Anybody know anything about Scirocco's? :)

[Chris71 0]

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.

[Chris VR6nos 0]

Hard to get a nice one for cheap money now but always liked them, look dated now though i think, not that it would stop me owning a nice one but it's a Corrado before the steroid injections!

£500 isn't a lot of money, £1000 is, my mate just sold his for £300 and it had 1 year test and 4month tax

 

 

Chris

[scarlett 0]

welcome aboard mate..!

 

Roccos are good cars, especially if you can find something thats been well looked after, which that one does! performance isnt great (ie not corrado quick) but as they are a bit lighter they feel quite nippy. not to sure on mpg however...

 

obviously they dont have the sporty feel of a rado (well, the one i drove didnt) but they are a good car to get you on the corrado ladder!

 

however for a little more money you could find yourself a 1.8/2ltr corrado.... :)

 

good luck with the car hunt...!

[vwcvr6 0]

Welcome to the forum mate give tempest a PM! am sure he will sort ur doubts!

[Dec 1]

I'm just finishing putting one back together to do me as a drive about while I'm playing with the Corrados engine!

 

I quite like the looks of them...but most other people don't seem keen on them! Mines only a 1.6 carb, but its actually quite nippy, as they only weigh something like 890Kg.

 

What I'm most impressed is the price of parts for them, and how basic everything mechanical is! Nice and simple, so there's less to go wrong with them....and they are cheap and easy(ish) to fix when you need to.

 

£14.20 for a complete new fuel pump v's at least 10 times that for the rado....cant go wrong at those prices :)

[emax 0]

I used to have a GT (1.8 90bhp) and it was a good car.

 

Performance isn't obviously in the same league as the corrado but it is quicker than you'd give it credit for thanks to the fact it is a lot lighter than a Corrado.

 

It was quite torquey in its delivery but mine seemed to run out of puff by about 5,500rpm; not much point in pushing it to the red line. Very smooth, linear delivery though.

 

Gear ratios are quite short which helps the acceleration quite a bit. Handling was very good but the brakes were utterly terrifying and felt like they belonged on a BMX bike.

 

If you go to see it, try to see how it runs when started from cold. The standard pierburg carb can be a nightmare and mine wouldn't idle at all until it had warmed up a bit - a common problem I believe. Many owners go for a weber conversion.

[Dec 1]

oh yeah! the brakes are absolutely crud, forgot to mention that.

 

There was talk on one of the other forums about making up small adaptor plates to allow you to fit 256mm disks + calipers from a Corrado to them. But I'm not sure if they were ever made in the end.

[DEL VR6 0]

Tempest is your man.

 

What he doesnt know about Sciroccos isnt worth knowing.

[Tempest 0]

Right, only now spotted this thread (long day in the shed, our company Escort delivery van again :-( ):

 

Personally, I'm not a fan of carb'ed engines. They are difficult to set up (particularly if you're going to slap on a Weber carb, as the Pierburg can be a nightmare in its own right - OK, if it works, but a nightmare if it doesn't).

 

I'd always go for a fuel-injected Rocco. The K-Jet'ted Roccos are very simple indeed to work on engine-wise, and mechanically, as the previous posters have laready stated, they are a dream (almost) to work on compared to the much more complicated Corrado. Having had the comparison, I have been swearing like mad numerous times on my C compared to when working on one of my 2 Roccos. Parts are so much cheaper too for the Rocco.

 

Although the standard 90 bhp carb'ed engine (the EX) is quicker off the line than the comparable DX engine (2nd generation GTI engine, the successor to the legendary 110 bhp 1.6 GTI EG-engine as found in the original Mk1 Goofs and Roccos, sporting 112 bhp but loads more bottom-end torque), it then will run out of steam a bit quickly compared to the DX-engine.

 

The DX-engine is very easy to mod. Slapping on a Powerflow stainless exhaust system, a 4-2-1 branch Supersprint manifold, and using a Pieprcross panel filter gave me 120 bhp at the last rolling road day at Stealth. Not bad for a 22-year old engine ! There have been people who spent much more time and money on their DX-engines, and have reported 130 bhp and more, which is a serious amount for such a light-weight car (950 kg).

 

Suspension-wise the Rocco can also be helped a lot by just like you would with your C give it a proper suspension. I went for the FK Königsport, and although not as harsh as the Sachs racing coilies on my Mk1 (which does not give at all), which is a nice balance between performance-oriented handling and comfort (although as it uses Koni dampers, you can also set the rebound).

 

So, all in all, a Rocco can be made pretty much almost as nice as a C, when you look after it, and start off with a decent example.

 

Does it look dated? I don't think so. I still think that the Mk1 in particular looks timeless, the Mk2 takes time, before it grows onto some people.

 

Personally I still prefer my 2 Roccos for outright fun, handling, and just chucking about on the roads, whereas my C is kept as more of a comfort-car, but that's because of all the US-spec toys on-board :-).

 

Tempest

[DEL VR6 0]

Told you what he doesnt know isnt worth knowing!

[randomist 0]

thought i'd mention a few more of the common faults these cars have (coz the one i had had em all!)

already mentioned the carb & brakes, leaky window seals ( usually accompanied by swimming pools in the footwells or boot, gearbox problems (synchromesh i believe? ) heater controls sticking (easy repair) fuel tanks & filler necks rot like bastards & clog up the carbs so that's something to watch out for! but all pretty cheap to repair. personally i'd go for an injection model purely because my pierberg went the way of the pear within 3 weeks of ownership & a new weber is about 200 & odd quid now i believe? none of this would put me off coz i luv 'em! still on the look out for a nice white scala injection. someday........

[jinx 0]

Ive got a 1991 Metallic Grey/Silver 1.8 GT II for sale. Genuine 52000 miles. New clutch, timing belt, exhaust back box. Original BBS alloys, will have 12 months mot but no tax. PM me if interested. :thumbleft:

[Chris71 0]

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!!

[Tempest 0]

gearbox problems (synchromesh i believe? )

 

Common problem on the Rados gearboxes, too ;-)

 

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.

 

The reason you see more carb'ed ones, is that all the late Mk2 Roccos (GT2) all had the EX-engine (strangely enough, as all the GT2s in D and the US had either the fuel-injected 16V PL-engine or the fuel-injected 8V JH-engine, both CATed).

 

The early ones for the GB market still had the fuel-injected DX-engine. There were a lot more than just 50 :-) The real rare ones for the UK at least were the official 10 imported LHD-only 16V KR-engine GTX Roccos, plus a few self-imported 16Vs, as well as a few engine conversions here and there.

 

You get used to the brakes in as far as that you just learn to brake in advance :lol: You can improve on them by using braided hoses, possible bigger disks on the front, and if you really want to got to town, convert the rears from drums to disks (although as only 20% of braking power goes to the rears anyway, the last option won't do that much more in improving the overall braking performance). The reason for the poor brakes is that horrible 11-hinged crossbar along the firewall, that transfers the pedal power to the servo which still sits on the left hand side of the car, pedal on the right hand side. They should have re-arranged the engine bay, like they did for the Mk2 Goof.

 

Tempest

[randomist 0]

Are the fuel injected ones rare?

 

i've seen quite a few injection rocco's recently, mostly on ebay. i think the earlier gtx models are all injection, not sure if they are 1.6 or 1.8 though. i'm sure tempest will know. if your after a later model i think the scala i is the only one you can get. i know these are 1.8's & one day i'll have one. although i quite fancy a blue storm? also injection. i'd def go for an injection one though, once bitten 'n' all that!

 

there's a canny site that i used to find really helpful, i think it's msn.com/sciroccoworld or something like that. worth a look as they have cars for sale on there & as its an enthusiasts site you tend to get well looked after cars.

[devil fish 0]

I loved my rocco, unfortunately the pants brakes ended its life (a situation I just couldn't avoid). But generally as mentioned if you leave a bigger gap and brake early your fine, just don't expect to stop in an emergency. They are strong cars though, took a hell of a whack and I was completely unharmed.

 

The headlights are also pretty weak (like the C's), so uprated wire loom is common, unless you piss everyone off driving around with the enormous fogs on.

 

Rusty door bottoms are also worth looking for, as its usually the first place to rust on a mk2.

 

I actually found my carbed 1.8 gt2 quite nippy, must be quite a bit lighter than a rado.

 

Awesome looking cars, really makes me smile when I see one. Damnit, wish I still had one :(

 

My mint GT2, I hardly paid anything for it a few years ago, seems the price has gone up a bit.

[chubbybrown 0]

Speak to Tempest surely ?

hes a sage whe it comes to roccos

[Rico 0]

I've just sold mine and it was a barrel of laughs to drive.

They handle fantastically and the torque is great considering it s only 90bhp!

 

This is mine....

 

 

You won't regret buying one and they are great value for money considering what you get compared to a golf gti

[CorradoVR6-Turbo 0]

Great cars and with a better build quality than the Corrado thats for sure !

Its got a better looking ass than the raddo to....i sooo miss mine :(