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 So, you want to buy a GTO?
by Mark Sturman (GTO-MAS)
This is not the ultimate
buying guide, just a few pointers to help you in the right
direction and hopefully to help eliminate any heartache and
financial loss. This post is made up out of my own
experience and knowledge and that of a few other GTO owners,
therefore this is a rough guide not a chapter of law on
these motors. It does not include a check for every
variation,more of an overall insight into these remarkable
beasts. No liability for damage before or after purchase is
accepted.
These links will help you
to see what was what regarding models and yearly changes,
there is another link somewhere which is probably more
beneficial to potential buyers within the U.K. if or when I
find it i will add it to this post:
http://www.daveblack.net/asp/3SiSpecs.asp
http://www.gtouk.com
(click on Buyer's Guide)
If you think that you'd
like a GTO but aren't 100% sure come along to one of the
open events that are organized and have a chat with some of
the owners and get a proper look at the motors and a better
impression of what's involved in owning and maintaining
one.
Also look at the following
sections on the web site:
- Events,
for upcoming meets.
- Technobabble,
a section with a selection of wheels fitted to members
GTO's.
- Resource
links,
helpful contact numbers for insurance quotes and
recommended workshops.
I'm assuming that a GTO
will not be your first purchase in the world of motoring so
I'll skip the bit about what car to choose as it's all
relevant to money at the end of the day. What I will say is
don't rush out and buy the first one you see, there's plenty
to choose from, make sure you test drive a few, you can
always go back. On this point and dealers won't like this
bit but i would advise against wasting the time of private
sellers for this test drive on two counts, you wouldn't like
it if you were the guinea pig and secondly and more
important the private seller probably won't allow you to
actually drive the motor unless you have and can prove
insurance to cover it, dealers have cover.
Okay, so you've found the
car of your dreams, where do you start.
I'm not taking into account
importing a motor or any paperwork involved in that part of
buying, there are companies who do that and the SVA's that
are required.
Ask the owner if any mods
have been done or installed, is there any paperwork that
shows where it was fitted. Quite a few owners fit the mods
themselves, in most cases there is nothing wrong with this,
but to be on the safe side ask him to explain the mod and
how/what it does, if he is competent enough to fit it
correctly he should know what it does and how it
operates.
If the car has been
imported ask if it has been de-restricted, if not the max
speed will be somewhere between 112 and 118
m.p.h.[obviously on the track]
This is purely for buying a
motor that is already resident in the U.K.
Be aware that not many of
these motors that have previously been imported have much
service history with them and those that do is mostly in
Japanese. If you are lucky enough to have any history, which
should be there on U.K.spec motors, make sure the mileage
matches the paperwork to the speedo.
Check the V5[vehicle
log book], make sure any relevant numbers match with the
V.I.N [vehicle identification number] plate, this
should be at the rear of the engine bay in the centre and
visible, make sure the numbers haven't been tampered with or
the plate looks as if it has been replaced, there is also a
chassis number stamped into the bulkhead nearby, a motor may
have a few engines in it's lifetime but it will only ever
have one chassis number. The engine number is located on the
front of the block, gearbox end, with an engine type number
very close to it.
Ask for any M.O.T.
documentation, if buying from a dealer you will probably get
the full 12 months, if buying private either insist on a
full ticket to be included in the deal or use this as a
bargaining point to drop the price, this mainly depends on
your own personal knowledge of the motoring world. Again all
paperwork should match with serial numbers etc.
As the last paperwork check
and before you hand over any of your hard earned cash, have
it H.P.I. checked, especially if buying private, dealers
will normally have this done before they took the car in the
first place, but even then it may be worth having it done to
satisfy your own mind. This will only reveal any plate
transfers, outstanding finance or write off declarations
whilst the vehicle has been registered in the U.K. This does
NOT take into account it's life abroad.
Use this link, as well as
H.P.I, it also has some excellent advice on purchasing from
both the trade and private sellers:
http://www.newhpi.co.uk
If buying from trade insist
on a warranty, the longer the better, this may even cost but
it is well worth the extra pennies for peace of mind. If
buying private there are companies that offer warranties on
privately purchased motors. Before parting with any cash for
a warranty read through the policy to clarify all the get
out clauses they incorporate. Make sure that all major
mechanical components are covered, the engine and
transmission is not cheap to replace even at second hand
prices, put labour on top and you end up with quite a hefty
bill.
Have an initial look around
the body, just a quick check with the eyes to see that every
thing is or appears to be in place, we'll come back to the
body a bit later. Obviously if something is not right in
alignment of panels etc. forget it and move on to another
beast.
ENGINE
Open the bonnet, the lever
is at the bottom right hand side of the drivers side dash.
Check the bonnet opens smoothly and both rams operate
correctly, the bonnet stays open. Check all the fluid and
oil levels, if you don't know what's what, ask the owner,
much may be revealed here, he may well have it serviced but
i'm sure that the majority of GTO owners know every check
under the bonnet. Check the oil level make sure there's
enough in there, excessively low oil levels in these motors
definitely spells neglect. Have a good look at the brake
fluid level and colour, it should be nice and clean and up
to the max level. A low level may well indicate worn pads,
dirty fluid will almost certainly mean that it has probably
not been changed for a long time or ever. This is
detrimental to the braking performance.
Ask the owner to start the
engine, the reason for this is simple, if he starts it and
revs the nuts off it, forget it at that point and walk away.
These are twin turbocharged engines and as such should be
started and allowed to run at modest revs for a couple of
minutes[especially when cold] to allow the oil to
circulate and get pumped around the turbo bearings, this
will prolong their life. Whilst the engine is being started
look at the exhaust emissions, there will probably be some
initial vapour content due to condensation in the massive
exhaust system but as long as this disappears it's okay.
What you're really looking for is dark or a blue smoke
indicating burnt oil, probably from either worn engine
internals, i.e. piston rings, valve guides or the turbos. If
everything is okay, it will be a white grey colour which
will disappear as soon as the engine warms up. If starting
from cold the emissions will probably only be evident from
one side of the tail pipes, normally the left hand side.
This is due to the system having one straight through pipe
that splits into two rear silencers, the emissions will
follow the easiest way out until revs are increased and the
pressure will bring both sides into use. Of course this last
part is irrelevant if the system has been upgraded and only
has one exit pipe.
Return to the engine bay,
the hydraulic cam followers[tappets] have a tendency
to be a bit noisey especially on initial start up, not all
GTO's suffer from this but some do. As long as the oil level
is correct the noise should reduce soon, in most cases it
will go away altogether but may return intermittently, as
long as it doesn't sound like a bag of nails with no
improvement at all it should be okay. There's plenty of info
on this subject in other areas of the board on this web
site.
Listen to the turbos,
there's not much you can do here but they should not be
noisey or rumbling, no high pitched metallic noises, though
if they were that bad they would probably have packed in by
now or disintegrated internally.
Listen for any squeals from
the cam belt area, possibly indicating a worn bearing in
either an idler wheel, alternator,power steering pump or
even a worn cam belt. These can all be rectified at a price,
a cam belt change will cost you about £200. [A side
note from Paul Roberts - if the car has done more than
54,000 miles ask to see evidence of a cam belt change - this
is extremely important and you will need to get this done
ASAP if it has not been changed at 54,000 miles - another
good bargaining point!]
A good visual check on the
engine is made inside the Y pipe, normally grey plastic and
running from the back of the air filter housing up to the
fuel control housing. If there is oil in this pipe it is due
to internal engine wear.
An engine compression check
would reveal more but as the front bank of pistons only is
accessible this may be difficult, to access the rear bank
involves removing the fuel plenum chamber, about an hours
work and the owner probably wouldn't appreciate you trying
to take his engine to bits, though it would be amusing to
see his/her expression when you ask!
For information purposes
the compressions pressures should be as follows;
Non Turbo 185psi minimum of
139psi
Twin Turbo 156psi minimum
of 115psi
Maximum variation of not
more than 14psi. in cylinders.
Also as with any motor,
listen for any out of place noises that could indicate wear
or damage in the engine. In the center of the dash console
are three gauges, the left hand one is oil pressure, check
this one and keep an eye on it during the test drive, on
tick over it will be around the ¼ mark, whilst driving
it should be around the half way mark, certainly not lower
with the engine under load. Whilst on this subject the
centre gauge contains the turbo boost gauge, though not an
exact reading of what's going on, it's a bit naff really,
but it could give you an insight into what's happening with
the turbos. If this rises from just above zero to max in a
split second be aware, it could be just a sticky wastegate
but it could be worse depending on what mods if any have
been fitted. The other gauge beside this is the temperature
level. With the engine at normal operating
temperature[1/2 way] increase the revs a bit at a
time and listen for any unwanted or strange noises from the
engine. This may also be a good time to listen for any
exhaust leaks, but they should be prominent at idle. Make
sure that you check as much of the exhaust system as you
physically can, check for repairs or corrosion and leaks,
leaking exhaust gases will show up as black sooty stains. If
you have to get down on hands and knees to do this, do it,
exhaust systems for these motors do not come cheap. In fact
I can't really think of anything that does.
BODYWORK
As long as you're satisfied
with the engine at this stage, move on to the bodywork. This
time have a thorough inspection of all body panels,
corrosion is not a major problem with GTO's so any rust may
be as a result from an accident or just something innocent
but check it out thoroughly. There may be a small dent here
and there but these can mostly be rectified fairly cheaply
as long as the paintwork has not been broken. The paint on
the plastic panels may be a bit faded unless it has been
regularly polished, especially the wing mirrors and the rear
spoiler, colour magic is excellent for keeping this in
check. Red is terrible for fade, I know, mine is
red.
Make sure the doors open
and close properly and shut true to the body. Check the door
doesn't drop when you open it. Make sure the bonnet aligns
correctly and does not foul the wing panels and has an equal
gap running down both sides.
Do a similar check with the
tailgate, as with the bonnet make sure both support stays
operate smoothly and it opens and shuts smoothly with equal
gaps at both sides.
Inside the car operate the
lighting switch and if it is fitted with "pop-up"
headlights, make sure that they both operate properly in
rising and retracting, also see if they are fouling on the
paintwork or the side lights[jap-spec]. Make sure
they also work on "flash". At this point do a normal all
round lighting check including horn and wipers and any
auxiliary lighting. On some models there are also lights for
the mirrors on the sun visors, pop them down and see. A task
as simple as changing a bulb is not always that straight
forward especially if your mechanical knowledge is limited
or your tool box is a bit sparse.
Whilst checking the outside
have a good look at the brake discs, they should be evenly
worn and smooth, not pitted or scored with grooves, also
depending on which wheels are fitted have a look at the
pads. If this is not possible, refer to checking the brake
fluid.
Have a good check of the
wheels and their rims for damage, standard wheels can be
replaced but if it has an after market set it may be very
difficult to get the odd replacement. Scratches and marks in
the rims can be polished out at a cost. Tyres are expensive
at these sizes make sure there's plenty of tread, have a
good look at the inner edges as wear here may not be visible
due to their width.
On the later models, Mk11
and Mk111 there were significant changes all round. The
pop-ups were replaced with enclosed "projector" headlights,
the earlier ones have a tendency to suffer from internal
condensation but this was rectified on later models. The
body lines remained just as smooth but were changed
cosmetically. The main improvements were installing a six
speed and stronger transmission and a slightly more powerful
and better designed engine with larger turbos.
ACTIVE AEROS
If the vehicle has these
there will be a switch in the center console just forward of
the gear stick. Turn the ignition to stage one[one
click] and press the Aero button, the rear spoiler will
flip up, get out of the car and look under the front bumper
and the front spoiler should have dropped, and dropped
evenly, this may be distinguished by an Active Aero sticker
or what's left of it in the center. Turn the Aeros off and
make sure they retract. When on a road test these will
automatically activate/de-activate at pre-set speeds
[normally on at 50mph and off at 30mph - PR] if the
switch is engaged. They can be turned off on the same
switch. [In independent tests, there is very little
evidence to suggest that the active aero system makes any
difference to ride quality or handling, so don't worry too
much if you've chosen a model that has no active aero system
fitted - PR].
INSIDE
There is a choice of
leather or cloth trims, and to be honest neither have
outstanding wear qualities, Jap cows must get extremely cold
in the winter! If it has leather and it's a bit tatty it
will cost up to about a grand to replace it, unless you can
either D.I.Y or have contacts in that business, even then it
will not be cheap. [There is a leather upholsterer in
the Resource Links section - PR].
The drivers seat is the
electric all singing all dancing version with side and
lumbar adjustment, but the passenger is not supposed to be
all that comfortable. Oh well that's life! At least it makes
them stay awake on those long and boring motorway journeys,
to supply you with endless amounts of refreshments, sweets,
fags etc. and the odd, "Are we really going that
quick?"!
Apart from the dials
already mentioned earlier the rest are self explainatory and
all the dashboard instrument lights are detailed in this
diagram
so we won't go into that here. The one light I will mention
is the "CheckEngine" light. This is at the bottom left hand
side of the instrument cluster, with the ignition turned on
all the lights will illuminate, apart from the ignition and
handbrake lights these should all cancel after a few
seconds. Obviously the ignition will cancel on start up and
h/brake when released. Check the central heating [air
conditioning/climate control] works through all ranges
and the screen illuminates on the in dash unit. In the front
left windscreen corner air vent there should be a small
circular disc, this is a daylight sensor for your climate
control system which works with the air con. These vents do
not seem to be very durable and on most older motors they
have cracked or distorted a bit, that's fairly common and
nothing to worry about.
Check that both windows
operate smoothly and also the passenger side can be operated
from the passenger side switch. If electric retracting
mirrors are fitted make sure they work, the switch is
forward of the gear stick, between the "active aero" switch
and the mirror adjustment control, check the operation of
this also.
The carpet is quite good
quality and tends to wear well. The individual carpets
though seem to be varied, the originals have either been
lost or worn out in most cases. That's not a problem though
as we can supply you with a new[not original] set
which are very good quality and of the same pattern as the
originals, through the club.
Whilst seated check the
handbrake freeplay, these are easy enough to do quick
adjustment on but if the handbrake is worn it means a rear
brake strip down to replace the shoes. They are housed
within the rear discs.
On the dash, if the car has
ECS [Electronically Controlled Suspension] there
will be an ECS button. This has two mode settings Sports or
Tour, it will change accordingly when the button is pressed,
it will also illuminate in green in the dash panel. When
working there will be a distinct difference in the ride
between the two settings, the Sport mode will be firmer, it
also incorporates an anti dive system. If the light flashes
between the two settings it may be a broken sensor wire,
these are on top of the struts under black plastic caps and
are simple to repair. Other faults here may be within the
ECS system or it's motor. If the light on the dash doesn't
work it may be just a blown bulb. The other possibility is
that the suspension has been replaced with an upgraded or
after market set up. [If there is no ECS button,
the car doesn't have ECS and the suspension setting will be
fixed. Some non-turbo's and the "MR" model didn't have ECS -
PR].
ROAD TEST
Don't forget that these
vehicles are fitted with 4 wheel steer, active from 31
m.p.h. and permanent 4 wheel drive, oversteer is very easy
until you get used to the set up! Don't be content with a
five minute blast down the bypass, tell the owner that you
would like to go for a decent drive incorporating different
road layouts. This way you will get a better impression of
how the whole unit is working, I'm not encouraging you to
break any speed limits so that part of the test is up to you
and the owner. You can check the handling and how it sits on
the road, check the brakes and that they pull up firmly and
evenly. Brake judder may be as simple as a bit of wheel
balancing required, but it could also be down to worn or
damaged brake or suspension components. The standard discs
have a tendency to warp, this will also be defined as brake
judder.
Keep an eye on the
following, oil pressure, engine temperature and the boost
gauge. DO NOT observe the fuel gauge as this may deter you
from ever buying a GTO!
In the rear view mirror you
will be able to see the rear aero and when it's working, if
there is a fault with this system an "active aero"l ight
will illuminate in the bottom right hand side of the
instrument panel.
As with testing any motor
check the clutch action, the difference here is a few
hundred pounds more for the replacement! Drive off slowly
whilst listening for any rattles or vibrations from the
engine and gear box area. The transmission on the five speed
earlier models is not as strong as the later six speed
versions so check it out thoroughly and make sure that all
gear changes up and down the box are smooth in action, not
notchy.
With a bit of heavy right
foot, acceleration should be responsive and rather rapid, if
there is any lack of response here it may be down to one of
several reasons but turbo problems may be the cause. If you
are careful with standing starts the life of the gearbox
will be lengthened, when the car has momentum then cane it
if you have to, but constant booting it from zero will
eventually wreck the output splines on the transmission. On
completion of a test drive and for future ownership, allow
the engine to idle for a couple of minutes, this is to allow
the turbo bearings to come back to nominal engine
temperature. They run at extremely high speeds and if the
engine is cut straight away, it will stop oil flow to the
turbo bearings which will then heat up and cook the
stationary oil, forming hard deposits on the bearings and
reducing their life span. The way around this is to fit a
turbo timer [Clifford alarms can have an integral turbo
timer fitted for as little as £50 - PR].
POINTS OF ADVICE
The above is a brief run
down of what major points can be checked without the
facility or luxury of a workshop. Most car dealers will have
access to a ramp somewhere, if you can get it on one, do so,
that way a check underneath can be made.
Make sure that when viewing
the car it is done in full daylight.
Finally, depending on your
mechanical knowledge and confidence I would advise having
the vehicle inspected by a qualified non biased motor
engineer, A.A,/ R.A.C or similair. Doing this will eliminate
the chance of any dodgy M.O.T certificates and will also
give you better peace of mind. The above information is
obviously for the GTO but although the engineer checking it
over may be very good at his job the chances of him knowing
all about them are slim, but he will be more than capable of
providing you with a qualified report on the mechanical
matters. Bear in mind that this will probably cost so make
it the last thing you do when you are certain of which car
you intend to buy, and before any money is handed over or
paper work is signed.
I have not dwelled on the
safety aspects such as chassis and under vehicle components
as these should be covered on the M.O.T and by an
independent check.
Do use the web sites listed
above for advice and information, together with what's here
on the GTO you should at least be fairly well armed with
info to help prevent you making a disastrous
choice.
MODS
Here's a short list of a
few of the more common mods that you may find on a potential
purchase:
Naturally, the
non-standard exhaust system, possibly with upgraded
downpipes. Owners choose this route as not just an
upgrade but it quite often works out cheaper than
replacing with the Mitsubishi original.
Wheels, several
variations are on the site in picture format.
Dump valves or
B.O.V's.
Air filter upgrades, the
most common is probably the K&N FIPK.
Stereos, the Jap spec
radio is very limited in the U.K. and most people upgrade
in this area
Boost controller, this
is probably the best way to gain more power, when
correctly set-up.
Added gauges in the dash
area, the original boost gauge is not that
good.
Suspension, not always
obvious, refer to E.C.S. above.
There are others but these
are the most common.
Once again I stress that
this is not the complete Bible of buying a GTO but I wish
that I had that much information at hand when I was looking
for a GTO. If you have any questions on any of the above
points or other factors, put a post on the board and it will
get answered by either myself or one of the other motley
crew that frequent this web site[assuming that we know
the answer]. Good luck in your hunt for the perfect GTO.
This guide will be updated when more or relevant information
either comes to hand or mind.
Mark
[GTO-MAS]
Last
updated, 5th January 2002
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