marc garrett wrote:most people buy a car the date worries them alot due to the nct and the engine wear and tear etc over the years.most ftos ive seen are between 1995 and 1998.(my price range)thats still old enough but im of the opinion that the fto is in a different league and most owners look after the cars inside,outside and underneath.alot of people say its the years to old and for what ya pay for a 1997 etc you can get a newer car.does this matter that much in this type of car the age factor and does the car hold its value better than
"ordinary"
cars.
Hey Marc,
check out CJ's buying guide if you haven't already, on the fto-ireland home page.
FTOs were made between 94 and 2000 I think. Coming from Japan, they tend to have very low mileage, my 95 which arrived last August had about 50k miles on it, for 9 1/2 years old it's nothing. Also, having spent most of their lives in Japan where the roads + weather etc. must be much better than Irish roads + weather, they're generally going to be in better condition than 9/10 year old Irish cars. That and the Jap NCT is very strict. As you say, for this type of car they'll tend to be looked after better than the average car too.
So, agewise, I don't think you have anything to worry about. The one thing to note, is there was a facelift in 97, which on the outside meant a different front bumper. You'll pay up to twice the cost of a 95 on a 97 model as a result, so check out both models to see if you think its worth that.
I've had people amazed at how little the FTO cost me, 95 or not, and I can't claim to have got mine cheap. For the money you get a whole lot of handling, performance, and looks. It's a personal thing, but for me there's very few cars older or newer that look as good as the FTO!
Anyway, my 2c, hope that helps ya,
Kev.
