1981 Volkswagen Rabbit

Truck Pickup truck

4 - Cyl.

Manual

1V1LG0172BV086067

Diesel

For sale is my 1981 VW diesel pickup with 5 speed manual transmission, dual fuel system... a real daily driver. Features include: (The good) Rebuilt motor with under 30,000 miles on it (4 years ago)Grease burning second fuel system for burning waste deep fat fryer grease (4 years ago) Rebuilt fuel pump (3 years ago)New high pressure fuel lines from the fuel pump to the injectors (recently)New front tires radial 4 season (2 months ago... about 1,000 miles on them)New back tires heavy 10 ply tires that hold up to 50 pounds of pressure (5 months ago... about 1,500 miles on them)Shackle leaf springs added to rear suspension to increase carrying capacity (5 months ago) Window cranks inside and new door handles outside (last year)Brakes, exhaust, and fuel system gone through 3 years ago... been running very well and checked yearly sinceCD, radio, with three kinds of external input: SD memory chip, flash drive, or 1/4 stereo input from iPod/MP4Double layer of "Rattle Trap" best sound/heat insulator for older vehicles sold by the Fat Mat Extreme company http://www.fatmat.com/bulk/rattletrap/100.html(The bad) Minor dent front left fenderRight rear bumper rubber... goneLight surface rust on truck sides, wheels and a little on top of the cabTailgate handle came off of the thing that makes the right side of the tailgate release (tailgate is difficult to open... needs the wire reattached to the handle)Fuel fill spout for main tank needs the rubber connector replaced at the top where it connects to the fill opening (you can't top off the tank or you end up with diesel on the ground... I've only been putting in 10 gallons at a time in the main tank)Shifter sleeve split ($12 cosmetic part) Wind wings are calked shut to seal them from wind Driver's window does not roll down the last inchSpeedometer runs about 5 miles and hour slowRadio antenna needs to be hooked up to the back of the radio... but the CD player is greatThe secondary fuel system (fryer grease tank) fuel gauge doesn't work, but when you run low the truck slows down and you just switch back to the main tank (The Story) I bought this truck 4 years ago to save money on my commute and thought I would burn a lot of grease. I put about 17,000 miles on my little truck and did a lot of work with it, but I only burned one tank of grease. I never found the time to get more from local restaurants, but I have loved the great mileage. My other car is a Hyundai Accent that gets 35 miles to the gallon and I have to fill it up every other day. The VW needs fuel about every 7 or 8 days. I'm not sure exactly what kind of mileage I'm getting, but it's good. I bought the car for $5,500 right here on eBay from the VW mechanic that rebuilt the motor and installed the alternate grease burning system 5 years ago.Since then I replaced the second most important part of these diesels, the fuel pump. I had it done by the best guy in the area and it cost me $1,300. I also had the exhaust gone through/fixed up, the brakes redone along with a rebuild on the brake slave cylinders in the front. Last month I had my mechanic replace the high pressure lines that come off the fuel pump to the injectors. It was only $107 for the parts and only took a couple of days to get the parts. I also wanted him to fix the fill spout rubber, but he didn't get to it. I have been doing a lot of work with this truck this year and needed to stiffen the rear suspension, so I put leaf spring shackles on the back along with a set of 10 ply trailer tires. I was told that in some states it's not legal to put these on a car, because of their speed rating very stiff sidewalls (recommended not to exceed 80). They hold up to 50 pounds of pressure and between these tires and the shackles this little truck can haul sizable load of materials. I put a good set of radials on the front just 2 months back. That's about $500 in tires in the last 5 months and they are still pretty close to brand new. Last summer I decide to apply a double layer of Rattle Trap rubber matting/sound deadener. It's the best material for quieting down uninsulated old vehicles. I stripped down the interior and applied TWO layers of Rattle trap (see pictures). These vintage VW's are a bit louder and warmer than I remember from when I was a kid. Now that I'm used to quiet and comfortable newer cars, I made this one a lot more comfortable for my 120 mile commute with double thick insulation throughout the cab: roof, floor, back panel, ...even inside the doors! It is so much quieter and more comfortable... it was worth the time and money. With the 5 speed transmission, rebuilt motor & fuel pump, this little baby goes down the highway fast enough to keep up with traffic even in Wyoming. The heater keeps me warm even when it's 20 degrees outside. When it's very cold the truck starts hard and smokes till it warms up (I've seen TDI's that won't even start at 10 degrees). It also smokes if you pull a hill and put the pedal to the metal (think older diesel truck... burns clean the rest of the time). Bottom line, this is a great little truck that has had about $10,00 put into it in the last 4 years. It runs good on my 120 mile commute, is good in the snow, carries about 800 pounds without trouble, is more comfortable than most of other VW pickups, because of the double layer of insulation, and burns both diesel and fryer grease. On the down side, this is a 30 year old truck and if you are looking for a perfect truck... this isn't it. There are always going to be projects to work on. Like the main fuel tank needing a new rubber at the top of the fill spout, the wind wings should be fixed so they open and close, the tailgate needs to be repaired... new paint job. Please, don't buy this truck and blame me that it's not new. If you don't love these for what is good about them: mileage, durability, grease burning ability, ...coolness; then you should buy a newer vehicle. I rarely drive this car that people don't stare. I was at home depot and loaded it up with a bunch of concrete blocks and plywood. The homedepot kid that helped said, "Please, can I take a picture of this and put it on Facebook?" I laughed and told him, "There's already a bunch there... go for it!" My son has repeatedly had his teen friends ask how he got such a cool truck. So if you're interested in a "cool" 81 VW diesel pickup, here it is. I just threw some pictures together so you could see some of the projects we've done with the truck... and what it looks like. This is one of about 10 VW's I've owned and driven in the last 35 years and one of my all time favorites. Now that my kids are getting bigger and they all want to go with me I need a crew cab... guess I'll have to find an old VW crew cab. Anyone have one in descent shape?