Hey all, I'm thinking about buying an old VW Corrado 1.8 16v. What problems should I look for? I've heard that the wipers aren't great, door handles can break but that's about it.

You, my friend, are in luck.

I'm a moderator for the UK's biggest Corrado Forum, which you can find over @ http://the-corrado.net/forum - feel free to head over and register, and ask away! There is a full on Corrado buyers guide on there to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about their various foibles and problems

I post under the name jimsg60 (nearly 8000 posts and going strong) so if you have any questions or problems, just PM me either here or on there

Pics of my Corrado G60 which I just sold a few weeks ago, just to keep you inspired! My replacement, MK4 Golf GT TDI i'm picking up this evening!

Excellent choice Rastachops, and that's a beautiful car chicane!

Good luck Rasta

I knew that someone around here had a corrado! Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

How come you've sold your corrado?

Well the G60's a thirsty machine, and mine was tuned up from 160BHP -> 207BHP and the fuel economy, and insurance reflected that. This is my 2nd Corrado (first was a 16v) and I just decided i'd had enough of them for a bit and wanted something cheaper to run and something more modern!

I'll say one thing about the Corrado though.. don't go bottom of the barrel for a cheap one.. get a good one thats been owned by a VW enthusiast. They're not unreliable cars as such, but they are old - and things break on them! Get used to being out of pocket as once you fix one thing, it ends up becoming an addiction keeping on top of the maintainance.

But they are rewarding and fun to drive, and you won't believe the amount of looks and appreciative glances you get from other motorists and pedestrians!

I don't mind spending a bit more as I can't see that it would depreciate a lot in 12 - 18months but it does need to be reliable. I'm going to be doing about 550 miles a week in it over the summer.

get one, i'm a big fan of them, and they're rare now.

Chicane - I Have a GT TDI and they are great cars. Are you getting a 115, 130 or 150bhp? A little heavy and the suspension is a little soft (even if like mine you went for one with sports suspension) but has great torque even in the higher gears.

So why the long face?

I'm a member of a great uk golf forum if you have any mk4 questions ... www.uk-mkivs.net

My dad has a 2001 Golf GTi 1.8 Turbo but that seems really quite sluggish. The suspension seems pretty sporty in it though, certainly not soft. I'm hoping that 1.8 16v Corrado's are a bit quicker - I assume they will be lighter than the newer Golf's.

Hmm, I love this car.

Hiya..

I've not long ago already signed up on UK MKIV's - go find my Newbie post in the Introductions forum I post as jimsg60 there too!

I've gone for the 115BHP - looks like a nice motor and i'm sure i'll be very happy. But when you've owned a car like the Corrado which is pretty uncommon on the roads these days, its just a bit of a shame to be back out of the club which i've been a member for so long. I am looking forward to getting the Golf though.. off to the guys house in about 30 mins to go pick it up

Wow Corrado's are like my fav. car...

I would only go for the VR6 though.. Seems like they got so-so reviews w/ the G60, but the VR6 really put it onto the top of reviewers lists.

It is kind of weird, but I see Corrado's all the time where I live. (multiple times in the day usually).
I think we have a lot of VW fans here.

Right now I drive my fathers old 82' Scirocco.. It handles beautifully.

I just love the looks and power of the Corrado though

The problem with going for a VR6 is that the insurance would kill me

You'd be surprised actually.. ALL Corrado's are rated highly in insurance groups (Group 16 for the 16v's, 17 for G60, 18 for VR6) because they are a common target for thieves and body panels on them are exceptionally expensive.. ie anything more than a light tap will usually result in the car being written off!

You should try a quote for the VR6 actually.. it wont be the insurance that is a killer though. The fuel economy, cost of repairs and parts, etc are all the other main factors in why the VR6 is the most expensive to run!

My second car was a Corrado and that is my favorite car I've ever owned. I lost it in an accident in Florida. Some old lady had a heart attack and rammed me at 65 MPH in her Mercury Grand Marquis and total'd it. I was in one of those situations, my beauty was gone and I was so angry but I was lucky to be alive and this poor old lady died of a heart attack.

This car is so fun, it's a shame that they don't come out with them again. Their body style, speed, just everything was made to perfection but it's probably a good thing the VW don't come out with it again. VW kind of fallen apart. They aren't as dependable as they were and I dont know if anyone has seen the brand new Jetta model. VW are becoming really expensive to own too.

I would absolutely follow Chicane-UK recommendation. Pretty much if you own an older VW, your a die hard VW fan and take care of your car but there are some that aren't and they trash the s**t out of them. My dad got me hooked on them and I love them.

BTW- how much are they asking for it ?

Well it varies, I'm talking to a guy about a 1989 1.8 16v that has been modded quite a bit, like G60 front brakes, tuned engine (polished/ported head) with other mods, rust free body and he wants around £2000 / $3800 ish. Personally I think it's a bit much for the age of the car. Especially considering the mods will push the insurance up a lot.

That is a little high but if it is modded some and the guy seems to know a lot about cars and probably toke care of it well, I'd buy it if he was selling the car in my town

The norm. for Corrado's here is around ~$9,000 Canadian as a starting price for a G60.

VR6's start off at around ~$12,000 Canadian, and go up to around ~$16,000 for a well-kept version.

So basically I am looking at spending around ~$15,000 (6,335.39 GBP or 12,052.97 USD) for a VR6 model w/ around 150,000-190,000 Kms.

This seem good?

An absolute bottom of the barrel, needing TLC 16v will probably cost you £1000 and thats before you factor in the cost of repairs and getting new bits that a car that cheap will ultimately cost you. If its had head work on it, and upgrades such as G60 brakes, then thats good news.. the G60 brakes you could possibly pass over on the insurance as you could just say you had no idea, but the ported and polished head you'd have to declare. Given the relatively small increase in power from that mod though, I can't see the insurance companies nailing you too hard for such mods.

My advice is spend now or spend later.. get a car with as many reciepts, and as full a documented history now as you can as you will regret it down the line if you don't!

That is one nice Corrado Chicane-UK. Get one man, where I live, I rarely see a clean one around. I am thinking about buying one myself, if I can just find one. I'd love to have a VR6. Probably my favorite VW, next to a MK3 GTi.

I'm not a biiig van of MK3's.. but for a mean looking stealth machine, a slammed black MK3 on black alloys is soooo good! Only really worth bothering with them though in VR6 form.. wouldn't have any other sort I don't think!

wow VW corrado
I owned one like 10 years ago
that was a nice car