Not - New review - The volkswagen corrado g60 is flawed but it's the one you want part 3

Not-New Review: The Volkswagen Corrado G60 Is Flawed But It's The One You Want part 3 This is actually a comfortable car, with sports bucket seats that hold you firmly in place. It feels more like a grand-tourer actually; it’s loaded with innovative creature comforts for its time, like automatic climate control, an adjustable steering wheel, cruise control, and power windows and locks. There’s also a digital clock! The rear bench is somewhat cramped being essentially a two-plus-two configuration, but there’s a pseudo-hatch back there with a surprisingly deep trunk, so I guess you can kind of daily it. The problem with the G60 for daily driving, really, is its pitiful reliability. It’s very bad. Even bad as far as VWs go, which is quite horrendous on a good day. Reading through the forums and specialist websites I came across maintenance recommendations stating that the supercharger was “highly unreliable” and that it is “easily susceptible to disintegration if not properly maintained. Disintegration? How the *** does that happen?. Other trouble spots are vacuum leaks, weak engine mounts, a bad shifter cable linkage, defective electronic components like that rear wing, and a brittle plastic casing for the shifter itself that can break and prevent the car from shifting at all. Ugh. It’s a money pit, people. Make sure to have an AAA membership when driving this thing. But hey, you’ll look dashing behind its wheel. But if you’ve got the guts to push this thing, you’ll be happily rewarded because it really is a driver’s car, even with the crappy engine. The lightweight four-cylinder of the G60 results in a nimble front end with quick reflexes, even for a tired old chassis. Turn in is surprisingly quick. The car is stiff, thanks to the performance springs. It hugs the road and loves to be thrown around, feeling wide and hunkered down, exhibiting absolutely no body roll from the low ride height. There is some tire rub though, because slammed. The VR6 is probably also more nose heavy, being a six-cylinder front-wheel-drive car. Fun to drive? Damn right it is. The connection between driver and machine is intense, a revelation as to how diluted modern cars have become. Regardless of the drivetrain, the Corrado’s chassis is properly dialed in. It’s playful at the limit, stable all the time, and it brakes with authority. Feedback through the skinny hydraulically-assisted steering wheel is ample and the car is happiest carving apexes at high speeds. When it’s running properly, this is where the Corrado lives up to its legend—when you’re behind the wheel and driving in anger on the right road. Value. There’s no denying the Corrado’s appeal, and that it has all the ingredients to be a future collector’s car. The great thing about the G60 is that they’re running pretty cheap these days, much cheaper than the VR6. A quick search on Craigslist found American examples ranging anywhere from $1,000 to $7,000. But you’ll need to factor in the rather expensive repair bills. Parts are also hard to find. Many G60 owners swapped their engines for VR6s, so the actual supercharged ones are increasingly rare. And was the VR6 really that much more reliable anyway?. If you can find a G60 in good condition, like Remy’s, I’d say it’s a good catch. Especially a yellow one. Who knows, the fact that they’re so hard to find might cause them to suddenly spike in value in the near future. If you’re interested, this one is for sale at $8,000 Canadian, firm. I say it’s worth a shot. Verdict. It’s true: the Corrado G60 comes with an engine you won’t have much love for. Even Volkswagen was ashamed of it. But its historical significance isn’t negligible and it’s a time capsule to a period when carmakers actually risked things, a time when the engineers prevailed over board meetings. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age. The Corrado deserves its place in history next to other overly complex and unreliable cars we love like the DeLorean, the Citroën SM, and the Subaru SVX. It’s weird, quirky and mysterious in all the right ways. Since everyone went for the VR6, at the time or with a swap, I say the oddball G60 is worth saving now. Be like our friend Remy. Do the Lord’s work by buying a G60 and keeping it alive. The future of the automobile depends on it.