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  • Zman

    Nov. 8, 2009 1:35 p.m. Zman New Reader

    A japanese friend of mine, Hiroaki, used his father's FTO to practice in and he loved it, raved on about it all the time and wanted one himself when he could afford it (turns out he went to study in Tokyo so i never found out if he did). I have heard good things about Mitsubishis and yes while the Miata looks a perfectly practical car, it was my polite way of saying I don't want to be driving around in a MX5/miata everyday, my masculinity would vanish in a mere minutes

    I think I have decided on an FTo, i'm a safe driver even if i do like the thrill of going fast, as we all do, and I love the look of it and the die hard fans seem to think its better than a Lambo (though i doubt that ofc).

    I'll let you know how I get on when I get the thing but i've pretty much made my decision. Also, theres over 1000 miatas for sale on autotrder over here, and only 97 FTOs. That may not mean a great deal on face value but i see more FTOs driving around than Miatas so to me those two facts imply that people prefer their FTOs than miatas...could be mistaken though :)

  • 4cylndrfury

    Nov. 8, 2009 1:42 p.m. 4cylndrfury Dork

    Zman wrote: I don't want to be driving around in a MX5/miata everyday, my masculinity would vanish in a mere minutes

    Now, Im al for the FTO, dont get me wrong. Also, Ive never owned a Miata. Ive driven one a few times, and once in anger. It was great aside from the fact that Im little tall, so I probably wont ever own one out of its just not that comfortable.

    Those aside, allow me to suggest:

    Step 1. Purchase Miata
    Step 2. Purchase Chevrolet 350 cu.in. v8
    Step 3. Insert tab A into slot B
    Step 4. purchase FM turbo kit for LSx swapped Miatas off the shelf
    Step 5. Enjoy a 300+ hp rocket knowing your cajones are far larger than the average schmucks

  • Rumnhammer

    Nov. 8, 2009 2:13 p.m. Rumnhammer Reader

    In reply to 4cylndrfury:

    AFAIK FM doesn't have a turbo kit for the LSx engine swap, not that you would need it most of the crate LsX engines are above 300hp right out of the box.

    Also a Rover v-8 swap would likely be more doable in the UK....

    I've worked on quite a few Mitzus in this country and most were either real pain to work on, junk or a mix of the two, either way their quaility is usually a couple of steps below the others, especally honda and Mazda.

    Proably the worst of the lot is the 3000 or GTO in the JDM market, proably one of the most pain in the a$$ cars I've ever turned a wrench on, everything is hard to get to. The turbos are smaller then your fist, and the car is so heavy because Mitzu wanted to stick every gee wiz thing they had in the parts bin on it so even though it makes 300hp (on a lucky good day) it weighs as much as SUV.

    +1 in that the correct answer is always Miata.

    Chris Rummel

  • Zman

    Nov. 8, 2009 5:41 p.m. Zman New Reader

    Mhk well i'm really starting to doubt the awesomeness of an FTO with all the people dissing on Mitsu

    I'll take a look at Integra's. Also the latest JDM Civic Type R is awesome but out of my price range at the moment. I'll take a look at some cars from other makes, I want to avoid rotary engines if at all possible because the oil consumption would p1$5 me off .

    I'll be back with a list of cars I like the look of and haven't heard anything specifically bad about and I will gather some opinions from people who know their sh1tzu here :)

  • Jay

    Nov. 8, 2009 6:06 p.m. Jay Dork

    Meh, don't listen to the Miata fanboys around here. It's like a cult and they try to recruit every new member on the board. They even talk about "drinking the kool-ade." (I'm just ribbing you guys, y'all know that right?)

    My best advice would be to go drive a bunch of different ones - FTO, Integra, Celica, MR2, etc. and see which one you like. Which is the best to drive, which one you like sitting in, which one you like the noise of the best. Everyone has a different opinion.

    In the interest of full disclosure I should probably mention MY Starion has never run properly in the two+ years I've owned it. BUT that's because it's 4000 miles away and I never get to wrench on it. Otherwise I'd have had it going ages ago.

  • turboswede

    Nov. 8, 2009 6:51 p.m. turboswede UltraDork

    First, WTF is an FTO?

    Second, you honestly think driving a Miata has something to do with your masculinity?

    People who fall for the idea that it is a chick or a feminine car tend to miss out on a great experience.

    The later Miata's have an almost decent amount of storage space built into them, behind the seats, a lockable cubby between the seats, glove box and of course the trunk. Add a hardtop for the winter time and I could see them being fairly decent for a DD.

  • Jay

    Nov. 8, 2009 6:57 p.m. Jay Dork

    This is an FTO.

  • wbjones

    Nov. 8, 2009 7:42 p.m. wbjones Reader

    In reply to Jay:

    I had the same question as turboswede.... and if I had any idea that it was a mitsubishi I could probably looked it up myself... oh well next time I might dig a little deeper

  • turboswede

    Nov. 9, 2009 12:14 a.m. turboswede UltraDork

    A FWD Galant Coupe? Seriously?

    This is more masculine than a Miata?

    Wiki Wiki

    Kids these days

  • MitchellC

    Nov. 9, 2009 12:37 a.m. MitchellC HalfDork

    Of all of them I would take the turbo MR2; I have always seen them as in a different caliber than the rest. Most are tarted up normal cars, whereas the MR2 is special on its own.

  • JeepinMatt

    Nov. 9, 2009 12:56 a.m. JeepinMatt Reader

    Cars seem to cost more in Britain than the US, exchange rates aside, so I don't know what these will cost out there, but I'm thinking -

    RX7 - Whichever you can grab, although an FD might be hard to swing for that kind of cash, but you said no rotaries; MR2 - Again, whichever generation you can get; they're both good; Starion - Definitely cool and unique; S2000 - Great car; over here you can find some older ('99-00) examples for a bit over 10k

    Short answer is get what you want. If you want the FTO and you've been wanting one forever, get it. You've only got to please yourself, not us. Post up when you get it; we don't see any over here in the US

  • BoxheadTim

    Nov. 9, 2009 2:14 a.m. BoxheadTim Reader

    Actually, especially an FD will be a lot cheaper here in the UK than it is in the US. We got a lot of grey imports from Japan for starters and used cars are generally worth a lot less than they are in the US.

  • Zman

    Nov. 9, 2009 3:25 a.m. Zman New Reader

    FTO is out of the question. I tried one last night after work, one was for sale nearby and i didn't feel anything special driving it. Also, the insurance quote was rediculous, came out more than a Nissan 350Z and i'd take that over an FTO any day of the week!

    Integra is looking a solid contender at the moment, the insurance quote was half that of the FTO (For the type R). I'll post more when I know more.

  • Zman

    Nov. 9, 2009 3:27 a.m. Zman New Reader

    ALso, if anyone knows of an exporter in Japan I might do some numbers on if that would be a better option, the JDM models tend to be more driver orientated and my google searching isn't coming up with any decent looking exporters

  • BoxheadTim

    Nov. 9, 2009 4:55 a.m. BoxheadTim Reader

    Unless you want something so special there aren't any for sale in the UK, I'd stick with a UK car initially, especially if you haven't got the contacts in Japan...

  • 4cylndrfury

    Nov. 9, 2009 6:02 a.m. 4cylndrfury Dork

    Rumnhammer wrote:

    In reply to 4cylndrfury:

    AFAIK FM doesn't have a turbo kit for the LSx engine swap, not that you would need it most of the crate LsX engines are above 300hp right out of the box.

    I thought i read in the mag there was an off the shelf turbo kit for V8 swapped MX's...perhaps I was wrong, but I am not entirely certain I am...

    I checked the FM site and it was not there, but man I am sure I read it somewhere...perhaps it was just a good dream!

  • Matt B

    Nov. 9, 2009 8:47 a.m. Matt B New Reader

    Jay wrote: Mitsu got a bad rap because of things like the Starion, which had a million miles of vaccuum lines, and the DSMs which were the go-to car for broke 18-year-olds trying to dominate the quarter mile. A lot of the other things they built will easily outlast Hondas or Toyotas. Plus they don't rust nearly as bad as other Japanese cars of the era.

    It's great you had a good experience with your Mirage and I'm sure there's lots of other folks that had similar experiences with their Mistu products, but the bigger picture tells a different story. Say what you want about Consumer Reports (I know, they're far from super accurate), but if you look at their reliability surveys Mistu is at the bottom of the barrel, especially compared to Honda and Toyota. This notion is also backed up by countless internet fodder. I'm not saying everything they made is crap, but compared to other Japanese companies they are lacking in the longevity department. I am curious to hear what you think they produce that will easily outlast said Hondas and Toyotas. Pretty inflammatory statement! j/k

    My only point was that if this is his first performance car, buying one that isn't likely to become a constant project is probably a good idea. Mitsubishi turbos fall into that category in my mind.

  • Travis_K

    Nov. 9, 2009 9:11 a.m. Travis_K HalfDork

    Zman wrote:

    i didn't feel anything special driving it.

    That is a very common problem with japanese cars. lol The ITR is supposed to be a good car, as long as the issues that make them impractical in the US arent a problem there, it might be a good choice.

  • BoxheadTim

    Nov. 9, 2009 9:42 a.m. BoxheadTim Reader

    Well, ITRs are pretty noisy on the road here, too - the JDM ones even more so. That's before you even fit the required drain pipe exhaust and noisy induction kit (mine was 100% standard).

    The standard UK suspension is OK for road driving here but that depends on the corner of the country you live in. Some areas have dire roads.

  • griffin729

    Nov. 9, 2009 12:07 p.m. griffin729 Reader

    Don't forget that in the UK one can get the early EVO's and STi's that weren't sold in the States.

  • 93celicaGT2

    Nov. 9, 2009 12:29 p.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

    For your budget, you might be able to get into an ST205 Celica GT4, and i don't really see anything else mentioned in this thread so far that could compete with the sheer awesomeness that car can offer.

    Yes, i'm biased, but the car is a MARVEL of engineering.

    Also: Celica ST202 SS-II, powered by BEAMS 3sge.

    Both are in your price range. Both are amazing cars.

  • Matt B

    Nov. 9, 2009 1:09 p.m. Matt B New Reader

    I want to swap a BEAMS into my aw11 bad, really bad. Damn autocross rules! (kicks dirt while looking down)

  • 93celicaGT2

    Nov. 9, 2009 1:11 p.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

    Matt B wrote:

    I want to swap a BEAMS into my aw11 bad, really bad. Damn autocross rules! (kicks dirt while looking down)

    Do it! That would just bump you into Street Mod, right? So worth it.

  • Matt B

    Nov. 9, 2009 1:22 p.m. Matt B New Reader

    Tempting, very very tempting. The 3sgte swap is so well documented I don't think it would be that hard really. I assume it uses the same mounts, but I haven't really looked into that thoroughly. Also, no intercooler or requisite plumbing to worry about. Just honest-to-goodness lag-free naturally-aspriated relatively worry-free fun. Maybe once the car isn't my daily driver I can rationalize moving out of STS.

  • 2002maniac

    Nov. 9, 2009 1:26 p.m. 2002maniac Reader

    Your profile says you've got an Rx7.

    Is it not working for picking up hawt jdm chicks? Unless it's an automatic convertible, it should already be more fun to drive than most cars on the road.

    What do you dislike about it?

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