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lil b

high mileage corado's??

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hi ive been looking for a while now for a corrado , but as i dont have huge amount to spend the ones in my price range (£1400) are all around 160k on L to a N plate .. i was wondering is this pretty high for corrado's???

i was also wondering if anyone could tell me any problems that they have had (if any) with one with alot of miles on the clock.

 

 

thanks lil b

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price range depends upon what model your looking for?

 

there's plenty of corrados still chugging around on 150k - 200k, i wouldn't worry about it too much provided they have the typical issues dealt with, besides some cosmetic/ electrical issues they're all pretty sound mechanically

 

every purchase is a risk, you may get lucky and have a beaut, you may buy a dog, try not to analyse it too much and go for a car you really like :luvlove: rather than one which you don't just because it appears more reliable, as you're more likely to put up with a car you like thats dodgy :D

 

confused :scratch: ?

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im looking for either a 1.8 or 2.0 16v ive seen 2 now, one of each both sheds :( looking at a dragon green 2.0 this weekend (my fav vw colour) :luvlove: im PRAYING its in good nick its a l reg and its done about 160k i no german build quality is solid on these engines but you never no :)... i think its because i had a old mk1 clio 1.8 and i threw so much money at it i eneded up witht he fear that it was gonna break and i really dont wanna go throught that agein :(

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I remember one for sale a while ago which had 250k+ on the clock - made me laugh as it was advertised as 'Millennium Falcon mileage' :lol: Have no idea whether that was a decent one or not, but there do seem to be a fair few good ones around with a high mileage.

 

Good luck at the weekend :)

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There are bargains out there to be had, i picked mine for under £600 but suppose i have spent a further £300ish on it. Mileage wise it was 117th

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well its just had cambelt done and a service which is good :) i look after my cars so ill prob end up replaceing some of the major componants (sp) just for piece of mind :)

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160k is 'average' mileage nowadays. Bear in mind these cars are now over 15 years old!

 

Condition depends on how well the car has been looked after by the previous owner. Mine was a little ropey in places ('Fred in a Shed' aftermarket parts fitted) but is now mint with OEM parts again :D

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Mine hit 186,186 today. It's been a faithfull wee car and hasn't thrown me any major grief, crosses fingers. Find the best one you can for your budget and look after it.

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I've got a 160k vr and it's quiet, dosent use any oil or water and have not had any problems with it bar the usual jiggles which aren't engine related. I've had other 200k mile cars with no problems.

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Looks nice, if you do buy it the first thing that you should do is get rid of that tow bar!

 

Who in there right mind puts a towbar on a corrado.??? :nono:

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Don't let high mileage put you off as long as the owner hasn't been afraid to replace tired / knackered stuff when it's needed doing! Mine is on 192,000 miles now and I've generally fixed whatever's needed doing, when it needs it. It's only let me down once and that was my own stupid fault (drove through a ford which was a bit too deep - got water in the fuel!)

 

At that kind of mileage worry about bodywork / chassis condition - as long as it's solid there, the mechanical stuff can be taken care of. If it's rotten to pieces then it's just going to fail at the next MOT and any money put into mechanical stuff will just be thrown away.

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i think its because i had a old mk1 clio 1.8 and i threw so much money at it i eneded up witht he fear that it was gonna break and i really dont wanna go throught that agein :(

 

thats made me chuckle, my mate had one of those and spent thousands and thousands on it, it broke down and had problems almost monthly still.... i also know 2 people who had 1.2's, same story, and also a mate had a renault 19 1.8 16V, all of which they spent a fortune on. Doesnt matter how much you spend on them they are just crap cars!!! They are almost as rare as Corrados now and at one point years ago them clios were everywhere!!!! :lol:

 

anyway, good luck looking at the corrado at the weekend, im sure you will find one eventually, it will be worth the wait :D

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I don't want to put you off unnecessarily but considering how tight your budget sounds you need to think vary carefully about committing to one of these cars. You can buy a Corrado for £1,400 but at the same time it's very easy to incur a garage bill bigger than that if the wrong thing goes wrong with it. I myself have had a number of bills well over £1,000 and others posters on here will confirm they have too.

 

That's not to say that the car is not essentially reliable, and that you won't find a good one at the price you're looking at paying, but if we're talking VR6 there will be a lot of dogs out there at that price and you'll need to inspect quite a few to find out what you can expect for the money.

 

In some ways considering a 160,000 miler could have it's advantages. For example most cars at that mileage will have had the chains/headwork done (look for a receipt in the £1300-£1800 range depending on the work done) which should put the engine in decent stead for perhaps another 100,000 miles. The downside may be that the suspension, dampers & bushes may well not have been replaced.

 

Good luck with the search, but be careful -

 

John

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I'd second what John says - the Corrado is essentially a fairly straightforward and reliable car if its been maintained to a reasonable level.

 

However, with even the youngest being 14 years old you need to have a fund to ensure that everything is kept on top of. I'm about to embark on a similar thing (with an Audi Coupe) - its coming with 168k on the clock and a full service history but I'm fully expecting some things needing attention immediately and other things to be scheduled over the next few months - I've put £500-600 to one side just to cover the essentials

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As the others have said, they are fundamentaly reliable cars( espec the VR's), however at 'today's' money they would have been c£35-40K new (£21K in 93) - so they have the running costs of a 35K-40K car, and one with 150-200K miles..... so you need to be able budget and have an 'emergency' fund for stuff that will need doing as it wears out..

 

...even a 'good' car (ie straight engine, good body, unabused) will need parts replacing whether they be hoses, suspension, chains/cams, clutchs etc - you can mitigate to an extent buy buying on thatys recently had the suspension/bushes done, or chains done etc, but they will be stuuf that needs doing as things do wear out..

 

To put into perspective, this year,my rado (16 yr old, 170+K miles) has cost me £1300 to sort out various random odds and sods, and replace pretty much the entire cooling system (rad, hoses, pumps etc).

- it did however (6 months later) walk straight through the MOT without even an advisory- (none of the odds and sods, or the cooling would have been tested at the MOT or affected the outcome..)

 

So fundamentally a v.good car, but its that age where stuff is wearing out, and needs replacing as it does..

 

 

Make sure you don't buy a lemon, bear the above in mind, and plan for stuff to 'wear out', and I'm sure you have a god ownership experience, just have your eyes open.

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excellent post above mate - says it all really - and when put like that, it should put minds at rest or at least on 'stand-by' for the many 'treats' corrado ownership can throw out. :notworthy:

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My old 'Rado is a 1.8 16v KR with 183,000 on the clock. It's had paint, and has a thick old folder stuffed full of bills from the previous owner, it uses a little bit of oil, but has had new suspension etc etc. I think decent servicing counts for far more than low mileage, I had a 30,000 mile SLK that every little thing cost a fortune, and there was a never ending succesion of little things !!!

 

I'd love a VR6, but until Carol Corrado does something that REALLY :censored: me off, I'm keeping it.

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Mine have taken more than my fair share of money over the years but then I always figured that if I'd gone out and bought a new car (which incidentally might just as easily chuck out a massive bill as soon as the warranty ran out) I'd be paying out so much in finance each month, much of it interest, that I'd rather spend an outright amount of money I can afford in one lump on an older car and then be prepared to use the selfsame wedge each month which I would have spent buying back a bit of a new car at a time on keeping the old one going.

 

Under this scheme of questionable brilliance I've never owned a new car and I've suffered my fair share of sudden big bills or the occasional sticky situation where a car has let me down. But then I never wanted to own a new car and every time I get in my Corrado, I love its retro charm and the performance. After all, what car could I possibly have afforded new which would have provided like performance and smiles for miles ratio?

 

Like you, I was worried about the wisdom of buying an older sports coupe and the possibility of big bills. I've had the worst happen and an engine die on me in the old one, just after putting lots of money into it. So what did I do? I bought another, as similar as I could find, because I didn't want a new car and I missed the old one so desperately.

 

Best decision I ever made but many think I'm a nutter for doing it. But then every time I press the loud pedal...bliss.

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I think you're right on the finance vs old car thing, Mr. Sands - and it's the reason why I've justified keeping my Corrado for so long.

 

If I wanted a new or nearly new Golf GTI I'd need to find around £350/month (if I actually wanted to own, not lease one). Or for a few grand I can have an old Corrado and know that provided it doesn't cost me more than £350/month in upkeep, I'm getting a good deal. My cars have never cost me that much, ergo they've worked out well financially :)

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agree with those sentiments, and have just decided to keep my daily following a good service

 

the only thing with finance is you will probably own a higher value car once the finance is paid - probably still not worth it for the overall saving tho

 

horses for courses and all that

 

lil b - let us all know whether you buy this or not

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