FTO for every day
Discussion
I really like the FTO, and may be in the market for a new everyday driver. Needs to reliably get me to the station and back each day, which is a short hop, and then be a bit of a laugh to get out and about when the sun's not too bright and I don't feel like dragging the Griff out.
How does the FTO rate?
I'd quite like a manual, but how reliable are the tip boxes?
Am I kidding myself at looking at around the £1500 mark, and should I be looking at a 200SX S13?
How does the FTO rate?
I'd quite like a manual, but how reliable are the tip boxes?
Am I kidding myself at looking at around the £1500 mark, and should I be looking at a 200SX S13?
I have one for sale so I may have a biased opinion 
I love the FTO, I think it looks gorgeous (has shades of DB9 and XKR in it's styling)
Mines been reliable and a daily runner for about 18 months but since the girlf's 51 plate Skoda had the ABS pack up we decided it was time to change the cars and it's my turn for the practical one.
The Tip gearboxes are pretty robust. In fact the cars in general are very robust. There are a few common faults which you can read about on the owners club (ftooc.org) mainly they involve the alternator, the ARB bushes, the hydraulic tappets and the stepper motor.
You can pick up an early ('97) example in decent nick for less than £2000 or a late UK model ('01) for more like £7000 the heavily modified ones go for a lot more. Insurance is high, but a tracker and a decent alarm can make it reasonable (I'm 27 and paid just over £600 this year with a multi-car discount but zero NCB)
As far as power goes yes the FTO is probably a little underpowered (approx. 200bhp from the GPX, 170bhp from the GR) but you get enough to have fun with. The handling is excellent, you get all the mod cons (PAS, AC, Elec Windows) and the cars haven't dated much compared to others from the same year.
If you're interested check out here: http://pistonheads.com/sales/442637.htm
I love the FTO, I think it looks gorgeous (has shades of DB9 and XKR in it's styling)
Mines been reliable and a daily runner for about 18 months but since the girlf's 51 plate Skoda had the ABS pack up we decided it was time to change the cars and it's my turn for the practical one.
The Tip gearboxes are pretty robust. In fact the cars in general are very robust. There are a few common faults which you can read about on the owners club (ftooc.org) mainly they involve the alternator, the ARB bushes, the hydraulic tappets and the stepper motor.
You can pick up an early ('97) example in decent nick for less than £2000 or a late UK model ('01) for more like £7000 the heavily modified ones go for a lot more. Insurance is high, but a tracker and a decent alarm can make it reasonable (I'm 27 and paid just over £600 this year with a multi-car discount but zero NCB)
As far as power goes yes the FTO is probably a little underpowered (approx. 200bhp from the GPX, 170bhp from the GR) but you get enough to have fun with. The handling is excellent, you get all the mod cons (PAS, AC, Elec Windows) and the cars haven't dated much compared to others from the same year.
If you're interested check out here: http://pistonheads.com/sales/442637.htm
Edited by dougalAgain on Tuesday 29th April 17:20
Wildfire said:
Hmmmmm...
Well I'm 27 and have 10 years NCB, so insurance shouldn't be too bad.
I'd get a newer FTO than SX for my money. Just need to shift my Astra, any ideas?
Ed, your FTO looks really good. I'll drop you a mail.
Just noticed your Astra is an estate.... my friend is looking for an estate to replace his FTO - he make take it in p/x as a filler (sorry but I think he's going for an Alfa ideally in the end......) car - are you still looking for an FTO?Well I'm 27 and have 10 years NCB, so insurance shouldn't be too bad.
I'd get a newer FTO than SX for my money. Just need to shift my Astra, any ideas?
Ed, your FTO looks really good. I'll drop you a mail.
Insurance is a killer and standard performance feels pretty lame due to engine torque compared to the power. They are more tuneable than most people think, but I spent a truely insane amount of money on mine by the time I shifted it for the Scooby.
They are fun to drive if you know how to push them the right way (very boring if not) and communicate more than most other FWD cars (the standard 'Teg DC2 being better than the standard FTO).
The ECU can be a pain to sort out but more people know what they are doing with them these days.
I'd say for £1,500 you'd get an older/ropey one. Don't touch the GS (1.8 4 pot), the GR/GX is more tunable as it has fixed cams, the GPX/GPvR sounds nice, but needs to have good filter, exhaust and de-cat (though I found this actually drops torque) which will cost around £500 if not fitted.
For the money, I'd say look elsewhere - there are fun reliable cars in that bracket that don't come with the headache of running an import.
They are fun to drive if you know how to push them the right way (very boring if not) and communicate more than most other FWD cars (the standard 'Teg DC2 being better than the standard FTO).
The ECU can be a pain to sort out but more people know what they are doing with them these days.
I'd say for £1,500 you'd get an older/ropey one. Don't touch the GS (1.8 4 pot), the GR/GX is more tunable as it has fixed cams, the GPX/GPvR sounds nice, but needs to have good filter, exhaust and de-cat (though I found this actually drops torque) which will cost around £500 if not fitted.
For the money, I'd say look elsewhere - there are fun reliable cars in that bracket that don't come with the headache of running an import.
Thought about a Honda prelude.
Pretty similar in performance terms to the FTO.
Very reliable and you can get a decent one for 1500 these days.
I just insured my UK VTEC for £280 fully comp, im 26 but only 4 years NCB.
FTO's are pretty good cars as well, much more fun than an astra as a runabout anyway.
The difficulty with a 200sx is finding an unmolested one.
Pretty similar in performance terms to the FTO.
Very reliable and you can get a decent one for 1500 these days.
I just insured my UK VTEC for £280 fully comp, im 26 but only 4 years NCB.
FTO's are pretty good cars as well, much more fun than an astra as a runabout anyway.
The difficulty with a 200sx is finding an unmolested one.
Cheers for the replies guys. I'm currently not actively looking for another car, unless someone knows of one where I can PX my Astra, mainly due to the clutch on my TVR becoming very suspect recently. Also a change of circumstance may mean I'll go for an S2000 instead. But if someone hears of something the do let me know!
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