Chris71

Yep, 'fraid so. I used to work for Ford (for my sins) and after a few years blatting around in hotter Focuses and Mondeos I was expecting a little more from the base spec car. Might be the tyre choice or something on mine to be fair, it understeers pretty determindly and has less than impressive feedback.

How difficult is it to fix faulty sunroofs and spoilers? I'm considering buying a Corrado at the moment and a lot have at least one of these faults. I'm not convinced by the ads that suggest it's 'just a fuse' or something to that effect, but just how big a job is it? How much do you thing a working sunroof and spoiler adds to the value of a car (or conversely how much less would an otherwise mint car with these not working be worth?) Cheers, Chris

Can you give me an idea of the differences in maintenance costs? I realise a G60 will be different to a VR6 (like I'm after), but the engine seems to be one of the more reliable areas on the Corrado, so hopefully it's still a relevant comparison?

Jeez, I wish my Focus did that! :) I've got a 1.6 petrol Focus as a runaround currently and it struggles to better 35mpg, irrespective of how I drive it. My driving style usually seems to produce quite good MPG figures (it's not as if I boot it everywhere) but I've been a bit dissapointed with the figures the Focus has returned. It's not that 30-something MPG is at all bad, it's just unexceptional from a bland 1.6 hatchback. I even got high 20s out of my old TVR on a run.

that's not being an exception, that's normal! That's what I'm afraid of! :)

I had one, yes, but my current day-to-day car is a 1.6 Focus! :) Fuel costs don't worry me too much as I cycle to work and only do about 7,000 miles a year - a lot of it on the motorway. What worries me is the cost of maintaing one in good condition (and to a lesser extent insurance - best quote I've had so far is £750). Realistically though any performance car is going to be more than the Focus, the question is how much more. That's why I'm so interested in the comparison with the GTi6 (4-cylinder hot hatch plays 6-cylinder coupe...) If the Corrado was significantly more to run than the Pug it would become a no-brainer I'm afraid, but if they were going to be the same I'd go for the Corrado any day. In between... well, I'm not sure yet!

Yep, the Corrado is definitely different to a Focus! I had my first drive in one a few days ago (thanks to one of the guys on this forum) and it has a really nice driving position. I'm quite fortunate in that I get to drive quite a few interesting cars through work and yet the Corrado has one of the best seating positions I've come across. I've also driven a GTi6 in the past, but that was quite a long time ago. From memory it's much as you'd expect really - the 306 felt more nimble and pointy whereas the 'Rado is a bit more solid (also mirrored in the controls and the gearchange); the VR6 feels significantly faster in a straight line, sounds a lot nicer and is arguably more comfortable. I guess in summary the 306 felt like a very good example of an old school hot hatch, the Corrado felt like something a bit more exotic - I used to have a 944 and I can see a few similarities to that, for example. The main thing is cost though. I've heard suggestions that the GTi6 wouldn't really cost that much more to run than any other 4-cylinder hatchback (barring a little more on fuel and insurance), whereas I've heard some quite high figures for keeping a VR6 in decent shape. There's no question I'd rather have the Corrado all things being equel, but it's not as if the Pug is an unnapealing prospect - I quite fancy one of those too and the running costs might tip the balance.

This might sound like a slightly random question on a Corrado forum, but has anyone here ever owned a 306 GTi6? The reason I ask is I've narrowed it down to that or a VR6 for my next toy. I'm interested in any comparisions, but particularly costs. It's a head versus heart thing really. Both appeal, but the Corrado is probably my favourite. However the GTi6 is a bit more practical and (being an ordinary 4-cylinder hot hatch) is presumably going to be cheaper to run. It's a question of how much cheaper really.

I misread the original info, so £4000 is not correct. That included depreciation and all sorts of upgrades. It seems the basic figure - £700 on servicing and repairs, £111 (averaged over a year) on tyres, plus VED, insurance (£750), MOT and 7000 mile's of super unleaded comes out at more like £3,250. That's everything barring upgrades (and depreciation as mentioned, but if anything decent Corrados must be heading up by now?)

Hi, Can someone give me a feeling for the running costs of a decent Corrado VR6? Within reason I'm not too fussed about fuel as I only do about 7,000 miles a year and a lot of it is motorway work. However, maintenance is a big issue. One run down I've seen puts the figure at about £4,000 a year to run a VR6 for 9,000 miles (all in, with fuel, insurance etc.) Chris

Oh - great tip I forgot to mention in the previous post - see if your local furniture/bed shop can give you one of the ginat plastic bags they deliver double mattresses in! Not got round to blagging one, but I'm told they're very tough and will swallow an MTB frame whole!

Depends what's out there. It'd have to be a VR6 in good mechanical condition. Ideally tan leather with everything (spoiler, sunroof etc) still working! I'm not too fussed about the cosmetics. A nice shiny car would be a bonus, but the way it drives is very important so I guess I'd be looking for refreshed bushes/dampers etc. ...not that I'm fussy. :D

I went to have a look at a very nice Storm last night and I'd be very surprised if you couldnb't get a couple of bikes in with relative ease. The seats folded flatter than I expected (I don't know if they're different to the earlier models perhaps?) and the length and width of the loading area was as good as a mid sized hatchback. Okay, it's not quite as deep, but I can't see it being a problem at all. That was a pleasant surprise - I'd been led to believe it might be a real squeeze. By the way I'd second the bag idea. I used to carry a huge number of bin liners when transporting the bike in my Quantum - one for each wheel, one to go over the chain/rear swing arm (single pivot Orange fortunately!) and one to go over the tip of the forks, then a dust sheet. Nobody quite believed you could get a large frame full susser in the back of this with the hard top on:

Hi, Where are the best places to look for Corrados for sale? I'm keeping a good eye on the Pistonheads classifieds and take the occasional glance at the for sale section on here and the Autotrader website. Is there anywhere else I should check? Thanks, Chris

Cool, sounds encouraging! I vaguely remember hearing that the interiors are different on some models and some rear seats fold flatter than others - is this true, and if so which is which? I look forward to the challenge. My first car was a 2 seater (well 2+2) Quantum kit car that I managed to stow my Sub 5 in by sticking the frame behind the seats and dumping the wheels and seatpost in the boot, so I have 'form' in secreting bikes in seemingly small cars! People couldn't quite believe that the bike would fit in!

Hi, I'm looking at buying a VR6 in the next month or two and one of the main potential stumbling blocks of going back to a coupe is carrying bikes around with me. I know you can get one bike in the back of a Corrado relatively easy (back seats down, bike wheels off) - how difficult is it to squeeze two in there? Chris

Hi, Having toyed with the idea in the past I've decided to finally take the plunge with a Corrado VR6 and I'm hoping to pick one up over the next month or two! The problem is I've never had the chance to take a proper look at one before, so I don't really know what to expect - is there anyone in the area (Herts/North London/Essex) who'd let a newbie take a look at their car and possibly take me for a passenger ride to get an idea of what to look for? Chris

Ha Ha yeah you have to watch your speed in a VR, I was gliding along the M4 at what I thought was about 70-80, looked down at the speedo and I was nearing 100 :shock: . Slowed down pretty quickly :oops: A VR is a heavier car than a Mk2 gti (i think) but because the VR has PAS it doesn't seem like it! I currently have a VR and other half used to have Mk2 gti so I have driven both quite a bit and I would say the 'rado handles much better. (but you have to bear in mind they have completely different suspension set ups) My daily driver is a mk3 diesel golf which is like a boat to drive so it is nice to have a little drive in the VR every now and then :lol: Haha - yes, I used to live in Swansea and drive home to Devon occasionally, seemed everyone did that sort of speed on the M4 past Bristol. Back then I was struggling to keep up in my mum's 1.1 saxo!! I've now got an MG ZS V6 and go round the M25 more days than not, at which point I seem to settle at about 90. Very bad habbit, but your quite inconspicous amongst all the executive BMWs and Audis doing the same sort of speed and there are no cameras... I definitely find the Corrado - especially the VR6 - more desirable, but not sure I can justify spending twice the price of a decent Golf GTi and then getting the extra running costs. It's a difficult one to call. As for the passive rear steer - a similar system works very well on the Citroen ZX (atleast until they start to wear, then it edges onto the more exciting side of fun!) so bodes well for the 'raddo. Are new bushes readily available for them? I presume when people fit polyeurothane bushes to the rest of the suspension these are left alone?

Thanks guys - good to see a balanced debate, I appreciate your honesty on the plus points of the golfs. Do the 'rados feel heavier (handling wise) when on the road? I've got an MG ZS at the moment, which handles nicely on smooth tarmac, but goes to pieces when you show it a b-road, I'm wondering if this is partly due to it's extra size and weight over other GTi style cars I've owned (205 for example) .....and if this would apply to the golf/rado too. That said, a lot of my driving at the moment is motorway potentially quite long distnaces too) so the VR6 would probably be rather more relaxed - if less likely to maintain my license!! The fragility of the mk2 GTi's is a bit unfair perhaps - I've just heard a lot of people commenting that they're classics now and need a certain ammount of attention to keep them going. I may be covering quite high mileages and, due to peculiar feature of the roads in North London, having to mount curbs to get on 'pavement parking' (so I was worried about bending steering arms and stuff!)

Thanks guys. A few G60s have caught my eye on autotrader just now. Although I do have a niggling feeling that I'd always hanker after a VR6 if I got a 4 cylinder 'raddo and liked it. How far off the VR6 pace are they in standard trim? Does the supercharger bring a lot of extra problems? I presume the drag of the supercharger puts the economy somewhere between the 16v and VR6? In other words..... is a good one a genuine contender to a VR6? PS Can somebody tell me why so many people specifically advertise Corrados as not having ABS? I know it'll weigh a little more, but surely it's not a major consideration?

Hi, Looking at a variety of cars for my next buy in the summer and wondered if anyone here could offer some opinions. Assuming there was enough budget for any of them, however, you can only find a realistic 2007 purchase - no 10,000 mile Mk2's or anything which one would it be? The main emphasis is on something completely reliable - this is strictly for use as an everday car, come rain, snow etc and will have to live outside. The only golf I've ever driven is a diesel, but I would guess based on what I've heard before (ok, stereotypes!) that the summary would be, Mk2 GTi (prob 16v) - the purest drivers car, but also the most fragile Mk3 Gti 16v - the least driver orientated, but reliable and generally sensible with ABS, AC etc Mk3 VR6 - good in a straight line, presumably handles like a mk3 GTi? Thirsty Corrado (prob VR6) - Possibly the best alrounder, but high mileages and twice the cost Is this correct? Probably not! Can someone who actually knows a bit about them comment? :) Can anybody give me an idea of running costs, particularly for the VR6's - is there a decent range from the tank? Seem to remember the insurance costs were good compared to toher cars of a similar performance when I looked before - any idea roughly how much a 24 year old bloke in Chelmsford with a couple of years no claims would be looking at for a VR6 or Corrado? Does anyone know if you can get a mountain bike frame in the back of a Corrado? Can't see it being a problem, especially if the seats fold. Can anyone tell me the performance stats for the 4 cylinder Corrados - how much slower are they than the VR6? Prices for a good 16v seem to be atleast as much as the more tired VR6s. Any general comments more than welcome.... Chris.

Thanks guys! Are the fuel injected ones rare? (I'm guessing this is wrong but could have sworn I heard someone say they only imported 50 or something!!) Think all the ones I've seen for sale are GT/GT II's. I actually really like the look of the Mk2 Scirocco. In many respects I prefer it to the Corrado's appearance. I have heard some accounts of very leisurely performance though (atleast from the standard carb models) and talk of leaking seals and dodgy brakes put me off slightly - I have a kit car for that :) I suppose the only way I can find out is to have a look at one though. Does anybody know of any owners club meets or anything around Essex? ...the alternative is to save for another six months and get a VR6 rado!!

Hi, I know it doesn't have the dynamics or performance of the Corrado, but what do people really think about Scirocco's? I'm looking at a GT2 (specifically this one if anybodys interested: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... L:RTQ:UK:1) and wondering if it would be a good stop gap until I have the cash to get something a bit more exciting (like a Corrado VR6!) Anybody know what sort of performance and MPG figures they return? 90bhp doesn't seem like a lot to pull an average sized car around. They're not something I know a lot about, so any comments on this example or Scirocco's in general would be much appreciated. Also vaguely thought about getting a 4 cylinder Corrado... Chris.