just another newbie with some questions :)

shadowarrior · Post by **shadowarrior** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:58 pm

Hi Guys,

I am looking at getting a FTO (GPX) as my first car. I have been a motorbike rider all this while (12+ years), and I finally thought of biting the bullet and get myself into the world of cars.

I wanted something sporty/zippy to keep me interested, else I would just run back to my motorbikes. That's where a FTO comes into the picture.

Will be using the car around the city and every day commute to work (small 40kms trip).

Had couple of questions in my mind for which I would need some help from you guys.

I am looking at the Triptronic models. Do they have transmission problems as common? A lot of cars I am looking at seems to either say 'Replaced gearbox' or doesn't mention anything about them at all.
If the transmissions are known to get faulty after X kms, should I rather opt for a car which has replaced transmission box or should I just look for cars below that X km. (Did any specific year/model have this problem?)

What about servicing them? Are services expensive? (For example, changing the timing belt = lot of work and needs other parts replaced as well?) Are parts easy to find/expensive in Australia?

Anything I should look out for specially when going to inspect the FTO's I shortlist? I am going through the list here as a guide. http://ftoaustralia.com/v3/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8085

Any other known problems regarding FTOs that I should be aware of?

And last, are there any good reliable (and affordable) mechanics for the FTO around Gold Coast.

Thanks in advance

Sidds

BUZZ_QWERTY · Post by **BUZZ_QWERTY** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:19 pm

hows it going buddy..
I have owned my FTO for a little over a year now and haven't had any issues.
I'm definitely not one of the most knowledgeable members on here, but the known
issues I am aware of is the stepper motor (which was replaced on mine before I bought it)
and roof rust. Haven't had any issues with my tiptronic gearbox as of yet, recently had the
100,000km service done which cost me around a grand (replaced timing belt, water pump etc etc).
My FTO is a GR so I wouldn't know too much about the GPX, sure someone will be along soon that
could help you out more than me LoL

silverGPX · Post by **silverGPX** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:45 pm

Problems with:

Alternators
Starter Motors
Electric Windows
Most FTO's have a buckload of hidden rust
Poorly Made and Designed
Loud Tappets
Most suspension is probably fucked by now
Swapped in clusters showing lower km's
You'll probably just end up using it on the track in the end as there will be that many problems with you wont bother trying to fix it to get it roadworthy to sell.
People say it has good fuel economy but only if its got brand new 02 sensor and ETS, which would most likely be going as well so theres $150 straight up.
A new problem arises with these cars fortnightly.
I've never heard of a good condition perfect FTO ever.
All the gear selector brackets seem to be breaking
Stereo surround breaks
Air con compressors fail a lot too

Buy an Fto if your ready to be donating your wallet every weekend to it, wasting hours of your life scavenging for parts that are rare as hens teeth.

Buy something newer you wont regret it.

silverGPX · Post by **silverGPX** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:46 pm

Headlights fade half yearly too.
The foam fucks out in pretty much all the seats.

silverGPX · Post by **silverGPX** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:50 pm

Oh and waterpumps, jesus christ, my water pump failed at 166,000km and my girlfriends FTO has just failed now at 150,000 odd.

People have had problems with them eating alternator and pwr steering belts as well.

Goodluck mate.

I was in denial for a long time but its really true, most FTO's are buckets of sh*t. Don't make the same mistake i did.

Even if you did find an FTO that looked perfect, something will break within a week or two of you owning it.

Gholdwayne · Post by **Gholdwayne** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:51 pm

Can't tell if semi-trolling or grossly exaggerating problems

silverGPX · Post by **silverGPX** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:55 pm

What gholdwayne is it not true that youve had to cut your whole roof out to fix roof rust problems??

Not grossly exaggerated, buddy go have a look in FTO help and have a look at all the problems. These more posts about fixing sh*t wrong with FTO's
than modding them. All the sh*t ive had to fix on mine i have only been able to spend a few hundred dollars on an exhaust and sound system.

I've spent thousands fixing my car, its f**king sh*t.

I didnt buy it cheap either and i had a really good look at it. Within the first week i blew my heatercore pipes which is another common fault where you have to take the dash out or degas the aircon to replace them.

BUZZ_QWERTY · Post by **BUZZ_QWERTY** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:56 pm

WOW

I did like my FTO up until a few minutes ago... Think I might sell it now and go kill myself for buying one LoL

silverGPX · Post by **silverGPX** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:56 pm

If you buy an FTO look forward to the car deteriorating and falling apart around you, particularly if your using it as a daily.

Gholdwayne · Post by **Gholdwayne** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:10 pm

silverGPX wrote:What gholdwayne is it not true that youve had to cut your whole roof out to fix roof rust problems??

Not grossly exaggerated, buddy go have a look in FTO help and have a look at all the problems. These more posts about fixing sh*t wrong with FTO's
than modding them. All the sh*t ive had to fix on mine i have only been able to spend a few hundred dollars on an exhaust and sound system.

I've spent thousands fixing my car, its f**king sh*t.

I didnt buy it cheap either and i had a really good look at it. Within the first week i blew my heatercore pipes which is another common fault where you have to take the dash out or degas the aircon to replace them.

True, I've had roof rust but it wasnt as bad as kate's but I still chose to do that method of repair..

Plus my FTO has been pretty reliable... I haven't had any problems that are big enough for me to remember... The roof rust repair will definitely be one now... Maybe you speak of older FTO's. Maybe mitsu has updated some materials or whatever to make the facelift fto's better than prefacelift to a degree, but im not sure on that. Good on you for being able to put up with your fto problems but man, the temper, please.

shadowarrior · Post by **shadowarrior** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:37 pm

Thanks for the posts guys. And that is quite a list there silvergpx. I actually like the fact of knowing about the probable problems we might face before we get lost in the car's charisma.

That being said, I would assume all motor vehicles have their flaws. Some are easy/cheap to fix, some are known to be a hard money drainer. Also, the FTO won't be brand new, they are 12-15 years old. So I can't expect a spot less problem free FTO. Which is where knowing if the car has been properly maintained by the previous owners come in. If there are any tell tale signs of neglected maintenance, would appreciate to know about them.

As of now, am going by 'No Service logs/receipts=I don't believe any of the verbal service history the seller tells me about' rule.

@Gholdwayne, pre-facelift and facelift models; which year differentiates between them?
are there any specific years which have the rust problem common?

@Buzz_Qwerty I read about the alternator. And that it should be replaced. Will check on the stepper motor (I would assume only a receipt of the work will say it's been replaced?) If not, how much am I looking at replacing the stepper motor?

Rust is something I want to be careful about.

Also I would prefer buying from a known forum member than a random carsales/gumtree ad. That way I know if the person really cared about his car or not.

bass_twitch · Post by **bass_twitch** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:53 pm

shadowarrior wrote:Thanks for the posts guys. And that is quite a list there silvergpx. I actually like the fact of knowing about the probable problems we might face before we get lost in the car's charisma.

That being said, I would assume all motor vehicles have their flaws. Some are easy/cheap to fix, some are known to be a hard money drainer. Also, the FTO won't be brand new, they are 12-15 years old. So I can't expect a spot less problem free FTO. Which is where knowing if the car has been properly maintained by the previous owners come in. If there are any tell tale signs of neglected maintenance, would appreciate to know about them.

As of now, am going by 'No Service logs/receipts=I don't believe any of the verbal service history the seller tells me about' rule.

@Gholdwayne, pre-facelift and facelift models; which year differentiates between them?
are there any specific years which have the rust problem common?

@Buzz_Qwerty I read about the alternator. And that it should be replaced. Will check on the stepper motor (I would assume only a receipt of the work will say it's been replaced?) If not, how much am I looking at replacing the stepper motor?

Rust is something I want to be careful about.
Also I would prefer buying from a known forum member than a random carsales/gumtree ad. That way I know if the person really cared about his car or not.

for rust look on the roof and under the car on the chassis. Especially on pre facelift (pre 97).
For all your other info, have a good search around the forum. If you search on the problems that silvergpx mentioned on his posts you will be sure to answer a lot of your own questions, (just be sure to ignore his persistent pms, and read those posts as things you should look out for).
Silver, while I agree that it seems every fortnight there's a new problem with the car, it's still a sweet drive, corners like a dream and looks amazing

So shadow warrior, ftos have a lot of amazing points (Mivec roar, amazing handling -especially with handling mods, unique and sporty look and feel, true jdm

), but just be sure to go in with your eyes open. Every car has good and bad,
The Fto is a sweet ass car, but it's just getting old. (which is part of its charm

.... And the cause of many a curse word)

BUZZ_QWERTY · Post by **BUZZ_QWERTY** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 5:11 pm

bass_twitch wrote: The Fto is a sweet ass car, but it's just getting old. (which is part of its charm .... And the cause of many a curse word)

Nicely said

topao · Post by **topao** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:29 pm

Just don't go buying the cheapest FTO you can find and you will be fine. Also get it checked out by a professional and not your mate or your mates mate.

I've had mine for about 6 years now and it's a 95 model GPX. I've never had issues with rust on the roof or the chassis, the only rust you will find is in the wheel arch where i've knocked the body a few times with a spanner.

I have replaced my trip gearbox before after 150,000km but that was only because i had a shady mechanic and didn't have much choice - if the gearbox is looked after it should last over 200,000+ km

The Heater Core died around 120k which is to be expected, The stepper died around this time too which was also expected as i didn't expect to get more then a 100k out of it

Shocks, struts, engine mounts and drop links have also all been changed after 120km but that's to be expected on a 15 year old car. At the end of the day everything that's been replaced is going to last at least another 10 years.

rock_it · Post by **rock_it** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:36 pm

I ride bike + have an FTO and an Evo III GSR to name a couple...

None of them compare to a bike.. Mine is a GSXR 1000 though.. But if you want a fast sports car to compare to a bike, the FTO is not the best choice... Sorry..

Post by **dstocks** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:49 pm

Well, I cant say I agree with SilverGPX. Ive owned more FTO's than anyone in the club and ive been pretty trouble free with ALL of the ones ive had registered and there have been a few now. Ive had a bit of roof rust to deal with in a couple of them (go for a post 97 model and youll have no issues there). Ive owned my current one now for nearly 3 years and have had a solenoid go and thats it. I owned a midnight blue one for 2 years with no issues at all. The black one we are in the process of selling has had a heater core swapped, but thats it (18 months) I find they are quite relaible actually. There is a bit of luck involved , but generally if you do your research you should be fine. Go for one of the better ones and youll be OK.

phi-tec · Post by **phi-tec** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:36 pm

my 2cents: joes and ricks is apparently quite reputable mechanics at the coast, pretty sure they located around ashmore

hope that helps haha

Post by **bjk** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:52 pm

While it's sort of on topic, are there any substantial yearly differences in facelift models, e.g. 1997 compared to 1999, than just age? Is it worth paying a couple grand more for a newer year one, or just look for those which are most trouble-free and well maintained?

sublime19 · Post by **sublime19** » Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:53 pm

shadowarrior ignore silverGPX, pretty obvious he's too retarded to even acknowledge. Apparently he's a brain-dead paraplegic who just regained brain activity and these are the first words he's ever typed.

- While an FTO is a good car, unfortunately it won't give you the same thrill you get in on your bike, especially after being used to them for 12+ years. Maybe a turbo will give you boost you're used to. The best thing I like about my car is its handling. While it isn't slow by any means, speed isn't anything special.

- Yep, good as a daily driver. I've had my car for almost 6 years and always used it for travelling to work. Over the past month I've got a new job which requires me to drive 120kms per day and it's still fine. Only thing that sucks is that fact I drive a manual in peak hour traffic. The car itself is comfortable, especially with the semi-bucket seats.

- If you're buying a car with higher kms, there will always be things which need to be replaced due to either being thrashed or general wear and tear. As far as I know, gearbox's shitting themselves is not a common problem.

- Services, general service is normal. Just don't take it to a shoddy mechanic, don't have to pay an arm and a leg to go to some premium mechanic for a service, just somebody reliable. Timing belt - definitely fork out for a proper, experienced mechanic. Can cost up to $1000 for timing belt done properly. Just need a competent mechanic who's used to working with sports cars.

- Search the forums for common problems. Keep in mind, FTOs haven't been hooned around in as much and aren't going to have huge problems like rotary engines or old turbo engines do, which need to be rebuilt etc, the biggest problem is probably keeping an eye out for roof rust, because that'll be the thing which'll cost most to fix.

Ever since I've had my car (6 years in Feb), I've only had 1 problem - my slave cylinder seal broke, cost me $40 to get the part in and a friend put it in for me. This is literally the ONLY thing that's ever gone wrong with my car. I've never even had an oil leak of any kind anywhere. I was lucky to get mine which had been well looked after at 48,000 kms. Now it's at 156,000 and I've maintained its condition. I've never redlined it, always have it serviced at 5000kms, fuel filters at 15000, always warm it up for 10 mins before driving and it probably sees 6000rpm twice a year. Overkill on baby-ing the car, but its worked out well for me.

These aren't cars you're going to have major problems with, unless you buy them from individuals like our handicapped friend silverGPX. I just hope you haven't taken him too seriously.

Good luck with finding what you need.

silverGPX · Post by **silverGPX** » Tue Nov 01, 2011 12:06 am

LOL sublime i CANNOT wait until this poor sod gets an FTO and starts posting in the fto help forum.

Shadowwarrior goodluck in your finds of your future lemon.

FTO AUSTRALIA