New guy, considering buying a Corrado

[will tomma 10]

Hi,

 

I'm new to this so bare with me.

I thought I would sign up to this as I have been considering buying a Corrado and was after a bit of help.

I was thinking the 2ltr 8/16v would be a good option as I dont think I can afford to run a vr6 and thought the g60 could be too much of a headache as I would be using it as a daily driver.

 

What sort of money would I have to spend to get a half decent/reliable one? What are they like to own and work on? what do I need to look out for if I go and have a look at some?

 

cheers!

[seanl82 23]

Hi Will, welcome to the forum!

 

Have a look at this. http://wiki.the-corrado.net/the_corrado_buying_guide_checklist.html

 

I'd suggest printing it out, and taking it with you to any potential viewing too.

 

the 2.0 8v/16v cars are a good choice for a daily driver, and many run them this way too. They are obviously getting on a bit now, but generally the standard service and consumable items are still available from the dealership or aftermarket.

There are a few snags obtaining trim and interior parts though, although they are starting to make a bit of a comeback thanks to a few sources reproducing bits and pieces.

What is your budget? Have a look at what is available on Autotrader, Pistonheads, ebay, and gumtree then decide what you can realistically afford. The cheap ones are cheap for a reason, so I'd say aim for the top of your budget if you can. I'd suggest being willing to travel too. The cars are getting thin on the ground now, so to get the best for your budget may mean travelling a fair distance to get it. That said, if your gut tells you to walk away, do it!

This is a decent and friendly forum, and if there are people close by, its always worth tapping into to see if they will have a quick look round it for you.

If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to ask away!

 

All the best in your search, and hope you get what you're looking for! :)

[SR_Neale 10]

Don't discount G60's I have had mine 6 months and the problems I have had could have been on any car ie duff battery, rotten suspension etc. I don't know why people think the G60's are so unreliable. As long as the engine has been maintained correctly you shouldn't have any probs.

[Portent 0]

Welcome to the forum. These are old cars now and all will need maintenance to some degree. So I don't think there will be much of a cost difference between owning any of the models. Insurance may be a little more on the G60 and VR6 if you are young but there isn't a huge difference in other running costs really.

 

8v / 16v = Good as a daily.

VR6 = Best all rounder in my opinion. Makes the best noise. Also a competent daily.

G60 = Arguably not as fast as the VR6 in standard form. Can be modified more easily. But the charger will need occasional maintenance. Makes a lovely noise too but different to the VR6. Probably the least suited to being a daily simply because of the extra maintenance of the charger. But if kept to maintenance schedules I wouldn't be worried about reliability.

 

If I was getting another weekend dar it would probably be the G60 because the GLader charger is fairly unique. They are now rarer than the VR6. But if it were a daily then I'd get a VR6 or 8v/16v. Obviously just my opinion of course.

 

Buy the best you can afford. As mentioned above it's a friendly forum and there may be someone near the car you want to view who would have a few hours to give an opinion. I bought one 4 years ago simply to scratch an itch and I have to say there is definitely something of character about them. I've owned it far longer than i expected to.

 

As for working on them I'm stil only at the stage of doing less complex work. but like any older car they are like a set of mechano or lego; fairly simple in design and build.

[JMC 0]

Absolutely no problem using a G60 as a daily driver - I did for 10 years. As with all cars they're fine as long as they are maintained. A small amount of work and they are as fast as a VR.

[MZpog 10]

I've run my 2.0 valver for the last couple of years as a daily and it's been great fun. Insurance costs (I had no NCB) were the reason I picked the valver, the MPG being a bonus. Very easy to work on although my laziness usually sees me paying a mechanic. Budget can be anything but I'd worry about a sub £1000 ebay specials, although you may be lucky.

 

Check the classified on here, they often pop up and at least have been owned by an enthusiast.

 

Catch me on a "I need a VR6 day" and mine could be for sale, lol.

[j_s14a 0]

Heart says VR6, head says 2.0 16v. The VR6 sounds fantastic, and tall gearing and reasonably light weight mean decent motorway fuel economy (relatively speaking) But the 16v cars will have similar running costs to the 8v, while being usefully quicker, and none of the more notorious maintenance issues of the VR6 or G60. £2500 - £3k should get you a really nice 2.0 16v.

[Dox 22]

VR6, you only live once

[will tomma 10]

Wow!

Cheers for all the advice, the link and comments have helped a load cheers!

 

I shall have a look around a bit more and take it from there..

I'd probably head towards the 20ltr or g60 over the vr6 due to insurance and tax etc.

 

I was originally thinking of getting a mk2 golf Gti.. however I've not seen that much that has caught my eye

What are mk2's like in comparison? (I guess most people are biased towards the corrado on here)

 

Yeah £2500- £3000 was what i had in mind for my budget so if your saying you could pick a good one up for that, that is good!

I can do basic mechanic stuff myself, such as servicing, brake disks/pads and fitting coil overs etc and I'm currently on my 3rd VW so I guess some things will be fairly similar when working on them?

[will tomma 10]

not sure If my last post went up..

 

but yeah if anyone knows of a good 2ltr 8v/16v that comes up, let me know. cheers!

[will tomma 10]

ahh Looks like it didnt post for some reason..

 

cheers for all the feedback and that link of course!

sounds like most options get good reviews then, however I'll probably go down the 2ltr due to insurance and tax reasons etc. I could do a g60 if a good/well maintained one came about.

 

I was originally thinking of buying a mk2 golf, but haven't found much that has grabbed my attention. what are corrado's like in comparrison? ( I guess most people are biased to the corrado on here)

 

I'm currently on my third vw (Mk5 golf) and have done basic work on them over the years such as, servicing, brake disk/pads and fitted coilovers etc so i do have some experience on working on vw's which i guess will work in my favour if I'm going to have to spend some time working on an old corrado?

[MZpog 10]

not sure If my last post went up..

 

but yeah if anyone knows of a good 2ltr 8v/16v that comes up, let me know. cheers!

 

Where you at?

[MikeyGordon 10]

I was originally thinking of buying a mk2 golf, but haven't found much that has grabbed my attention. what are corrado's like in comparrison? ( I guess most people are biased to the corrado on here)

 

I recently sold a Corrado and currently own a mk2, both 1.8 20vt's though.

 

Corrado has a more sporty feel, lower to the ground, slightly newer feel about it as well.

Handling wise, not much different as they are remarkably similar.

Although I would love a G60'd motor, I think when I buy another Rado I will be swayed towards a VR6.

Have you driven a car with either of these engines?

 

Edit: Working on older VW's is a breeze!

[Portent 0]

ahh Looks like it didnt post for some reason..

 

cheers for all the feedback and that link of course!

sounds like most options get good reviews then, however I'll probably go down the 2ltr due to insurance and tax reasons etc. I could do a g60 if a good/well maintained one came about.

 

I was originally thinking of buying a mk2 golf, but haven't found much that has grabbed my attention. what are corrado's like in comparrison? ( I guess most people are biased to the corrado on here)

 

I'm currently on my third vw (Mk5 golf) and have done basic work on them over the years such as, servicing, brake disk/pads and fitted coilovers etc so i do have some experience on working on vw's which i guess will work in my favour if I'm going to have to spend some time working on an old corrado?

 

I had a mk2 Golf GTI 16v back in the late 90's. I really loved that car and it was my first reasonably nice and quick car. So the comparison I now have is quite distant and the car would have been almost new back then. But I prefer the Corrado. The VR6 has a nicer engine. It has a nicer cabin. It's still old enough for "retro cool" but not so old that it feels agricultural like an older Golf. It sits lower and has a more sporty feel.

 

However most people don't know what a Corrado is and parts are harder to get. In my opinion a Corrado is the better car, slightly more modern, nicer to live with, more unusual. But most people would prefer the Golf because of the Golf scene and heritage.

 

EDIT: The Corrado community is really one of the strong points about owning this car as well; both this forum and also the Corrado Club (join both - it's worth it). It's a small but very friendly and helpful community.

[dickie 0]

I'm considering selling my vr soon, it's a really good one with recaros etc it'd be nearer to £4000 but IMO worth every penny and have found the vr6 to be far more reliable than the 2 16vs I had.

[will tomma 10]

Thanks.

 

I came very close to buying a mk2 over the summer but with the list of jobs I would have had to do to it and a vague history I got cold feet about it and walked away.

 

so now I'm re-considering and a few of my friends led me into looking into the corrado route.

Unfortunately, I've not had the chance to drive any corrado or mk2 golf for that matter.

 

hmm ok, I could stretch over the 3k mark if I found something really good.

 

I live in Huddersfield and I have seen the odd Corrado floating around/parked up on some driveways here and there. so no doubt some of those owners are on this forum too.

[MZpog 10]

Thanks.

 

I came very close to buying a mk2 over the summer but with the list of jobs I would have had to do to it and a vague history I got cold feet about it and walked away.

 

so now I'm re-considering and a few of my friends led me into looking into the corrado route.

Unfortunately, I've not had the chance to drive any corrado or mk2 golf for that matter.

 

hmm ok, I could stretch over the 3k mark if I found something really good.

 

I live in Huddersfield and I have seen the odd Corrado floating around/parked up on some driveways here and there. so no doubt some of those owners are on this forum too.

 

Well if you fancy a run out to Bingley I'll take you for a spin so you know what to expect from a valver.

[will tomma 10]

Cool, yeah thanks!!

 

That would be useful.. I should be free next weekend i think, so i could pop over one afternoon or something. nice one!

[will tomma 10]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/volkswagen/corrado/used-volkswagen-corrado-1-8-16v-3dr-swindon-fpa-201509046612526?logcode=p

 

Just having a quick look now and saw this crop up, I thought it looked reasonably tidy from the photos and description.

Does anyone have any opinions on it?

[will tomma 10]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volkswagen-Corrado-2-0-16v-/221934638702?hash=item33ac55d66e:g:Ka8AAOSwo6lWPgXy

 

Just wondered if this was worth a viewing.. doesnt say much about the history, however since its not too far away it could be worth a viewing to get an idea?

[SR_Neale 10]

I would look at everything going that way you get a chance to compare. I did.

[MZpog 10]

Cool, yeah thanks!!

 

That would be useful.. I should be free next weekend i think, so i could pop over one afternoon or something. nice one!

 

Next weekend a no go as busy but could do Friday morning if that's any good for you.

[kdub 10]

The ebay one looks nice. If it has plenty of history it's a good price for the condition judging by the photos. Although the red valver on autotrader has a soft spot for me. Reds my favourite colour lol.

[MZpog 10]

Although the red valver on autotrader has a soft spot for me. Reds my favourite colour lol.

 

Is that cos they're faster? :bonk:

[kdub 10]

Is that cos they're faster? :bonk:

 

Hell yeah