first fto

Mitch · Post by **Mitch** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:11 am

hey guys
what do you think an fto would be like for a first car

khunjeng · Post by **khunjeng** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:47 am

i say no as I assume your under 25 and hence u will pay way too much for insurance IMO its too much and dont bother.

Then again I love the car, so get one but be aware its not the cheapest car to run and maintain.

Post by **BorepYano** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 1:25 am

insurance, general maintainance, upgrades.....

just get a cheap $1k job till u run it into the ground (6months till u have to service it lol), then rip it apart to figure out how things work then if u r confident and move on to the ftos (they r not fast as such, but everything cost so much more than the holdens and fords)
lol, but if u r keen, then get an fto, but be careful, get full comp only if u r a new driver/dangerous driver lol

anyways, keep up posted on what u r going to do/

(just general interest, cos i'm drunk now lol)

thecook · Post by **thecook** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 4:58 am

the fto was my first car... and it was awesome! pretty fun to drive around in, and it also gained a lot of attention (good and bad)...

Post by **dstocks** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 8:54 am

If your set on a cool looking car (rather than your average family mobile) then you could do far worse than an FTO. They are very economical on fuel considering what they are. They dont have a turbo, so insurance isnt as bad as it could be. As they arent over powered, they are probably a safer choice for a new driver too. Parts are not common, but you will find them. Parts will definitely cost more than your average family car, and servicing will likely cost slightly more.

The best first car is a clunker (as those above have pointed out), but if you have already ruled that out and are comparing to WRX, skyline etc then I would say an FTO is a good choice.

FTO338 · Post by **FTO338** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 10:07 am

dstocks wrote:They dont have a turbo, so insurance isnt as bad as it could be.

I completely agree with what you said dstocks, except for the insurance, the FTO cost more for me to insure then the latest WRX and a Supercharged Euro. IMO it is very steep for a 9-12yrs old car. I've tried 5-6 insurance companies and I got the same result.

Mitch, if you want something stands out, like everyone said, FTO is different to all your garden variety road cars. The look and its interior have to be one of the best for its price, it still look very stylish with outstanding creature comfort for a 10+ yr car. But I can assure you, if you in you teens, you will get mates call you a "pussy whip" or "driving a girl's car" because they have no idea what a FTO is and how it perform.

FTO isn't an exactly a fast car, but it goes ok, it handle very well for a car that was design 12yrs ago. In fact I would say its still can out handle lots of modern FWD.

If you planning to modify it, then you better have lots of patient and deep pockets, because itâ€™s pretty hard to get some decent performance part that will make a substantial different on 0-100 or 1/4 mile (if thatâ€™s important to you). But if you like a great handling car that can whip ass on mountain run and twisty then FTO is defiantly on top of my list.

Ohh and like thecook said, you get attentions on the street with it, chicks does dig it

Sparhawk · Post by **Sparhawk** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 10:24 am

I have a son who is looking at his first car, and while I'd like to have a second FTO parked at my house, I'm reccomending he look at something a little more "common" to start with. FTO's are awesome cars (I'm a little biased obviously) but as a first car, I'd prefer he got something he can tweak, modify, break, repair, etc etc without having to look at me for financial support or having to search the globe for parts, and as stated before, the insurance on an import isnt exactly cheap, moreso for a young driver.

My 2c.

Hobbsie · Post by **Hobbsie** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 2:16 pm

id say its a great first car really.. looks speed and handling but not too fast that youre likely to hurt yourself, and FWD so youre unlikely to loose traction.. pretty easy to drive in general

but yeah the maint price and difficulty is a bit of a c**t. as for insurance, third party is all you will need. prices will be ridiculous no matter what car youre driving.

khunjeng · Post by **khunjeng** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:18 am

They dont have a turbo, so insurance isnt as bad as it could be.

the insurance on my FTO is worse than my R33 with an additional 15k worth of Mods...same year, but jap imports, one NA and one Turbo..go figure.

I think its crazy to pay 2.5, 3-4k per year for insurance on a 12k car each year...

mrx · Post by **mrx** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 6:54 pm

I would have to say no - dont get it as your first car. And without wanting to sound patronising or anything, just because you have your license, doesn't mean you can drive properly!

Better off getting something that is cheaper to buy, run, maintain and insure. Then once you have built up a good insurance rating (and saved some pennies) then look at something like this.

Sure, they handle and stop better than most other cars in the price range, and definitely better than any "common" car, but that just means that if something does go wrong, it's happening at a lot higher speed...never a good thing.

Cause, if your heart is set on it, then there will be no stopping you will there? And it is easy to be seduced, if nothing else, by the MIVEC sound...you always remember your first time

oodLes · Post by **oodLes** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:40 am

Sparhawk wrote:I have a son who is looking at his first car, and while I'd like to have a second FTO parked at my house, I'm reccomending he look at something a little more "common" to start with. FTO's are awesome cars (I'm a little biased obviously) but as a first car, I'd prefer he got something he can tweak, modify, break, repair, etc etc without having to look at me for financial support or having to search the globe for parts, and as stated before, the insurance on an import isnt exactly cheap, moreso for a young driver.

My 2c.

Dude, as a driver of one myself, get him a 2000 Mitsu Lancer 4 door. You can't break it, seriously. I won't go into details but lets just say Ive done over 195, twice a week, for over 4 years.

I check the oil and water, and off it goes. It is IMPOSSIBLE to break the thing!

kay_8 · Post by **kay_8** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 2:33 am

i agree i have a 96 CE lancer since brand new, it has done about 230,000 kms. Still no problems with the car, It was pasted on to my girlfriend when i got my FTO about four years back, she had it for about two years and then she got a 2005 corolla levin. Then my brother has had it ever since. It has been bullet proof, i have only had to call the RACV twice since 1996, both time was to change the battery. But my advice is to get the car you want. If you can afford an FTO then get it.

sublime19 · Post by **sublime19** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:36 am

I'll keep it simple - Don't buy it as your FIRST car.. you need experience dude, everybody needs experience. I'm 21 and I know what it's like for people to have their first cars.
99.9% of the red P platers drive like d*cks when they get their license at one point or another.. especially when with friends.. and I've known a lot of my friends to get in sh*t cos of it.. and thank god they didn't have a sports car or it would have been much worst.

As much as you want an FTO.. I really suggest you drive a car which basically won't "tempt" you.

In the end, you're going to do what you want to do, but I hope some of our words gave you something to think about.

Good luck.

Post by **Bennoz** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:44 am

Agreed. They are too much for a first timer. Speaking from experience when I plowed my 200 horsepower Sigma into a head on collision that almost killed me. It was my first car, I'd had it & my licence for 3 months when it happened. It was also the 3rd prang I'd had in that car & timeframe.

Start small, learn the basics & work your way up.

khunjeng · Post by **khunjeng** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 8:40 pm

personally I'm not so worried about the power...if my Mrs can drive it then u can I guess...its not that powerful...but as suggested you might be tempted to give it some...

I'm more concerned witht he costs to buy/insure and run the car. As a first car..not the best unless u have some decent cash to spend.

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