Here's the story...

I'm 18, I bought a grey 1992 400E about 6 months ago. I love the 400E power, the 124 ride, etc... I've put about $1500 into it between tires, services, etc... I also commute 30 miles to work everyday so I've already managed to put 12k miles on it... I know I'm getting close to needing to do timing chain 150k, which is going to be about $2k per my mechanic.

My friend has just decided that he's going to play Lewis and Clark over the summer and hike around- which means he now wants to sell his 1992 Flash Red VW Corrado with 70k original miles on it. [Previous owner was older gentleman who took the car to a local service station for every oil change / quirk that arose]... He's offered to sell it to me for $7000, and I'll be able to pay for it over the summer as he won't need the additional money until fall.

I'm not completely sure what to do... Given how many miles I've put on the 400E so far I'm much inclined to go for the Corrado- in addition it is a /younger/ persons car. Especially since I'm going to have to drop at least $2k into the 400E pretty soon if I decide to keep it.

So can I have an unbiased opinion for someone that's been through this before? Someone older and wiser perhaps?

Thanks!
James

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1992 400E w/o ASR - 157k

That's a fortune to pay for that car. It's 12 years old and will have 12 year old car problems. That car in perfect condition with every available option is barely $4000.00 @ kbb.com. The corrados required a lot of maintenance to keep running well (especially the G60's). A friend of mine just picked up an 80,000 mile example from '94 for just over $1000.00. I'd stay away.

$7k should get a newer GTI or something...

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86 16v
H&R/Bilsteins

I wanted to buy a Corrado for a bit (as a second car to the 400E). Looked at a Corrado G60 with a Flowmaster Exhaust, K&N Cold AIr Intake, Red steering wheel,shiftknob, and stuff

stickers all over the place...

it sounded soooo nasty! Those flowmasters should only be on Mustangs. I would be embarassed to be seen in one.

so I passed that car... the repaint was also crap but they wanted only $3k for it.. not $7k.

I want an original one.. preferably a VR6 (don't wanna deal with the supercharged 4)

good luck

nice choice though.. I like Corrados

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

I'm not sure if you can get an "unbiased" opinion over here. I'm sure there would be the opposite bias if you asked this question over at www.vwvortex.com

If you are concerned about maintenance costs of the 400E, you may want to look at the Corrado forum at vwvortex to see some common problems and maintenance issues.

Good Luck!

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http://www.benzworld.org/forums/imag...e_steering.gif
1998 C43 ///AMG
1999 C230 Custom 5-Speed Manual

I've been a German car owner since I first started driving autos in 1971, (prev to that were scooters and motor cycles). I've had both VWs and MBs. The VWs include a bug, bus camper, dasher diesel wagon, jetta diesels, rabbit diesels, and a sirocco. MBs include 190b, 220D/8, 230/8, 240D, and currently C124. (Other German autos owned were Opels.)

My experience. I never had a VW that didn't have electrical problems. Mechanical fixes were for the most part inexpensive, but electrical problems are next to impossible to find and fix.

A red Corrado is a ticket getter. Red cars attract attention (from traffic enforcement personnel). You don't need that type of attention.

My recommendation . . . keep the 400E and pass on the VW. It is a better car and will hold its value much more than the Corrado.

2k for a timing chain replacement? Mine has 209,000 miles on it and I definately didnt pay 2k for a timing chain replacement. Still runs perfect

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1993 400e
Charlotte

i have both cars...well sort of...
a mutt mb and a mutt vw...
the corrado is a turbo vr6...
the mb is a 123 ford powered...

they are two totally different cars...
i too commute 28 miles a day (14 each way) i take both of these cars depending on the day...i supose if i had to choose i would take the mb...maintance is no concern to me as we all do our own...so i am no help with that ankle grabbin but parts are the same and a corrado is no stranger to the shop, infact thats what they are know for...hows the head gasket, elect water pump, electrical system in general???? its a list...

the choice is up to you...what do you want out of your car... if you can only have one...

i always feel that a car is a direct representation of the owner...(although not all the time, there are times when the car does not match the driver at all)

imho 7k for a raddo is rape, esp from a buddy...my buddy sold me his raddo for a buck when he bought his s4...thats a friend...

you have to choose
jake

The Benz cost about $60k new. The Corrado, maybe $25k? Totally different animals here. Unless you want the "look" of the little 2-door, and/or love to scream around corners in the canyons, I'd stick with the Benz. Plus it's about 100x safer if you ever get creamed by a drunk driver or something... I've owned a lot of VW's over the past 10 years, and while they're fun cars to drive, they ain't fun to work on, and are nowhere near as safe as the MB. The 400 is a pretty hot car, especially if you swap out that stupid-tall rear axle ratio...

:p

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Dave
Boise, ID
Check out my website photos, documents, and movies!

I gotta say that after putting Sportline bars, Bilstein HDs, and 7" rims/wider tires on my 300CE, (all with gsxr's help and wisdom) it screams around the corners on my commute every day over the mountain between the desert and Los Angeles.

So much so that I got a pretty pricy ticket for going too fast. (Went out and got a RADAR detector, but you know what, they don't work very good in the mountains. Should have known, being a Radarman in the Navy. RADAR can't see around the curves/mountains.)

1992 400E w/150K
-$1500 into it between tires, services, etc
-getting close to needing to do timing chain 150k, which is going to be about $2k

1992 Flash Red VW Corrado with 70k original miles on it.
-Previous owner was older gentleman who took the car to a local service station for every oil change / quirk that arose
-sell it to me for $7000


Ok here is my objective opinion. The Mercedes will definitely out last the Corrado in terms of class and style. To make it a "younger person's car" put some nice 17" or 18" AMG rims, lower the car, and tint it...drive up to a expensive hotel/restaurant with valet parking and your car will be parked near the entrance as a display to attract more customers (try that with a corrado, it'll just be parked in the back with all the other ricers). The downside of havnig a 400E is the repair cost. 8 cylinder cars are always more expensive to keep up. But I'd rather spend that money on a car that will hold its value and class than on a ricer. Most people set aside a budget to maintain their cars. I keep my budget at about 1,000-1,500/yr (for everything inlcuding oil and tires). Oh regarding the timing chain, I've never come across a broken timing chain....who knows maybe I've been lucky.

I've had friends & cousins who owned a:
1. Bug - like a chick....HIGH MAINTENANCE. We were constantly working on the carburator and the engine itself
2. Jetta - problem with the clutch (a plastic piece broke)
3. Passat - needed a complete engine overhaul
4. Scirroco - electrical problems after someone broke in and stole the radio (I could not trace the problem down)

If the Corrado has a timing BELT (instead of a chain) it WILL NEED to be changed IMMEDIATELY. Timing belts break around 60-80K. If you don't and the belt breaks prematurely...the valves WILL BE bent (been there, done that...I was stranded in Anaheim, Los Angeles and had my ricer Honda towed home to fix the belt & valves myself --- I lived in San Diego at that time). Changing the timing belt on the corrado will cost you about the same amount as Mercedes (give or take a few hundred dollars)

Since both cars will need it's timing belt/chain changed you can leave that out of your decision. I would choose the car that would last longer (cosmetically and mechanically) with the least amount of repairs needed.

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JR
1986 Gold 300E 4Dr automatic

You need/should keep the tank-like 400E AND get the Corrado (if you can swing it). Both were/are hand-made (coach-built) cars and should provide many years of driving pleasure.

You miss the solid 400E if you sell it...that is a given...and whomever you take in the back seats of the Corrado will hate you...but will be impressed if you take them in the 400E.

Just my 2 cents since my name is James too and I have the MB and Karmann VW as well !! Look what I can do in my old 16V VW.

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Jim

1992 500E
2007 CLK63
2003 Audi RS6
2001 Audi allroad

Haven't been back here in awhile! I haven't been getting the email notifications for some reason...

Anyhow- decided to keep the 400E, it's going under the knife on Wednesday for timing chains / rails / and power steering pump. Getting the windows tinted hopefully sometime the week after. [Any ideas there? I was going to go one darker than legal on all the windows [Except the windshield obviously] I was thinking that platinum looking tint might look nice on it because the car is that MB Grey / Sandy color.]

I would LOVE to get a set of those AMG's... They run somewhere around 2k though, don't they? I have to do suspension before I drop that much on some nice rims... I'd have to say that's my only complaint so far, even with the H&R springs, it still has that whale feel through the canyon. [I live about 8 miles out a curvy mountain road that I drive everyday] What do you guys reccomend as far as tightening everything up? 500E swaybars front and back? Does that really make a big difference? Cost is around 1k for both, isn't it?

I gotta get some pics up here at some point....

Thanks guys!
James

Note: Nice Scirocco James!

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1992 400E w/o ASR - 157k

500E sway bars front and rear, yes, but cost is only about $400. If you want the stiffer E60 front bar that will add another hundred or two dollars. And the RENNtech front bar is stupidly expensive, that plus 500E rear would be ~$800.

http://www.meimann.com/images/mercedes/W124_sway_bars/124_swaybars_prices.pdf

http://www.meimann.com/images/mercedes/W124_sway_bars/124_swaybars_specs.pdf

http://www.meimann.com/images/mercedes/W124_sway_bars/

You can add Sportline control arm bushings up front and subframe bushings in the rear, that will also tighten things up a smidge. Wiechers Sport makes a front strut brace but that's a pretty minor improvement. Some fat wheels & tires would be a real help, I'd recommend either 16x7.5 with 215/55/16 tire, or a 17x7.5 with 225/45/17 tire. You can fit 8.0's with 225 and 235 respectively but you'd need to roll the fender lips for clearance (bt, dt.)