FTO AUSTRALIA

Hello all, Just giving an overview of my 1994 FTO GPX in which I paid $8990 for (Manual) with 143k on the clock.

To my knowledge the following things have been replaced.
- Complete engine replacement
- Alternator
- Tyres
- Pod filter
- Battery
- Water pump
- Timing belt
- Air con

Also car was serviced regularly.

Since having the car in my possession there are some problems that I have found, luckily the previous owner included most paperwork of work completed on the car. The problems are nothing major just mostly minor to my knowledge. The car runs almost perfectly.

Some problems I have found.
- Won't indicate left properly (I've ordered a new indicator stalk already)
- Rear Demister doesn't work
- Air con works but no heater
- Gearbox has had problems in the past going into 2nd and 4th gear, but gearbox hasn't been replaced (still works, for now). Looking at paperwork from previous owner the mechanic found broken gear shift cable mount. Mechanic welded as patch up and says "should be replaced".
- When turning the steering wheel past a certain spot there is a noticeable little clunk sound, and you can feel it in the steering wheel.
- Suspensions a little rough. Takes small bumps in the road harshly.
- Drivers side door rattles slightly when going over bumps also.
- Small body work damage.

EDIT: Also the drivers side folding mirror doest work, the dimmer switch is a bit broken and also I found a small screw in the rear passenger side wheel.

What should I do to this car to make it more reliable? and was it worth the money I paid for it? General recommendations?

Thanks guys

- Air con works but no heater - Thermostat
- Gearbox has had problems in the past going into 2nd and 4th gear, but gearbox hasn't been replaced (still works, for now). Looking at paperwork from previous owner the mechanic found broken gear shift cable mount. Mechanic welded as patch up and says "should be replaced". - New gearbox
- Suspensions a little rough. Takes small bumps in the road harshly. - Most FTOs are like that. If you want to be able to turn, you need hard suspension.
- Drivers side door rattles slightly when going over bumps also. - Can be fixed - guide in DIY section on fixing window rattle. Easy fix.
- Small body work damage. - Can be fixed DIY style if you take proper care.

EDIT: I found a small screw in the rear passenger side wheel. - Check for slow leak. May need a new tyre.

What should I do to this car to make it more reliable? and was it worth the money I paid for it? General recommendations? - Its an FTO. Its supposed to have problems haha. Its only worth or not worth the money you paid for it depending on how much you love it. Also, that's not a pod filter. Its a mushroom filter

Good luck!

Air con works but no heater

Do the heater hoses go through the firewall or have they been joined. If the heater core leak, people quite often bypass it which will stop the heater working

Suspensions a little rough. Takes small bumps in the road harshly.

What sort of shocks does it have. If they are jap spec coilovers, this would explain the harshness. Also, the shocks may be shot. The FTO suspension is fairly hard by default though, so there is a chance it is normal.

Drivers side door rattles slightly when going over bumps also.

Will be the window guides. About $15 each from Mitsibishi. Not too hard to replace

i dno if anyone would agree with me, but id say 9k was a bit steep? but it seems in good enough condition to be worth a bit

phi-tec wrote:i dno if anyone would agree with me, but id say 9k was a bit steep? but it seems in good enough condition to be worth a bit

If all the work stated on the top (new engine, tyres, alternator, battery, pump, timing belt) is legit, then it makes sense. All of that is at least $2500 worth

- Rear Demister doesn't work, Fuse maybe
- Air con works but no heater, agree with dstocks, my heater hose from the engine bay is bypassing the firewall because I have a leaking heater core
- Gearbox has had problems in the past going into 2nd and 4th gear, but gearbox hasn't been replaced (still works, for now). Looking at paperwork from previous owner the mechanic found broken gear shift cable mount. Mechanic welded as patch up and says "should be replaced", disagree with Daniel, to me sounds like the mechanic wanted the gear shift cable mount replaced not the gearbox
- When turning the steering wheel past a certain spot there is a noticeable little clunk sound, and you can feel it in the steering wheel, could be many things; steering column, steering rack, inner/outer tie rod end ball joints, struts/springs. Mine made a noise because the springs weren't seeted properly in their mounting
- Suspensions a little rough. Takes small bumps in the road harshly, agree with dstocks, if it does have adjustable coilovers they could already be adjusted to perform hard, your shocks could be "shot", or your just not use to the feel yet
- Drivers side door rattles slightly when going over bumps also, as per others, common
- Small body work damage, small time at the panel beaters
Also the drivers side folding mirror doest work, motor/wiring could be stuffed, I had a broken internal connection in mine, I stripped the mirror and fixed the connection
the dimmer switch is a bit broken, so was mine, you could replace, I wired around the switch, no more dimming but no more lights cutting out either
and also I found a small screw in the rear passenger side wheel, take to local tyre shop, they will remove the screw and plug the hole
What should I do to this car to make it more reliable, Service and love
and was it worth the money I paid for it, A FTO is always worth the effort, the more you do over time the better it will become, just like the rest of us
HAVE FUN

Thanks everyone

I really don't mind the minor faults with the car cause in the end I still love it haha. It's the maddest car + as I live in a small town I am the only one who owns an FTO in the town, even as it is stock it still turns a lot of heads.

dstocks wrote:

Air con works but no heater

Do the heater hoses go through the firewall or have they been joined. If the heater core leak, people quite often bypass it which will stop the heater working

Suspensions a little rough. Takes small bumps in the road harshly.

What sort of shocks does it have. If they are jap spec coilovers, this would explain the harshness. Also, the shocks may be shot. The FTO suspension is fairly hard by default though, so there is a chance it is normal.

Drivers side door rattles slightly when going over bumps also.

Will be the window guides. About $15 each from Mitsibishi. Not too hard to replace

Window guides only $15 from Mitsubishi??? Think mine are going.