1983 Volkswagen Rabbit

GTi Hatchback

1.7L 4 Cylinder Gasoline Fuel

Manual

Gasoline

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Up for auction here is one of two MK1 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI's that I'm selling. Reason for selling both is that I no longer have an economical & practical winter storage solution for these, and they're too solid to let sit outside and rot during the winter. With 5 cars, the garage gets too difficult to get cars into and out of. These are my 2nd and 3rd '83 GTI's that I've owned, the first being a Mars Red that I owned for 8 years. I know these about like the back of my hand, so if you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. This is an original, unmolested low-miles example that needs work but is a solid car. Overall: I bought this car earlier this year with True Miles Unknown, advertised with 19k miles on it, but seller suggested it had about 25-30k. The original owner passed away, his kids drove it for a few years, and eventually sold it to guy I bought it from. Mileage comments - does this seem like a true low miles car? I'd say yes for these reasons that elude to the completeness of the car - things that you just don't see on many A1 VW's as most either wore out, were modified or damaged. Badging. It's all there and in good shape.Uncut instrument/dash panel trim and radio.Selector box on intake piping for faster warm-up during winter is still there. Who didn't remove this power-robbing device!Rockers look good, like there's rarely been a jack down thereVery straight/true lower fascia behind the front chin spoiler - usually these will be at least dented up from the occasional parking / curb mishapDoors opening and closing - feels like a new VW. Never knew these cars door-retention mechanisms could feel this tight! No door sag.No worn text on any of the light and wiper switches.No rips or tears at all in the original accordion shift boot. Exterior: Original paint and stripes, original glass, all original decals, badges, service labels, etc.Car suffered a bit from sitting in the hot sun. It has some pitting on the paint surface. Looks a bit like it sat near a foundry at some point in its life, perhaps? It's not down to the metal, just pits in the top layer of the paint.Doesn't have what I"d consider much rust, and I'll photograph all areas that have rust evidence and post in the online gallery linked below. The oddball rust spot is on the driver door... looks like something was on the door and started to rust and was never attended to and it became bad enough to create a pinhole in the door. See pic.Original snowflake wheels 3 are like-new, one has a very, very minor curb blem. Tires have lots of tread, but a few years old.Reverse light lenses are in mint condition, but need to be glued on.Two small dents in hood. See pic.Fixed (non-opening) side vent windows and no sunroof so no leaks or noise!Most weatherstrip is in at least fair shape, but it's showing age and sun/UV exposure in spots. Mechanical Car has fuel supply issue - most likely needs a fuel distributor and new injector o-rings. Injector o-rings can be readily found on eBay, and clean used distributors on VWVortex.Car had some gummed up fuel components, so I put a new tank, filter and pump in, along with some excellent pattern-tested injectors with very good braided line set. I installed a used fuel distributor, but suspect that that plunger on it was varnished and may be the culprit for the starting / running issues. Plenty of reliable guys on VWVortex will sell good fuel dizzy for $50-60.I can get it to turn over and fire, usually runs for at least a few seconds, sometimes it'll idle for as long as I let it. I’ve started it, let it run for a half hour to get things warmed up, changed the oil with fresh Castrol GTX.The fuel accumulator has a small leak, so I don't even try to start it up now. Accumulator needs to be replaced or bypassed - plenty of A1 guys who say it can be done, but others say replace it.Brake master cylinder is bad – pedal goes to floor. Lines are clean and good condition.Very complete mechanically – all A/C and original intake parts are intact. Don’t know if AC works or not.Exhaust needs replaced, but is included with car (see pic).Needs a new fuel vent line to be installed. This goes from tank to top of fuel filler neck. Interior Dash is in excellent shape, no cracks or blems. Glove box door faded some.All gauges work, including clock.With exception of hazard switch indicator and right front signal light, all lights work, even that silly bulb over cigarette lighter. Driver seat tilt-forward cable is worn, so you have to reach around seat to move lever to tilt that seat forward.Headliner is original and in good shape, but faded where it meets c-pillars. Headliner needs to be reglued.C-pillar cloth is faded – see picsMissing the sunvisors.Seats are in very good shape, no rips or tears. Foam slightly dented on driver bolster – see pic.Plastic on passenger seatbelt buckle broke. Buckle still works fine.A-pillar trim is included but had cracked, so I have it removed from car for repair.Original glove box key includedOriginal shift boot and golf ball shift knob in great shape. Lower shifter/gauge surround is discolored.Rear hatch lift supports / strut is bad - needs replacing, so you have to hold hatch up manually. Questions, 319-4six4-6335. No reserve! Bid to win, and check my feedback. I've sold over 15 cars on ebay and never had a negative feedback on cars or anything else. I'll also be adding pictures to the online album as requests come in. Pictures speak a thousand words, as they say, so send questions EARLY so I can post to the album. Photo Gallery: http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll213/bdhigs/auctions/ Regards, Bryan On Sep-07-11 at 20:10:28 PDT, seller added the following information: Update: Based on a question I received about whether this could be driven onto a trailer, I went out and worked on this a bit more. Turns out it had a bad relay (not fuel pump, but right-center position on the fuse block). It now starts up quickly and idles on its own, and while it doesn't rev up perfectly, it certainly can be driven onto a trailer. Just remember that it does have the accumulator fuel drip. Thanks everybody for interest! On Sep-07-11 at 20:15:24 PDT, seller added the following information: Photo link above is for the black GTI for sale in my other auction. The correct link for the silver GTI in this auction: http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll213/bdhigs/auctions/Silver%20Rabbit%20GTI/ On Sep-10-11 at 00:12:07 PDT, seller added the following information: Added more photos to Photobucket album of rockers, left side rear valence and various under-car shots including rear beam axle mounts.