BUYING VR6

[M.P.H. 0]

just about to start looking, looked at the buying guide, any thing else i should look for, looking at m&n regs with between 80 &130miles i.e. head gaskets, timing chain or any big bills. any advice would be grateful.

[Jim 2]

I think the buying guide just about covers most things you need to know about :)

[dinkus 10]

The timing chains are worth checking, but that's easy - if they rattle considerably at 1-1.25k then it's a good £600 for a new set and labour.

 

Also watch for smoke. Pretty much any smoke out of a VR is not good news and could mean that it's suffering from bore wear (especially on 100k + ones), which is a few grand and a new engine sir.

 

For your own piece of mind, it's also worth going through the service receipts and seeing what work the car has had done already. A 100k miler might be worth more if it's already had rear axle bushes (£300ish inc labour), new suspension bits generally, timing chains etc done. Similarly if there is a lower milage one that's had diddly squat done then it's going to almost certainly need it doing soon. Most of the parts that need doing are rubber or plastic based so their condition is more age dependant than milage.

 

However, it's not all bad as long as you take that into account when making an offer. My C needs new rear bushes, which is a pain, but it's also good because it will mean I'm going to be driving it on brand new ones!

 

From the Corrado's I saw you can tell pretty much straight away if you've got a dog or not. The first 2 I went to see were awful, the one I ended up buying just felt right. Yeah it needs a damn good clean and a few parts but it's otherwise in damn good condition.

 

What ever you do, don't expect to buy it and that be the end of your spending. You WILL have to spend more on the car, so have a peruse through the forum to see what things cost and be prepared.

 

Good luck mate! You'll be cackling like an idiot as soon as you drive one :D