Omega 3.2 to FTO GR

khaine31

Newbie
Points
11
Location
England, St Helens
Car
FTO GR
Hi evryone. I'm new to this forum. I tried another but was peeved with the limitations. I just got an ft gr yesterday. I had a 2002 omega 3.2 elite that had serious drinking problems. I could cope going to work 22 mile round trip a day, even though it was 88 miles for 40 pounds but a got a new job which uped the miles from 22 to 65 miles a day. I needed a new car. I was trying to swap for something smaller or diesel with a bit of grunt when a guy approached me to swap for the FTO. I checked it out online and did a bit of research. I had a GTO a few years back and I must say it was the best of all the many cars I have owned. I'd always looked at the fto and thought no way 200 brake, front wheel drive, gto little brother, no.

As I was starting this job soon I had to seriously consider the offer. It was a 95 jap import. The guy told me on the phone that it was 2003 and had 65k. Im sure he said km. He wanted to give me £50 on top for beer????? We negotiated and as the tax on the omega, which is up on the 30th of this month, is 145 pounds I agreed to give him one hundred. Got down there, 60 miles away, and it was dark because of all the messing around with my insurance company:mad:. First mistake. Turned out it was imported in 2003 and had 90k miles on the clock and a whole host of really bad halford attempted styling accessories, cracked plastic surounding radio and a fog light bulb gone. Ok this wasnt too bad but I was swapping an 02 plate for an M reg plus one hundred on top. Petrol was going to be lower but somehow the insurance is higher than the group seventeen omega. I mean the omega had a few probs. Nothing major drop links, air valves on tyres, engine managemnt light (No change in performance) and a warped brake disc. Nothing. Against my better judgement i did the swap as my new job would start soon.

It became evident that the exhaust was blowing and it seemed quite bad. Loads of noise and no movement unless you really put the peddle down and then it seemed to shift. Gears (triptronc) perfect. There was no lights for half the rev counter and none for anything else. I'm convincing myself that these are only little things and that these things happen when people convert the speedo to mph on imports so off i leave and onto the motorway...............

It had been so long since i drive a car that i could actually feel the road in. The suspention was just right. Compared to the elite it felt like this car could go around anything at any speed and the engine sound at high revs (the only time you can hear it as loud as the standard exhaust) sounds beautiful. the ride hieght and seating position, the seats, the cockpit. Gorgeous. I couldnt stop looking out of the window at it all night.

The next day we went out and........................ I was kind of upset as I'd found out from the net that it had 172 bhp and not the 200 i had thought and the carbon fibre wrap he'd told me about was .............................. not nice at all. it was one piece on one side and over the roof but had three piece cut to join on the other side which are clearly visible. The black paint work was terrible. Full coverage but different levels of dull and very rough to the touch and evidently sprayed in some areas. It needed an industrial mega tcutting. There was a cloth over the 6x9's at the back cos of a fouled up job on speaker install, there were more cracks and imperfections ganging up on me every hour. The temperature guage seemed to just stay in the same spot (a bit less than half way). I had serious diff putting petrol in it. The nozzle handle just seems to click unless I put the petrol in very very very slowly. There is no front foglight switch to turn the lights off where ther should be. I really cant explain this, but i have the lights for some reason and they are on all the time the headlights are on. Now the petrol guage, that worked at first, moves up and down the littlest amount (millimetres) after putting 10 in when the light was just about on and doing 64 miles. I put an additional 10 in and the petrol guage moved millimetres, i did 41 miles, all otorway and the light came on. I do like the car and am going to spend a bit off money on it and watch it evolve and restore it but i cant really talk much as I feel like ive been ripped off im so upset.

I dont know if anyone knows of any remedies for some of the problems i've detailed if so please let me know. I do like the drive of the car and wish everything was working and a bit tidier. And newer.

I was wondering if there are any standard mitsi alloys of 17 inch that go on these cars to save shelling out right now on some 18s
 
Greetings and Welcome to our TorqueCars Forum my Friend!
Good to have you along with us :)

We do have quite a few FTO owners on here, I am sure someone will be along in a while who can help you more directly.

Good luck.
 
Wow sounds like a head ache but all fixable, if you like it enough then keeping it will cost a lot of money but you'll learn a lot and the rewards are great and highly satisfying, just tackle one thing at a time, paint, plastics, wiring, joining a FTO forum will also do wonders, everything you do has been done to death before so there is hope do not despair. I'd personally weigh the options of selling this one and buy a better one first but if that's no good we'll help you through it step by step. Just be patient and the nightmare will sooner than you think be a dream come true.
 
Sorry mate but you made two very basic errors in buying a car..............beleiving someone and then still buying it when it is dark!

I have never looked at or bought a car in the dark or when it is raining, all too obvious why.

Hindsight being a wonderful thing it is, I would have kept the Omega, a far superior car, especially a 3.2 and an Elite.

Hope it evolves for you and doesn't become a moneypit. But the warning signs were there and you should have really walked away.
 

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