buying a corrado

[examiner 10]

Hi sll

 

Im looking to buy a corrado VR6 what should i be aware of? any known problem areas to check etc. Also are auto transmissions any good?

 

All help really appreciated.

[Abdul 0]

Hi mate and welcome to the forum.

 

There are a few things to look out for, use the search feature and you'll get plenty of links to advice you on what's what.

 

Abdul

[Critical_Mass 10]

Welcome aboard. There's a buyers guide to look at.

[guildmage 11]

Hi,

Welcome to forums and to point you bit more into what you are after, there you go: the_corrado_buying_guide_checklist.

[Stonejag 10]

I have an auto, and I know a couple of others on here do too. They're a very different car to the manual versions - you have to drive them quite differently but they're still just as fun, in a different way. As well as the normal kickdown switch, the auto ECU uses pedal velocity to decide whether to go into sport mode or not, so kicking down hard will drop two gears instead of the regular one! Just driven normally the ECU wants to change up to top gear as early as possible (to activate the torque converter lockup, so the engine is coupled directly into the gearbox) - this happens at 31mph on mine, so if they're being driven gently then they can feel a bit slow. If you either control upshifting manually with the gear selector or learn how to use the kickdown effectively then they're absolute monsters - because the auto box is only 4-speed, each gear covers a huge range of speeds and gives tons of torque. In sport mode mine shifts from 1st-2nd at 15mph, 2nd to 3rd at 80(!) and 3rd to 4th at 110! With your right foot firmly planted you get pinned back in your seat as the power keeps spooling out - in a literal sense too, since the acceleration is quick enough to lock the seatbelt reels :D

 

They do take a little looking after as most have been neglected; doing a fluid change is highly recommended as they usually have very little of the original 'lifetime' fluid left. There's a gearbox dipstick located below and to the left of the battery (looking from the front) - the level has to be checked with the engine running and gearbox in 'Park' so the torque converter is full, otherwise they over-read. There's a black plastic blob at the bottom of the dipstick: the ATF level should be between the two dots on the blob when the box is full, but mine was off the bottom of the dipstick! If the ATF is black/brown or has obvious metal particles in then it needs changing, or at the very least topping up (with a funnel, through the dipstick hole). You have to drop the gearbox sump to flush the fluid but it's not a hard job - I managed and I'm a complete mechanical novice :) If you notice jerky shifting, RPM drastically rising before it shifts suddenly or rolling backwards on hill starts, then a flush / refill should totally sort it. The ATF cooler is also quite poorly designed, and uses two extra coolant hoses which aren't found on the manual - after the flush and refill you may want to consider a remote ATF cooler in front of the radiator instead. This will allow you to use cheaper and more readily available hoses if you need to replace any, or even a set of performance silicon hoses, since they're only available for the manual.

 

It's probably a better tactic to find one with a decent shell and interior since all the panels are getting hard to find - usually no problems with dash switches, engine parts etc since the VR6 was used in quite a few different places.

 

They're also very rare in auto - one DVLA database search site says only 53 remaining on the roads! It was an expensive option at the time so how unusual it is may also attract you. I know I wouldn't enjoy mine as much in a manual :)

 

Stone