Location: Toowoomba, Queensland.
Price: $3000 (offers welcome)
Chassis Mileage: 227000KM
Engine Mileage: 157 000KM
Alright, so this car has a story that I feel should be shared with any potential buyers.
I originally purchased the car just over a year ago from a middle aged woman who knew absolutely nothing about engines etc. She had driven the car when all the coolant had leaked out and the oil had boiled, caking the internals of the engine. It blew a hell of a lot of smoke, although drove just fine.
I bought the car for cheap. The chassis and engine at that stage had done about 217 000 KMs. I purchased a new Mivec 6A12 Engine from a Brisbane wreckers and spent a lot of money having it swapped over and fixing things to get the car roadworthy. Since then, it has been my daily driver, up until the torque converter failed a few weeks ago, a few days after I bought a new FTO.
I've spent a decent amount of cash over the last year keeping it maintained, although it definitely has its issues.
Good points:
I had the car serviced only about 1000KMs before it broke down. I probably have receipts for most of the work still floating around somewhere.
Brand new Magnecor 8mm ignition leads.
Brand new 6 x NGK Iridium spark plugs.
New 6 x Mitsubishi spark plug seals (oil was leaking into the plug chambers. Replacing the seals has fixed this.)
New fuel filter.
New magnetic sump plug.
New 'Drift' magnetic oil filter.
Fresh oil (I've been using Motul 5W-30 for the past few changes and it seems to run well on it.)
3 month old mild steel, cat-back exhaust (Magnaflow high-flow muffler, a resonator to keep it legal and chrome 3.5 inch tip, not a sh*tty cannon.)
4 month old O2 sensor.
Generic pod filter (sounds great with the exhaust.)
Reconditioned alternator (from just before I bought the car.)
During the engine change, over a year ago, all the CV and steering rack boots were replaced. The radiator that was in the FTO was fairly shot, due to running so hot, so I had one sent up from the ACT from a wreck which was in very good condition. The transmission was serviced during the change, which included a full flush, oil and filter.
Now, the car has a few problems.
Bad points:
There are several rust bubbles in the roof which would need sanding back, cutting, bogging and then repainting to repair. Unfortunately this is a common FTO issue. There is also patches of rust underneath the bonnet which are not very serious, only on the surface. It would easily be removed with some sand paper and time and effort. This is where the alternator overcharged the battery while the previous owner had it, which popped the top of the battery off. The owner didn't wipe the acid off in time.
There is no accident damage on the car, although there are one or two small dents on the doors from careless people in carparks.
The overall paint quality on the car is pretty poor. Some lovely people have keyed it a few times down the passenger side and there are a few spots, mainly the spoiler, where the paint is faded.
The engine has an oil leak from the half-moon seals which has been there since I put the new engine in. The car was also beginning to run quite roughly and the exhaust was smelling of fuel. I believe I have diagnosed the problem as the detonation sensor, which would need to be replaced. Any competent mechanic could sort that out. The tappets are a little noisy on start up.
The interior of the car is in average condition. It has the common interior flaws that most FTOs have, including wear marks on the sides of the seats, broken centre console and faded paint on the plastic surrounds on the door handles.
I removed the starter motor to be used on my current ride. I will provide a starter with the car that could easily be reconditioned.
The vehicle has standard rims on it with tyres that would most likely scrape by in a roadworthy. 2 tyres have decent tread, the other 2 are borderline.
I will say that it drives and handles well. Both brakes and suspension feel to be in good condition, having been driven softly by a lady. The engine, even in its current state, has plenty of power. The transmission, before the torque converter packed it in, changed nicely.
The car does not go into gear at the moment, although starts and runs. I was planning to fix it up and continue to drive it as my daily, using my new FTO as a track car, however I've fallen far too in love with my new one and probably wouldn't take the time to fix it up.
I'm not really interested in splitting the car up for parts as I am living in a block of units and do not really have room for a shell.
Pictures:
Note: The vehicle has not been in an accident, I just currently have the front bar on my red FTO while awaiting delivery of my new one.
