Advice on corrados
Discussion
Was looking at a corrado last night....
'93 2.0 16v 120k fsh.. advertised for 2,195
What I found
Exhaust was blowing
fuel pump was noisey
one tyre was on the legal limit
bumper paint was flaking and indecator lens broke where somebody had reversed into it.. no structural damage..
The car was a maroon colour and the paint was in excellent condition as was the interior... the car drove well but there was a slight crunch when engaging third at high revs and the tracking was a bit off... don't suspect crash damage.... the active spoiler was working
Is there anything else I should look out for...
what about the price... seems a bit rich to me...
'93 2.0 16v 120k fsh.. advertised for 2,195
What I found
Exhaust was blowing
fuel pump was noisey
one tyre was on the legal limit
bumper paint was flaking and indecator lens broke where somebody had reversed into it.. no structural damage..
The car was a maroon colour and the paint was in excellent condition as was the interior... the car drove well but there was a slight crunch when engaging third at high revs and the tracking was a bit off... don't suspect crash damage.... the active spoiler was working
Is there anything else I should look out for...
what about the price... seems a bit rich to me...
Does seem a tad expensive for what is wrong with it.
Noisy fuel pump could be a simple fuel filter change. They make it whine like mad when old and grotty.
Change of trans oil might sort the gearbox.
paint is barterable although body panels are nutoriously hard to get hold of so make sure that it's straight.
Exhausts are £300 wherever you go, VAG or aftermarket. Make sure he understands that.
All electrics are to be checked. Sunroofs often give up, as do rear spoilers (should lift at 50 mph).
Other than that they are fantastic and I'm loving mine!
Noisy fuel pump could be a simple fuel filter change. They make it whine like mad when old and grotty.
Change of trans oil might sort the gearbox.
paint is barterable although body panels are nutoriously hard to get hold of so make sure that it's straight.
Exhausts are £300 wherever you go, VAG or aftermarket. Make sure he understands that.
All electrics are to be checked. Sunroofs often give up, as do rear spoilers (should lift at 50 mph).
Other than that they are fantastic and I'm loving mine!
I agree it sounds like you need to walk away!
In the meantime, have a wander over to the Corrado Forum http://the-corrado.net/forum/portal.p , plenty of info and a buyer's guide to boot
In the meantime, have a wander over to the Corrado Forum http://the-corrado.net/forum/portal.p , plenty of info and a buyer's guide to boot
Edited by duncanthemad on Wednesday 11th April 11:38
trickywoo said:
I'd be walking away from that one. Neglect like that tends to carry over to general maintenence. Was the seller a bit rough?
No, he was a student, he owned the car, had a mint mkII in the garage.... yeah I got the impression that the car was neglected and I don't think it will sell quickly.... I had my doubts about wether he was one of these wanna be traders.... there was a lot of cars at the house Hmm... with the faults it's the kind of car you'd pick up at auction....
No, no, no, no. No!
Sounds like he was extracting the urine asking that much for a car with a list of faults that suggest that he has neglected it. It is well worth looking around in order to find a good one. The last thing you want to be doing is shelling out a load of cash for a lemon. I would be more concerned about finding one that was mechanically sound rather than be seduced by tidy paintwork (though clearly you don't want anything that is crash damaged or showing signs of rust).
When I was after the VR6 I asked about:
timing chain
service history
mileage (though was not an issue when serviced regularly)
mods
And when the guys said, "Ooh, ah, um..." I left it at that. (One did say, "The horn doesn't work. Does that matter?"
He said some other really stupid laughable things too.)
Good luck with the hunt and when you find a good one you'll be so glad that you waited.
Sounds like he was extracting the urine asking that much for a car with a list of faults that suggest that he has neglected it. It is well worth looking around in order to find a good one. The last thing you want to be doing is shelling out a load of cash for a lemon. I would be more concerned about finding one that was mechanically sound rather than be seduced by tidy paintwork (though clearly you don't want anything that is crash damaged or showing signs of rust).
When I was after the VR6 I asked about:
timing chain
service history
mileage (though was not an issue when serviced regularly)
mods
And when the guys said, "Ooh, ah, um..." I left it at that. (One did say, "The horn doesn't work. Does that matter?"
He said some other really stupid laughable things too.) Good luck with the hunt and when you find a good one you'll be so glad that you waited.
Edited by EmmaP on Wednesday 11th April 19:18
Another few hundred trip will get this
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/154666.htm
Its all about condition and mileage with Corrados.
Low mileage VR6s will go anthing up to 5.5k and Storms up to 8k.
A good 16v will be worth as much as a not so good VR6 and a G60 about mid way between the 2 again condition dependent.
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/154666.htm
Its all about condition and mileage with Corrados.
Low mileage VR6s will go anthing up to 5.5k and Storms up to 8k.
A good 16v will be worth as much as a not so good VR6 and a G60 about mid way between the 2 again condition dependent.
I'll go against the grain and say that for a 14 year old, 120K miles car, the list so far doesn't sound too bad and more or less par for the course. Even when keeping on top of maintenance it's not unknown for an otherwise sound car to develop a quirk here and there between services at that age - I'd be even poorer than I am now and wouldn't have much use of my cars if I booked them into a garage for any and all things that need doing immediately. And I'm known within friends and family as being pretty anal about my cars!
Let's face it, most people don't tend to sell older cars like that when they are in 100% tip top condition and need nothing now or in the near future.
My gripe would be with the price, not the car itself - and in establishing a 'reasonable' price, take the list of things you found this easily as a guide for the overall state, i.e. assume that a closer look (i.e. at the next service) will reveal more work needed.
Let's face it, most people don't tend to sell older cars like that when they are in 100% tip top condition and need nothing now or in the near future.
My gripe would be with the price, not the car itself - and in establishing a 'reasonable' price, take the list of things you found this easily as a guide for the overall state, i.e. assume that a closer look (i.e. at the next service) will reveal more work needed.
coupeboy said:
Cheers for the advice lads....
:cough: Don't mention it!
Just bear in mind the cost of a SS back box (mine was £450 a few years ago, was a Magnex Sports one though). My concern was that with those problems it may have not been serviced regularly. As I said in my earlier post, mileage isn't an issue if it has been well maintained and regualrly serviced.
Happy hunting!
That's the trouble when cars get older - the purchase price plummets due to depreciation but the running costs do not. Ergo, many cars become neglected as their (new) owners find they cannot afford to keep them in tip-top condition.
Having said that, if I were to take leave of my senses and sell my Corrado then I doubt I'd get much for it as all the money I've spent on it over the years has been in mechanical areas and the bodywork really does look a bit of a wreck these days.
Having said that, if I were to take leave of my senses and sell my Corrado then I doubt I'd get much for it as all the money I've spent on it over the years has been in mechanical areas and the bodywork really does look a bit of a wreck these days.
JonRB said:
That's the trouble when cars get older - the purchase price plummets due to depreciation but the running costs do not. Ergo, many cars become neglected as their (new) owners find they cannot afford to keep them in tip-top condition.
Having said that, if I were to take leave of my senses and sell my Corrado then I doubt I'd get much for it as all the money I've spent on it over the years has been in mechanical areas and the bodywork really does look a bit of a wreck these days.
Having said that, if I were to take leave of my senses and sell my Corrado then I doubt I'd get much for it as all the money I've spent on it over the years has been in mechanical areas and the bodywork really does look a bit of a wreck these days.
I spent in excess of £15K on the old Saab in this millennium alone. Still at present it needs a brake fluid change, a small exhaust gasket leak (only noticeable when cold) sorted, I suspect something not being entirely hunky dory with the suspension (despite being on its second set of 'lifetime warranteed' Konis) and the bodywork, while very presentable and rustfree, isn't exactly concourse either
This is on a car of which only the steering rack and front suspension wishbones are still original and un-upgraded - probably one of the most comprehensively sorted 900s around... It's just the way things are with older cars - unless you take them off the road, strip them to a bare shell and build them up from scratch again in one go (and then only drive them to shows and back
) they'll never be completely finished - the moment you fix one thing, something else will need attention. Edited by 900T-R on Thursday 12th April 16:18
I wouldn't worry too much on minor faults, but the price does seem a tad optmistic.
Bodywork is often far more difficult and expensive to correct than minor mechanical issues.
Basically, as you would expect check all of the electrics work.
If it has abs(it most probably will) check the light comes on with the ignition, and then switches off a couple of seconds after starting.
Sunroof cables tend to snap, meaning labour intensive repairs.
Heater matrixes leak, which may mean a dash out job. Check Carpets in drivers and passenger footwell for dampness.
Corrosion at the botth rear of the front arched where the mudflaps were bolted.
Check heated seats work, heated adjustable mirrors, heater fan works on all speeds etc etc.
Bodywork is often far more difficult and expensive to correct than minor mechanical issues.
Basically, as you would expect check all of the electrics work.
If it has abs(it most probably will) check the light comes on with the ignition, and then switches off a couple of seconds after starting.
Sunroof cables tend to snap, meaning labour intensive repairs.
Heater matrixes leak, which may mean a dash out job. Check Carpets in drivers and passenger footwell for dampness.
Corrosion at the botth rear of the front arched where the mudflaps were bolted.
Check heated seats work, heated adjustable mirrors, heater fan works on all speeds etc etc.
tino said:
Bodywork is often far more difficult and expensive to correct than minor mechanical issues.
Indeed. Mechanically there are a lot of shared parts with the equivalent Golf and Passat of that generation, but a majority of the body parts are Karmann parts and they are very expensive. Last time I looked an unpainted rear bumper was something like £500
although being an old car you can of course raid the scrappies and repaint a used bumper. greatgranny said:
Another few hundred trip will get this
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/154666.htm
Its all about condition and mileage with Corrados.
Low mileage VR6s will go anthing up to 5.5k and Storms up to 8k.
A good 16v will be worth as much as a not so good VR6 and a G60 about mid way between the 2 again condition dependent.
www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/154666.htm
Its all about condition and mileage with Corrados.
Low mileage VR6s will go anthing up to 5.5k and Storms up to 8k.
A good 16v will be worth as much as a not so good VR6 and a G60 about mid way between the 2 again condition dependent.
I hope I'm not offending anyone here but I'd run a mile from that one. Bonnet looks like a) someone's jumped up and down on it and b) it doesn't fit brilliantly. The OSF wing has a dent right on the arch. Drivers seat falling apart. Exhaust looks like it's hanging low (rubbers would be cheap and easy though). The wheels are dog rough and he wants £3k?!
Edited by MJK 24 on Sunday 15th April 18:09
MJK 24 said:
I hope I'm not offending anyone here but I'd run a mile from that one. Bonnet looks like a) someone's jumped up and down on it and b) it doesn't fit brilliantly. The OSF wing has a dent right on the arch. Drivers seat falling apart. Exhaust looks like it's hanging low (rubbers would be cheap and easy though).
Indeed. I'd also take issue with the claim that 220bhp is achievable with just a remap and an air filter. On a TVR Rolling Road, perhaps, but not one that measures real horsepower.
For my car an air filter, an enlarged throttle body and a remap achieved only 201bhp, so I don't see where 220bhp comes from.
Edit: Still, somebody evidently thought it was worth buying as the advert says it is sold now.
Edited by JonRB on Sunday 15th April 18:35
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