In 1995, my brother told me of a 1990 Corrado that was for sale by its original owner. My younger brother owned a similar car and it was he who sparked my interest in this unusual make and model. The car originally sold for $16000 when new but this individual car was being sold for a mere $1800. Sight unseen, I gave my brother the money and he bought it for me. The odometer displayed 62000 original miles but its appearance and state of repair seemed to indicate it was much older. I was beginning to wonder if I had made a mistake.
The car needed a lot of care as its interior was incomplete and the owner described aweful grinding noises while engaging the gears. This specific model car was already establishing a reputation for unreliability and expense. The excessive number of mishaps in a short three years had taken their toll on its original owner. His early enthusiasm for the car had dissipated to dismay and he no longer wanted anything to do with it.
Upon closer examination, my brother discovered that the car merely needed motor mounts as the front and rear mounts were broken. For $200 and some elbow grease, he was able to drive the car home where my father proceeded to thoroughly clean both interior and exterior. The engine bay was covered in grease and grime. It was littered with cigarette butts and the carpet in the passenger footwell had been torn out. Apparently, the dreaded heater core had blown having soaked the passenger side carpet so the original owner just cut it out! My brother acquired replacement carpet and reassembled the interior. After cleaning the engine bay, my brother proceeded to fix a leaky cooling flange and replaced a couple of sensors near the head. Then he fixed a slow leak in the power steering and then tuned the engine back to specifications. He was becoming optimistic.
The car needed a lot of care as its interior was incomplete and the owner described aweful grinding noises while engaging the gears. This specific model car was already establishing a reputation for unreliability and expense. The excessive number of mishaps in a short three years had taken their toll on its original owner. His early enthusiasm for the car had dissipated to dismay and he no longer wanted anything to do with it.
Upon closer examination, my brother discovered that the car merely needed motor mounts as the front and rear mounts were broken. For $200 and some elbow grease, he was able to drive the car home where my father proceeded to thoroughly clean both interior and exterior. The engine bay was covered in grease and grime. It was littered with cigarette butts and the carpet in the passenger footwell had been torn out. Apparently, the dreaded heater core had blown having soaked the passenger side carpet so the original owner just cut it out! My brother acquired replacement carpet and reassembled the interior. After cleaning the engine bay, my brother proceeded to fix a leaky cooling flange and replaced a couple of sensors near the head. Then he fixed a slow leak in the power steering and then tuned the engine back to specifications. He was becoming optimistic.
The exterior didn't fare much better. There was some minor collision damage on both the front and rear bumpers. There were also a few dents on one side of the car and the front air dam had been scraped numerous times and was folded underneath the radiator. All of these were cosmetic. However, I was initially concerned that the internal mechanicals were also similarly neglected. However, those fears were soon dispelled once I got behind the wheel and drove it for the first time.
Upon starting the engine, I noticed the unique engine note of the G60 motor. There is nothing like it. It idled smoothly and spun up easily. Once on the road, it exhibited a smooth torque curve unlike any VW I had driven before. The gears were noisy and I made mental note that the transmission would soon need attention. But the tone from the engine was stout and the suspension was very tight. The Air Conditioning was crispy cold and all of the dashboard gauges worked. Inside, the power windows and locks worked properly. The dreaded "Jimmy Carter" automatic seatbelts (issued only in the US) moved smoothly in their tracks, and the sunroof lifted and retracted properly. This was going to be fun.
I drove the car home that weekend. The 360 mile trip back to Los Angeles was a revelation. I was hooked! The deep bucket seats of the Corrado were far better than anything I'd experience previously in a VW. And the roar of the G60 equipped motor made one think the iron under the hood displaced more than its 1.8 liters. Watching the rear spoiler raise up in the rear view mirror is a unique privilege. It was immediately apparent why many automobile magazines quickly proclaimed this car the best Front Wheel Drive automobile available.
Little did I realize, this would be the beginning of a journey and that I would still own this very same car more than a decade later!
That noisy transmission that I thought needed repair that first day never failed me in the six years when the corrado served as my daily transportation. However, in 2002, I purchased another automobile which assumed the role of daily driver. By this time, the Corrado badly needed a transmission and Glader rebuild. However, in contrast to the previous owner, I had no intention of selling it. Instead I decided to thoroughly refurbish, rebuild, and modify this car.
The purpose of this blog is to chronicle what I've done as I've addressed virtually all of the challenges posed by the supercharged version of the Corrado. I hope that my journey will assist others who may also undertake the same challenge of ownership.
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