Need advice in buying a fto

ericd2x · Post by **ericd2x** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:59 pm

Hi guys, i've just sold my180sx and now looking for either a fto, becomming to risky driving a turbo on a P plate, even though i've been doing so for the past 3 years . Anyways i'm looking at getting a fto with mivec tiptronic so i'm guessing 1996+.

How different is the gpr from the gpx in full detail?

Which fto's have a sun roof?

Does the tiptronic have much delay on shifts, how much power does it pull away from the car?

If i'm after a 1997+ fto mivec around 50,000-75,000k on the clock how much am i looking at spending?

Are parts expensive with the fto's or will they be about the same as a 180sx?

The brakes on ftos are abit weak and warp easy i've heard, is it true?

And any advice in purchasing my new car will be helpful thxs

Post by **dstocks** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:29 am

How different is the gpr from the gpx in full detail?

Version R comes standard with strut braces and a limited slip diff and a different rearwing. GPX has climate control and fold in mirrors. Find a full comparison here:

http://www.completefto.com.au/CompleteFTO.asp?aid=454

Which fto's have a sun roof?

The sunroof was an option on the FTO that was selected at the factory

Does the tiptronic have much delay on shifts, how much power does it pull away from the car?

I personally found there was a slight lag when I had a tip FTO, but apparently the oil you put in the car has a significant effect on this. As to power drop, I believe there is a difference as I have owned both tips and manuals and my manual is definitelt more responsive. Having said that, you are just as likely to get an even larger variation based on the car itself given the age of them now.

If i'm after a 1997+ fto mivec around 50,000-75,000k on the clock how much am i looking at spending?

Im not saying that what you are trying to find is impossible, but there wont be many that fit in that category due to the kms and youll have to check interior wear and steering wheel wear to have any assurance that the kms are genuine as clusters are so easy to swap over. Unless you get really lucky, I would expect something like what you are asking for to be around 12K but maybe as high as 15K.

Are parts expensive with the fto's or will they be about the same as a 180sx?

This is a little hard to say as I dont really know the 180sx, and are you talking about genuine parts or aftermarket. The parts themselves arent really hard to geta hold of. I can source pretty much anything down to a bolt on the car from a contact in Japan if need be. There is genrally someone in the club wrecking one as well.

The brakes on ftos are abit weak and warp easy i've heard, is it true?

If you are going to really push it hard, yep. I have warped a set of rotors. Ive put slotted rotors on the front now and dont have that problem anymore. Better braking as well

And any advice in purchasing my new car will be helpful thxs

There is a sticky thread in one of the sections on what to look out for when buying. Additionally, I have a buying and selling menu under the general heading on Complete FTO (www.completefto.com.au)

Hope that helps. Good luck with the purchase and if there is anything else we can help with, just let us know

Post by **vipfto** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:35 am

WTTC mate

good luck finding one

koolio1234 · Post by **koolio1234** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 5:52 pm

Welcome

nicholas · Post by **nicholas** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 7:53 pm

go for manual for sure.

these cars are too small and underpowered to do anything but

zuihoujueding · Post by **zuihoujueding** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 1:13 am

WTTC.
my friend owns a 180SX and i say it have 10x more aftermarket parts to choose from, given its one of the favourite drift machine around.

But i see you have set your mind on the FTO. Good luck and im sure you'll like it as its quite a different driving experience from the 180sx.

nikhan · Post by **nikhan** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 2:14 am

zuihoujueding wrote:WTTC.
my friend owns a 180SX and i say it have 10x more aftermarket parts to choose from, given its one of the favourite drift machine around.

But i see you have set your mind on the FTO. Good luck and im sure you'll like it as its quite a different driving experience from the 180sx.

+1

Wttc to the club btw...FTO's are pretty fast in its own class. There is nothing much to make it go faster cept for the usual stuff like CAI, extractors etc. If u are looking for a faster car, probably u may want to go for something else.