Valver for the girlfriend's first car - opinions please...

[pete_griff 0]

howdy all, i'm getting a hankering to get another corrado (i know, i know before you all start on at me about my old one!!!). anyway, i really can't justify getting another myself at the mo, however....

 

the mrs is learning to drive and she has yet to decide on a car. she has said she wants something small and easy which is not a good start as far as i'm concerned! also she will undoubtedly have memories of my corrado which won't be the fondest ones.

 

i recon though that if i nag her enough i might be able to swing her to the idea...

 

obviously it would have to be a valver for her first car and it would also have to be a 2.0 rather than a 1.8 as the interiors look newer, the cars are newer etc and she would be more easily persuaded.

it would only be kept standard and i would have to find a tidy example so it didn't let her down all the time.

 

so...

 

what do you guys recon to letting a sensible 25 year old lady loose in a 2.0 16v corrado for her first car - bear in mind she absolutely bricks it whenever my car gets a hint out of shape (i'm now firmly banned from any "frivolities" in the m5 when she is on board!), so i certainly can't see her going mad in the car. i'm just a little worried about letting a very inexperienced driver out in a comparitively fast first car with an old school abs system and less driver aids etc than the new fandangled things we drive around in today...

(for the record i had a comparitively fast first car which i ended up parking on it's roof! i know that my girlfriend is not me, but you get where i'm coming from here)

 

 

OPINIONS PLEASE ALL :D :tongue:

[C488ADO 0]

hmmm its is quite a strong old bus though... id say visuallyhey are not great esp for an inexperianced driver esp for parking the rear window is a bit high you know what i mean??

 

but it would be reliable enough and safe compared to a renault or somethign frenchy

[Abdul 0]

How about an 8v? Nippy enough for a new driver and probably more reliable than most valvers baring in mind the fact that they tend to be ragged to death!! You should also be able to get something with reasonable mileage etc that way.

[Walesy 0]

I taught my missus to drive in a 200bhp G60 Corrado and she's driven them since passing on and off, don't see the problem mate :)

[Abdul 0]

I taught my missus to drive in a 200bhp G60 Corrado and she's driven them since passing on and off, don't see the problem mate :)

 

 

I learnt to drive in a 70hp fiesta diesel... :cry:

 

Your missus is lucky as hell!!! I always tell mine to drive the rado but shes too scared lol.

[andy 0]

Personally I don't think they make a great 1st car. Fine if you're a youngster who has a massive specific hankering for a Corrado. I think the general, visibility and dreadful mirrors on Corrados are quite new driver unfriendly. I think you have lots to worry about when your a new driver without introducing the worlds biggest blind spots into the equation. Also compare something like a Clio with a Corrado for ease of driving for a beginner, if you don't know what I mean, drive one or something similar. Also the insurance will be interesting for a new driver.....

[C488ADO 0]

piggot 106 diesels are a good win for a first timer dont have to worry about them etc uber reliable etc etc but if you breath in to hard you 'd suck the doors in!

[davidwort 0]

a corrado doesn't sound like a great idea to me,

a polo or mk3/mk4 golf would be a better bet and would be much easier to see out of.

[HiAsAKite 0]

My only concern would be:

 

- Corrado's aren't the easiest of things to drive due to position/visibility etc.. not a big issue for most of us but for a 'first time driver', there are easier things out therre

- if she's anything like I was when I first started, she will prang it in some manner at some point. Rado parts are getting rare so the chance of a write-off/expensive bill for a minor prang is much higher than on something more generic..

 

If she's a nervous driver, I would say the above may be even more likely..

 

Personally I feel that you don't really learn to drive until you're on your own, in your own car, and your first car is when you really learn, and make you first mistakes etc, so best do that in car where the odd shunt/prang isn't a big deal rather than something special..

...and remember, if the damage isn't a big deal/cheap to repair, and no one else (3rd party) is involved, then there's no insurance involved, which helps build up NCB

 

-to counter that, lots of people do have shiny/new/special cars as their first cars, and don't prang them, (better/more cautious drivers then me I suspect!) - but only you know which category she may be likely to fall into

[KADVR6 0]

and before the week is out it will have nice new alloys, have some good suspension on it, be cleaned to within an inch of its life, you wont be driving the BMW anymore, and the missus will not drive the corrado because she can tell that you love it more than her.

 

so dont even go looking at one mate, just buy something boring/safe for her.

[The_Dude 0]

i wouldn't get her a corrado as a first car.

something more practical and more modern with better safety and some airbags would do better.

[V-Dubstar 0]

and before the week is out it will have nice new alloys, have some good suspension on it, be cleaned to within an inch of its life, you wont be driving the BMW anymore, and the missus will not drive the corrado because she can tell that you love it more than her.

 

so dont even go looking at one mate, just buy something boring/safe for her.

 

:lol: True!!

 

I agree here mate, might not be the easiest thing to drive for an inexperienced driver lol. I personally would rather be thrown at the deep end with a car without PAS, ABS etc as it probably makes you a better driver for later on, but for someone as you put "absolutely bricks it whenever my car gets a hint out of shape" maybe something a bit newer with more safety features is ideal?

 

But then, it would be ace for you to have a go in another Corrado regularly... :wink:

[Swompy 0]

As a younge driver (20) and only been on the road for 3 years I defo dont think a rado would be the best first car. As trying to revers park is not easy in any car let alone a Corrado and when I first drove my Rado I looked to my right to see the blind spot and I shat myself because all I could see was the door pillar.

 

I'll tell you what to do Pete, buy her something cheap and nasty which she can chuck around a bit and not worry to much about damaging, as it will happen.

 

And with them money left over buy yourself a nive VR 8)

 

:lol:

[dirtytorque 0]

my gf thought it was too big,She'd been driving couple of years at that point:cuckoo: .

Depends how confident a person/driver she is.

Maybe people are selling her a bit short.

However I don't think it is the best first car.

And there is always the risk of falling in love with it etc as above.

If you want a corrado wait and get your own one.

8)

[KADVR6 0]

my gf thought it was too big,

 

never heard that from my missus :(

[Walesy 0]

She's a 25 year old woman, surly she's capable of making the decision herself? :lol:

 

A 16v will be no quicker than 90% of the cars on the roads these days, by todays standards they're not a fast car. Obviously they're not the easiest or safest car to drive, but as you say she's a sensible 25 year old person, there are plenty of people a lot younger than her driving around in Corrados, all of us managed with cars with lower safety standards than todays models? As I said, my missus has driven them since passing her test at 24 and (touch wood) has done masses of miles over the years since without a single problem, she loves them :shrug:

 

Panels/parts may be more expensive, but that's the price you pay for driving a car you love - none of us would bother with a 16 year old VW unless we did! :lol:

[The_Dude 0]

my gf thought it was too big,

 

never heard that from my missus :(

 

i hear it all the time from mine :norty:

[dirtytorque 0]

my gf thought it was too big,

 

never heard that from my missus :(

 

i hear it all the time from mine :norty:

 

but is she talking about you or her? :norty:

[Alexander 0]

Let her drive what she wants! My wife's got a Mk4 polo which is a great little car, cheap as chips, easy to drive and has things called "Airbags", not sure what they are but apparently they're quite useful in the event of a crash.

 

There's no way I'd have my wife driving around in a 15 year old, low-to-the-ground coupe with dodgy visibility, much as I love my C and all.

[big ben 10]

if my mrs wanted a rado then thats fine, otherwise i would look to get her a polo/golf as already said...

 

you cant have your girlfriend driving a better looking car than what you drive either :wink: :lol:

[The_Dude 0]

 

never heard that from my missus :(

 

i hear it all the time from mine :norty:

 

but is she talking about you or her? :norty:

 

 

ouch! :D

[mattnorgrove 0]

piggot 106 diesels are uber reliable

:confused4:

 

For gods sake don't get her anything French!

[Toad 0]

my gf thought it was too big,

 

never heard that from my missus :(

 

i hear it all the time from mine :norty:

 

I hear it all the time from Karl's.

[yacobwood 0]

new drivers tend to have little dinks here and there (or a large lapost dent :roll: ) and corrados are quite pricy to repair. but if your rich ignore that :lol:

[lauraJ 0]

Hang on have you asked what your girlfriend actually wants to drive??

Surely if she doesn't want a corrado she's not going to enjoy driving the car and like the car for what it is!

 

I don't agree with the corrado being difficult to park though! I find our passat more difficult to park but thats another topic :lol:

Also wouldn't insurance be fairly expensive for her on a corrado as a new driver?

 

I mirror other peoples comments - get your gf a shite box car for the 1st year of driving - something that you wouldn't care if it gets scraped, dinged etc. Then get her a nice car once she's got a few yrs NCB.

 

my 2p :wave: