long time FTO enthusiast and possible new owner !

[lisa21m]

Hi my name is Lisa I'm from meath. I'm a college student in my final year. I've been in love with everything about the FTO for years now and am absoloutly determined to get one. But before I change my car for an FTO, it has to be just right, have been searching the internet for way too long to remember just getting a feel for whats out there and have so many questions about how to know which one is the right one !
such as, if i find a car a in good shape;
-what are the first things to look at when viewing an FTO?
-what are the most important questions to ask the owner about the car?
-how reliable are they eg to start in the morning, especially a cold morning
-are they tricky? as i dont no anything about mechanics !

I've been reading the tips and other posts all the members have up on the site and it has been so helpful to read all the comments. Great to see how enthusiastic all the members are about their cars and how helpful you all are to anyone that has a question! It has just made me want my own FTO even more and as soon as possible now !!
So if anybody reads this and knows of a decent FTO for sale please let me know!
Thanks!

[colm_mcm]

First rule I'd have is be realistic on what sorting defects will take.
Walk away from anything needing lots of paintwork.
Walk away from anything with chassis rust
Get a colour you actually like
Budget for a cambelt change if not done.
Budget for alarm if not fitted
A ropey car done up will never be nice
All ftos are old now, so don't pay mad money for a rough but newer example
Go to an fto-ireland meet and get a feel for the different models and specs.
Price your insurance
Never underestimate nct costs on a car that doesn't have one.

[lisa21m]

Thanks for the advice Colm, very helpful ! Have the FTO I'm looking for in mind just have to find a decent one ! Checked priced insurance and dosn't seem unreasonable surprisingly enough! Would love to go ans see one of the meets ! When is the next one and where is it on ?
Thanks for your help!

[StewyD32]

The next one is on the 26-27 of feb in Galway.
Plenty of FTO's there for ya to see. What Model, colour etc are you interested in.

to the club by the way.

[Mitsubishi-Mental]

Welcome along Lisa.

I've had my first FTO about 4 months now and not a bother on it, starts first time everytime in the mornings.

If your looking at one just make sure its been well looked after, regularly serviced etc, its the same as looking at any other car really.

An NCT is a big bonus, it would be worth getting a mechanic or someone to come along and check it out. just cause most of them are 14/15 years old.

Im sure all your questions will be answered on here, best of luck

[lisa21m]

Oh good should be well able to make it to that meet ! Am dying to see all these FTO's belonging to the members in person instead of just the pictures on the sute ! Thanks Stewy!
To be honest I wouldnt know a lot obout the different types to pick between them ! That sounds so amateur !! But would love a jet black one, a bright white one or a steel grey. Think the black is my favourite though! As you can see I'm not too hard to please, as long as it's an FTO, I'm happy !

-Mitsubishi-mental : thanks a mil , one of the main concerns I had was that they could be dodgy to start in the mornings! Am getting all the answers I need here its great ! and finding some useful tips along the way !!!

[StewyD32]

Black, White and grey are the main colours so you'll find the colour you want easy enough. There us actually a good club car one donedeal and is White. The main things too look out for are what you would look for on a normal car like Colm said and have a bit put away for something you might have overlooked.
For FTO's it's a good idea to check the bushes as they wear and probably need to be replaced if never done so already.
Some common problems are the stepper motor which if dirty or fecked may stall as it controls the idle pace. It's very easy to remove and clean and sorts it out.
Also if your going to see the car meet them where the car is located if possible as the tappets can be worn and make the engine sound like a vw beetle on start up but goes away when the engine warms up. I got caught with thus problem when I bought my first FTO and it cost a fair bit to replace the tappets.
Other than that your sound.

[colm_mcm]

How much do you have to spend on a car Lisa?

[paul2508]

welcome to the club lisa . you wont be short on advice here . everyone on here will help you out as much as they can. had not got a clue about the fto car few years ago. on my second one now and the help on here has helped me out bigtime including saving myself alot of money by plenty of diy.
looking forward to seeing another fto added to the club. take colm's advice and tips and you wont go wrong

[optical illusion]

Hi Lisa.

Great to see another female FTO lover.

I find it surprising you are getting insurance quotes, I'm 25, Full licence, 3 years NCB and no one will touch me because of my car.

[lisa21m]

Thanks for all the advice and welcomes guys !! You're all so helpful! Really great to know where to look if I ever have any FTO related questions !!!
Em yea . . Had a few figures in my mind bout what I would like to payfor a decent one, trying to keep the cost as low as possible though ya no yourself ! But if a real nice one came along that took my eye I wouldnt mind paying a little more!
For the insurance quote, I just checked the nononsence website and got a fairly decent online quote there, Didnt ring then up ir anything so am assuming them have to give you the insurance you were quoted for if you want it?

[colm_mcm]

The no nonsense site is nonsense I'm afraid.
You need to get a proper quote.

[Dragonheart]

How did you manage a quote on nononsense? I cant get it to quote me at all. Other thing is when I put in my info for a quick quote it tells me €308, when I put in details of any car, (apart from the FTO), even a 1.2L Fiesta, the quote jumps up to €324. So where is this €308 coming from? Its another lying site that pretends to offer you exactly what you want and when you ask them they turn you down.
Welcome to the joys of insuring an FTO.

On the other hand if you have a quote from an online company and are happy to go with it take down the reference number and quote it to them over the phone.

[colm_mcm]

I went to this site nononsense.ie and you put in the following details for a quick quote.

Age:30
NCB: 5+ years
Full license: 5+ years
Male
Car: 2.0litre

and it says 355euro. Then it says "click here to fill in more detail about this quote".

The moment you choose FTO...

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide you with a quote based on the information provided.

To ensure we can offer the best cover and value to as many customers as possible, the underwriting rules are quite specific. Common reasons for not being offered a quote are (other reasons can also apply);

* Your age or that of any additional drivers falls outside the acceptable range; e.g a driver aged 17 would not currently be offered a quote
* You have no driving experience, either in your own name or as a named driver
* Your car is a high performance or modified car
* Your car is over 13 years old
* Your car does not currently have a valid NCT certificate
* Your license type or that of any additional drivers is not currently accepted for a quote e.g. Provisional UK license
* You are not actually the registered owner of car


However, if your circumstances change in the future, please do get back in touch with us.

Thank you for taking the time to check out No Nonsense.

[optical illusion]

When I rang nononsense (owned by FBD) they didn't even know what an FTO was Lisa, so don't get your hopes up. If I can't get quoted then you will find it hard too.

[lisa21m]

oh christ ha ! Was thinking the quote I got was too good to be true ! Ah sur Il look around and might find some insurance crowd that do what they say ! I knew it would be expensive to insure them, but didnt think it would be that hard !
So who are you guys insured with ?
Since joining this site, my obsession with owning an FTO has gotten even worse , so there has to be a way to get a quote !!!

[Muad_dib77]

Insurance - can be quite ehm..challenging at times..

but fear not.. there's a heap of info here..

viewforum.php?f=13

..When I bought mine I'd been presented with a quote through an online portal, but when I went to accept I was asked to call them and was unable to get a policy.
Be prepared to spend a little time on the phone - but by no means should you simply accept the 1st quote you get.

[Dragonheart]

Also don't be put off by a company telling you they don't quote an FTO, ring again later and if you get a different person you might get lucky. Quinn are notorious for that.

[Muad_dib77]

Also don't be put off by a company telling you they don't quote an FTO, ring again later and if you get a different person you might get lucky. Quinn are notorious for that.

Oh yeah.. back in the day I rang the local eagle star office and they insured me when their main branch wouldn't..

No doesn't always mean no..

[StewyD32]

I presume you have an insurance policy on another car at the moment and an FTO isn't your first car.
If you haven't done so already ring the crowd your with, by law they have to give you a quote.
This happened me when I had my first FTO and got a really good quote on Quinn. Think it was 800 and something when I was 23.

[Mitsubishi-Mental]

I presume you have an insurance policy on another car at the moment and an FTO isn't your first car.
If you haven't done so already ring the crowd your with, by law they have to give you a quote.
This happened me when I had my first FTO and got a really good quote on Quinn. Think it was 800 and something when I was 23.

Same as paying 820 euro with quinn and im 23


its not a bad price at all

[lisa21m]

thanks again for all the comments guys ! At least its not all bad news anyway! Where theres a will theres a way and all that ! An FTO won't be my first car , already have 3 years ncb in my own name, coming up to 4 years!
I may try ringing around a few brokers and see what the story is for me to get insured!

[elaine]

Hi Lisa.

Great to see another female FTO lover.

I 2nd that, Welcome