opinions on a 1.8 16v corrado as a daily driver..?...

[e30-dk 10]

hi guys, bassically im picking up a 1.8 16v corrado as a daily to replace my e30 for a while and im wondering what people's opinions are of the engine in particular?...

now even the vr6 would be a step down from what i have in the e30, i did a 2.8 24v e36 328 sport conversion to the car, bigger inlet manifold conversion, uprated teflon vanos seals, lightened single mass flywheel, tubular stainless manifold, full free flow exhaust and remapped ecu with 7100 rpm rev limit raise. so dont get me wrong, im not slating the vr6 here but my e30 is currently making 240bhp + 225lbft in an 1100 kilo shell so shes bloody quick.!

 

ive read a few things about the vr6 engine being problematic as far as bore wear is concerned so with the idea of buying a cheap daily and something cheap to run i dont want to risk getting a cheap raddo with the vr6 as i reckon they would be only cheap for a reason.... want a decent vr6 corrado = spend the coin lol

 

so what are your views on the 1.8 16v corrado? ive never owned one of these before and want to know from people who have/do what they are like. vw is german just like my e30 so i see that as a good thing haha

 

ta in advance

 

Ant

[joby 0]

I wouldnt want to use mine as a daily now but imo the valver can be hard work around town as it can feel slow as the engine is best driven hard, as it needs lots of revs to keep the engine spinning, They can be quite nimble if they are set up right and the suspension is not old and tired! And can be fast if driven right, most valvers are old now and very few are running as vw intended also they are hard work getting in and out of with them being low

[Grim1 1]

I'm on my third Rado now, and they've all been valvers.

My last one was a 1.8 16v, and as a daily was a cracking car. Reliable, not too thirsty if driven economically, and still pretty quick.

 

I personally found it fine around town, just a case of using the right gear, it's all down to how you drive.

Ride height, not a problem, the 1.8 16v as standard is no lower than any other standard Rado, well, not in my experience anyway.

[Wullie 1]

Mine is a daily and I have no problem with it. A lot of my journeys are short and in town. I've just checked the MPG on MFA2 and it's showing 25.7 average over 230 miles. It may just be the way I drive but I rarely go over 3000 rpm in normal circumstance unless I want to get a bit extra for overtaking or whatever. Then I just drop a gear or two and plant the foot. About once a week or so I go for a batter round the country roads and along the motorway just to get rid of any cobwebs in both me and the car. It's no lower than any other Corrado model and even an old geezer like me has no problem getting in and out of it.

[joby 0]

I shouldnt moan about the ride height but im getting old ha ha and used to my pick up truck!

[bmwcompact 10]

Some years ago I had (for 10yrs) a Mk2 Golf gti 8v (112 bhp) and (for 5yrs) a BMW E30 318is (140bhp). I used them both regularly. For long journeys eg motorway the E30 was superb, so comfy and unstressed and gave 30-35mpg depending on driving conditions. For fast cross country travel here in the lakes the Golf was better, lighter and more nimble and gave 33-40 mpg. The BMW was a much better built car and never suffered from any corrosion. In those days I did 20K/yr.

 

Now I have a BMW E36 compact 318ti sport (140bhp, 88K and 13yrs old) and a 2l 16v Corrado (140bhp, 136K and 18yrs old). Both give about 30/34mpg though for short journeys the BMW mpg is better. The BMW has better brakes (Ive overhauled the corrado brakes). The BMW has better suspension ( Ive replaced almost everything on the corrado suspension. The BMW has no corrosion and great paintwork. The corrado is faster (acceleration) especially at higher revs. I like the look of the corrado. Ive spent a lot on the Corrado and had it less than a year. Ive spent almost nothing on the BMW in my 4 yrs of ownership.

 

I always wanted a corrado but couldnt afford one when I had the Golf-that is my favourite car to date! The corrado hasnt lived up to my expectations in terms of performance/handling but having personally (almost) sorted it, I will be keeping it as my Summer hobby car. It would never replace the BMW as a daily!!

 

Ive just reread your post. Ive owned about 12 VWs and only 3 BMWs over the last 40yrs and would say BMW built quality/reliability is better than VW. So for a 1.8 16v corrado, age is your enemy, and unless someone has sorted it, you should expect some issues!

Edited November 10, 2012 by bmwcompact

[_Meth 0]

Ive been using my valver for 3 years now as a daily.

 

Engine is brilliant around town & also quite nippy for what it is!

 

I love it :)

[tony_ack 0]

Had a 1.8 16v in a Golf as a daily, no real issues,only issues i did have came from 20+ year old wiring. Not too taxing around town though a little thirsty and not much better mpg over a vr6. They do like to be opened up and come alive at about 4500rpm, but arent too bad below that.

[BLCSO 0]

ive read a few things about the vr6 engine being problematic as far as bore wear is concerned so with the idea of buying a cheap daily and something cheap to run i dont want to risk getting a cheap raddo with the vr6 as i reckon they would be only cheap for a reason.... want a decent vr6 corrado = spend the coin lol

 

Ant

 

Just going to have to stick up for the cheap VR6 - had mine for a year and apart from replacing rear discs and pads the car was very reliable. I paid £1300 for it as I had always wanted a Corrado but didn't want to spend too much as it was a 4th car !!!!!!!! Had 160k on it when bought and I did 3k in it and then sold on with a £100 profit so all in all it worked out okay. My only drama with the Corrado was that it just didn't seem as nimble as my Golf Mk2 although it was a much nicer car to drive on a long journey.

 

Must say though having owned various BM's over the years, I do like the sound of yours.

 

Hope that you enjoy your Corrado ownership.

[e30-dk 10]

hmmm, thanks for the opinions gents. seem to be in the same ball park with it to be fair. well i went to see the car last night and although the red is a bit faded shes not a bad lookin motor. my mate will be mopping it for me (he doesnt know yet but he will for some beer tokens im sure lol).

the guy is replacing the engine in it as the headgasket had gone, but appart from that shes good to go with 10 months mot. few trinkets on it inc drilled and grooved discs, short shift kit, eye brow and a few others so all in for 700 quid im happy.

a little bit of crust around the fuel filler which was my biggest concern but again, my mate has a body shop and im sure he could do something with it even if it means cutting the panel off a breaker and welding it on with new paint later on.

and cheers BLSCO - yeah the e30 is fab to be fair mate. blisteringly quick and the noise is unreal :-) But appart from me wanting to do another engine swap on her and new paint, 2 winters have taken their toll (as far as im concerned when i look at her) and ive given her a hard time since i built her so time to give her a well deserved rest lol. everyone else keep telling me shes mint and they love it but as shes mine i see every imperfection :-o

watch this space is all im going to say on the matter :-)