Thinking about a Corrado.

[isaidthephil 10]

Hi Guys,

 

I currently own and an working on a MK2 Scirocco GT11 fitted with a 1.8 16v KR engine. I have big plans for the car which I will post below BUT i am also thinking about getting a Corrado as kind of daily. Basically if I get one thats register in 1992/3 I can put it on classic insurance like the Rocco and split low mileage between the two. I am thinking about a VR6 as I'd quite like the creature comforts like leather and heated seats etc but I've heard they can be more hassle than they're worth? so maybe a 2ltre 16v?

 

Anyway below is my Rocco along with a list of things I want to do and a drawing of how I kind of want it to look in the end (Next show season hopefully)

 

 

 

 

 

Drawing of future car;

 

Removed Body Kit

Removed Spoiler

Removed Side Repeaters

Removed arial

Removed Fog Lights

MK1 Golf arches fabricated in front and rear

Yellow tint headlights

Lowered (on day on air ride but for starters just on coilovers)

Bullet steel wheels

Currently has a customer straight through to back box stainless exhaust (may change this to a custom side exit)

Half cage

Rear seats removed and fake floor built with a spare wheel (bullet wheel) on display and a nice subtle but good sound system.

Half Cage

Either my seats done in leather, Passat CC seats or Porsche 944 seats.

 

 

Things may change but this is the general idea.

 

Since owning the car (about six months) the car I have done some bits and bobs such as removing the engine and completing a full rebuild, custom exhaust, refurbed the G60 wheels. Below are some pics of this.

 

Bits for rebuild.... not the cheapest in the world and piston rings were a twat to get.

 

 

Engine out;

 

 

 

Ont stand ready to strip;

 

 

Stripped;

 

 

 

starting to build;

 

 

Built and ready to go back in;

 

 

 

Guy who had it before me bodges a down pipe............. what the **** is this. Needless to say this has now gone and i have had one custom made.

 

 

Custom made straight through to back box stainless exhaust thanks to Power Flo. Sounds awesome and comes out straight which I wanted. Nothing i hate more than angled exhausts on Rocco's.

 

 

 

 

Then I decided to refurb the wheels as they had been on my previous Rocco and were looking tatty;

 

 

 

Not bad considering it only cost me £25 all in all and took about 48 hours with drying etc.

 

1 pack of assorted sand papers

Newspaper

masking tape

2 x cans or grey primer

4 x cans of paint

2 x cans of lacquer

 

2 coats of primer per wheel / cap

4 x coats of paint

2 x coats of lacquer.

 

Thats it for now. Car will soon be rolling road and dyno'd as its not running quite right. Running a little rich plus it has a bad earth which i need to sort very soon.

 

Let me know your thoughts both on Corrado's and my car.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

[Jim 2]

Welcome to the forum - the Scirocco looks great!

 

Few thoughts....

 

Firstly worth mentioning that VR6's didn't all get leather interiors. It was an option on all models.. the only model that got it as standard was the VR6 Storm! They normally have a cloth interior.

 

In terms of VR6's being more hassle than they're worth - having owned quite a few Corrado's I've not personally found my VR to be any more demanding on my wallet than the 16v or G60 models I previously owned. And I'd say another compelling reason for considering one is that if you already have a 16v engine in the Rocco you might find the heavier Corrado with the same engine a bit gutless - at least the VR6 or a G60 would be something different and would perform relatively to the weight of the car it was embodied in (if that makes sense).

 

Hope that's a b it of food for thought :)

[mk2moo 10]

Love your scirocco, if you would like to swap it for a rado vr message me. Iv had the 9a and now the vr. The 9a is ok, really should have been abf though would make it more fun and pokey. I pref my vr as its got the pull and the noise. If driving sensibly you can get sound mpg. I get 35 on a run and around 24 plus on town journeys.

[bmwcompact 10]

Car looks super! Its great to see someone getting stuck in with some real work. You will probably need to do a fair bit if you get a corrado. You will also find a lot of parts hard to come by too, used is sometimes all thats available.

 

I had an 86 fuel injected scirocco, 8v of course, and never liked its handling: it always felt too flexible up front. I preferred my 89 mk2 Golf GTI 8v.

 

I've not driven a V6 corrado, I've only been a passenger in one, and have a 2l 16v. As Jim says you may find a 16v C too similar to your scirocco performance-wise, both having 16v engines and the corrado is heavier. Being based on the Mk2 Golf its obviously stiffer than the scirocco. Its also quite a small car probably no bigger than the scirocco with little room in the back.

 

If you really fancy a corrado (its a very good looking car), then I think you should go for the V6. You will get great performance and I gather the fuel consumption isn't much worse than the 16v. The V6 engine appears to be very reliable and if you can handle the work you have done on the KR engine, any work required on the V6 shouldn't cause you a problem. There are many good examples around, the prices are currently low, and many owners have spent a lot on maintenance. I am sure there are V6 owners here to tell you how good the car can be.

 

For a comfy reliable daily hows about a BMW compact 318ti sport, not the fastest but so reliable and for little money-mines not for sale.

[isaidthephil 10]

Thanks for the replies guys and thanks for the positive feedback on the Rocco :)

 

i've come from MK1 Golf's so the Rocco in most ways has been very similar however parts are much more difficult to get hold of lol. Coming from the MK1 I haven't had a huge amount to compare the handling against other than my first car which was a 1 litre MK3 Polo and my previous car which was a 1.9 TDI Bora which I simply got bored of.

 

I think the Rocco handles pretty well for what it is but I can feel the front end being a little bit skitty, I'm looking at fitting upper and lower braces on the front once I've lowered it and an upper on the rear. That should stiffen things upa bit plus if I go down the cage route that will no doubt stiffen tings up even more.

 

As for the Corrado, what you have all said about the 1.8 and 2.0 16v models is exactly as I thought, running the 16v in the rocco the Corrado would just feel gutless which is why im thinking about the VR. Another reason I'd quite like a VR is because I'm not really intending on getting rid of it. I'm hoping to keep both the Rocco and VR for a very long time so I think I may as well save for a bit and get a mint top of the range VR, possibly a Storm. I am ideally after a 1993 model too so I can stick it on classic insurance.

 

BMW wise, i have looked at them in the past, I was looking at the 320d but I simply can't see myself buying anything other than VAG. The only thing i have had that hasn't been VW was an LDV Van which was good because parts were dirt cheap BUT thats because you have to buy the damn things so often lol.

[isaidthephil 10]

Thanks for the replies guys and thanks for the positive feedback on the Rocco :)

 

i've come from MK1 Golf's so the Rocco in most ways has been very similar however parts are much more difficult to get hold of lol. Coming from the MK1 I haven't had a huge amount to compare the handling against other than my first car which was a 1 litre MK3 Polo and my previous car which was a 1.9 TDI Bora which I simply got bored of.

 

I think the Rocco handles pretty well for what it is but I can feel the front end being a little bit skitty, I'm looking at fitting upper and lower braces on the front once I've lowered it and an upper on the rear. That should stiffen things upa bit plus if I go down the cage route that will no doubt stiffen tings up even more.

 

As for the Corrado, what you have all said about the 1.8 and 2.0 16v models is exactly as I thought, running the 16v in the rocco the Corrado would just feel gutless which is why im thinking about the VR. Another reason I'd quite like a VR is because I'm not really intending on getting rid of it. I'm hoping to keep both the Rocco and VR for a very long time so I think I may as well save for a bit and get a mint top of the range VR, possibly a Storm. I am ideally after a 1993 model too so I can stick it on classic insurance.

 

BMW wise, i have looked at them in the past, I was looking at the 320d but I simply can't see myself buying anything other than VAG. The only thing i have had that hasn't been VW was an LDV Van which was good because parts were dirt cheap BUT thats because you have to buy the damn things so often lol.

[isaidthephil 10]

For anybody that is interested, seeing as I have mentioned my old MK1 Golf here are some pics of it.

 

1st day home;

 

 

 

Stripped and sprayed;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How it looked in the end;

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old video, may or may not work;

 

[Tempest 0]

Nice looking cars there :)

 

Pretty much everything has been said already: Corrado is a heavier car (I can compare because I had a Mk2 Rocco Storm, still have a Mk1 Rocco and still have a G60-Rado), so would recommend a meatier engine than what you're used to in Rocco (G60 in the lightweight Rocco is a different story altogether, of course :); VR6 in a Rocco will definitely spoil the handling, though).

 

had an 86 fuel injected scirocco, 8v of course, and never liked its handling: it always felt too flexible up front. I preferred my 89 mk2 Golf GTI 8v.

 

No surprise that, given the Mk2 Rocco was still based on the A1 platform, whereas the Mk2 Golf (came after the Mk2 Rocco) already had its own newer A2 platform. A1 platform cars therefore respond very well to strut braces. My Mk1 has front lower and upper braces and a rear upper brace. My Mk2 also had the lower front and rear upper brace (no upper front - it's the lower front that is the most important on the A1 chassis) and a good friend from the States, who once drove my Mk2, and takes part in autocross races commented how nice and stiff the whole Mk2 felt.

 

Tempest (Eric)

[bmwcompact 10]

Very, very impressive-you will certainly be an asset to this forum if you get a corrado.

 

I've had 2 beetles, a polo (895cc), a Derby, 1.3 Jetta, 1.6 Jetta, Golf 2 GTI, injected scirocco, Golf 4 TDI, and now a corrado 16v so you could say I'm a VW fan. Along the way theres been a few unmentionable other cars, and 3 BMWs: 2002ti, E30 318iS and the E36 318ti sport. In my opinion the BMs are so much better. I think I'll have a E46 320d sport as my daily in a couple of years. I like cheap reliable motoring-playing with older cars is another thing.

[afterlife 10]

a man after my own heart!

I too have a Scirocco which is undergoing work to become somewhat 'balls out' & have just picked up a Corrado for daily duties... good times!