1983 Volkswagen Rabbit

Pickup Truck

Gas

Manual

1V1KB0172DV047119

Clear

Gasoline

I bought this car as a cleanup and repair project to share with my 19 year old son. The upside potential for an economical practical cheap driver was the goal, and this car was chosen because it looks ratty but has all the major requirements in place. It currently runs and drives, but is handicapped by a broken or worn out shift linkage. I have successfully found four forward gears and reverse, but couldn't repeat the process if I tried. It's like pushing a spoon around in a bowl of oatmeal, occasionally finding a gear; no sense that there is anything connected between your hand and the gearbox. The engine starts, runs, and moves the car through a good clutch, but I'm not taking it out on the road if I don't know where my next gear is coming from. No smoke, no knocks, engine idles down as it should, and can get the car rolling even in higher gears (that's how I know the clutch is good). Brakes work fine. The shift linkage is the single major problem with the car - fix this and you already have a driver/beater. I have lots of pictures which show how solid the car is; shock towers and rockers are nice, as a result of living dry in Colorado. The only rust on this car (shown in pictures) is non-structural, purely cosmetic, and easily repaired. I know full well what happens to these back east, so you may know of one that has all it's plastic bits, but is about to fall in half from rust. If you do want a solid car to restore, this one would be worth the cosmetic work because it is NOT a rust bucket, nor does it show any sign of major damage. Plus, it already runs, so you're not keeping your fingers crossed over the unknowns you expect in a dead car. That said, the car could be considered nice only if you are looking for a solid unrusted, unhit base for a restoration. That, or stop at "Beater", because it's overall condition is "needs everything". It has a crappy, peeling black paint job over the original dark red. The windshield is cracked. The interior is dirty. The bed has been used as a truck bed. There are scrapes and dings. There is no cover over the cam belt. The drivers door handle doesn't work from the outside. The CD player was installed by a less than competent person (but the dash isn't cut up). Seats are non-original, and poorly mounted (but not hacked, either). The back window is something a high school kid would deny. No rear bumper. Grille badge and left plastic headlight bezel missing. Door lock knobs, heater fan switch knob are missing, and the hood release cable is operated by a pair of vise grips. Emergency brake does nothing. The tailgate corners are beat up, but can be straightened, as they are not rusted. Look at the pictures closely, using the Ebay zoom feature - though not pretty, you will find that there is nothing requiring a skill level beyond 'basic home mechanic' to turn this into a decent practical car. I am listing this car at $500 no reserve in the belief that it will actually be worth more in the right hands. I am happy to answer questions, take closeup pictures of typical VW trouble spots, and generally do what is required to represent the car accurately. The winning bidder can store the car free of charge for 30 days in my fenced asphalt lot, and I believe that a competent VW person could find a way to drive it home. Now, the question of the day - "Why aren't you making this your own project, Dan?" Well, the young automotive apprentice (my son) who was going to help me on HIS car has found a more direct path to the type of car that he wants, without having to get all dirty. I only wish I had figured that out by now...Thanks for Looking! Dan Larson On Apr-03-13 at 20:31:34 PDT, seller added the following information: 04/03/2013 Regarding bids from Ebayers with less than 10 feedback: You must first contact me, or your bids will be removed. Everybody starts with zero feedback, so that's not the issue. It just makes better sense to get the feel for the Ebay process by buying a few $10 items early on, not a car. I have had several instances where new bidders overbid, did not understand the process, did not follow through, or even acted as fake winners to pave the way for an after auction lowball offer. Aside from wasting my time and effort, clowns like that are effectively taking the item away from the legitimate bidders. Thank You, Dan Larson