After a Corrado.

[Ben.Jamin 10]

Hey guys and girls :)

 

I'm Ben, 21 originally from North London but living in Watford now. I currently drive a 1.8 Corsa C running around 170 bhp but it (like most vauxhalls) has started to bore me and seems to just be a pit of money. Ideally I would like to get a VR6 or G60 but don't think I would be able to finance one until I finish Uni in June.

 

I'm also worried about buying an older/high milage car due to reliability issues etc. Now obviously the responses I get on the Corsa forum are very bias as I'm sure they will be here :lol: but I would like to hear your opinions and reasons why you bought a Corrado. Also how much should I look to spend on one? What should I avoid? etc.

 

Thanks in advance, Ben.

[VR6 0]

Fiat Uno is the way forward.

 

Welcome to the CF Ben :wave:

[Portent 0]

Welcome. A Corrado of any flavour will certainly be different to anything else your mates have and they can be great cars.

 

 

But, at 21 I suspect the insurance on a G60 or VR6 especially will be very high. Also, both are likely to need money spending on them either immediately or over the next few years to keep them running right. I suspect you'd spend more on a Corrado than you do on the Corsa. Parts are also becoming difficult to get hold of.

 

Opinions on here will differ but my view has always been that they make fantastic second cars if you understand they are now quite old and approaching classic status. But I wouldn't recommend running one as a daily drive, especially if funds are tight. I'd suggest spending around £3k with a further £1k set aside for repairs in the first year or two. If you spend a lot less on buying the car then the maintenance cost is likely to be higher anyway. But having said that, there are some good bargains around right now.

 

Having said that I absolutely love mine. You asked for an opinion on why we bought? In my case it was because I nearly bought a Storm in 1995 but bought a Golf instead. Since then I'd always liked them but been put off buying one by my wife. One day a few years ago I saw a faded red one on the M25 and while it did look tatty it lodged in my mind and I kept looking at them on various sites and youtube. After around a year looking I finally bought the one I have. I didn't buy it as a daily driver but instead I appreciated that it's an older car which doesn't feel as modern as most other things in the same price range. I use it a lot but it is most definitely a second, fun, car. If it was modern then I probably wouldn't have bought it.

 

I wouldn't want to put you off buying one but you should buy for the right reasons and understand that it will probably need money spending on it.

[robo22sri 10]

I was in the same boat as you bud, been a vaux nut for years! Had 5 astra's!

 

Then decide to take the plunge and buy a 20 year old rado vr6! Mainly because they sound the nuts!

 

I ended up rushing because I had money burning a hole in my pocket and bought a bit of a lemon!

 

Just do a lot of research and take time to view and don't rush!

 

Mine was a costly mistake around a grand to sort the engine :(

[Ben.Jamin 10]

Fiat Uno is the way forward.

 

Welcome to the CF Ben :wave:

 

Trololol?

 

Welcome. A Corrado of any flavour will certainly be different to anything else your mates have and they can be great cars.

 

 

But, at 21 I suspect the insurance on a G60 or VR6 especially will be very high. Also, both are likely to need money spending on them either immediately or over the next few years to keep them running right. I suspect you'd spend more on a Corrado than you do on the Corsa. Parts are also becoming difficult to get hold of.

 

Opinions on here will differ but my view has always been that they make fantastic second cars if you understand they are now quite old and approaching classic status. But I wouldn't recommend running one as a daily drive, especially if funds are tight. I'd suggest spending around £3k with a further £1k set aside for repairs in the first year or two. If you spend a lot less on buying the car then the maintenance cost is likely to be higher anyway. But having said that, there are some good bargains around right now.

 

Having said that I absolutely love mine. You asked for an opinion on why we bought? In my case it was because I nearly bought a Storm in 1995 but bought a Golf instead. Since then I'd always liked them but been put off buying one by my wife. One day a few years ago I saw a faded red one on the M25 and while it did look tatty it lodged in my mind and I kept looking at them on various sites and youtube. After around a year looking I finally bought the one I have. I didn't buy it as a daily driver but instead I appreciated that it's an older car which doesn't feel as modern as most other things in the same price range. I use it a lot but it is most definitely a second, fun, car. If it was modern then I probably wouldn't have bought it.

 

I wouldn't want to put you off buying one but you should buy for the right reasons and understand that it will probably need money spending on it.

 

Yea I'm getting quotes of 1100 on my corsa but 2000 on a 1.8 16v Corrado :| I'm in love with the look of the Corrado and would love to own a VR6 for that noise! Although I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that:

 

1. I couldn't use it as my daily drive

 

2. Insurance would lube me up and rape me

 

3. It would take alot to maintain one.

 

Also now I'm starting to assume that the average Corrado driver is a fair bit older than me? lol

 

I was in the same boat as you bud, been a vaux nut for years! Had 5 astra's!

 

Then decide to take the plunge and buy a 20 year old rado vr6! Mainly because they sound the nuts!

 

I ended up rushing because I had money burning a hole in my pocket and bought a bit of a lemon!

 

Just do a lot of research and take time to view and don't rush!

 

Mine was a costly mistake around a grand to sort the engine :(

 

I do like my Corsa but recently it just feels like it is falling apart! I planned to do a Z20let conversion but running costs and lack of funds puts me off :( I really thought maybe a Corrado was the way to go for me but I don't know what to do now :scratch:

[Portent 0]

I forgot to add. I'm only round the M25 from you (junction 10) so if you wanted to take a look at a semi-decent car to give an idea of what to look for then I'd be more than happy for you to drop by. It's not for sale and it's not perfect in the slightest. But is a reasonably good example. When I was looking I didn't really know what to expect of a 16 to 20 year old car so I passed up some good ones because I was being overly critical on small issues. It would give you a good idea of what's good about them, bad about them, what to avoid, what to look for, etc. Just drop me a pm if you want to. I'm no mechanic at all (quite the opposite) but I am quite passionate about these cars :)

 

The other thing to keep in mind is that there aren't that many around any more. So be prepared to travel for the right car. It's unlikely the right one will turn up on your doorstep, unlike mass produced modern cars.

 

EDIT: Two other things make the Corrado an absolute pleaure to own: (1) It's a small community and very friendly indeed. People will usually offer advice and assistance. (2) They get a lot of chufties. People quite often comment on them when you're out and about. That's less likely in a Corsa.

Edited October 29, 2011 by Portent

[robo22sri 10]

Trololol?

 

 

 

Yea I'm getting quotes of 1100 on my corsa but 2000 on a 1.8 16v Corrado :| I'm in love with the look of the Corrado and would love to own a VR6 for that noise! Although I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that:

 

1. I couldn't use it as my daily drive

 

2. Insurance would lube me up and rape me

 

3. It would take alot to maintain one.

 

Also now I'm starting to assume that the average Corrado driver is a fair bit older than me? lol

 

 

 

I do like my Corsa but recently it just feels like it is falling apart! I planned to do a Z20let conversion but running costs and lack of funds puts me off :( I really thought maybe a Corrado was the way to go for me but I don't know what to do now :scratch:

 

I would buy one and look at the bigger picture and do it up slowly!

 

I don't use mine very much and it's going to be a long project!

 

I have thought of getting rid a few times now, but every time I drive it I love it!

 

Admiral insure me on my rado vr for £680 and I have 1 years ncb!

[fla 9]

whereabouts in Watford are you? Far from the Met line station?

[dragon green 5]

Ive had mine for 11 years,and use mine as a daily !

preventive maintenance is the key to reliabilty

[Ben.Jamin 10]

I forgot to add. I'm only round the M25 from you (junction 10) so if you wanted to take a look at a semi-decent car to give an idea of what to look for then I'd be more than happy for you to drop by. It's not for sale and it's not perfect in the slightest. But is a reasonably good example. When I was looking I didn't really know what to expect of a 16 to 20 year old car so I passed up some good ones because I was being overly critical on small issues. It would give you a good idea of what's good about them, bad about them, what to avoid, what to look for, etc. Just drop me a pm if you want to. I'm no mechanic at all (quite the opposite) but I am quite passionate about these cars :)

 

The other thing to keep in mind is that there aren't that many around any more. So be prepared to travel for the right car. It's unlikely the right one will turn up on your doorstep, unlike mass produced modern cars.

 

EDIT: Two other things make the Corrado an absolute pleaure to own: (1) It's a small community and very friendly indeed. People will usually offer advice and assistance. (2) They get a lot of chufties. People quite often comment on them when you're out and about. That's less likely in a Corsa.

 

Thanks for the offer mate I may take you up on that :) And yeah I do turn heads with my Corsa but probably for the wrong reasons! :lol:

 

I would buy one and look at the bigger picture and do it up slowly!

 

I don't use mine very much and it's going to be a long project!

 

I have thought of getting rid a few times now, but every time I drive it I love it!

 

Admiral insure me on my rado vr for £680 and I have 1 years ncb!

 

£680! How old are you?

 

whereabouts in Watford are you? Far from the Met line station?

 

I say Watford but It's actually Abbots Langley lol Just North of Watford next to Junction 20 on the M25.

 

Ive had mine for 11 years,and use mine as a daily !

preventive maintenance is the key to reliabilty

 

Good bit of advice there :)

Edited October 30, 2011 by Ben.Jamin

[VR6 0]

Fiat Uno is the way forward.

 

Welcome to the CF Ben :wave:

 

Trololol?

 

It sounded like you wanted to hear something other than 'Corrado' or 'Corsa' :)

 

Corrado forum won't say Corsa and Corsa forum won't say Corrado. So it's irrelevant to the discussion really ;)

 

If you want to avoid cars that don't need money spending on them, and are low maintenance, it sounds like neither are options!

 

End of the day, I seriously doubt I would EVER leave the house in the morning and really look forward to my drive (anywhere) in my Corsa.

 

On the other hand, I think that's entirely what makes a Corrado special to each and every owner, no matter what guise. And that's what makes the bills, fettling, bleeding knuckles and sheer agony absolutely worth it.