FTO AUSTRALIA

I am well aware this is a fto forum, but i am needing toask some experienced car drivers. A 1997 Supra Automatic, 45 000km for $16, 500
it was $18 000 before, and the reason he states is he is going overseas
im just hoping to get it down to another grand.

But i was really planning to get a car after my HSC (after i gradute skool)

Firstly, I'm not an experienced driver in any way, shape or form.

But as a piece of advice, if you buy an auto you'll regret it within the first week, garaunteed. Especially if you're planning to mod your car - it's probably the easiest and cheapest way to cut 0.5 off your 0-100.

Secondly, when you're looking at the car, check how long it has until you need to get it roadworthied. Just looking at the pics, it looks like that dirty big pod would at least have to be disguised. Or else, you'd better budget for clearing defects.

Not saying you shouldn't do these things, but definitely be aware of them

i drive an auto, i don't mined it

I drive an Auto & wouldn't want to drive a manual... they're a bitch in traffic...

I think if he was after faster 0-100 times he'd be going for a turbo Supra anyways...

As for whether its a good price, I have no idea, just make sure that you get it checked over properly by Main Roads or a mechanic.. if it seems to be a good price then go for it, see if you can screw him down on price a bit more... I am sure he's going to want whatever he can get for it when he goes overseas.. Other than that go check out some Supra forums & maybe find out how to extract the ECU Error codes to see if theres any major problems showing up...

Check out http://www.redbook.com for prices.The sight will give u a general idea of how much the car will be worth.

Oh and one more thing.Coming from someone who has had both cars,get an fto.

Rocco wrote:Check out http://www.redbook.com for prices.The sight will give u a general idea of how much the car will be worth.

Oh and one more thing.Coming from someone who has had both cars,get an fto.

can i ask why?\
but its kinda bias on this forum cause it is an fto forum hehe

Rocco wrote:Check out http://www.redbook.com for prices.The sight will give u a general idea of how much the car will be worth.

Oh and one more thing.Coming from someone who has had both cars,get an fto.

NA supra...no thanks.

Get an FTO is u have the choice. Pay less.

Can't really judge by the picture, what is the service history? Does it have a book? Any accident damage or repair? Does it drive well and mechanically sounds right?

All I can say is get what you want and not what others want. Or you be forever thinking "What if i bought the other one instead"

isnt there a supra forum you can go ask??? Were FTOs we dont drive supras

topao wrote:isnt there a supra forum you can go ask??? Were FTOs we dont drive supras

There are few members actually own a supra too.

get a full inspection done on the car befor you do any thing as they are normally thrashed/drift.
also look at what you want to do with the car, is it just a car for you to race around in or are you going to se it for every day use ie holidays and all that good stuff.
as they dont have a lot of room in the boot or back seet the FTO has a bit bigger boot and you still can fit ppl in the back seet.
I was looking at these two cars to bye and went for the FTO and I can say I am very happy with the car.
But when it comes down to it its up to you

the guy that owns it looks pretty decent, he only bought it for one year (first owner in australia) but his logbook is in japanese, i dont understand.

i asked him abt any crash incidents and he said he didnt have any
how do i check in paperwork if he can show me hes got any?

the car has a big smell of ciggies, its kinda dirty interior and exterior, funny thing too is the interior of the headlights is dirty, i have no clue how it got dirty. and also one side skirt is damaged is it an easy repair job?

he is asking for $16 000 and asked what could i get away with and him saying $16 000 i want to negoiate it for $15 000 (which is like impossiblw) cause this car is probably the best deal n/a supra car in NSW.

The car handling is great i love it, souds shweettt and exhaust is lovely, under the hood is pretty untouched, clean.

I will go to car yard next weekend to try out an fto and compare.

BUt how to i negoatite price with him do i jus call up and say "I WANT IT FOR $15000 SELL IT TO ME"

offer him 14

jonowong wrote:offer him 14

umm are u srs?
look at thi link

CarSales Link

the car is already like 2g cheaper than cars that are simliar to it (it was 18g before)
but he is going overseas and want to sell car fast, but i really dont think he will accept 14g, but he seems pretty rich hehe.

but it wont hurt offering
all that can happen is a no

offer him 14... and you leave yourself a margin to bargain up to the 15k u want...

offer him 15k straight up and he says no... what you gonna do lol

ahh okok smart, ill giv it a shot, ill call him tmrw or the next day, dont wnna sound desperate

16 500 to 14 000 is abit unlikey but theres always Luck

Okay, personally I tend to agree with the other guys here about Supra vs FTO ... the FTO is a much nicer NA car ... the interior wins big points ... the Supra's interior is just nasty, its like being in an old truck... on the outside I still prefer the FTO, the Supra is a bit too bulky for me, I have to say, tehy do look very nice if you spend a lot of money on aftermarket kits though... but if you're not going to spend the money on improving its looks, get the FTO, its much nicer stock. But you really have to drive both for a while to get a good feel for what you want... for me the FTO won hands down within the first 5 mins If you test drive a good one you will feel the same way

Anyway, back to your questions...

Use whatever is wrong with the car to get yourself a better price, he's not likely to reduce the price just because you say you don't want to pay what he's asking.... You have to put forward to him that the car isn't worth what he's asking & its going to be more than its worth to get it up to scratch. If you haven't already had the car checked over mechanically then you can't really go back to him with an offer that he is likely to accept, at least if you have it inspected & there is something wrong with it you can use that to get a better price... and if theres nothing wrong with it, then I think that what he's asking might be pretty fair & someone else will come along and snap it up.

You say he was asking 18k to start with & he had obviously tacked on an extra 2k so that he has some bargaining room... if he had advertised it initially for 16.5k he doesn't really have much to work with...

If you put it to him that its going to cost X amount of dollars to have it steam cleaned on the interior to get rid of the cigarette smell (find out how much ), X amount of dollars to get the bumper fixed... (you would be surprised how much it will cost to repair - depending on the damage, it might cost anywhere upwards of $1000... cheaper to get a new front kit & get it painted.)

If the paint is discoloured or damaged take some $$$ off the price... (look for chips & scratches) Lift up the carpet if you can & check for signs of crash damage, also check underneath the car because bodyshops will usually coat the underside with dirt & muck to cover up weld marks & things... go around the exterior of the car & tap the panels with your knuckles.... if there is an area that has a different (not metal) sound when you tap it, then it has probably been damaged & repaired with body filler.

If the engine bay is so clean it is possible that it is to hide oil leaks or things like that... take it for a nice long, spirited drive & then check around the engine, under the engine cover etc... you have to drive the car for at least a half an hour to an hour to get a good feel for it, redline it, takes some sharp corners & test the suspension, the brakes, the turning circle & definately turn the wheels to full lock & see if it clunks, that can mean the CV Joints need replacing which are not cheap.

See the Newbies section & have a look at the "What to look for when buying an FTO" sticky topic... that is pretty much a guide to buying any car... and as I said, check some Supra forums for common faults & have them checked out at bare minimum.

Also, the fact that his logbook is entirely in Japanese is a bit suss if he has had the car for a year... he should have at least had 2 services since then... so tell him that unless he has some kind of evidence to show that it has been serviced, that you can't be sure that it hasn't been neglected & suffered some kind of damage with the oil not being replaced for so long... check the oil & other fluids to see what kind've state they're in as well... if you need to get them all replaced as soon as you buy the car thats some more $$$ that he can take off the price, or you can just foot the bill for it yourself...

Anyways thats just my 2c worth... good luck with it

ricometa wrote:But i was really planning to get a car after my HSC (after i gradute skool)

No offense buddy, but they way you have been spelling you could be waiting a while to get a car...

Personally I always liked the Supra, always wanted one. The only thing that stopped me from getting one was I'm not too comfortable with a high power RWD vehicle.

Before I got my FTO, I was driving a Civic auto, not a lot of power but I was comfortable with it. Changing from Civic to an FTO, took some getting use to but it was easy, plus it was FWD.

Just my opinion but, 17 year old just finishing school, never actually driven a car before and going into something like a Supra, even if it's N/A, can be pretty nerve wrecking.

Buy what you like, not what others like like one member have said.

Again, I like the Supra but because of my inexperience I chose not to get one.

If you are serious, most likely should get someone who knows Supras to come and see the car with you, or if you don't know anyone, PAY to get a pre-purchase inspection done by someone who is familiar with imports.

Not sure whereabouts in NSW you are, but if you're in sydney try Sydney Vehicle Pre-Purchase Inspections http://www.sydneycarinspections.com.au