a gpx badge, and I noticed that whilst driving her, the dash red lined at 7.5. Was this a gr being advertised as a gpx? When I took her past 5.5k rev's, i really didn't hear the mivec either.....

Boris · Post by **Boris** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 10:39 am

Guni_GuGu, have you looked at some newer fto's like 97 models?

Some of them aren't badly priced, and are in pretty good conditions.
It's just that they don't come up very often... So you could do what i'm doing, riding my bike to uni, and wait for the right fish to rise...

A mate told me a simple way to tell wether the engine has mivec was to look at what side of the motor the oil cap is... I honestly can't remember what side is meant to be which... But if you post what side it's on, and if this theory is true, i'm sure someone that has good memory can help you... Just trying to be helpfull...

MADFTO · Post by **MADFTO** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 11:16 am

MIVEC has the oil cap on the right hand side of the car (if you're looking at the engine bay from the front, it'd be on the left)

Non mivec is the opposite of this =)

ruchi · Post by **ruchi** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 11:56 am

Guni_GuGu wrote:Ya'll reckon it's worth shelling out $200 (really a little less) for a full inspection on her?

Why don't you ask Foe whether he/she thinks it's worthwhile getting an inspection before buying the car?
http://www.ftoaustralia.com/modules.php ... pic&t=1772

G_A_V · Post by **G_A_V** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 12:12 pm

if it was steam it was most likely engine degreaser

Boris · Post by **Boris** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 12:16 pm

Ofcourse, you can't go around, getting an inspection for every car you see, but that's where your personal judgment has to come in.

In your case, if you are worried about the steam/smoke, then either ask to look at it again, and see if it does it again. Or if you really keen on the car, get an inspection, or bring a mechanic along for a test drive, you don't want to end up with an fto with fried piston rings...

In many cases the inspection will always find things that you would of never noticed, and my rule of thumb is that a car that i'm 95% sure of getting will always get an inspection. It's better to pay for inspections than ending up with a lemon.

Even if doesn't reveal anything and you get the car, it is one step closer to knowing your car better.

Since i started looking i have learnt to not fall in love with a car just because of how it looks, and i have learn to walk away from cars that seem etchy, and have problems. Instead of getting them and fixing them up. The day where i find a clean fto shall come... You can't rush buying an fto, otherwise, bad things could happen.

Sorry for my ramblings...

P.S. In most cases Engine Degreaser stinks, so you will know.. what did it smell like?

D4Z_FTO · Post by **D4Z_FTO** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 2:28 pm

Just a word of warning with the inspectors - try and get someone you know or someone that somebody else has used and would recomend. My mate bought a supra - had an inspection and got the all clear, he has spent $$$'s since then, all should have been picked up. THe bloke i got to inspect my car was very perpandic which was good - looked like it had probs galore, but looking at his report - there was nothing major thank goodness.

ANother thing that i have noticed - i reckon a lot of fto's under 50,000k's with engine bits that need replacing already probably have done a few more k's than that. I have a GR at 80,000 and the engine bay and engine is very clean, no leaks anywhere.

I found a cd in my car when replacing the cd player - some japanese easy listening, so assuming mine might have been owned by some old bugger's. Also i have full service history of the car - got my friendly china-man to read it to me...no probs - regularly serviced, if something wasnt 100% it was replaced