I decided to produce a newbie buyers guide in the form
of a question and answer section from all the e-mail's
I have received asking about purchasing a Mitsubishi FTO
over the past year. These are simply my opinions from
owning a Mitsubishi FTO and I will not be held responsible
for any decisions made based on the info on this page.
Q. Manual or Tiptronic gearbox?
A. Well firstly you need to think about where you will
be driving and how you drive ?
-
Go for the "Tip" if you are stuck in a
lot of traffic and enjoy the more laid back approach
to driving.........
-
Go for the manual if you like driving your car fast
and are more of a racing car driver at heart :-)
-
I went for the manual because after driving both
I preferred the manual, I love it !
-
I suggest you drive both and see which takes your
fancy most........
Q. Is it an expensive car (maintenance for example)?
A. Services can be a little expensive in comparison to
a Ford, but not in comparison to a TVR or a Porsche (£200
average service) parts are about the same price as a Honda.....
(sorry for the comparison).
Q. Is it a reliable car?
A. Very reliable, if you get yourself a good low mileage
car....
Q. Which model FTO do I go for?
A. I went for the GPX, because I like the Mivec roar
:-)
There are many things to consider, like insurance, parts,
performance etc....
Q. What fuel does the FTO run on?
A. I run my FTO on Shell Optimax because it is the highest
RON fuel available in the UK, the FTO is designed to run
on 100 RON fuel and Optimax is the closest we can get
without adding octane boaster.
Q. What is the vital performance stats of an FTO?
A. GPX Model example below:
Model: FTO GPX
Transmission: 5MT, FWD
Engine: V6 2000cc MIVEC DOHC 24 VALVE
Power: 200BHP @ 7500rpm
Torque: 20.4kgm @ 6000rpm
0-60: 6.8s
Max Speed: 149mph
Q. Is it true that all FTO's are limited to 120mph when
brought into the country?
A. Yes unfortunately they are, this can be simply removed
with a delimiter chip.
Q. What is all the fuss about a fog light?
A. Make sure your FTO comes with a rear fog light conversion
and that it is not a "bolt-on" jobbie or cut
into the rear bumper. It is possible to convert one of
the reversing lights or both the brake lights (as the
FTO has two sets) into fog lights.
Q. What about underseal?
A. Make sure the your new FTO comes with under seal or
make sure you are prepaid to pay for it to be done as
it is essential!
Q. Is it difficult to find parts for the FTO?
A. It is nowhere near as difficult as it used to be!
Look at my links page for a comprehensive
list of wepages for help.
Q. What's the price tag on these cars?
A. M reg (GPX) approx.£8,000.
Q. What key things should I look for when looking at purchasing
a FTO?
A. The Following:
-
-
Central Locking problems.
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Noisy rear suspension (Worn anti-roll bar bushes).
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Rattling glass due to badly adjusted/worn window guides.
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Poor brakes, standard discs prone to warp very easily.
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Feeble battery, slow turnover, dimming lights on revving.
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Faulty air conditioner, recommended to be operated
weekly as it is self lubricating.
-
Badly done de-restriction on Tiptronics can cause 'unusual'
behavior.
-
Non-MIVEC cars being passed off as MIVECs.
Q. What is car Insurance like on an Mitsubishi FTO?
A. Personally I think car insurance is too high on the
FTO, have a look at myfto insurance
links. As the car is an import a lot of insurance companies
will not touch you until you are at least 21 and sometimes
25 years of age. Make sure you get a insurance quote you
can afford before purchasing an FTO!
Q. Do I need a tracker to insure an FTO?
A. In my case I did with Tesco's insurance, does depend
from compamy-to-company though.
Q. Where can I get a tracker?
A. Here www.navtrak.co.uk
Q. Is the FTO really that sweet as you claim it to be?
A. Yes, yes and yes !
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