Portent

Welcome. Sounds lovely, especially the combination of green with cream. Low miles. And you know it's history. Good stuff.

It might be worth putting a wanted ad. Some people may be replacing perfectly good rollers just as a precaution. So you could strike lucky and get some old, but still non-rattling, ones. I'd get the ad in quickly though as people may throw them away.

Sorry to hear about the setback. You've done great things with this car so just look at what you've achieved. In the grand scheme of things this is a minor issue. Hope you get it sorted soon.

imho moonlight is one of the best Corrado colours.

Ok I'll throw one last suggestion your way then (you'll ignore it because you want an S3 which I completely understand)... http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2326484.htm Corrado 20vt with 365bhp. Job done :grin: (Someone on this forum is selling it but I can't find their advert anymore).

I've been in the back of a TT a few times. I'm 5ft 8" and it was ok for short journeys... but not a long one. It really sounds like you do have your heart on an S3 and if you get something else then I think you'll regret it. So an S3 it should be :) Out of interest what was it that you were looking for in a Corrado before you bought one?

But VW are now obsoleting a lot of Corrado parts. Are Porsche any better? Being a prestige manufacturer I expect you may still be able to get most parts. They would be expensive but at least you may have a choice. Also as many more were sold there is probably a bigger aftermarket scene (both third party and breakers).

Nice car. What's a 'duckbill lip'?

If nothing needs doing then put it in the bank until something breaks.

There's nothing significantly different about Storms. They came in only two colour combinations (classic green with cream leather, or mystic blue with black leather). They had a red Storm badge on the rear and on the centre console below the gear lever. They also had different alloys (BBS Solitude 6 spokes). They are worth slightly more than a standard VR6 with the same level of trim but apart from badges, colour and wheels, there is nothing inherently different about them. Getting the chains done is quite a big job which requires the engine to come out (a lot of people get the clutch and head gasket done at the same time so if you trust him to actually do the chains it may be worth seeing what he's charge to get those done if they have not been done in the cars history). However, what proof can you actually get of him replacing the chains if he's going to get his garage to do it? A receipt may not be worth much as he could probably just get one printed without doing the work. So it might be worth asking him to take some pictures of different stages of the work as proof. Any Corrado is now going to be over 15 years old. Most will have what we consider high mileage but if the condition is good and it has a good service history then that is more important than the mileage.

What are you looking for in your next car? If you're looking for a reliable daily then I'd have the S3 (or a 4Mo). If your priority is engine noise and the rarity factor (and you can put up with a occasional niggles) then I'd suggest keeping the Corrado. What is it that you love about the Corrado and what is it about it that makes you want to change it? Maybe the 4Mo is a good compromise if you're after the big engined feel with 4WD and slightly more modern? I know you've already dismissed the 4Mo but if you wanted to have a good look around a low mileage well looked after one, and a bit of a drive without feeling rushed on a test drive, then you're more than welcome to pop over and take a look at mine. It's not for sale and it's the 5 door version so wouldn't be what you're looking for anyway... but it might help your decision a bit. I'm not too far away from you. Sorry to throw another decision your way but have you considered a mk1 TT? Lovely cars and I'd have one over an S3, and they are probably the closest you'd get to a modern Corrado (excluding the new Scirocco which is way more expensive). I like the TT from a performance point of view but being a 6'1" rugby player i dont think i could get away with it. Again with the 4 motion im just not a fan of mk4 shape but thanks for the offer if i do change my mind il def take you up on it! I love the looks of the rado and the noise it makes. What i dont like is that squeezing extra power out of it is going to be expensive. I like the idea of easily having 280bhp with £400 and 4wd in the s3 and having a newer interior etc. It sounds like the S3 is for you then :)

The obvious differences have already been talked about: S3 - reliable, very tunable, sporty, good grip and handling 4Mo - reliable, big engine feel, nice sound, more discreet, lots of torque, less sporty looks, reasonable handling but still has lots of grip (but can wallow a little if not modified) Corrado VR6 - peaky engine so not much low down, very good handling, not going to be as reliable, less modern, but has rarity factor that the others can't match What are you looking for in your next car? If you're looking for a reliable daily then I'd have the S3 (or a 4Mo). If your priority is engine noise and the rarity factor (and you can put up with a occasional niggles) then I'd suggest keeping the Corrado. What is it that you love about the Corrado and what is it about it that makes you want to change it? Maybe the 4Mo is a good compromise if you're after the big engined feel with 4WD and slightly more modern? I know you've already dismissed the 4Mo but if you wanted to have a good look around a low mileage well looked after one, and a bit of a drive without feeling rushed on a test drive, then you're more than welcome to pop over and take a look at mine. It's not for sale and it's the 5 door version so wouldn't be what you're looking for anyway... but it might help your decision a bit. I'm not too far away from you. Sorry to throw another decision your way but have you considered a mk1 TT? Lovely cars and I'd have one over an S3, and they are probably the closest you'd get to a modern Corrado (excluding the new Scirocco which is way more expensive).

Good point about cross checking the service history with VW. There was a Storm for sale a while back with around 110k on it but with some gaps in the history. I didn't go to see it but just did a quick check with VW and the last VW service was when it was 2 years old and it had already done over 60k in those two years. It didn't make sense to me that it had then only done about 50k in the following 13 years. It's possible of course, but unlikely.

Very nice indeed. So not getting a Corrado then?

Haha, loved the above comments. I'm at that stage at the moment with a severe lack of funds resulting in no change of car for several years (luckily I like the car though). Welcome back... which flavour of Storm (colour)?

So similar issues to the Corrado then :) I was just wondering why people bought a Corrado over a 944 really. I'm not particularly looking to get one although the S2 certainly seems the one to get.

Might be worth checking that the 58/48k isn't ude anything big at 50k miles service. Don't think they are but worth a check.

Did any of you guys consider a 944 when looking at the Corrado? They seem similar prices (slightly more expensive but not massively so) and seem a direct cometitor to them in terms of 2+2, shape, power, etc. Looking at the history of them, Porsche and VW initially developed the 924 together and then VW jumped ship when they felt the Scirocco was filling the gap of the coupe. So in that sense the 944 is Porsche's Corrado.

Assuming they are all colour combinations that you like and the condition, service history, and trim levels are similar then the 58 with 48k seems the one to me.

I've had two mk1 TT's and loved them. The second was the slightly facelifted one (I forget which year they came in) with larger standard alloys and stiffer suspension. I really miss that car and only sold it because after a year I had only done around 3k miles in it and at the time I didn't have off street parking (it sustained several minor scratches due to other peoples poor parking and it used to wind me up). So I sold it back to the dealer for almost the same price I paid for it and spent the next year without a car until my daughter came along :D It was the only car I've ever bought new and while I wouldn't do it again it was lovely seeing it roll off the delivery lorry :D It was an amazingly capable and comfortable car that made me grin every time I got in it. I do love the bigger capacity V6's in my previous VR6 and current 4Mo but the 1.8t is a very good engine too (I didn't tune it - I tend to keep all my cars very standard). If I didn't have kids then I'd certainly have one tomorrow. But the only thing that would put me off slightly now is that there are so many of them around that they simply aren't special any more. Great cars but it won't have the rarity factor of the Corrado.

Bonjour!

awesome! 8)[/quote:1nrvszc2] thanks :D[/quote:1nrvszc2] White... check Covered in mud... check Snow... check It's a candidate for a CCGB Christmas card :D

I was thinking the same. Good on him though for rescuing it. And it will be a car with personal history which he will value very, very much :salute:

There are a few traders on this forum. At least TCS is open and honest about being one rather than making up stories about why he's selling the car, or why the V5 is not in his name. In that respect I would buy from him if he had a car that was the right condition AND the right price. However, as with any trader selling older cars which are naturally at the lower price point in relative terms, the only way to make a profit is to buy them cheap and sell at higher than private value. So the question you need to ask is why he bought the car cheaply? Was it because the car wouldn't sell privately? And if that's the case then what is the reason? I'm not saying that all cars sold by small traders have an issue but I would recommend really looking over the car very well to understand why it might have been bought by the trader at a lower price than someone could have sold it for privately.

Personally I'd look at around the £4k mark and allow that extra £1k for getting any niggles fixed. As many on here know I've spent a long time looking at the market and I've come to the conclusion that there are very few cars that are completely right and won't need money spending on them in the near term. You ask why a Corrado? Well for me it's probably more to do with the fact I wanted one when they were new. Compared to modern cars they aren't that fast (but not slow either), are certainly not as reliable, and I don't think they will be worth a fortune in the future (I could be wrong). But it's the whole '90's thing'... I love the look of them, the fact they are small and nimble compared to modern cars, and actually have some character. If you want a 90's coupe then this is the one to get :) Oh and the fact they are rare helps a lot. I love the fact a lot of people don't know what they are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6cS64jX8iw