VW Corraro or Mk1 astra GTE

[coreygraham555]

hmmm got a tough one here

still waiting to sell my 71 hillman imp but as you do looking at the next car already

i have been looking at a lot but looking for something that i will be able just to turn the key and blast £30 of fuel a weekend around some of the nice twisty turney roads around me

i have managed to narrow down to these two after looking at about 50 diffrent cars

anyone in the know of these car what to look out for with these car ?

also looking for opinions which will be better ?

[J4CKO]

Corrado every time, I have a soft spot for the Astra but they werent a patch on the Corrado handling wise, performance wise it will depend on which Corrado, VR6 being the best, the aAstra wasnt slow, they were lovely engines for the time but only what, 115 bhp ? the Corrado will put up with beign a daily a bit better, the Astra tended to rust pretty badly thirty years ago, using a nice one now as a daily would probably kill it.

I borrowed a MK2 Astra GTE for a week, swapped for my Manta GTE, Astra was pretty quick (130 bhp) but the torque steer when the roads were damp was hillarious, god knows what the 16 valve was like.

[s m]

J4CKO said:

....god knows what the 16 valve was like.

IMO.....fantastic.

I think you either got a good one or a bad one though, just like the reviews.

Not a car for novices

[rallycross]

I had a mk2 Astra gte 8v in 1990/91 and even back then it was a rubbish handling car - but with a good engine.

Most had rusted away / been scrapped by about ten years ago.

Buy a Corrado instead much better in every respect, even a base 8v version.

[s m]

rallycross said:

Buy a Corrado instead much better in every respect, even a base 8v version.

Yep, if the choice is a Corrado vs Mk1 Astra GTE, got to be the Corrado

[aka_kerrly]

Tough one, I love my Corrados but do have a soft spot for the mk1 Astra.

[coreygraham555]

Thanks folks seems really clear cut i have a bit of a soft spot for the astra and is just the fact my dad had one and has never stopped singing its praises but i have always liked the corrado just a little different but no-one i know has ever had one to ask and i think i would be looking at a g60 at the most as only 21 so insurance is expensive as it is haha

[aka_kerrly]

G60 or VR6, the running costs aren't really that different and insurance is pretty much the same - I have one of each;)

A Mk1 Astra would have to have a XE conversion, suspension & brake upgrades to begin to sway me.

[darkyoung1000]

Depending on the twisty turney nature of the roads you are considering, it's worth considering which Corrado might suit you best.....
The VR6 is marvellous but less proficient at the sharper lower speed corners than the 16v/G60.

Cheers,
Tom