Do I want to daily a Corrado VR6?

[AlexanderSupertramp 10]

So, I’ve just sold my Z4 Coupe and I’m contemplating going back to the one car I regret selling, my Corrado VR6.

Before I got the Z4C, I thought about doing this also, but my local VAG specialist suggested it’s becoming a bit of an issue getting spares/replacement parts etc for them. Now I’ve not been around Corrado’s for a couple of years now, so is this the case?

So, is it a good idea to daily a VR6 or is it better to now have them solely as a second car that doesn’t need to be relied upon so to speak?

 

Thanks

 

Aaron

[a_riot 0]

So, I’ve just sold my Z4 Coupe and I’m contemplating going back to the one car I regret selling, my Corrado VR6.

Before I got the Z4C, I thought about doing this also, but my local VAG specialist suggested it’s becoming a bit of an issue getting spares/replacement parts etc for them. Now I’ve not been around Corrado’s for a couple of years now, so is this the case?

So, is it a good idea to daily a VR6 or is it better to now have them solely as a second car that doesn’t need to be relied upon so to speak?

 

Thanks

 

Aaron

 

I daily my two VR6s so you could say I daily them AND have one as a second car that doesn't need to be relied on at the same time. If one needs work I drive the other. If you are ultra vigilant about maintenance as I am to prevent problems rather than fix them, then I would say yes, they are reliable daily drivers. Then you are just replacing wear parts as needed, that aren't too difficult to find.

 

If you have to have it serviced at a shop, then I'd think twice about it, since shops can't seem to service these cars without breaking three things while fixing one. I think our cars are older than most of the techs working in shops these days, so they just don't have the know-how regarding older cars without an OBD2 port to tell them what's going on, plus Corrados are so rare they just never work on them, using yours as a guinea pig. Techs these days don't seem to really fix cars anymore, they just replace parts, so if your ABS accumulator fails, they want to replace the entire ABS system rather than replace the accumulator, or if the fuel lines on your fuel pump start to leak, they'll replace the entire fuel pump assembly rather than the lines that costs a few quid.

 

If you have tools, are handy, and have the Bentley manual, and can find a Corrado that has been well taken care of then I'd not worry, as I find them much more reliable than BMWs are. I drove mine all over Colorado for years when I lived there, at very high altitudes, in crazy snowstorms, dirt mountain roads, and it never stranded me. Even when the alternator finally failed at 140k miles, I still got home those last 8 miles on battery power. I bought a new MKIV alternator for cheap, changed the square connector to the round style so it could be connected up, and was back on the road in a couple of days for minimal cost.

[tonedef 9]

I don't think Corrados are inherently unreliable any more than similar cars of a similar age are. There are the obvious regular breakages, sunroofs, spoilers, door handles etc but none of those are likely to stop you getting home. A heater matrix can fail on anything, it's not only Corrados that pour coolant into the passenger footwell! We used the two we've owned as daily drivers for 13 years and around 150K miles until an R32 followed by a 3.2TT made it a project/summer toy. That's not to say things won't fail though is it, although they're reasonably simple engines to maintain and there are most parts out there to be had either through VW Heritage, Classic Parts or a host of companies that refurbish existing parts or manufacture pattern parts. As for looking after one, there are still mechanics at dealers who will respect it for what it is, but finding one of those and knowing that they're allowed to repair rather than bolt on bits for a quick turn around might be more difficult, a specialist independent or traditional garage of which some still remain might be more reliable if you're not handy yourself?

 

That said, we were out in ours last night and it's a bumpy old thing! Even compared with the TT which rides on 19" rims with 35 profile tyres and is lowered on Eibachs, the Corrado on the original Speedlines feels every bump aided I'm sure by the Koni coilovers. It's around 18 years since we used ours on the original suspension so it's hard to remember but I'm sure that would have been more compliant for every day use on modern quality British road surfaces!

[VR-Sixy 0]

My VR6 has been a daily since i bought it........ 17 years ago!!

[delfinis38 1]

My VR6 has been a daily since i bought it........ 17 years ago!!

 

What's the annual mileage ?

[fendervg 33]

Mine is a daily as well - I put 6-8K miles on it a year and in the 9 years I've had it's only let me down badly twice. Both times were coolant related - a leaking radiator and a blown top coolant hose, both age related as they were original parts - not too bad considering.

 

They are actually as reliable as anything else once you do the preventative and routing maintenance. As said above most of the things that tend to break are due to age or known Corrado issues, and will not stop you driving the car. As for parts, all the maintenance items can be got hold off, where there might be trouble is with body panels and trim, and this is where I worry about using it as a daily in case someone runs into me and the crash damage can't be economically repaired and it ends up a write-off.

[Harrier 1]

I think the main problem with using one daily is it would become less special and less of a ‘treat’ to drive

Especially without the modern refinements of air con etc

 

I use mine very little these days but really enjoy it when I can

[Dox 23]

I used one as a daily, but car shared for work, they didn't share my enthusiasm - especially those in the back.

 

The compromise is to use in the warmer weather, garage over winter and buy something to get you through the worst of the weather.

[a_riot 0]

It's around 18 years since we used ours on the original suspension so it's hard to remember but I'm sure that would have been more compliant for every day use on modern quality British road surfaces!

 

One of mine has the original suspension on it, and I love it. It sits a bit lower than the other which has a newer (probably MKIII) OE suspension, and has a very smooth ride. I think the original shocks were hydraulic, not gas charged, so you don't feel every little bump, and the large bumps don't shake the car, it takes it in stride. There aren't many cars new or old that I've ridden in with that nice mix of smoothness while still being a little bit firmer than average. I'm hoping it stays in good shape because I have a feeling that whatever I replace it with won't ride nearly as nice.

[AlexanderSupertramp 10]

Thank you for all the responses, I think as I’m not yet as handy with mechanics as I’d like, that when I have another Corrado it’ll be reserved for second car/fair weather duties. That way it’ll always be enjoyed without it having the pressure/burden of the daily commute. A potential new role at work may require me to use my daily for doing visits etc so won’t always be able to avoid places you wouldn’t want to take a car your precious about lets say, so for that reason I may move to having two cars. Keep the Corrado feeling special.

[VR-Sixy 0]

What's the annual mileage ?

A lot lower than it used to be these days. I'd say around 5.5-6k a year.......

[Portent 0]

Until a couple of months ago mine was a very occasional car with only 1k to 2k miles per year. But owing to a major issue with my Golf it has turned into my daily recently. It's not as hard to live with as you would expect. But it's certainly not refined like a modern car. However the biggest issue is that these are old cars now and there has been a series of little things breaking and needing repair since I've been using it more (wing mirror motor, abs sensor, wiper arm).

 

So I would say they are a little too old to run as a daily unless you can fix them yourself and are prepared to fix little niggling things.