Forum Future

[_Matt_ 26]

I'm a member of both and must admit I haven't seen the us and them culture in my recent years. Many of us are a member of both paying £30 a year.

 

I think it would be great to join forces. Each can supplement each other weak spots and improve the strong parts. For me with a busy job and family life I struggle to get to the CCGB meets and club runs. I am more of a forum user and love reading people's build threads and stories. A great forum platform such as this (fix the photos - ha) joined with CCGBs strong real world presence would connect the two for everyone to be part of.

[Joe Gowland 10]

Firstly, many thanks for accepting me to this forum. I have to admit that I was oblivious to its existence until a post on the CCGBFB page mentioned it - ah well, more stuff to read and assimilate!

 

Secondly, and perhaps a little 'off topic' but I suspect quite relevant to the forum, I read in a recent Practical Performance Car (the direct descendant of the much-missed ‘Cars and Car Conversions’ of the ‘70’s/’80’s), that someone has begun the exercise of rescuing Renault discussion forums.

I quote:

“It’s a weird sign of the times that once-busy forums and discussion groups have died away, as everyone just argues on Facebook instead.

A great deal of hard-won experience could be lost, which is exactly why the guys at TurbRenault.co.uk have used a generous database donation to rescue all the old threads from Clio16valver.co.uk.

That’s not all – they’ve also rescued boards from Retro-Renault, Renault 21 Turbo Owners Club, Renault 5 Gordini and Renault 5 Turbo Forum.

If you know of other Renault-related boards worth saving, email

[email protected]

”

 

Now, I don’t know whether the organisation behind this is attempting to simply hoover up all the info, or it’s a benevolent, non-commercial offer. In either case, might it be something the CF need to consider?

 

I'm also a member of the Ginetta Owners' Club, and last year we suffered a major 'server meltdown' where, not only did we lose the whole website, but also the online backup of the site (which was also stored on the same server). Although most of the website has subsequently been rebuilt from scratch, many years of valuable experience and knowledge were lost forever, which is why I mention the 'rescue exercise' above, as it may well be a valuable thing to do.

 

I doubt very much whether any enthusiastic individual would have the time or energy to collate all the info in this forum, but it would be a great shame were it to be lost.

 

Lastly, returning to the topic of this thread, I also think it would be an extremely good coordination of effort were the Facebook and Forum to amalgamate, or, at least, cross-fertilise their exercises.

 

Joe G

[Dox 22]

I haven't seen the us and them culture in my recent years.

 

Few of the committee post here anymore, they used to be here virtually every night.

[Jim 1]

It seems like some kind of merging of efforts is the only realistic way forward given that the numbers of Corrado’s are in steady decline and their usage broadly as daily drivers has changed very much to weekend / summer toys.

 

It was something I always wanted to happen and of course was involved in the management of both this forum and the CCGB for many years.. and despite not being an owner any more I still have a desire to see the community succeed.

 

There’s a very dedicated bunch and some new blood involved in the CCGB who are really keen to keep it going as a concern so maybe it’s an option that can be explored.. or at the very least some more joined up thinking between the two.

 

I did always try and keep my interests as separate as possible and never tried to use the forum for the gain of the CCGB and vice versa but feel both clubs ultimately suffered as a result of never putting their heads together to form any kind of alliance.

[Keyo 47]

To be fair Forum members main priority is to keep the Forum and knowledge alive, so if something positively adds to the survival of the site then surely that is a good thing. However we are the members not the owner of the Forum so it all depends what Toby the owner decides.

 

Personally I would like to see an E copy or a Hardcopy of the Corrado Wiki to ensure a permanent template of knowledge.

Edited December 4, 2019 by Keyo

[ChrisL 15]

Firstly – thank you Corrado Forum for the years of late night reading of random threads. I really hope this forum is around for years to come.

 

Whilst I’ve not been on CF for as long as some, I do know the merge of CF and CCGB has been mentioned several times over the years, but for various reasons never happened.

 

Having read this thread, I decided to pose the question to our committee and the initial responses have been really positive (most of us have used CF over the years). I therefore suggest it makes absolute sense for us to have an initial chat to scope the art of possible – thoughts?

 

I suggest this is a really good time as well. CCGB is growing steadily (both free Facebook and paid full membership), we continue to have good attendance at shows/events, several socials this year and we ran a couple of fantastic road trips to Wales and Cornwall (Lake District and Wales in 2020). Some of you may also have noticed, in the background we have just launched our new website, much improved and now secure. What we haven’t managed to sort yet is a replacement for our old forum or create a new wiki…. hence reaching out now with this post.

 

One thing I would like to raise - it concerns me to read comments such as: ‘they’re proud and protective of their club to the point it’s more important than the Corrado itself. Since I’ve been here there’s not been too much harmony between the two’

 

Yes we are very proud and protective of CCGB, but I simply don’t agree with the rest of the comment. Even if that was true in the past, let’s put any such nonsense behind us. I can categorically state there is no ‘us and them’ from our perspective – we are all passionate about the Corrado – so let’s have a chat.

 

Let me know how best to get in touch and when is convenient.

 

Regards,

 

JamesGS

Membership CCGB

 

It would be great for the forum and Corrado club to join. The forum could get investment from the club (maybe) and the club would benefit from a much more active forum.

 

Not sure if it’s of interest and how we could do it, but I have all the Techno files written by Chris Gaskell for the sprinter club magazines. Didn’t know whether you’d want to start including them? Can’t be many of us with really old sprinter magazines?

[Dox 22]

Sprinter content would be copywrited to CCGB? You’d need their permission.

[swiftkid 1]

Without upsetting anyone, I'm on the other side of the coin. I've been a regular member on here for years, I try and help where I can & post information when I get it but I am not a member of CCGB for do I ever plan to be. In my early days of corrado ownership I found some members quite rude when meeting them at shows and didn't really get a warm welcome, to this day I still get snubs about my car despite it being IMO tastefully modified. As a long running owner it doesn't bother me but this would be frustrating to new owners and definitely drive them away.

 

I've spoke to quite a few corrado owners on my travels that share the opinion of us & them. The forum is the place for modifying, CCGB is for the purists and for a merge to work CCGB needs to change. I've met a few people recently that have been very pleasant and things like the road trip are good ideas but this needs to continue and IMO, CCGB needs to become more like this forum, a place to discuss ham & cheese related daft things, share modifying ideas and also help people out.

Edited December 5, 2019 by swiftkid

[ChrisL 15]

Sprinter content would be copywrited to CCGB? You’d need their permission.

 

I meant for the CCGB to re-publish them in the future sprinters.

 

These are not the property of the CCGB and I doubt copywriter to them. I haven’t taken them from the sprinter magazines.

[Dox 22]

I meant for the CCGB to re-publish them in the future sprinters.

 

These are not the property of the CCGB and I doubt copywriter to them. I haven’t taken them from the sprinter magazines.

Oh right, it read to me like they'd been in sprinter previously and you wanted to reprint them here.

[Henny 0]

Right... As an ex-moderator here and someone who spent far too much of his life posting on here (just shy of 11,000 posts over the last 16.5 years!), and as someone who witnessed the indifference/coldness/clique of the old CCGB board (even though I was a member of CCGB before some of them owned a Corrado having got my first back in '98 and originally joining CCGB that year too! :scratch:), I still think that joining the CF and CCGB is the way forwards for both entities, AS LONG AS the information on here stays in the public domain and is not put behind a paywall or similar...

 

Forums are struggling in the new age of social media. The information held on this site is far to valuable to lose. The CCGB has had a large injection of fresh blood which appears (I'm not a member as I don't own a 'rado anymore) to have changed the base culture which was the large part of the issues it had, and was basically the reason that Andi started The Corrado Forum in the first place! If the current owner of the CF (Toby?) is up for talks about the merger/take over/buy out, then I really think that now is the time to do it, and that the current CCGB comittee have the CCGB in a good (and friendly!) state....

 

Meh, that's my tupence worth anyway, for what it's worth..... :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

a place to discuss ham & cheese related daft things, share modifying ideas and also help people out.

 

Don't forget the chutney, or pickle. A spicy tomato chutney really wakes up a good slice of extra mature Canadian cheddar, as it does a good quality ham hock. I'm still in two minds as to whether salad ingredients bring anything worthwhile to the ham & cheese party, but mayonnaise is always welcome at the table, so long as it's Hellmans and not own brand rubbish.

 

Maybe we could consider inviting Beef and Horseradish into the fold? Ham & Cheese is a bit last year now.

 

The CCGB always was a strong influence in the Corrado scene. I know us older members used to jest about wheel bolt polishing and picnic blankets when it came to the CCGB, but deep down I think we all acknowledged the difference of attitude/opinion was unnecessary in light of the shared passion. I would hope the very obvious divide (back then) has moved on since.

 

The Corrado is a funny one. It's plain to see VW don't give a rats hole about it, and yet dealer staff get all moist when they see one pull into their carpark. Similarly, owners and fans are very passionate about the car, so it's up to those who remain loyal to it to keep the car relevant. And to that end, I agree that a CCGB/CF collaboration isn't such a bad idea. Let bygones be bygones. The change would need to be from both sides. A mutual appreciation of restoration/preservation and modifications alike. What won't work is snobbery towards mods, or dismissiveness about being anal with originality.

 

There is room for both camps. Replacing a tired old VR6 with an R32 is more than acceptable imo. It's still technically a VR6 engine, but parts for it are more readily available, it's smoother, more reliable and sounds better. Win win. Similarly, if someone wants to take their wheels off every weekend and clean the arches, then so be it. 100% original Corrados are just as appealing as modified ones now that their numbers are reducing.

Edited December 13, 2019 by Kevin Bacon

[seanl82 23]

No no no. It's not really cheddar if it's Canadian. You can make it in the arse end of Timbuktu using the same ingredients and process, but it'll never be true Cheddar despite the name!. Taken from a staunch Westcountryman!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

My missus thought I was yanking her chain when I told her Cheddar originally came from Cheddar, Somerset. Anyway, I've struggled to find an English cheddar as sharp as the strongest Canadian. Snowdonia Black Bomber comes close though! I think there's a cave aged cheddar from Wookey hole or something too?

 

All these 'Seriously Strong' and 'Cathedral City' mature cheddars.....rubbish. Bland, tasteless rubber.

 

Also, did you know those American style fake cheese slices aren't allowed to use the word 'cheese' anymore? They're just called slices now. They still add a certain something melted on a burger patty though, along with some very decent smoked bacon.

[fendervg 29]

No no no. It's not really cheddar if it's Canadian. You can make it in the arse end of Timbuktu using the same ingredients and process, but it'll never be true Cheddar despite the name!. Taken from a staunch Westcountryman!

 

See you guys have brought in the Canadian "cheddar", but look what happened to the Maple Leaf Corrado Club - the site no longer exists and there was tons of useful info on there. A lesson maybe for both those who prefer haute cuisine and others who like easy singles with processed hamalike slices....just some food for thought!

[swiftkid 1]

Also, did you know those American style fake cheese slices aren't allowed to use the word 'cheese' anymore? They're just called slices now. They still add a certain something melted on a burger patty though, along with some very decent smoked bacon.

 

You learn something new every day.

 

For my wedding I had a traditional wedding cake... as you do, but also a 'cheese cake', a magnificient 5 tier beauty with 2 layers of pork pie and 3 cheese layers, one of which being the magnificent Snowdonia black bomber, of all the amazing food on that day the most talked about was the cheese.

[vr6monkey 1]

Without upsetting anyone, I'm on the other side of the coin. I've been a regular member on here for years, I try and help where I can & post information when I get it but I am not a member of CCGB for do I ever plan to be. In my early days of corrado ownership I found some members quite rude when meeting them at shows and didn't really get a warm welcome, to this day I still get snubs about my car despite it being IMO tastefully modified. As a long running owner it doesn't bother me but this would be frustrating to new owners and definitely drive them away.

 

I've spoke to quite a few corrado owners on my travels that share the opinion of us & them. The forum is the place for modifying, CCGB is for the purists and for a merge to work CCGB needs to change. I've met a few people recently that have been very pleasant and things like the road trip are good ideas but this needs to continue and IMO, CCGB needs to become more like this forum, a place to discuss ham & cheese related daft things, share modifying ideas and also help people out.

 

Hey,

 

We met at Harewood House 2018 - I remember your car, apart from being red (best colour) I was thinking at the time i'd love that lump under my bonnet. Problem is my 12V is running fine, so can't justify it.

 

Not sure I agree with your comment that CCGB needs to become more like CF, conversely I'm not suggesting the CF needs to become more like CCGB, the fact is we all love the Corrado. The only slight difference is some like to modify, whilst others like to keep it strictly OEM. Shouldn't be an issue and suggest that comments should be kept positive in both directions.

 

In my opinion, I'm not sure the OEM/modify spilt is so obvious nowadays. I suggest there are 'good' Corrado (well built/maintained) or 'bad' Corrado (rust buckets that sound like a tractor). There are very few Corrado I don't like, I just draw the line at cars such as the old Max Power Corrado (I seem to remember it was bright pink at one point).

 

What I am keen to do is undo any bad feeling from previous years, which frankly is a real shame. As mentioned above, VW don't seem to care about the Corrado, so it is down to the committed few to keep the Corrado out on the road.

 

What I would say is CCGB has changed for the better. I'll be honest, I wasn't massively impressed when I first introduced myself many years ago. That said, we nowadays have a really friendly bunch of members and plans to get out there and enjoy clocking up some miles as well as a few shows along the way.

 

I am a massive fan of the Corrado Forum as a source of reference. It also seems to be a great place to chat about cheese... :-) All I would ask is people don't write off the CCGB based on past experience. I suggest there is benefit in supporting both CF and CCGB.

Edited December 19, 2019 by vr6monkey

[t700bes 1]

Hey Guys,

 

I'm still knocking around, and today have been trialing a newer forum platform and trialing a migration. Once I am happy that its good enough to start on as a base, I'll read-only this and begin the real migration and transfer so there will be interuptions this week (hopefully it'll be more a you can see but can't interact).

 

My short term plans are:

 

1. Read-only unless you are a member

2. Membership will be £15 a year

3. Wiki's will make a come back

4. I'm going to get some help in terms of moderators / admins

5. Considering working with CCGB - Need to reply to the owner

6. Tapatalk - I hate it, but I'll try to include it again and clean it up.

 

 

Thats on day 1 anyway.

 

I need a solid base with less issues before I start looking at new things!

[fendervg 29]

Good stuff - great to see some progress on this.

[robrado974 1]

Great stuff , good news.

[easypops 8]

Magic :)

[t700bes 1]

On 8/24/2019 at 11:58 AM, fendervg said:

The problem with obsolete parts getting reproduced is the initial cost in tooling up - only the smaller stuff that can be 3D printed is relatively cost-effective. With maybe 1500-2000 cars left on the roads in the UK (here in Ireland only 15 Corrados passed the NCT last year, maybe 100 or so here in total), the market is very small and it would be tough enough to get pre-orders for even 250 units. Anyone on here who has organised a group buy or had something re-manufactured can tell you what a hard slog it is.

 

This is really the preserve of a club like CCGB that can maximise buying power and leverage influence, maybe with other clubs around the world and deal directly with the likes of VW Classic Parts, and not a user forum. I'm not sure what CCGB have done in the past in this respect, but it is how most other classic car clubs approach this issue.

 

At a minimum we would need things like bonnets, wings, slam panels, bumpers and all lights available to repair crash damage, and then everything required for a respray trim wise and also safety critical stuff like the clutch and brake masters.

 

So I think the parts problem should be addressed separately to the issue of preserving the forum and it's future.

 

I'm definitely willing to pay for membership, and more than happy to lend a hand as an extra moderator or IT specialist if needed.

On 8/24/2019 at 5:46 PM, Bush said:

I'm a relatively new member, and new to vw's and corrado.

This is a great forum, I don't post much, but I spend a lot of time reading posts, and check new posts most days.

 

I'd happily pay a membership fee, as I do on a motorbike forum I'm on. The bike forum works great with plenty paid up members. Anybody has access to the general areas of the forum, but certain areas, like vendor deals, parts for sale, meets and ride outs, technicle guides are for members only.

 

It would be a shame to lose all the years and years of great info on this forum!

On 8/25/2019 at 4:05 PM, volksworld13 said:

Happy to pay, it needs some people to bring the forum up to speed .

The knowledge that lies on this forum is extensive. This is required for most people to keep theirs cars going.

On 8/25/2019 at 7:20 PM, ben_wooduk said:

Unfortunately I can't offer any technical assistance, can't see there being much call for a BI Developer on here :lol: however, for almost 15 years now I've found this forum invaluable, perhaps not posting frequently enough but always actively looking through all new posts.

 

Some great ideas here but first things first, get a paid membership area, it would be the least I can contribute to!

On 8/26/2019 at 11:47 AM, oneohtwo said:

I'd be happy to pay as well. Some of the suggestions above about having part free access and another part members, and a tie up with Corrado Club GB sound quite reasonable to my mind. It's such a valuable resource.

 

Have to say I don't fully understand how everyone has transferred to facebook. Whenever I've looked at the pages there's nothing on there!

On 8/28/2019 at 2:48 PM, mort1414 said:

Happy to pay.

 

I have to admit that I would have been more forthcoming with donations if I understood that it was really needed. A transparent system with a financial target per year may help people see what's required.

 

Also can a percentage be charged for sale threads?

On 8/30/2019 at 1:56 PM, odub said:

I have no issues paying and really value the forum. I'm keen to see the outcome, good luck

On 8/21/2019 at 9:37 PM, ChrisL said:

Sounds great, I’d be happy to pay for the service.

 

I know it’s been done to death but is there no way of merging this with the corrado club gb? By paying to access the forum (even if it costs more) you automatically get membership to the club? Both benefit.

 

On 8/21/2019 at 11:19 PM, ger040 said:

i would be happy to do that also - need to be able to upload photos easily for us non tech geeks

 

On 8/21/2019 at 11:20 PM, vw rule said:

Hi Toby,

 

likewise it would be a crying shame to see this great forum disappear, as it's a fantastic community with priceless info that you just can't get anywhere else.

 

Regarding payment only membership that's probably not a bad thing, as it may stop the SPAM one hit wonders, but then on the other hand anyone that's joined this forum years ago, may only reply or post every once in awhile, and might feel they're not getting their money's worth.

It's swings and roundabouts but for me I honestly don't mind continuing paying for membership if it helps keep this great forum alive.

 

It would be good if poss to get the photo issues rectified please, as hardly any of us can attach any at the moment.

And the Wiki howto is a great asset to this forum, which ideally we all need back up and running on full cylinders so to speak please.

 

Si

 

On 8/21/2019 at 11:45 PM, Dox said:

http://the-corrado.net/showthread.php?95286-CCGB-Why-can-t-we-fill-shows

 

Plenty of discussion here regarding CCGB using this forum for business.....

 

A closed forum would be a bad thing going forward, no one is going to stump up for something before they've seen the goods first?

 

You can get free apps that remind you of impending MOT, servicing, insurance and RFL etc

 

Would I pay to support the forum, yes

 

On 8/23/2019 at 2:42 PM, g0ldf1ng3r said:

i have donated before & am willing to do so again

 

this forum & the great people we have on here are too valuable to loose

 

On 8/23/2019 at 4:08 PM, Erallus said:

Happy to support the forum in anyway necessary, and be more involved as well as donate.

 

This is such an important resource for the Corrado

 

On 8/23/2019 at 7:20 PM, mooG60 said:

I'm happy to chip in if it's what's needed not to lose this great forum!

 

 

I look forward to your support guys 🙂 The subscription service is now live 🙂

[t700bes 1]

In regards to the Photo issue, can someone let me know if its still an issue and add a post (with examples) to the following area:

https://the-corrado.net/forum/67-questions-and-answers/

 

[fendervg 29]

Signed up now. Thanks.

[bristolbaron 10]

The same annual price as CCGB membership but without the events/sprinter/Christmas cards? 
The only benefit of membership seems to be being able to post (and therefore contribute) to the forum. Considering over the past few years I’ve only posted a handful of times this doesn’t seem to be the most effective way to engage people. 
If you shared the actual losses you’d made over the past few years I’m certain you’d have more people willing to donate, but to state ‘my time isn’t free’ as a reason for the forum not to be free to post on when so many alternatives are out there doesn’t create the same level of generosity, from me at least. 
It’s your forum, do what you like with it, but it seems to have been run into the ground and now the expense of getting it going again is falling at the feet of those that have contributed the most.