Faults:

I do not know if I am lucky, or what. This car has never broken down, or failed to start. I've owned her for 17 years and would not part with her.

I do all my own regular maintenance on her. When 100000km arrived, I took her to a friend who is an auto technician and we changed everything we could on the engine: belts, bearings, seals, water pump etc. It cost me $800 NZ trade price for parts plus lots of beer. I have upgraded the front brakes to ones that work, slotted rotors and ceramic pads, and now she stops fine. There is no rust at all on her; the only problem I have is the clear-coat has lifted in the intense NZ sun. I keep her under cover, so that helps. So all up, nothing has gone wrong with her.

I always use genuine parts when available, our local Mitzi dealer is very good. I do not care about the cost, and you know it's not a piece of knock off Chinese rubbish made to look original. I only use Mobil 98 octane fuel in her with synthetic lubricant, Dot 5 brake fluid etc, only the best.

General Comments:

As I said above, this is the most reliable car I have ever owned. At 64, I have had my fair share of vehicles. I've done about 90000km in 17 years in her, and have no intention of selling her.

I've had 2 wives in the same time, and both were not as reliable as my little Mitzi FTO.

I cannot really fault the car, it's perfect for me.

Faults:

Not long after buying the vehicle, I needed to get two worn brake pads replaced.

I've had to replace the passenger side front tyre.

A hose had burst and needed to be replaced.

The wing needed to be re-screwed and glued to the car.

General Comments:

Performance wise, the car has very few faults. The engine has a broad range of torque from about 3,000 RPM, right through to about 8,000 RPM where the torque tapers off, however upon finding another gear, this is not an issue.

The car doesn't have a high amount of pull below 3,000RPM, however the engine revs effortlessly to higher range RPM and is very responsive.

The car has the ability to handle corners at speeds most cars can't, thanks to the front wheel drive and lowness of the car. The steering around corners is precise and responsive, and with the car being able to handle corners at speed, evasive action in certain situations can be taken with a degree of confidence.

In a straight line, the car shouldn't be underestimated, going from 0-100KM in around 7 seconds. Driving the car to potential, my Mivec powered GPX model will go to 100KM in under 7 seconds.

The car sounds great at any point in the rev range. My car has fitted to it an HKS Super Dragger exhaust, giving the car a medium pitched sound up to about 4,500 RPM, and from there as it climbs through the rev range, it turns into a higher pitched scream.

Inside, the controls are rather ergonomic, with the front seats fully adjustable to suit the drive, and ample head and leg room is there. The gearstick is short, and requires little movement and hardly any time to change gears, and all other controls are easy to navigate and use, once you're accustomed to using them of course.

The visibility from the drivers seat isn't the best, the B-pillars on the rear of the vehicle act to denigrate your ability to see in blind spots to the rear of the car, and this does take some getting used to.

Comfort is fairly good, seeing as the fully adjustable bucket style seats hug the driver nicely, and the controls require minimal effort whilst driving. The only detriment to this is the stiffness of the car. In a typical sports car fashion, every imperfection on the road can be felt. Pot holes are best avoided. For rear passengers, however, there is absolute minimal leg room, and the rear window severely restricts head room.

From the outside, the car is stunning. There are not many of these cars around, and being a sporty design, coupled with the rarity of the car, it is a real head turner.

Faults:

I have had some difficulty with the idling stepper motor stopping and starting, causing the engine to cut out at traffic lights. I fixed it myself, in under an hour. I need to repeat the cleaning procedure once every year.

The window guides in the doors are a little rattly, if the windows are half-down and you drive over a bump.

General Comments:

The FTO is very stylish and unique-looking.

It is well-built, although the interior could have done with more dressing up.

Performance is very good considering the car isn't turbo-ed.