The Corrado VR6/G60
Discussion
I'd recommend that you buy the best, lowest mileage, most original example VR6 that you can find, preferably a 95/96 run out car. So many have been ruined with badly chosen after market suspension and big wheels....the VR6 handles beautifully on standard suspension and original 15" alloys. If you must go bigger I found that 16" was as big as you needed, 17's and bigger just ruined the ride and "feel" of the car when pushing on. That's based on my experience of trying quite a few modified Corrados.
I did eventually swap the standard suspension on mine for a road orientated Koni / Eibach set-up, keeping the standard wheels, and although it reduced body roll and improved the looks I don't think it improved the feedback in any measureable way, in fact I think it was harder to gauge when the rear end was about to break free. The only time I felt it was a benefit was hooning around Knockhill race track. I considered going back to the standard set-up but decided to leave it for the aesthetic appeal.
Reliability wise, I ran my VR6 from 65K up to 105K and it didn't need anything done to it apart from routine servicing. Timing chains can start to stretch after 100K, many are fine above 200K, but wisdom dictates that if the clutch needs doing above 100K miles then do the chains at the same time, so ask the owner of cars you view if this has ever been done. Well looked after engines will last for mega miles and should still produce close to the quoted 190bhp. Even at 100K, mine was getting 193bhp on a rolling road (standard was supposed to be 190bhp, with a K&N air filter and custom stainless exhaust. Rust can be an issue, especially as the latest cars are going to be 15 years old, so take a very close look around all the usual areas. Stone chips are also common, I've seen some horribly pock marked examples along the front bonnet edge, front wheel arches and rear arches.
Interior switch gear isn't to the highest standard so check all the electrics work. Sunroofs can stick, and the rear spoiler can sometimes fail too. You can check the spoiler by using a button on the dash to manually raise and lower it. When out on a test drive the spoiler should automatically rise as you accelerate then drop again when you slow down....I can't recall the exact speeds.....50mph seems to the the number in my head, but it was a few years ago.
I loved mine, and although it's been over 7 years since I sold it it's still the car that I've kept the longest. A good looking, great handling car which punched well above it's weight.
I did eventually swap the standard suspension on mine for a road orientated Koni / Eibach set-up, keeping the standard wheels, and although it reduced body roll and improved the looks I don't think it improved the feedback in any measureable way, in fact I think it was harder to gauge when the rear end was about to break free. The only time I felt it was a benefit was hooning around Knockhill race track. I considered going back to the standard set-up but decided to leave it for the aesthetic appeal.
Reliability wise, I ran my VR6 from 65K up to 105K and it didn't need anything done to it apart from routine servicing. Timing chains can start to stretch after 100K, many are fine above 200K, but wisdom dictates that if the clutch needs doing above 100K miles then do the chains at the same time, so ask the owner of cars you view if this has ever been done. Well looked after engines will last for mega miles and should still produce close to the quoted 190bhp. Even at 100K, mine was getting 193bhp on a rolling road (standard was supposed to be 190bhp, with a K&N air filter and custom stainless exhaust. Rust can be an issue, especially as the latest cars are going to be 15 years old, so take a very close look around all the usual areas. Stone chips are also common, I've seen some horribly pock marked examples along the front bonnet edge, front wheel arches and rear arches.
Interior switch gear isn't to the highest standard so check all the electrics work. Sunroofs can stick, and the rear spoiler can sometimes fail too. You can check the spoiler by using a button on the dash to manually raise and lower it. When out on a test drive the spoiler should automatically rise as you accelerate then drop again when you slow down....I can't recall the exact speeds.....50mph seems to the the number in my head, but it was a few years ago.
I loved mine, and although it's been over 7 years since I sold it it's still the car that I've kept the longest. A good looking, great handling car which punched well above it's weight.
I bought one that was a bit too cheap for the reliability i wanted, always found something new to break. However, they are a dream car to drive, the most comfortable driving position can be found in this car. I had a 2.0 16v and they can be a royal pain if something goes wrong. Heard the g60's are great cars to drive but proper history on the supercharger is essential.
My G60 has done 125k miles it's got a bit of rust on one of the sills but it's not too bad, the sunroof jamming is a common fault but you can get a replacement from a breakers for about £50 and it's only a couple of hours to change over. If its a vr6 make sure it doesn't smoke, if it's a g60 the supercharger should really be re built if it hasn't been done in the last 40k miles (£400) the owners club site is the-corrado.net parts aren't to expencive as underneath its mk2 golf/passat and for other bits there are always a few being broken for spares.
I have had several, bloody love them..2.0 16V was my introduction to them and a good zesty car. However the one to have in my opinion is the VR6. The engine is sublime and I have had four of these. I have no experience of the G60 (not my cup of tea but they have a loyal following in their own right).
Timing Chains are your main issue to look for mechanicaly on the VR6..usually advisable to start checking for rattles at around 100k miles..a quick browse of any of the relevant forums, such as The Corrado Club of GB..when the chains are done the clutch is normaly done at the same time..(Stealth Racing do a combo price on this, as do others)..apart from this they are very reliable..aside from this just lthe usual...look for Club Member and a car in standard original spec that hasn't fallen into the hands of a 'chav'..regular oil changes and servicing at a Specialist
electricaly the sunroofs motors have a tendency to give up the ghost and check the rear spoiler is in working order and that it raises/lowers automaticaly..
heater matrix is also a weak point, and fans can jam, fan controls snap..so check the heating system all works..
Timing Chains are your main issue to look for mechanicaly on the VR6..usually advisable to start checking for rattles at around 100k miles..a quick browse of any of the relevant forums, such as The Corrado Club of GB..when the chains are done the clutch is normaly done at the same time..(Stealth Racing do a combo price on this, as do others)..apart from this they are very reliable..aside from this just lthe usual...look for Club Member and a car in standard original spec that hasn't fallen into the hands of a 'chav'..regular oil changes and servicing at a Specialist
electricaly the sunroofs motors have a tendency to give up the ghost and check the rear spoiler is in working order and that it raises/lowers automaticaly..
heater matrix is also a weak point, and fans can jam, fan controls snap..so check the heating system all works..
Driving wise, I'd say there's not much in it between the vr6 and a G60 (chipped and 68mm pulley) as the g60 is the lighter car and has a lighter nose than the heavier Vr6. Noise wise, both are aurally amazing!
The G60 supercharger is more fragile, but once you realise that it isn't black magic that makes it work, you can breathe as little and relax with it. I would personally get it serviced and inspected with new bearings and seals put in as soon as I picked it up and new oil feed and return lines to make sure they aren't clogged up. G60s, don't appreciate being smacked off the rev limit or sustained full throttle high speed driving like top speed runs!
I've learnt from experience, I bought my g60 corrado, I serviced the engine but left the charger side until the month after... The bearing failed two weeks before i was booked in at jabbasport due to a blocked oil feed line. Something I've kicked myself about ever since as it was down to laziness not blowing through the lines. Although, my replacement G60 charger, during it's time in my corrado was also lent to a mates g40 polo to put in his g40 for a RR day and survived well up until the day I crashed - rear end spun out on me (I lifted off just coming into a corner than suddenly went downhill and off camber, and I think had mud on it as ended up in a farmers front entrance backwards).
Corrados, are essentially a mk2 golf underpinnings, passat rear end so usual rust prevention is necessary or treatment. Most people on the corrado forum are good people and will guide you alot.
The G60 supercharger is more fragile, but once you realise that it isn't black magic that makes it work, you can breathe as little and relax with it. I would personally get it serviced and inspected with new bearings and seals put in as soon as I picked it up and new oil feed and return lines to make sure they aren't clogged up. G60s, don't appreciate being smacked off the rev limit or sustained full throttle high speed driving like top speed runs!
I've learnt from experience, I bought my g60 corrado, I serviced the engine but left the charger side until the month after... The bearing failed two weeks before i was booked in at jabbasport due to a blocked oil feed line. Something I've kicked myself about ever since as it was down to laziness not blowing through the lines. Although, my replacement G60 charger, during it's time in my corrado was also lent to a mates g40 polo to put in his g40 for a RR day and survived well up until the day I crashed - rear end spun out on me (I lifted off just coming into a corner than suddenly went downhill and off camber, and I think had mud on it as ended up in a farmers front entrance backwards).
Corrados, are essentially a mk2 golf underpinnings, passat rear end so usual rust prevention is necessary or treatment. Most people on the corrado forum are good people and will guide you alot.
Edited by PaulG40 on Friday 30th December 18:59
Had a few.
The Storm run-out model is the one I would look for. VW made 500; 250 in Green and 250 in Blue.
I sold one 6 months ago with 175k miles on it and it did show. I had to do a lot of bodywork and it just felt a bit tired.
If I was looking for one now I would go with a Blue Storm with as low a mileage as possible. It is worth paying a premium for a nice one as numbers are dwindling so a good example will hold its value. A good storm should be available for circa £3000-£4000.
Cheers
The Storm run-out model is the one I would look for. VW made 500; 250 in Green and 250 in Blue.
I sold one 6 months ago with 175k miles on it and it did show. I had to do a lot of bodywork and it just felt a bit tired.
If I was looking for one now I would go with a Blue Storm with as low a mileage as possible. It is worth paying a premium for a nice one as numbers are dwindling so a good example will hold its value. A good storm should be available for circa £3000-£4000.
Cheers
I would add, as someone who has owned Storm and non-Storm VR6s that althought the 500 run out Storms are desirable, many people ask big premium..a late 95/96 standard VR6 is the same car to be honest and normally a fair bit cheaper...there are conflicting views on whether the Storm will ultimately be more collectable (worth more)..but I would say it is all about condition, unless of course you can find one of the 6ish remaining UK 'Campaigns'?!..that is well worth restoring no matter the condition it is in!..
billzeebub said:
I would add, as someone who has owned Storm and non-Storm VR6s that althought the 500 run out Storms are desirable, many people ask big premium..a late 95/96 standard VR6 is the same car to be honest and normally a fair bit cheaper...there are conflicting views on whether the Storm will ultimately be more collectable (worth more)..but I would say it is all about condition, unless of course you can find one of the 6ish remaining UK 'Campaigns'?!..that is well worth restoring no matter the condition it is in!..
Agree with this.I do believe that in the long run the Storms will be worth more but put condition of any model first.
All good feedback guys, big thanks! There's 2 for sale on here, a blue storm vr6 and a recently resprayed and retrimed G60 both tempting but at the costly end of the ladder, not that it bothers me I have 6k set aside for a good one. But now i realize they can be had for a bit less I'm more interested in them.
With relation to the G60, it's almost viable to buy one with a supercharger on it's last legs for a lower price and then fit one of the BBM Lysholm type superchargers. More power, less requirement to service, and AFAIK they're basically bolt-on jobbies. They're about £2k new but second-hand ones crop up for half that from time to time. I used to work with someone who had one fitted and it was very brisk and made an awesome noise.
Ran two G60's for a total of five years, chosen in preference to the VR6 because they are better balanced,pretty obvious really, the VR is not a light engine. The Nugget Yellow G60 I ran could easily keep pace with a VR and head the edge on the twisty bits.
As has already been said, the Storm is nothing special, unique alloys, colour coded grille and Mystic Blue paint plus a couple of badges are the only differences - certainly not worth a huge premium.
Those who say a G60 will not be economical will either drive like lunatics or not have them properly set up. My daily driver (about 190 bhp) never did less than 32 mpg, the other (220 bhp) rarely dipped below 28 mpg
Issues are fairly limited, most sunroofs tilt but do not slide ( not difficult to fix), a lot of rear spoilers do not work automatically (simple to fix) and heater matrix can split. Most mechanical bits are shared with Golf and Passat so not a problem but Corrado specific bits are getting expensive / hard to find
Rust is no more a problem than any other car of the era.
G-lader is nothing to be concerned about as long as it has a good history (JMR / G Werks - NOT Jabbasport). As it uses the engine oil or lubrication good oil and regular changes help with reliability. Most have been fitted with smaller pulleys, reckon on about 35k between service / overhauls
Great cars and a great forum at www.the-corrado.net
As has already been said, the Storm is nothing special, unique alloys, colour coded grille and Mystic Blue paint plus a couple of badges are the only differences - certainly not worth a huge premium.
Those who say a G60 will not be economical will either drive like lunatics or not have them properly set up. My daily driver (about 190 bhp) never did less than 32 mpg, the other (220 bhp) rarely dipped below 28 mpg
Issues are fairly limited, most sunroofs tilt but do not slide ( not difficult to fix), a lot of rear spoilers do not work automatically (simple to fix) and heater matrix can split. Most mechanical bits are shared with Golf and Passat so not a problem but Corrado specific bits are getting expensive / hard to find
Rust is no more a problem than any other car of the era.
G-lader is nothing to be concerned about as long as it has a good history (JMR / G Werks - NOT Jabbasport). As it uses the engine oil or lubrication good oil and regular changes help with reliability. Most have been fitted with smaller pulleys, reckon on about 35k between service / overhauls
Great cars and a great forum at www.the-corrado.net
Edited by Andy665 on Saturday 31st December 09:45
J4CKO said:
Dont worry about the engines so much as the bodies, Corrados have a tendency to rust, much harder than sorting the engine.
Tendancy to rust? Call bs.Mine is an early G reg (built late 89) and has a small amount of arch rust. Look at an Escort XR3i (Feasable competitor) and you're lucky to find one that hasn't needed new wings, sills and arches.
G60 - Key thing to look for: Supercharger rebuild,
VR6 - Chains and Chain tensioner being replaced.
Valvers - Regular oilchanges, have a habit of weeping oil at the headgasket on the n/s
General things to look for:
Brake line condition - Easy to check in the bay,
Clutch/Brake master cylinder has been replaced/renewed same for Clutch Slave.
Hoses (oldest cars are 22 years old now! If they haven't been changed, they'll need it)
Suspension Bushes - Bonus if they've recently been changed or uprated, these have a habbit of not looking as knackered as they actually are.
Spoiler - Check it goes up and down both on the button and at speed automatically (40 - 50 mph)
Headlights are notoriously bad, as are wipers. Easy fixes (Uprated headlight loom and filing the stops on the wiper arms)
Word of warning - Later cars (92 on) do have a habbit of starting an electrical fire.
Something to bear in mind - There aren't any real options for replacement parts for a lot of things, there is an excellent enthusiast network however to help you out.
My car is currently on 157k miles, averaged about 12-15k a year since buying it, and I've enjoyed it all!
Edit:
Sunroof! Seems only the early 'rado's don't have them, they have a habbit of the cartridge failing, meaning either keeping it shut, or swapping for a passat moonroof.
Heater Matrix's are a weak part, but, some skilled people have got it down to an art form and don't even need to remove the full dash.
Edited by 16v stretch on Saturday 31st December 13:05
i had a 2.0 8v rad for about a year
i absolutly loved it, nothing i have owned since handled like it, the driving position was perfect and that rear spoiler
the only thing that annnoyed about it was i spent more time fixing it than driving it, probably more to do with the fact i got it cheap and it was a bit of a dog
but i would have another one in a heart beat if i didnt have a project on the go as it is
the 2.0 8v was a run out model to get rid of the surplus shells lying about they didnt have a sunroof fitted
i absolutly loved it, nothing i have owned since handled like it, the driving position was perfect and that rear spoiler
the only thing that annnoyed about it was i spent more time fixing it than driving it, probably more to do with the fact i got it cheap and it was a bit of a dog
but i would have another one in a heart beat if i didnt have a project on the go as it is
the 2.0 8v was a run out model to get rid of the surplus shells lying about they didnt have a sunroof fitted
I nearly bought a Corrado back in the days, but I went to look at three in total, and they were all dogs with issues. That was about 7-8 years ago. I can only imagine the state of some of the cars these days bearing in mind early ones are 20 years old.
Personally I'd plump for a sensible mileage, tidy VR6 that hasn't seen too many owners in its life. Keep it tidy and if anything it should appreciate in value.
Personally I'd plump for a sensible mileage, tidy VR6 that hasn't seen too many owners in its life. Keep it tidy and if anything it should appreciate in value.
disco!!!! said:
i had a 2.0 8v rad for about a year
i absolutly loved it, nothing i have owned since handled like it, the driving position was perfect and that rear spoiler
the only thing that annnoyed about it was i spent more time fixing it than driving it, probably more to do with the fact i got it cheap and it was a bit of a dog
but i would have another one in a heart beat if i didnt have a project on the go as it is
the 2.0 8v was a run out model to get rid of the surplus shells lying about they didnt have a sunroof fitted
Some 8v had a sunroof. I know of a 1994 M reg with a factory electric tilt and slide sunroof.i absolutly loved it, nothing i have owned since handled like it, the driving position was perfect and that rear spoiler
the only thing that annnoyed about it was i spent more time fixing it than driving it, probably more to do with the fact i got it cheap and it was a bit of a dog
but i would have another one in a heart beat if i didnt have a project on the go as it is
the 2.0 8v was a run out model to get rid of the surplus shells lying about they didnt have a sunroof fitted
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