Thinking about buying an FTO
- Thread starter jake000
- Start date
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Jun 2004
- Posts
- 12,957
Mitsubishi's have nuclear bomb proof engines don't they? 
Make sure you get a GPX MIVEC, check it's been undersealed, listen for tappets, they are a bit annoying to adjust if it's making a tapping noise. Test aircon works if the car has it. Listen for noisy rear suspension, the bushes go eventually.
Check the rear foglight has been done properly and is not just a bolt on jobby, as virtually all FTOs are imports (Ralliart brought some in officially, although very very low numbers)
Check the rear foglight has been done properly and is not just a bolt on jobby, as virtually all FTOs are imports (Ralliart brought some in officially, although very very low numbers)
May i suggest heading over here first, : http://www.ftooc.org
I will give you some tips later after work but check out the website first. A wealth of information and help there.
I will give you some tips later after work but check out the website first. A wealth of information and help there.
Copied from the FTOOC
..when buying an FTO.
General points...
1. headlight flaking
2. misted up lights
3. mismatched paint colours
4. Check Identification Badge found on Bulk Head for correct Colour Code Chasis number etc
Suspension...
1. ARB bushes and Droplinks.
2. Steering rack Gaiters (Check not split)
3. Test drive without the stereo on and listen for bangs and knocking, try to hit some speed bumps to test for squeaks or thuds on the upwards movement.
4. Check for even wear on tyres
Bodywork...
1. Check for rust in the engine bay, I found it after I bought mine
2. Roof Rust (along the front and back)
3. Arches for rust.
4. Any shoddy crash damage repair (most FTOs have had a knock in Japan)
5. Check battery area for rust behind and below the Battery
6. Check the panels line up evenly - no big gaps.
7. Peeling headlights - not a reason not to buy but still a pain to sort out.
8. Check for underseal and rust underneath
Engine...
1. Idling problems - Stepper?
2. Check the oil cap is on the left (mivec) and right for other models (in case seller is pulling a swift one and passing off a GR as a GPX
3. Oil leaks major.
4. Sump damage (if car is very low)
5. Oil level !
6. PS/Alt belts condition
7. Idler pullys (noisy?)
8. Listen out for noisy tappets
9. Look for the cat if it needs one, it may have been taken off!
Gearbox...
Manuals...
1. Can be notchy when cold, not to serious, make sure you drive the car till it's warmed up and test the syncro action. A lot can be notchy. Good G-box fluid helps a lot.
2. Make sure reverse is easily found.
Tips....
1. Gear changes should be smooth in tip and full auto, no big clunks or thunks. Car certainly shouldn't 'kangaroo'
2. Get it on the flat, put it in neutral and rev a bit. Car should stay still.
3. Make sure it has been serviced regularly
4. Check all gears work fine
Interior...
1. Check every switch and dial works!
2. Check drivers seat bolster for wear
3.Check lables on the bottom of the seat belts have the correct year on them.
4. Check central locking.
5. Check the seatbelts for excessive wear if low mileage as may be a giveway to being clocked
Mods...
1. Check mods with insurance company as they can greatly increase your premium
2. Confirm the mods advertised are actually correct e.g. if it says it has a mongoose exhaust system have a look if in doubt
Service history/items...
1. Scan through SH and receipts to check potentially expensive/fiddley jobs have been done or at least kept up to date - all Belts esp. Cam Belt, Droplinks and ARB bushes, plug change, gearbox service, pads&discs.
2. Try and get hold of the chassis number to check that the car is what the seller claims (I have this info if it is not already a sticky somewhere?).
3. If the clocks have been changed can you verify the mileage?
4. Check the clock is still in km if advertised in km
5. clear HPI
Insurance
1. Check insurance before buying as it can be expensive
2. Some good insurers seem to be - Sky, Tesco, Adrian Flux, A-Plan
..when buying an FTO.
General points...
1. headlight flaking
2. misted up lights
3. mismatched paint colours
4. Check Identification Badge found on Bulk Head for correct Colour Code Chasis number etc
Suspension...
1. ARB bushes and Droplinks.
2. Steering rack Gaiters (Check not split)
3. Test drive without the stereo on and listen for bangs and knocking, try to hit some speed bumps to test for squeaks or thuds on the upwards movement.
4. Check for even wear on tyres
Bodywork...
1. Check for rust in the engine bay, I found it after I bought mine
2. Roof Rust (along the front and back)
3. Arches for rust.
4. Any shoddy crash damage repair (most FTOs have had a knock in Japan)
5. Check battery area for rust behind and below the Battery
6. Check the panels line up evenly - no big gaps.
7. Peeling headlights - not a reason not to buy but still a pain to sort out.
8. Check for underseal and rust underneath
Engine...
1. Idling problems - Stepper?
2. Check the oil cap is on the left (mivec) and right for other models (in case seller is pulling a swift one and passing off a GR as a GPX
3. Oil leaks major.
4. Sump damage (if car is very low)
5. Oil level !
6. PS/Alt belts condition
7. Idler pullys (noisy?)
8. Listen out for noisy tappets
9. Look for the cat if it needs one, it may have been taken off!
Gearbox...
Manuals...
1. Can be notchy when cold, not to serious, make sure you drive the car till it's warmed up and test the syncro action. A lot can be notchy. Good G-box fluid helps a lot.
2. Make sure reverse is easily found.
Tips....
1. Gear changes should be smooth in tip and full auto, no big clunks or thunks. Car certainly shouldn't 'kangaroo'
2. Get it on the flat, put it in neutral and rev a bit. Car should stay still.
3. Make sure it has been serviced regularly
4. Check all gears work fine
Interior...
1. Check every switch and dial works!
2. Check drivers seat bolster for wear
3.Check lables on the bottom of the seat belts have the correct year on them.
4. Check central locking.
5. Check the seatbelts for excessive wear if low mileage as may be a giveway to being clocked
Mods...
1. Check mods with insurance company as they can greatly increase your premium
2. Confirm the mods advertised are actually correct e.g. if it says it has a mongoose exhaust system have a look if in doubt
Service history/items...
1. Scan through SH and receipts to check potentially expensive/fiddley jobs have been done or at least kept up to date - all Belts esp. Cam Belt, Droplinks and ARB bushes, plug change, gearbox service, pads&discs.
2. Try and get hold of the chassis number to check that the car is what the seller claims (I have this info if it is not already a sticky somewhere?).
3. If the clocks have been changed can you verify the mileage?
4. Check the clock is still in km if advertised in km
5. clear HPI
Insurance
1. Check insurance before buying as it can be expensive
2. Some good insurers seem to be - Sky, Tesco, Adrian Flux, A-Plan
If you are serious about buying an FTO i would suggest joining the owners club anyway. Everyone there is really helpful and the cars for sale there are members cars.
Its only about £22 to join and you can get better insurance deals by using some of the recommended companies.
Its only about £22 to join and you can get better insurance deals by using some of the recommended companies.
Soldato
- Joined
- 30 May 2007
- Posts
- 5,013
- Location
- Glasgow, Scotland
Always wanted an FTO
Was a while back when i last looked at it, but as said the GPX MIVEC is the one to go for... then ill be super jealous
lol
Was a while back when i last looked at it, but as said the GPX MIVEC is the one to go for... then ill be super jealous
lol
i've always much preferred the GTO or 3000GT, back from Gran Turismo
but they're insane on fuel consumption, and insurance
As much as I love them too, they arn't actually brilliant cars; they are very very heavy and are full of electricals in odd places which will cost you thousands of pounds when they inevitably do fail
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Great cars although the ones left are getting a bit shabby these days so buy carefully. Watch for rust - they rust in structural places near the front and rear suspension mountings. Under the fuse box under the bonnet is a common place as well. Black ones can rust on the roof and this is very hard to repair.
Engines are very reliable but can sound a bit noisy re: tappets above. Performance is good provided you:
a) Avoid the DIRE tiptronic
b) Thrash the living daylights out of it - MIVEC is like VTEC.
Interior build quality is poor, the plastics are cheap and nasty and it rattles like a branch of mothercare but the handling is very sharp indeed, the engine sounds great on full song and when you are in the mood they are quick and great fun. They also look nice as well.
Ignore Zip (Hi, I'm in Adelaide!) because over in the UK they dont tend to be driven by many girls. Although ours was my Mums car..
Engines are very reliable but can sound a bit noisy re: tappets above. Performance is good provided you:
a) Avoid the DIRE tiptronic
b) Thrash the living daylights out of it - MIVEC is like VTEC.
Interior build quality is poor, the plastics are cheap and nasty and it rattles like a branch of mothercare but the handling is very sharp indeed, the engine sounds great on full song and when you are in the mood they are quick and great fun. They also look nice as well.
Ignore Zip (Hi, I'm in Adelaide!) because over in the UK they dont tend to be driven by many girls. Although ours was my Mums car..
Fox (as always) has summed it up pretty well.
The vast majority are 1995 cars, so they're 14 years old. And they're all imports. So there WILL be rust.
The 2.0 MIVEC engine is definitely the one to get, but the tiptronic gearbox isn't particularly great (from memory it's a 4-speed, and doesn't have INVECS - so it doesn't learn how you drive)
Nowadays the performance is nothing special - 200bhp, ~6.5 seconds 0-60 (about 7.2 for the auto, though!), and tuning is limited (due to the highly-strung N/A engine), but they're fairly fun to through around, and handle fairly well.
Hydraulic lifters (tappets) can be noisy, but it's nothing detrimental to the life-span of the engine. A good quality oil should quieten them up, or you can get a replacement set from Camskill for around £200.
Also as Fox said, when on-song (and given it's high-revving nature, be prepared to thrash the living daylights out of it!) the 2 litre 6A12 V6 engine screams wonderfully!
(I've got the 2.5 "equivalent" engine (6A13) in both N/A and Twin Turbo form in our Galant/Legnum, and they sound great on-song too!)
The vast majority are 1995 cars, so they're 14 years old. And they're all imports. So there WILL be rust.
The 2.0 MIVEC engine is definitely the one to get, but the tiptronic gearbox isn't particularly great (from memory it's a 4-speed, and doesn't have INVECS - so it doesn't learn how you drive)
Nowadays the performance is nothing special - 200bhp, ~6.5 seconds 0-60 (about 7.2 for the auto, though!), and tuning is limited (due to the highly-strung N/A engine), but they're fairly fun to through around, and handle fairly well.
Hydraulic lifters (tappets) can be noisy, but it's nothing detrimental to the life-span of the engine. A good quality oil should quieten them up, or you can get a replacement set from Camskill for around £200.
Also as Fox said, when on-song (and given it's high-revving nature, be prepared to thrash the living daylights out of it!) the 2 litre 6A12 V6 engine screams wonderfully!
(I've got the 2.5 "equivalent" engine (6A13) in both N/A and Twin Turbo form in our Galant/Legnum, and they sound great on-song too!)