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farquare

who's missus drives their corrados

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Alright folks, due to a change in circumstances my girlfriend will have to drive from glasgow to edinburgh for work most days.

 

I work in the city and get the tube to work and as a result my car does about 3000 miles a year, due to the rediculously low mileage i cant really justify getting a newer car......untill now.

 

Ive had mk2 golfs for years and my current one which i've had for about 4 years looks pretty ratty and has its quirks (ha ha) but is pretty rapid and costs me nothing to run. But due to the quirks she hates driving it, which used to suit me fine.

 

Now looks like she is going to buy a motor for work but i'm inclined to think that she will buy something rubbish (shes considering a base model lupo!) but i cant help thinking its a waste of time/effort/money having an old crap car and a new crap car too!

 

so i'm starting to think about getting a newer motor and just letting her use it for work. I got some quotes for various corrados and even a modded vr6 with us both on the policy was sub £400 so insurance aint a problem.

 

What i am worried about is if she'll be able to drive it easily enough without giving me too much ear ache. i'd like the vr just cause i can now and so i can have a bit of fun at the weekend, but would the run through to work be a killer on fuel?

 

so then im thinking get a 16v, but all the reading ive done makes me think they are a bit slow for a heavier car ect and id hate to have a motor i didnt enjoy driving.

 

so basically what im getting at is (having never been in a corrado and without being sexist) is it an easy enough motor to drive?

bearing inmind my mk2 is a beast, shes used to a 3 cly corsa and i imagine the vr6 is a bit of a handull.

 

I'd be interested to hear anyones opinions or thoughts on my situation.

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Hi , welcome aboard etc

 

I taught my wife to drive in my fettled G60 and she's driven Corrados ever since and loves them. Without meaning to imply that you're being sexist - I see absolutely no reason a female should find driving a Corrado any different to a man driving one, it will be all down to personal taste/driving ability etc IMO

 

P.S - Get some pics and info up of this low mileage VR6 for us all to drool at then! :)

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sorry bro, i've not bought a corrado yet - just got my eye on a few at the moment.

 

The reason i mentioned about women driving them is that my g/f is pretty wee and hates my motor for the following reasons

 

1 rediculously heavy steering (not helped by small wheel)

2 classic mk2 golf rubbish brakes

3 classic vw heavy cluch

 

in a nutshel basically everything i love about the car ie it aint new and easy to drive!

 

so im looking for something that i'l enjoy driving and she will be able to drive with minimal fuss without bending my earhole about any of the above...

 

i guess there will be similarities between the coraddo and the mk2 but are they a million miles apart on the road?

 

cheers

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my missus drive mine sometimes, she like the looks from some chavs when they see a women driving a corrado vr6, then if they try to overtake?? she floors it :twisted:

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sorry bro, i've not bought a corrado yet - just got my eye on a few at the moment.

 

Sorry matey :oops: - i've had a couple of beers i'm afraid! - still no excuse for skim reading! :lol:

 

What I would say then, is get a Corrado but keep it pretty standard, if they're in original condition they're very nice to drive, sort of a compremise between new/boring and your Mk2 (by the sound of it)

 

The steering isn't heavy (but is also not too light!) , standard brakes aren't the bees knees but are enough to stop a standard car!, and all Corrados have hydraulic clutches so they're very light indeed!

 

Have a test drive of a couple of nice ones, you'll end up buying one!

 

There's quite a few female owners around , some on here, but I also see alot of Corrados being driven by middle aged women who don't particulary look like te racing type - so they can't be that hard to drive :)

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My wife drives the VR6 sometimes from West Lothian to Dundee and back.

She is average height at 5ft 5" but has been driving since about 1964!

 

IMO Main faults of Corrado over a "sensible" car (like Golf!) for a petite beginner are,

1 - appalling visibility to the rear.

2 - Low driving position

3 - big, heavy doors

 

Otherwise, for a VR6, experience is rated - - wow!!

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to be honest i'l prob end up buying one anyway ha ha

 

what would you choose between the vr and the 16v?

 

i like the thought of the vr but i'm slightly put off by the fact i know my way around 8v & 16v's pretty well (currently running 2l 8v with big valves all fitted myself etc) but could bearly fill a postage stamp with my knowledge of vr's...

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what would you choose between the vr and the 16v?

 

 

You know the answer to that really !!

 

Welcome - good to have another member from north of the border.

 

My gf's car broke down last weekend and for the 1st time in 4 years she had to drive the raddo for a few days ( had only just renewed ins and they wouldnt do a temporary cover - so she is on it for a year now ! ). She is quite tall ( 5 11 ) and normally drives a pug 206.

 

Mate she loves it and now understands why:

 

a) i have problems driving the pug - ( pedals squewed to the left, no feedback from anything - cant feel the accelerator underfoot, very high sitting position etc )

b) i go on about it being such a great car.

 

She liked it before, but after driving it she said it was easy and loved the 'power'. She did not look happy trying to get comfortable in the pug again now its fixed !

 

I think she wants one. And i am sure your gf will love hers too.

 

Good luck.

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I say get a 16v, obviously there are exceptions to the rule but on average they're both cheaper to buy and cheaper to run than the VR6. They aren't slow either, granted the VR is quicker in a straight line but for everyday driving the 16v is plenty quick enough.

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oh but a vr is so much fun (haven't driven any other variants so can't compare) and it sounds fantastic too!

 

I'd just like to point out to farquare, that I'm a girl who has owned her vr for 18mths with no worries about visibility etc. In fact the steering and clutch are a blessing compared to my last car which was a MkII Scirocco but without compromising the fun of a 'driver's car' unlike so many modern cars. It's my daily drive (I've covered a very happy few thousand miles in mine) and my weekend fun - ok it's costs a bit on fuel but from what I've heard on this forum, the 16v doesn't get significantly better figures and imo it's worth it. Go on, go for it, I'm sure you won't regret it!! (as you can see I'm quite enthusiastic about mine :roll: :luvlove: and I know there are other girls on here who will agree with me!!) Good luck with you search

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thanks for all the replies, thats pretty much what i was looking to hear.

 

now all i got to do is the small matter of getting the golf through its mot at the weekend then i can offload that and start my search.

 

cheers, richey.

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Yeah, definately go for the VR. Now I've had one I wouldn't go for anything less. Not just cos of the power but the engine is so much smoother. Running costs will be higher, I've had an average of 26mpg over the last 2000 miles, but that isn't too bad IMO.

 

I let my gf drive the car (putting her on the insurance acttually made it cheaper) and she loves it, and has no problems driving it.

 

Scarlet_VR6 - is your rear spoiler working cos when mines up rear visibility is rubbish! (very difficult to see if the car behind you is a copper, been caught out once already)

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My Mrs has a MkIII Golf and always moans when she has to take my VR (as she did today!). Main reasons being

1) difficult to get in & out (especially now I have the Audiscape door pods)

2) poor visability out back

3) she's not used to it.

 

but she does like the power and the fact that the brakes are a huge improvement on the Goof, cos they stop the car! I drove her Golf in today as I need to take it in the garage for cam belt, and I must say it is easier to drive. The Rado is a drivers car and needs more input in general, but you do get alot more back.

 

As for fuel, I find the VR more economical than the 2l 16V (I had one before). I average 29mpg on a tank with just short journeys to work (8 miles), but when on a run it quite easily manages 33-36 mpg.

 

Women are funny things, so don't assume anything and let her make the decision (with a bit of persuasion of course)

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My girlfriend has had a go in mine and loved it, not sure the alloys would last long though if it came to actually parking the thing. Mirrors and visibility are appalling imo.

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My wife drives the VR6 to work every day, she was after all the one who wanted to keep it when we bought the S3. She also drives the S3 which is rather more powerful than the VR6.

 

I'm not quite sure why a woman wouldn't be able to drive a Corrado, they're only a car with a wheel, three pedals and a stick in the same place as all cars. Or am I missing something?

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please dont take this post as a "women cant drive this or that"

 

i listed the reasons why she doesnt like driving my car....

 

all i wanted is some feedback on wheter the issues she has with the golf would also be a problem in the coraddo.

 

i'm in no means saying that she wouldnt be able to drive it, she has a clean record (6yrs no claims) same as me and i dont doubt her ability but being relativly small the golf is a bit of a brute to drive,

 

having never driven a corrado i was just wanting to know if its similar.

 

cheers

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My girlfriend won't touch my Corrado. She doesn't like driving anything other than diddy cars (like her Ka) and is afraid of damaging mine as she knows how precious I am about it!! :D

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My lass sometimes drives the raddo but when it comes to parking its difficult for her due to the blind spots from the rear and long nose, other than that she loves it,but I had a MK2 golf that I converted to an ABF and she loved that so much for the high driving position and pokey motor she wouldn't give the keys back ! :lol:

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my Mrs loves driving the C, the other day she proudly announced 'I got up to 140 on this bit of dual carriageway the other week' :shock:

It was replacing the boge's with Konis that did it, up to then the boob jiggling hurt too much, not me, her BTW :lol:

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The vr is a LOVELY car to drive imo, i had a nice easy fiesta before and i prefer the drive of the vr due to it being SO smooth, the clutch is really nice and the steering although is power steering is quite heavy so you actually feel like YOU are driving the car and its better because of that! Economy isnt as bad as people think, i average around 27-28mpg every tank in mine and i only drive short journies and ALWAYS thrash it when possible!

 

Go for the vr mate you wont regret it 8)

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I found my 'rados a lot easier to drive than my Mk2 tbh.

1) PAS is, I think standard on all 'rados wheras my Goof has none.

2) The brakes on the 'rados were WAY better. Even now I've upgraded the Golf brakes, they just don't compare.

3) Clutch on the 'rado was lighter, although not by much (now I've fitted a brand new one to the golf :-)).

 

The valvers are no slouch, a standard 2.0l will top out at an indicated 137mph :-) Not as fast as a VR, but not as pricey to fix IF they go wrong....

Good luck & welcome to the forum,

Tom

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