How to check a second hand FK8?

[mehrdad]

Hello everybody.

Is there a way to say a second hand FK8 is not abused in track etc.?
Tried the youtube there found only one video of the guy who explained how the tire would look like on the sidewall which I think would be totally clear in case owner clean it using a tire spray.
Anything else to help identify and choose a good FK8?

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[racer]

If like some other cars, I would think you could pull "over rev" codes from an OBDII reader.

As for the sidewall reference, I would think the Video you mention was more about abusive wear, in which the tire sidewall and treads would show signs of wear, or chunking, vs simply being clean or not.

As to the type of owner? These cars seem to fall into 3 general catagories:
1) Garage queen/show car
2) Daily driver
3) Track car/ tuner cars
Ask for records/receipts. Most owners of the CTR are somewhat fanatical

 

[charleswrivers]

There's nothin terribly special/different about buying a used CTR vs any other used car, IMO.

As it's a manual... I'd definitely focus on shifting performance and ensuring the clutch works well and that the car is able to make good up/downshifts. The largest CTR thread I know of is concerning transmission issues you can check out.

I could write pages worth of things worth looking at in a general used car purchase... but you should be able it find it again and again on various resources online. So far as the tires... you can look at the point where the tread transitions to sidewall. It's not the end all/be all... I never have tracked my Si and have a fair amount of wear/feathering on my front tires from just driving aggressively on the street. Their stock 20" wheels OEM tires wear quickly (~10K miles). You could also try and see the thickness of the brake pads, as accelerated pad wear in indicative of hard use on a low mileage car... along with rotor grooving.

From the other thread you had talking over going with a sport hatchback to a CTR... it sounded like cost was a consideration and you should just realize that operating costs are going to be somewhat higher.

Condition is king on any car. Ensuring it hasn't been wrecked... it's in good condition in and out... paint is good... no corrosion... and that immediate costs you'll incur right after buying (i.e. replacing a worn out set of tires right after purchase) are kept to a minimum or are addressed in the price you pay. Maintenance records are an assurance the car was maintained... if you see a Maintenance Minder that says 100% for oil life and see black oil... that'd kind of throw a flag to me. Somewhat discolored is ok... as it discolors quickly but it takes awhile for oil to get really dark. You can get pretty nitpicky on a used car and I tend to be... but that also comes from buying old cars. The oldest CTR is only a couple years old and, unless it has a pile of miles is still under warranty... which is still practically new in my book.

 

[mehrdad]

If like some other cars, I would think you could pull "over rev" codes from an OBDII reader.

As for the sidewall reference, I would think the Video you mention was more about abusive wear, in which the tire sidewall and treads would show signs of wear, or chunking, vs simply being clean or not.

As to the type of owner? These cars seem to fall into 3 general catagories:
1) Garage queen/show car
2) Daily driver
3) Track car/ tuner cars
Ask for records/receipts. Most owners of the CTR are somewhat fanatical

Will one of those Blutooth readers be enough to get the nasty codes?

 

[mehrdad]

There's nothin terribly special/different about buying a used CTR vs any other used car, IMO.

As it's a manual... I'd definitely focus on shifting performance and ensuring the clutch works well and that the car is able to make good up/downshifts. The largest CTR thread I know of is concerning transmission issues you can check out.

I could write pages worth of things worth looking at in a general used car purchase... but you should be able it find it again and again on various resources online. So far as the tires... you can look at the point where the tread transitions to sidewall. It's not the end all/be all... I never have tracked my Si and have a fair amount of wear/feathering on my front tires from just driving aggressively on the street. Their stock 20" wheels OEM tires wear quickly (~10K miles). You could also try and see the thickness of the brake pads, as accelerated pad wear in indicative of hard use on a low mileage car... along with rotor grooving.

From the other thread you had talking over going with a sport hatchback to a CTR... it sounded like cost was a consideration and you should just realize that operating costs are going to be somewhat higher.

Condition is king on any car. Ensuring it hasn't been wrecked... it's in good condition in and out... paint is good... no corrosion... and that immediate costs you'll incur right after buying (i.e. replacing a worn out set of tires right after purchase) are kept to a minimum or are addressed in the price you pay. Maintenance records are an assurance the car was maintained... if you see a Maintenance Minder that says 100% for oil life and see black oil... that'd kind of throw a flag to me. Somewhat discolored is ok... as it discolors quickly but it takes awhile for oil to get really dark. You can get pretty nitpicky on a used car and I tend to be... but that also comes from buying old cars. The oldest CTR is only a couple years old and, unless it has a pile of miles is still under warranty... which is still practically new in my book.

Thank you so much for the detailed info.
Well, The time I spend in Istanbul may only be less than 4 months a year. so the car won't get much use per year so I should be able to afford it I hopefully!

I have now found two options. One is a red 2018 with 5300km on it. The second one is white 2017 and 13,000km. Will there be any maintenance within those milages?
Scary thing I saw in Turkey is that there are not many people to spend a lot for the maintenance, for me I would always change the oil and other stuff even earlier than the standard intervals.

 

[charleswrivers]

Thank you so much for the detailed info.
Well, The time I spend in Istanbul may only be less than 4 months a year. so the car won't get much use per year so I should be able to afford it I hopefully!

I have now found two options. One is a red 2018 with 5300km on it. The second one is white 2017 and 13,000km. Will there be any maintenance within those milages?
Scary thing I saw in Turkey is that there are not many people to spend a lot for the maintenance, for me I would always change the oil and other stuff even earlier than the standard intervals.

The only thing in that realm is 1... *maybe 2 engine oil/filter changes. I don't even thing the engine air/cabin filters would have been due based on mileage.

The mileage is so low, they're likely on their original tires.

Whatever you get.. if you have any doubt about when something as minor as an oil change was done... just do it. Those 20" tires are a little pricey so if the ones on the car are worn, I'd use that as bargaining for the price.

 

[mehrdad]

The only thing in that realm is 1... *maybe 2 engine oil/filter changes. I don't even thing the engine air/cabin filters would have been due based on mileage.

The mileage is so low, they're likely on their original tires.

Whatever you get.. if you have any doubt about when something as minor as an oil change was done... just do it. Those 20" tires are a little pricey so if the ones on the car are worn, I'd use that as bargaining for the price.

Thanks a lot, and are the original tires summer type? Will I need a all season or will people even go for 19" or 18" to have it more civilized for the city driving?

 

[charleswrivers]

Thanks a lot, and are the original tires summer type? Will I need a all season or will people even go for 19" or 18" to have it more civilized for the city driving?

The originals are summer. There's threads devoted to folks switching to smaller wheels... mainly 18"s you can check out. Summers have their place... I chose them as an option on my Si and will replace them with summers. I live in a hot climate however... and can use them year round. Depending on climate, driving style and personal preference... you just have to pick what's right for you.

Not all summer tires are the same. Mine are at at 18k miles... and I expect to get 30k miles out of them before they're replaced. Between sub-sets of summer tires (i.e. ultra high performance summer vs. max performance summer) and between the tires themselves... you can pick versions that may last a few times longer while sacrificing some performance you don't intend to try to exploit on the street.

I'd read the threads on the CTR forum devoted to tires/wheels to get specifics on the car.

 

[mehrdad]

And as for the transmission problems, that seems scary

 

[mehrdad]

The originals are summer. There's threads devoted to folks switching to smaller wheels... mainly 18"s you can check out. Summers have their place... I chose them as an option on my Si and will replace them with summers. I live in a hot climate however... and can use them year round. Depending on climate, driving style and personal preference... you just have to pick what's right for you.

Not all summer tires are the same. Mine are at at 18k miles... and I expect to get 30k miles out of them before they're replaced. Between sub-sets of summer tires (i.e. ultra high performance summer vs. max performance summer) and between the tires themselves... you can pick versions that may last a few times longer while sacrificing some performance you don't intend to try to exploit on the street.

I'd read the threads on the CTR forum devoted to tires/wheels to get specifics on the car.

Seems that the chances of snow is very rare, so I suppose I can stick to the summers as well

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