Buyers/Buying Guide

[Volksdevil]

Updated soon...Currently under construction as i find the time.

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Body:

The bodywork stands up quite well compared to most cars of the same era. But they are knocking on now so are starting to show their weak spots through age. So starting at the front, let's see what to look out for when checking over a potential new Corrado G60.

• Front bumpers - stone chipping, cracks.
• Bonnet - Stone chipping.
• Subframe/Engine carrier - Very prone to rust and quite hard to find replacement.
• Battery tray - Often rusty.
• Scuttle area - Can be scratched badly if the ecu/wiper motor have been out in the past.
• Front wings - Stone chipping, and rusty bottom edges and/or lips.
• Windscreen - This can be tricky to replace even for competant fitters, so check for bad chips/hazyness in direct sunlight.
• Doors - Check the bottoms, not too prone for rust. Door handles can be prone to breaking. Replacements easily found.
• Door glass - Can often be badly scratched through damaged window/door strips, normally after they have been removed for some reason.
• Door seals - On the door entry, can often be split at the bottom. Not always a major issue. Replacements can be expensive.
• Roof - Above windscreen at the rubber seal can gather water and rust, a sign of many jet washes i suspect.
• Sunroof- Can often fail causing badly scratched sunroof panel. Check that the roof sits flat/evenly at all 4 corners.
• Roof strips- Nearly always old/brittle along inside edge. Not really an issue apart from the looks as they don't actually do much.
• Rear side glass - Check the seals for having held water.
• Sills - Strong but the underseal can sometimes hide a little rot. Check for lumpy/bubbled paint. Also check the straightness at the jacking points.
• Rear arches - Can tend to have a little rust at the front/bottom edges. Check the whole lip.
• Petrol flap - Lift it open and check for rust/bubbling paint around the filler. Quite a common area to go, not cheap to repair.
• Boot lid - Can rust a little around the rubber window seal, also around/on the number plate lights, and on the inside edge where the lock mechanism is.
• Spoiler - Check operation via the dash switch, and at speed/stopping.
• Rear panel - Watch for rust around any of the badges, as they can let water in.
• Rear bumper - Check for cracks/scuffs. Can often be hazy on the top as they collect a lot of road dirt.

In 1992 the whole shell, including fittings was updated to accomodate the vr6 running gear. This includes:

The floorpan, the exhaust system (bar hangers instead of hooks), the fuel tank (larger), Both bumpers (Continuous trim lines), all front lights (fogs/indicators flush with bumper), bonnet (humped instead of recessed), wider wheel arches, door handles with raised area around key hole, side trims (skinnier)

To be elaborated on as i get time...

[Volksdevil]

Running gear:

Obviously as these things rack up the miles and age (gracefully!) parts of the running gear will be getting tired, or have already been renewed. it's good to have an extensive history/lump of paperwork so you can check when the wear and tear parts have been replaced.

So again starting at the front, let's see what to look out for running gear wise.

• Engine mounts - Can often be tired.
• Radiator - Check for leaks around the plastic pipe flanges which are bolted on. They often break down inside causing a leak where the rubber pipe joins. Not an expensive fix but could lead to a blockage in the cooling system.
• Front brakes - Stand up quite well, check that the car pulls up straight under braking and that the brake lines are not corroded if possible. (Wheels off)
• h
• h

To be continued...