Educate me Oppo, on a car I want to buy.

"Vince-The Roadside Mechanic" (vincent-becker)
06/20/2014 at 15:17 • Filed to: None

I am looking to get a 1991 VW Corrado G60. I do not know much about this car so I was hoping you could tell me some things about it. I know it has a supercharged 1.8 liter motor and is a semi rare car. So help me Oppo and give me some knowlage.

DISCUSSION (26)

505Turbeaux > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 15:22

Get a VR6, it is a much more reliable engine. Also it is going to be hard to find one that hasnt been modded and beat to death. There are some automatics out there that survived, but a stock manual is like hens teeth. Good luck, they are great cars when cared for, but too many suffered low resale value

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > 505Turbeaux
06/20/2014 at 15:23

I found a G60 auto that I am going to ask about. I would love a VR6 but I can't afford one. :(

Nibbles > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 15:24

The basic principle of the G-Lader supercharger. Air goes in, magic happens, metal shavings come out.

I have nothing more to add to this conversation

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Nibbles
06/20/2014 at 15:25

I do not like the sound of that.

ddavidn > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 15:31

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, not the most reliable thing on the planet.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > ddavidn
06/20/2014 at 15:33

LOL but it is pretty cool. And I can always buy a Vr6 for a swap when the 1.8 blows up.

ddavidn > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 15:33

It would be much better to buy yourself a VR6 in the first place. But I'm not telling you anything you don't know.

Rock Bottom > Nibbles
06/20/2014 at 15:34

Similar to the Wankel then, except it exchanges metal shavings for apex seals!

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > ddavidn
06/20/2014 at 15:34

I would love a VR6 but I am poor.

STANDARD6SPEED > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 15:39

Not to be that guy but why are you wanting to buy a car that you know nothing about? I expect that kind of thing from the average consumer, not someone on here lol

ddavidn > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 15:39

I feel you there.

505Turbeaux > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 15:42

if it is a lightly used G60 it might be ok.

multiple wheels for each day of the week > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 15:45

If you cant Afford a VR6 this is not the car for you go buy a simple Honda or something like a Camry. This car will nickle and dime you to death and you don't have money already.If its a second car go for it but I would not trust it to take you back and forth to the place you go daily for very long. ( work school bla bla bla)

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 16:05

The G60 supercharger is a G-Lader supercharger, meaning it's like a belt driven turbo. Although very efficient and potent, this kind of supercharger isn't the most reliable. The Corrado in general is a great car, but like most high end early-mid 90's VW's, it's not the most reliable

Klaus Schmoll > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 16:07

As you probably already know, they are a parts-bin special cobbled together from MKII Golf and Passat B3 parts. They were built by Karmann in Osnabrück, not by VW themselves in Wolfsburg. Karmann was a low volume manufacturer, and their cars are rumored to have a fit and finish that is a bit nicer than with mass produced cars. So, in general, they are reliable and age well, and greasy parts are easy to come by. IF THE CAR IN QUESTION HASN'T BEEN MESSED WITH!

Friend of mine bought a G6o "Wolfsburg Edition" a couple of years ago. It was of the lower, wider, louder kind, but had otherwise been meticuously maintained and only been driven to meets.

He sold the mod parts on e-bays, and via direct exchanges with added money, or selling and buying a stock part cheaper, turned it back to stock while making money. That thing pulled like a train.

One or two things on the G60, I learned from him:

- The G-lader is no conventional supercharger. In fact, it looks more like a turbocharger, but works like a supercharger. Anyways, it is prone to wear and tear. So check when was the last time it was redone.

- It is rather easy to gear it differently to produce more boost, but this will obviously increase wear. VW forums should be able to provide you with more info, like what the interval is stock, and what gearings should provide which hp figures and which interval. Insane gearings resulting in 300+ hp figures may result in an overhaul with every oil change.

- Another common mod, exactly because of these issues, is to get rid of the G-Lader altogether and replace it with an AMG supercharger. There are shops who do this kind of stuff, but be careful which one to choose. The garage my friend had the conversion done at declared bankruptcy a week after starting work on his car. He had to get a lawyer to get most of his car back.

E92M3 > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 16:27

The auto retracting seat belts have a reputation for causing fires. I would probably disconnect them if it was me.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > E92M3
06/20/2014 at 16:45

Thank you.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Klaus Schmoll
06/20/2014 at 16:47

Thanks for the tips. Are there any ways to know if the G-ladder is going bad?

Louros > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 16:48

Buying a car like this is a terrible idea if you are poor

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > STANDARD6SPEED
06/20/2014 at 16:50

I heard it is one of the better driver's cars.

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Louros
06/20/2014 at 16:50

I can make it work.

Louros > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 16:53

Have at it, hoss

Klaus Schmoll > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 17:18

Loss of power? But this is hard to notice if you haven't driven several cars with fresh chargers to compare yours to.

Paperwork, again, seems to be your friend here!

Maybe you can get some VW-nut from a forum or the real life to come with you? Hard-core G60 geeks may or may not be able to detect a failing charger by noise.

Apart from that, it's a crapshoot.

banjo cat ghost of oppo past > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 17:57

My future best friends loaned me a black VR6 on 17's when mein Audi coupe was in the shop. I only met him because he was driving his other VR6 with his fiancé and we were kinda clowning each other down the boulevard. Ofcourse he was faster. I had a freakin blast and a big grin on my face for the week I had it. Revving the piss out of it, fun with merging an more than enough power...manually raising the rear spoiler in slow traffic along with...porsche boxters drivers? I know some other cars did it with me, certainly a guilty pleasure. The leather clad driving environment was my 2nd fav thing about it. It felt German. Can be a little nose heavy around turns but suspension bits mostly cleared that up in his own car. Also I'd replace the motor mounts immediately if those haven't already been tended to. LOTS of engine movement on bad ones. TLDR : I Can verify the VR6 is quick, comfy and sounds great. Not enough $? you can prob find an acceptable one for 4-6k

Hooker > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/20/2014 at 18:56

I know that I want one. Bad. I know that they are fairly rare. That's the extent of my knowledge.

WhereAreMyPants > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
06/21/2014 at 15:31

The G60 'rado is a fantastic car...

For a friend to own, and let you drive when it's actually running.