Have found a Corrado Storm, pictures added 13/03/08

[Purple Tom 0]

Hey guys,

 

This is my first post on this forum, so first of all hello!

 

I'm from the UK, and I'm a big VW fan, I currently drive a Polo GT (yes, I know!), heavily modified, including a Mk3 Golf ABD engine, G40 running gear, subframe conversion and some other parts, basically all geared towards making the little car go faster both in a straight line and round corners! I also have a Mini Clubman (the proper Mini), into which I've fitted a Vauxhall C16SE engine, which is my weekend toy. So thats my car credentials :)

 

Anyway, the reason for my post is thus:

 

I've loved Corrado's for as long as I can remember, I think they're awesome cars but I've never been able to justify buying one, not having the room or spare cash to invest in one. Part of my job involves local driving, and it was when on hire to another company I noticed a rather forlorn looking Corrado poking its nose out from under some trees in the front garden of a house opposite. I literally had seconds to look at it before I had to go, and all I noticed was that it was covered in green mildewy type stuff, had a 'VR6' badge and was a dark metallic green colour, and was 'M' registered (1995).

 

I went to Ultimate Dubs at the weekend and it reminded me about the car, so I took a drive over to look at it. The owner wasn't in, so I had a quick look around the car. It was last taxed in 2004, meaning its been stood there for 4 years. Its metallic green, and closer inspection revealed that its a Corrado Storm. It has a beige leather interior, sunroof, all the usual Storm equipment. The bonnet was on the latch, so I opened it up, and it still has a VR6 in there. There's no mayo under the cap, and oil in the sump, but it looks like it hasn't run for quite a while. It still has a battery (flat), and all the tyres are flat, so it looks like its literally been driven in, parked up, and left. I had a good look around the bodywork and it all seems pretty straight, the only bit of rust is on the front wing right next to the headlight, its a patch down to oxidised bare metal about the size of a 50p.

 

The owner looks like he's having a clearout of car/engineering parts, as next to the car are two large wooden crates full of things like compressor parts, tubular wishbones, drop links, shackles, and next to the crates are two heavily used dunlop slick racing tyres. My guess is that he's a car enthusiast who's just lost interest.

 

Anyway, I wrote a note explaining that I'd seen the car, and asked if he'd be interested in selling it to me, I gave my details etc. The guy I do work for says the owner is on holiday, so hopefully he'll see the note when he returns.

 

What I want to ask is how much do you think its worth? I know my description is pretty crap, but I don't know the mileage, whether it has any history or even if its a runner or not. For all I know it could have a blown engine and just be sat there because it can't be used....

 

If he's asking silly money for it like £500 do you think it would be a worthwhile motor to buy? I've no intention of selling it on, I want to bring it back to life and give it some TLC - especially as only 250 of the metallic green Storms were made.

 

Thanks for reading, sorry about the essay, but any help would be great.

 

Thanks

 

Tom

[joedakio 0]

silly money like 500? you might find the beige leather is probably worth more! impossible to say given the description unfortunately.

 

if you are looking for a Corrado there is plenty of information on the site which will aid in terms of buying tips. perhaps a vehicle thats been stood for 4 years wont fulfil your corrado expectations! good luck in your search, and if you're after a vr6: comprehensive service history is advised :)

[Dec 1]

Welcome to the forum....looks like you have possibly found yourself a nice project. Look at paying something more like 1.5k for a bargain Storm needing work though. As mentioned the interior is worth 500 quid alone!

[mattnorgrove 0]

If it is going for truly silly money then go for it!

 

The interior alone as said before would be worth 5-600 depending on condition.

 

Lets see some pics of it.... :D

[Purple Tom 0]

Thanks for the replies so far. I've pretty much read the whole site and I'm pretty aware of the Corrado and its mechanicals.

 

Buying one that requires work doesn't frighten me at all, and to be honest I prefer to buy a car that needs a bit of work as I can get to know the vehicle and it makes it easier to troubleshoot problems in the future.

 

If I was to buy this vehicle then I would trailer it away, and I can anticipate it needing:

 

Discs and pads all round

Full service

All the suspension bushes replacing

New tyres

Wheel bearings

Brake pipes and flexi hoses

CV boots

Possibly a new clutch (it doesn't look like the pedal has been held down so its entirely possible the clutch is siezed on).

Plus god knows what else (thats all just off the top of my head!).

 

I wasn't quite aware of the value of the interior - surprisingly it doesn't seem to have suffered with damp from what I can see, although there is a leather steering wheel on the back seat (the original is still on though) which appears to have 'bleached' some of its black colouring onto the seat material itself.

 

Its probably wishful thinking that I could get the car for £500, but it would be nice!

[was8v 0]

I'd work back from what its worth in good nick. Say £4k for a good conditon strorm with 110-150k?

 

Then scout round it carefully and tot up what you need to get it in that condition (brakes, wheel bearings, oils, filters, starter, alternator, battery, heater controls, panels, paint, random bits of trim etc). Knock that off the 4k and halve the remainder - thats what I'd offer.

 

It must have been parked up for a reason - most likely engine failure (maybe aftermarket immobiliser failure) so allow for sourcing another (1k?) that if you can't start it. Golf Vr6 engines are cheap but that would sever the value of a storm.

 

In fact recently on here there has been running complete Vrs go for as little as £1.5k so you could pick up a parts car!

[Purple Tom 0]

Thats brilliant advice, thank you!

 

Roughly based on your formula of working out the value, I think a reasonable price would be around £1000-£1500, especially if you factor in a possible problem with the immobiliser (did all 'Raddos have them built into the ECU?)

 

I haven't heard from the seller yet so I'm still crossing my fingers, but we'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks. Its such a shame to see it just sat there doing nothing.

 

Thanks again for the help, will keep this updated as and when any news occurs!

 

Tom

[Purple Tom 0]

Bit of an update, I got a phone call from the house this morning!

 

Apparently, the story is that the car belongs to his son. He was using it every day and then a baby came along and he was struggling to get the baby seat in the back. He asked his dad if he could keep the car on his drive for a while, and then other things came along and its been sat ever since. "Apparently" its only been sat since last year, but judging by the condition of it, the amount of surface rust on the discs and the fact the last tax disc says 2004, I would say its been a little bit longer than a year. I could be wrong though and he could be telling the truth...

 

Anyway, he "knows what its worth" and is asking £3500 to take it away...

 

Heres a few pictures (sorry for the poor quality, taken on my phone):

 

 

 

 

Now I think £3500 is FAR too much money for the car in that condition. He couldn't tell me the mileage or whether it had any history.

 

What do you guys think??

 

Thanks!

 

Tom

[Andy665 0]

He can ask £3500 all day long for it but I doubt he'll get it, unless of course its mechanically perfect and the dirt is removed to reveal pristine bodywork.

 

I know from previous experience that buying a car that hasn't been near a wash mitt for a while can unearth a bargain, my Passat was a disgrace in terms of dirt etc but after a hard days graft a really nice, straight car emerged.

 

You need to know much more about the car before being able to judge what you're prepared to pay.

[Goldie 2]

Agreed more info is needed and dirt isnt the end of the world..

 

Find out about the history of the car and id barter in the fact that the car needs a service and mot BEFORE youd be prepared to buy it, that way the nasty suprises come his way and not yours. 3.5 grand for a storm isnt bad but not one thats sat doing nothing..

 

Let us know how you get on..

[Walesy 0]

LOL, £3.5k!

 

I hope the bonnet was open in those pics! Its hard to say much from them as the cars in such shabby condition and the pics aren't clear but the front end looks a bit of a mess colour match wise and look at the panel gap at the bottom of the front quarter/drivers door :eek:

 

I'd be cautious if I was you mate, it could turn out to be a bobby dazzler but make sure you give it a good looking over!

[too hot 0]

Yeah not the bargain you first imagined :(

Looking at it the car has potential,but not at £3.5k.

I suggest if you are still interested get round there and ask the owner to be there too.

Have a good look at the car and any history point out all the bad bits and see if you can do some serious negotiating.

If the guy really wants to sell then I would think a deal is there to be done.

However I think I would be starting at £1.5K with the intention of going no more than £2K :)

[Jim 1]

That's unfortunate :( It most certainly is NOT worth 3.5k in that condition. Try and reason with him on the phone if you get another chance but otherwise it simply isn't worth anything near that.

 

MINT, very low mileage Storms would fetch anything up to 7 or 8k on a good day... for 3.5k you could buy a very very solid, well loved example of a VR6.

 

Tragic that it'll just sit there rotting away too :(

[vornwend 0]

I agree with the comments so far I wouldn't pay more than £2K for it. Hard to tell from the photos whether there are scratches and rust under the dirt. If you are correct and its been sat there for 3+ years then there would probably be a lot of deterioration underneath would'nt there? Seals might have deterirated too. None of that is exactly cheap to fix

 

Such a shame to see a neglected and obviously unloved classic.

 

What a sense of achievement though if you can bring it back from the dead - you'd probably be the proudest owner on here!

 

Vaughan

[Purple Tom 0]

Thanks for all the advice and help so far!

 

I agree it is a huge shame to see it sitting there completely unloved and with so much potential.

 

From the very quick look round it I had when I saw it the bodywork didn't seem too bad, but its hard to say until its given a proper wash really.

 

I'm actually contemplating selling my Mini to fund this car, which for me is a big thing. I've had the Mini since 2003 and spent god knows how much time and money on it. But its not a Corrado..... :D

 

Anyway, I think the next step is to get back in touch with the owner. I'm going to leave it a couple of weeks because its not going anywhere (don't want to appear too interested!), then I'll call back and arrange a visit with someone who's going to have the relevant information.

 

Thanks again :)

 

Tom

[CrazyDave 0]

I'd check it's a real Storm with VW before even thinking of going near that kind of money. They are worth a bit more but I'd put condition above Storm badges anyday.

 

If it's been sat for that long then it'll definately need the parts you've listed so far. Immobilisers are fitted as standard to all CP model ECU cars (ie late VR's), and on an M it should have CP. If it's a real Storm it'll definately have the ECU immobiliser.

 

Good luck with it :)

[Adz The Rat 0]

I wouldnt pay over £2k and for that I would want it up on a ramp so could have a good luck around it and have the car running

[KipVR 1]

If it's been standing for a long time get the bores checked over.

[was8v 0]

I'd pay £1750 at the most and thats only if it can be started and is a real Storm.

If it can't be started and isn't a storm then its worth less than a grand.

 

Bear in mind You can pick up a nice running Vr6 for 2.5k with full MOT.

 

Parts are not cheap and the one pictured is going to need £700 in parts (heck even the alternator belt tensioner is over £70 which you can guarantee you will need after being stood) straight off plus you need to account for the labour.

 

I've bought cars in the past that have been stood needing brakes, tyres, bearings etc. Plus they have had sticking clutches, blocked injectors, and water pumps have failed quickly on me after getting them running.

 

As enthusiasts we know there is no difference between a storm and standard car, but the relative market value of a storm is higher and as a runout model has greater classic significance hence the higher valuations.

 

I'd print this topic out and show them, as there are very knowledgable people on here who watch the prices of these cars.

[Walesy 0]

It would be good to know the mileage, that could have some baring on the value of the car. Obviously if it's got very low mileage that could make it worth a bit more (obviously low mileage wouldn't mean that the car needs any less spent on it to bring it back to its fromer glory though!)

[Ashun 0]

na i would leave that one mate what a shame

 

Ash

[Louis 0]

No way £3.5k hozay! If he knew what it's worth he would have halved that figure.

 

They can be worth a lot but I would not want to pay someone much money for leaving a storm to rot underneath a tree for 4 years. There's probably also a lot of effort required to be able to feel that it was properly back to the standard it should be at. It would definitely be worth the effort but only at a lower cost in my opinion. I'd rather pay that for a nice VR6 to someone who's actually looked after it.

 

My advice...nick it, well worth the risk!

 

 

Only joking about the nicking part, incase there are some officers of the law on here etc.

[skinnyman9000 0]

Send the cars details to the DVLA. If memory serves me well they'll get it touch with the last owner, who only has so long to reply, if they dont then the car can be swapped into your name.

 

There was someone on E38 last year that got a caddy by doing this! Had been left in a carpark for tiiiiiiime

[Dec 1]

hmmm but that's basically theft if you know that someone actually owns the car and is willing to sell it to you!

[skinnyman9000 0]

hmmm but that's basically theft if you know that someone actually owns the car and is willing to sell it to you!

 

Good point. It would be immensely harsh, and i wouldnt do it.

 

The sad thing is that if he doesn't lower his price then the car will more than likely remain sat there for the forseeable future :(