Jim

Had the same problem with images not being displayed when John Mitchell uploaded his last set of pictures from his 16vG60 rebuild... for some reason my antivirus software seems to have a real issue with the domain where the pictures are hosted! No idea why. I also think Virgin Media block access to it too.

Well this is what we'd really like - to get these folks with these low mileage, minty cars to blow the cobwebs out and bring them to shows like these. I think I may talk with the other committee members about making an effort to INVITE certain individuals / cars to the show next year, just to get some really high calibre cars in the stand :) It's worth mentioning that you get a pair of tickets for the entire weekend, free of charge, in return for showing your car. And if you want to stay around and chat about your car to folks all weekend, then you can.. and if you don't like that and would rather go walk around and see the show, then there will always committee folks on the stand to watch it and answer questions on your behalf.

Mine is on the stand but - as usual, only because we didn't get loads of people applying to put their car on the stand (I guess because of the time of year, and the commitment for it to be there for four days!). I absolutely don't consider mine a show car by any stretch of the imagination with lots of stone chips, and scratches :( But... it was more important we fill the stand than have it half empty. Be sure to come and say hello though. I will try my best to be on or near the stand for the majority of the weekend.

It does get extremely busy - so it does require a degree of patience. But it's worth it. There's so, so much to see :)

I'm trying to get something all sorted for Jan/Feb next year - will of course keep folks posted if I do get a new motor.

I won't be using the Corrado, but I don't plan to sell it... so I guess the latter mate.

Indeed - two years lease money could go towards a full respray and full driveline overhaul, for example. But I really do just fancy something different for a while. I mean I've owned Corrado's now since 2002 and indeed have not been without a Corrado now for... er... 8 years. I just fancy a break from it.

Not a patch on so many cars on this forum mate. Really needs a *lot* of paintwork sorting out on it :( Though hopefully a year or so of it off the road, and I could get some of that seen to. Maybe.

Enjoyable watch of that video and spooky really as I'd been debating an E46 M3 as it's been in my dream garage for some time. But I think I'd just be walking into the realm of potentially terrible bills again, which is entirely contra to the reason why I'm thinking of changing to something new. Could just do with a couple of years of fixed / predictable expenditure on the car, but still want something with a bit of sparkle to enjoy on the roads. Will try and speak to some Ford dealers over the coming months and see about a test drive!

Shall check that one out later! Cool! :) Ahh.. it's Matt Farah. I know he's a big Fiesta ST fan so I can guess how that review is going to go :)

Could you not get the mating faces on them skimmed at a machine shop?

It's crazy but it's true. I'm not sure why the R was being so heavily subsidised, but that's why people have been buying them in their droves rather than the GTI!

About £360/month! :|

Not necessarily - but new enough that it's likely to be reliable. I don't want to ditch the Corrado, and walk straight into big bills :) I have thought about a BMW 3 series coupe (might fit in my garage), or a 1 series.. I dearly want a nice 5 or 7 series but no chance of being able to garage those. Also a MK2 Audi TT as I live within a 2 minute walk of an Audi dealers but I hear Audi reliability isn't all it's cracked up to be. Cheers, Kev :) I think the Golf R deals are coming to a close now sadly and the lead time on them (because of the insane demand) is like 6-7 months I think, which is why I wasn't really considering them.

That I won't be having to fix it on a weekly basis? Seriously though - it's not that I specifically want a Fiesta. I want something new or nearly new, that has a bit of performance so I won't get bored, but crucially that fits in my garage at home - which isn't very big. The Fiesta ticks those boxes well, but I'd welcome other suggestions.

Not selling the Corrado. Just putting it away for a while. But it all feels different this time - I'm not giving it up because I can't afford to run it (as has always been the problem in the past) but just "done" with it. The engine rebuild, then the alternator issues, then the heater matrix going just left me feeling extremely jaded - and knowing that there's still a tonne of body work and shagged suspension still to tackle just makes me want to throw in the towel. For now. I'd just like a car I can buy and run for two years and live a life I don't have to fit around an old car, which is sort of what it's like at the moment. If I could find one for anything like the price of the ST3 (which will only weigh in at about £180/month) I would but realistically a 135i will be at least twice that :(

I'm not trying to be too blunt here guys but I'm not interested in badge snobbery and dislike of a particular brand purely just because you just don't like them. I want to hear real world experiences, and if you can think of something else that compares on price / performance (just shy of 200BHP) / specification (the ST-3 is absolutely loaded) and looks as good as the new Fiesta does (which, I think it does) then by all means suggest something! :) Long term reliability is of no relevance - as I say, I plan to lease and probably for just two years, so it'll be under warranty and going back by the time it's done 20,000 miles.

Not yet. The problem is I know a lot of dealers are funny about test drives unless they've basically secured a sale, and I'd feel guilty knowing I'd just be buying from a lease company anyway, rather than a Ford dealer... :( So not sure how to actually go about getting a test drive! But I do need to make sure it's comfortable, etc etc and ideally that I can park it in my lock-up!

This is all I hear about them - that they're basically excellent. The ST has garnered a lot of praise from a lot of motoring type folks which reassures me hugely and is partly why I'm considering them. Good to hear some positive comments about the Fiesta in general. At the minute it's still top choice for me - can't think of any other small, performance cars that touch the Fiesta ST as an all round package.

Thinking it's time for a new car next year and the lease deals on these are extremely attractive, performance is very good and most crucially (and despite me much preferring a German barge) it'll actually fit in my very small garage at home. Just wondered if anyone has one, and how they've got on with it? How does the performance compare to your Corrado? I've always been kinda partial to a hot hatch and liked these the first time I saw them, and like that 2 years of a lease isn't too much time / commitment if I end up hating it. Cheers.

Even the youngest Corrado's are going to be nearly 20 years old and most will have 150,000+ miles on them now so it's no surprise that you've got a few jobs to tackle. The only way you'll avoid that is buying some of the very best available and even that's no guarantee you won't run into problems. None of these problems will be especially hard to rectify, even the engine woes - you need some patience, and some help doing a bit of fault finding and process of elimination. I'm willing to bet that something to do with the fan / cooling system has failed and not been identified and fixed (e.g. a sensor, or the fan control module) and the over-heating (if it's not the head gasket) will again just be down to a blockage, thermostat stuck shut or something or perhaps the waterpump being toast or similar. Again none of this especially expensive nor time consuming to fix but it's going to depend on your patience and whether you expected to buy the car and just drive it with no real maintenance required, or whether you're in for the long haul to get this stuff sorted. Honestly though, it doesn't sound like a Corrado is the car for you. They're getting old now, they need looking after!

Have a search :) We talk about gearbox oil it seems like every couple of months, and go through the same questions and answers every time :)

Similar for me unfortunately. I don't think I'll be selling it (who wants a leggy, scabby VR?), but think I'm going to be putting it away in a garage and forgetting about it for a while in the hope the love comes back and buying something else in the interim.

The Corrado VR6 (SLC) came with those wheels in the USA, so it's partly OE style.. not sure if they were an option, or were even available on the Corrado here? :)

How about using a bunch of good quality number plate fixing tape strips? Some of that stuff is extremely strong.