Portent

Personally I'd avoid the V5's. They sound nice but have the downside of a large engine (fuel economy) without all the upside (lovely smooth engine, huge torque). Also they don't have 4Motion (4WD) which is a big plus in my book.

My wife to my kids... "It's a waste of money" :crazyeyes:

Welcome. Old Cars First of all I'd suggest buying with the right mindset. Even the youngest car is 15 years old now and almost all cars will need some degree of maintenance and probably have a few issues when you buy it. It is rare to find one which does not need any work. Model Next I would suggest considering which model you are after... do you want a VR6, G60, 16v, 8v? All have different pro's and con's. Why Buy One? Then, I would suggest considering why you want to buy one. I think many people buy them as a daily driver and are then a little disappointed when they are not as 'nice' as modern cars and also need extra care and attention. My view is that they work best as second cars and you can then appreciate both the Corrado and also the daily driver for each of their qualities. People should appreciate that they are no longer common cars and are now crossing over into classic status. Parts can be hard to find and many are no longer available new. Budget Then there is the question of budget. Are you buying at the low end (up to £2k)? If so then most cars in this range will need a lot of work, potentially expensive. £2.5k to £3k starts to get a reasonable car. Over £3k is the range for a good car and around £4k+ will be a very good car with little work needed. Obviously you can still get bargains too. Early v Late Models Later models (post 1993I think but someone may correct me) had an updated exterior and body. The interior had relocated window switches (on the doorpods instead of the door itself), rotary heater controls instead of sliders. The body had a raised bonnet in the middle rather than a sunken bonnet, and also slightly modified front wings. The changes are subtle rather than dramatic. Common Faults To Look For Obviously read the guides here. But in general the common faults are: * Late rotary heater dials break (obsolete item - can't be bought new) * Sunroof motor fails (obsolete) * Sunroof mechanism breaks (repair kit still available) * Spoiler fails to raise and lower on either manual switch or automatic * Heater matrix fails (cheap part but dashboard out to replace it) - so recent replacement is a plus * ABS not working (could be controller, pump or more likely a cheap wheel sensor) - Check that the light comes on when you start the car but then goes out a fe seconds later - Some people remove the bulb so check this * Rust - They were not galvanised and rust is quite a pain so check it over carefully - inside wheel arches, petrol flap, around windows, etc. With regard mechanicals they share a lot of components with other cars so generally parts can be found either new or used. But replacement body parts and interior trim is a little harder to find. These were made bespoke for the Corrado by Karmann and are no longer available new. Viewing Cars If you are not confident in viewing a car then I suggest asking for a forum member to view it with you, or before hand if it is far away. Quite a few people on here are willing to do that and it's a very helpful and friendly place. Happy to help in the Surrey and surrounding areas (although I'm not a mechanic I spent a year looking for my car so have a general feel for what they should be like). Good luck and they raelly are lovely cars. So full of character. I love driving mine. Someone on here once said you should think of your time with the car, not as owning it, but it being your time to look after it before passing to the next owner.

Strange. In 8 years and 55k my mk4 has had the following faults: Clutch pedal broke (common fault) Coolant hose split (suspect this was self inflicted) Sticky radio button It has climate, heated leather, winter pack (headlight washers, etc), auto-dimming mirror, cruise control, factory uprated DSP audio, steering wheel audio controls, etc, etc. So quite a few optional electics and they all work fine so far. I've not VAG-COM'd it myself but it's still dealer serviced and I'm sure they would jump at the chance to sell me a sensor if they found a fault. having said that I'm now probably doomed for it to collapse in a big heap the next time I drive it :D

Yes that's for a year. Actually I've just checked and it's gone up to £260. The bands aren't as simple as pre and post 2001. It's slightly more complex: pre-March 2001 = £215 1st March 2001 to 22nd March 2006 = emissions based but capped at bank K 23rd March 2006 onwards = emmissions based but no cap More detail here: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/HowToTaxYourVehicle/DG_10012524 Because my 4Mo was registered in 2003 it is emissions based but is capped at band K... £260 per year.

Looks about right to me :shrug:

It's strange that dealer prices seem to vary. It was cheaper for me to get mine from the dealer (my price included two end caps which are not part of the roof strips themselves). There were only a few left and the dealer thought they were unlikely to get anymore once they had all been sold (but that was a guess on his part). When I ordered them I was shocked at the price. But when they arrived I could see why. They aren't just simple plastic strips. They are actually quite complex with several different parts fixed together. Yes I think the idea above may work when they become obsolete. The rubber strip along the edge becomes brittle and breaks up. But it might be possible to separate it and glue a new rubber strip on the side. But it would have to be similar in structure and 'feel' as it forms the watertight seal on the roof to stop it seeping into the gulley where it could collect and form rust.

Tax is 255 as they are pre 2006. I absolutely love my 4mo. So smooth and effortless. Quite fast. 4wd. Lots of torque. Understated. High level of equipment. Very comfortable.

I just replaced my for around £135 from the dealer. But they did indicate that only a few sets were still showing as available. I've also outlined how to fit them in this thread: http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?56555-Roof-trim-question

If it's of any interest there's an R32 engine in the for sale section.

Welcome. There's a black VR in the for sale forum right now, being sold by a long term forum member.

I finally had time to collect my new roof trim from the dealer and fit it this weekend. It really makes such a difference as the old trim was letting the car down. The old trim had become very brittle and had started to break up: Shiny new trim arrived: And fitted it makes such a difference. I also replaced the rear caps which cover the hatch hinges which had faded to a dull grey: Later I gave the car a thorough clean and polish and tried the get the rest of the trim back to black but time will tell whether I stay happy with the results. But I did also clean the sunroof trim with interior fabric shampoo and it's also come up much better. It's the little things that make so much difference :)

I agree Jim. Although I've not had mine long I can see I would not want it as my only car. It feels special and even just starting it feels an occasion. But equally it makes me appreciate my 4mo. I get back in that and realise how smooth, quiet, refined and effortless newer cars are.I think corrados are definitely best as occasional second cars.

Not according to my dealer and I was looking at his screen at the time. It showed that 50s available and 90s obsolete. That's odd.

Green corrado driving through Claygate yesterday. I gave it a flash but was in the 4mo.

Same here. Mine's a 90mm and today the VAG dealer commented on "strange that the earlier 50mm is still available but the 90mm is obsolete". But again I bow to superior knowledge and I assume people put a 90 on at some point in the cars history.

This is what I'd go with if I were in a similar situation and wanted to stay with the 12v.

Thanks. May try to repair it first and see if I'm happy with it. If not then I'll see what my options are as the 90's are obsolete now.

Love this car. One of my favourite colours and the wheels really suite it :)

50mm or 90mm? Mine has a slight split in it. Only visible close up but I know it's there. So I may replace it. It currently has a 90mm. Is that the 'correct' size for a 94 VR? Although to be honest I'm tempted to get a 70mm one from the group buy (if I don't get it 'just right' out of my road then it scrapes slightly).

Thanks for the opinions so far. I think I'll leave them as they are then. I got mine from the dealer for £136.42 which included both side trims and each of the end caps that sit over the hatch hinge. However I was advised that there were only a few of each left (and I think I got the last nearside cap). They were on special order and the dealer wasn't sure if they could would be re-stocked after those last few went. A word of warning - the clips on the end caps (cpvering the hatch hinge) will break when you remove them. I can't see how they can be removed without it happening, although maybe it was just because mine had become so brittle. I put a little grease on the plastice clips when I put the new ones on so hopefully that may help if I need to remove them at some point. How I Removed The Strips Use a flat bladed tool (I used a screwdriver wrapped in tape and also put tape along the bodywork to prevent scratches) and prise them up from the end nearest the rear of the car. There is a metal pin which fits into the end. Prise the end off the pin. Then gently pull up the trim working from the back of the car to the front. When you reach the front just slide the last bit backwards. It is held in place by another pin but the trim slides against it rather than being pushed down on it. How I Fitted The New Strips It might help to warm the trim but I didn't. Push the front of the trim into the channel. Then push it forward to slide into the pin in the gulley. I found this a little tricky as it sometimes seemed to have slid in correctly but I later found it had slid over the pin instead. So push down quite firmly while you slide it forward. Then work from the front of the car to the back, pushing the trim into the gulley. It is a very tight fit and I found the best method was to push down the inner side first, then push the outer side after. When you get a few inches away from the back of the trim I found (through trial and error) that you should push the end into the rear gulley pin before completing the last couple of inches. Then go back and complete that last few inches by again just pushing it down firmly. The reason for doing this is it makes it easier to get the rear into the pin. Otherwise it misses the pin by a few millimetres and wont sit right. In Summary To remove - Start at the rear of the car and work towards the front. To re-fit - Start at the front of the car and work towards the back.

Today I fitted my replacement roof trim and end caps. The old ones had not only become a dull grey but also brittle and had started to break up. Frankly they were letting the car down. So the new ones look fantastic in comparison. The trims come with a strip of putty or glue on the underside. This is covered by some plastic tape that you're clearly meant to peel off as you fit the strip. I deliberately didn't pull the tape off for the following reasons: 1) It was a little more fiddly that I expected to get it sitting right so I took my time and made several attempts until happy. Had I used the glue it would have made refitting it more tricky. 2) The old trim pulled off very easily so the old glue clearly wasn't effective anymore. The new strips would still be many times better even without the glue. They fit so tightly anyway that I can't see the glue helping in any way to prevent water ingress. The glue is only a very narrow strip on the very underside. 3) (the main reason) There are very few trims left in the country. If I ever decide to do a full respray (or anyone else does in the future) then it may not be possible to get the trims again. So I wanted them to be removable with least risk of damaging them in the future. Had I used the glue then the trims would be hard to remove and may break. So my question... Can anyone think of a good reason why I really should have pulled off the tape and used the glue? I have no intention of bodging the car so if the concensus is that I should have used the glue then I'll refit them with it.

I collected my new roof trims from the VW garage today. While talking to one of the salesmen he seemed to love them. Then as I was sitting in the car ready to leave, it rumbled into life and another of the salesmen gave a big smile and a thumbs up as he walked past :)

As long as its not me viewing the car you'll be fine. Every single one of the cars I viewed developed a fault while I was test driving it.Oil pressure sensor was one.Spoiler another.Stalling.Electric.All sorts of things.I will vote for heater matrix on this though.Good luck :)

I'm not an alarm expert by any means. But you read a lot of stories about people having problems with old alarms and immobilisers. If it were me I'd be inclined to get a new one installed and all the old bits removed. If it's starting to play up then it may leave you stranded one day.