FTO AUSTRALIA

Hi all.

Probably the wrong place for this but I couldn't decide what was better so...

I'm new here and do not actually own an FTO (yet). I am however very keen on getting my hands on one. So part of my reason for joining the forum here (apart from the fact that you guys know exactly what you are on about) is to find out a little about the cars themselves and to ask this question. Is 10 grand (or maybe even 9) not enough to get my hands on a decent enough fto? Im not looking for anything that special. I have no need for spiffy wheels of body kits. The standard car would suit me fine. I just really like the car and have always wanted one. Should I forget all about them and get a plain old lancer or can I get one thats not gonna leak oil every where and cost me a fortune on repairs all the time. Any input would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Matt

check out some of the ones on ebay or whatever. shop around coz you can get them for that price but it would be wise to have a mechanic or auto inspector with you before you hand over the coin. you can also have a look at the cars for sale section in this forum as well.

Is it true that because ftos are grey - i.e. imported that its hard to get anyone to service them? Dads a mechanic and I can do a little but I am going to be moving away from home and I'm going to need something reliable enough to do 600 k trips occasionally, so this could be a big problem if this is the case.

no, parts are easy to find, they share heaps of components with galant, lancer and mirage. servicing is definitely not a problem for these cars

Sp it's pretty unlikely that I would have to order parts from japan or anything like that. Sounds quite good. Thanks for all your help. Ill probably have a few more questions by the weekend :p

mope, you'll be right. they're pretty reliable, but you get the odd money pit car, so just do your research on particular cars you'd be interested in purchasing

Yep, any car can cost you a packet if you dont choose carefully. Just take your time, drive a few and then choose one. That way you know what you are getting. Some of the pages here might help you choose too:

http://www.completefto.com.au/completefto.asp

Welcome to the club and hope to see the pictures soon

take your time looking for one & try as many as possible before you buy thats my golden nugget of advice for you .. not only will you know a good one when you see it, but if you take the time to find a good one it will probably be cheaper by then...

theres quite a few for under 10k at the moment, most of them are lemons & scams.. just as long as you check the newbie section for the guides on buying it .. also check out the rest of the forum for common probs to look for (FTO Help section) etc..

also another golden nugget - http://www.ftowa.com/html/workshop/workshopart07.html
This is a must if you are serious about buying an FTO
If the owner will let you check the error codes before you buy - take the opportunity to do it ... it will tell you a lot of things about the car that a mechanical check will not pick up.. & will save you from making an expensive mistake
Any owner should be fine with letting you check the error codes unless they know of a pre-existing fault that they don't want you to know about

Cheers.

Thanks for all your help.

Just thought of another question. How quick are these cars standard? 0-100, that sort of thing. I'm assuming they are pretty quick off the mark.

http://www.japandirect.com.au/specs.php

Says 7.6 here, but im sure I have seen 6.9 somewhere too

http://www.autozine.org/Graveyard/html/ ... i/FTO.html

Heres a 6.9. The 7.6 is probably for the tiptronic.

The manual is definitely the faster of the 2, but you wont compete with most turbos or V8's in a straight line. The FTO really excells in the handling department though (out of the box). Make a few mods and it'll keep up with almost anything in the twisties.

on top of all this I thought I should just recomment that you check out the Insurance area as well. It can be a couple of grand if you are young.

Still if you can afford it you will love it

I'm 23 and haven't had any accidents (claimed against me). Were in 1 car crash and it wasn't my fault. The insurance company said my car was a write off and handed me a check for $800. Since then we've (me and dad) wacked the car back into shape (mostly) and im still driving it around. I've always wondered what would happen if I were in another accident. Can you write off a car more than once?

Wouldn't have a clue sorry.

I was 22 when I got mine. I'd had one at fault accident and 2 not at fault and had to pay over $3,000 in my first year, has come down very quickly since though, now is only a little over $1000

This thread is certainly helpful as I am planning to get a FTO too and my budget is exactly the same as thread starter. Just a few things, how good on fuel is this car? Is this one a good deal?http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/pr ... 85&trecs=3

Edit: Can somebody teach me how to put hyperlink please?

looks ok, good number of k's for an earlier model. you'd have to see it in person to really know for sure.