1979 Volkswagen Rabbit

3-door hatch

1.5 NA diesel

Manual

1793399311

Clear

Diesel

I purchased this Rabbit from the estate of the original owner three years ago with the intention of doing a full resto on it. The car sat for 11 years in the previous owners garage, and has now sat in mine for 3 years. The body is in good shape, only one small area of the drivers front fender and lower valance panel is dinged and needs a bit of attention. The paint is a bit chalky, but I hand buffed a small area on the roof, and it looks great. (See pics) So if you were willing to put in a bit of work and cut and buff the paint, you could get by with the original paint. The most redeeming quality of this car is that it's rust-free! When was the last time you saw a truly rust-free early Rabbit? The entire car is pretty nasty and it just needs a good cleaning to look good, especially the interior. The previous owner's garage was at his lake house, and it was a bit damp. As a result, there is a bit of mildew, mostly the back seat (see pics). The headrests were just about as bad, but as an experiment, I cleaned them with a stiff brush and a mixture of Lysol and water, then treated them with LVR, and they look great! (See pics) One odd thing, the drivers seat foam seems to have disintigrated, all the other seats are fine, but I do have new foam for the seat. Of course, sitting all these years, the car doesn't run, but it does crank over, and actually it TRIED to start, but there were fuel leaks at the hoses at the tank and the seals on the injection pump were leaking ( I've got a new Bosch pump seal kit for that). In spite of the damp environment, there is very little corrosion, and as I said, no rust! I've spent the past three years gathering bits and pieces for this car, but circumstances and lack of space force me to part with it. Included with the car are a plethora of parts from several different models of VWs. There is the complete body kit from an '88 Cabrio. front and rear bumpers w/air dams, side skirts, fender flares, four lamp grille, alloy wheels, TWO pair of vent window assemblies with the screwed-on vent glass to replace the original Rabbit glued-on vent glass that always fell apart. Also have other Cabrio interior goodies as well. Have a pair of electric mirrors from a '92 Corrado that could be adapted to the Rabbit, complete with switch and harnesses. I also have a rebuildable 1.6 turbodiesel and five-speed transaxle w/ axles from an '84 Jetta. From the parts I've gathered, you could build a truly great looking and handling, fun to drive, VERY economical (55 mpg) unique Rabbit. These cars are getting harder to find, especially rust-free ones, AND this one is all original and complete. Don't pass it up, you'll kick yourself later if you pass it up. (just like I will for selling it!) Please feel free to contact me if you have questions, I will answer them as quickly as possible, Happy bidding!On Aug-01-12 at 16:41:49 PDT, seller added the following information: I purchased this Rabbit from the estate of the original owner three years ago with the intention of doing a full resto on it. The car sat for 11 years in the previous owners garage, and has now sat in mine for 3 years. The body is in good shape, only one small area of the drivers front fender and lower valance panel is dinged and needs a bit of attention. The paint is a bit chalky, but I hand buffed a small area on the roof, and it looks great. (See pics) So if you were willing to put in a bit of work and cut and buff the paint, you could get by with the original paint. The most redeeming quality of this car is that it's rust-free! When was the last time you saw a truly rust-free early Rabbit? The entire car is pretty nasty and it just needs a good cleaning to look good, especially the interior. The previous owner's garage was at his lake house, and it was a bit damp. As a result, there is a bit of mildew, mostly the back seat (see pics). The headrests were just about as bad, but as an experiment, I cleaned them with a stiff brush and a mixture of Lysol and water, then treated them with LVR, and they look great! (See pics) One odd thing, the drivers seat foam seems to have disintigrated, all the other seats are fine, but I do have new foam for the seat. Of course, sitting all these years, the car doesn't run, but it does crank over, and actually it TRIED to start, but there were fuel leaks at the hoses at the tank and the seals on the injection pump were leaking ( I've got a new Bosch pump seal kit for that). In spite of the damp environment, there is very little corrosion, and as I said, no rust! I've spent the past three years gathering bits and pieces for this car, but circumstances and lack of space force me to part with it. Included with the car are a plethora of parts from several different models of VWs. There is the complete body kit from an '88 Cabrio. front and rear bumpers w/air dams, side skirts, fender flares, four lamp grille, alloy wheels, TWO pair of vent window assemblies with the screwed-on vent glass to replace the original Rabbit glued-on vent glass that always fell apart. Also have other Cabrio interior goodies as well. Have a pair of electric mirrors from a '92 Corrado that could be adapted to the Rabbit, complete with switch and harnesses. I also have a rebuildable 1.6 turbodiesel and five-speed transaxle w/ axles from an '84 Jetta. From the parts I've gathered, you could build a truly great looking and handling, fun to drive, VERY economical (55 mpg) unique Rabbit. These cars are getting harder to find, especially rust-free ones, AND this one is all original and complete. Don't pass it up, you'll kick yourself later if you pass it up. (just like I will for selling it!) Please feel free to contact me if you have questions, I will answer them as quickly as possible, Happy bidding! Note to bidders: Before submitting a question, please check the Q&A at the bottom of the listing, I may have already answered your question. Remember to check payment details! If you are the winning bidder, PayPal is acceptable for deposit payment only if feedback is less than 100%, and deposits are NON-REFUNDABLE. Remainder of balance is due within 7 days in cash or cashiers check. If winning bidder has 100% feedback, I will invoice you for the remaining balance, and you may submit by PayPal, if you wish. Thanks!On Aug-02-12 at 08:49:01 PDT, seller added the following information: I reserve the right to end bidding early as this vehicle is advertised in other venues as well, and could sell through those advertisements.