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scottydont1984

looking into getting a corrado,advice appreciated.

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Hi all been looking through the forum for a few days now and it seems a great forum full of support. I am currently looking for a new motor having just sold my pride and joy that was a ford focus st. I have always been a fan of the corrado and my next car I purchase is going to be a cross between a project car/car to get me to work which is not far away. So can anyone give me some advice on which model they would reccomend, running costs and all the other stuff that comes with buying a 20+ year old car.

 

thanks

scott

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Welcome to the forum. There are people on here far more knowledagble than myself but as no-one has yest replied... Each model has different advantages and disadvantages:

 

G60 - Quite rare now. Early interior only (and mostly early front end wings, bonnet, bumper). Less power than a VR6 but more easily tunable. Generally used to be cheaper to maintain... but the G-Lader charger is fauirly unusual technology and I'm not sure how easy it is nowadays to get them serviced? I'm a VR6 owner so that's hard to comment. The G60 has a very unique engine noise due to the charger. It's also slightly lighter than the VR6 so handling would be marginally better.

 

VR6 - Lovely deep growl to the engine. Smoother power delivery but most of that power is at the top end of the rev range. Hold onto the revs and you'll feel a very strong pull and wet yourself with the lovely noise the thing makes :D It's also an unusual V6 in that it has a single head (VR6 literally means a narrow angle V6). Slightly heavier at the front than the other models. Late models only (so late interior and front end - apart from the very limited edition ampaign model that I think had an early interior). The last 500 cars were designated Storm models with unique badging, leather interior, different alloys and only two colour combinations.

 

16v - Lighter that the VR6 but not as powerful as the VR6 or G60. Cheaper to buy, insure and run though.

 

8v - Similar to 16v but with less power. Good for a daily runner and less likely to have been abused by owners. This was the budget model at the time.

 

I love my VR6 but have a secret hankering for a G60 (shhh, don't tell the rest of the forum that!). The 16v and 8v are still good cars but less powerful (possibly a good option for a 1.8t swap?).

 

As you say, it's 20yr old car, so there will be many things to look out for Typical faults are sunroof failure (motor or mechanism snapped), spoiler failure (usually motor), heater matrix failure (checo to replace but requires the dashboard to be removed - so check car history for a replacement which would be a good thing). G60 check for charger servicing. VR6 check for any history of chain/tensioner relacement (they were meant to last a lifetime but can get noisy when high mileage and a failure is very bad - failure is quite rare though). Rust is another concern as the panels were made by Karmann and, like many other parts of the car, are now obolete.

Edited by Portent

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Got a G60 for sale in yellow if you are interested...

 

Only other thing to add is that there is a World of difference between the 4 cylinder and 6 cylinders models in terms of handling, the 4 cylinder cars are much more nimble through the twisties and the front end does not wash out as much as the VR around roundabouts.

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Only other thing to add is that there is a World of difference between the 4 cylinder and 6 cylinders models in terms of handling, the 4 cylinder cars are much more nimble through the twisties and the front end does not wash out as much as the VR around roundabouts.

 

Agreed.

 

The VR does have an addictive character though and the sound is just immense.

 

I've been going back and forward with regards to whether I should get a VR or 16v as my next one. Next one will be a long term top to bottom rebuild though..

 

There's plenty of bits and bobs to look out for, a quick search will reveal all.

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I'm not going to add to the old 'which ones better', as the main points have been made, but it is worth noting that if you like to upgrade bit by bit on a budget, G60s are very rewarding, and after a few hundred pounds of bits they can make more power than a VR. However I believe you can turbo VRs :) ...

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Agreed.

 

The VR does have an addictive character though and the sound is just immense.

 

I've been going back and forward with regards to whether I should get a VR or 16v as my next one. Next one will be a long term top to bottom rebuild though..

 

There's plenty of bits and bobs to look out for, a quick search will reveal all.

 

Haha I knew you'd be looking to get back to ownership at some point! Bloody addictive aren't they :)

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Haha I knew you'd be looking to get back to ownership at some point! Bloody addictive aren't they :)

 

It's never going to go away!

 

While my last storm was a pretty complete car it wasn't mine if that makes sense. I want to do a proper sump up rebuild to my specs. Will be a real long build though. Just trying to decide between VR and valver.

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sorry for such a late reply have been working away and havent had chance to log on. Thanks again for the great replies there going to be a great help when a finally decide what choice to make. Im really drawn towards getting a older car and if i was too decide to go down this route a carrado will be may choice. There seems to be pro's and cons to all the models within the carrado family. I am drawn toward the G60 and VR6 versions, so more searching is on the cards.

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VR6 - Late models only (so late interior and front end - apart from the very limited edition ampaign model that I think had an early interior).

 

 

close but not entirely accurate,ALL factory VR6's should have the facelifted front end,there are however a few other than the Campaign model that will have the early dash and door cards

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