1980 Volkswagen Rabbit

Hatchback

1600

Manual

Clear

diesel

My faithful friend for many years like me is to retire. This Rabbit has been used for many years as a route delivery car for a newspaper route. It is not pretty but it is in good mechanical condition. I do not know the exact mileage but from the miles I drove each day I have estimated that it had between 300,000 and 350,000 miles on it. The engine was rebuilt about 5000 miles ago, for the third time. If you know diesels you will know that this is not uncommon. When I got the engine block back from the machine shop they told me that it did not need to be bored only polished and that it still was within factory specifications and did not need oversized rings. The engine is 1600cc as it was put in from a 1982 Rabbit. It does have one quirk that my mechanic has not been able to solve. When it is in 4th gear at about 41 mph it will gradually accelerate by itself to about 45 mph and stay there. It is not harmful, just annoying. I have replaced the fuel injector pump but that did not change anything. If the bid goes over $1000 I have a rebuilt pump that I will include. The retail on this pump is $500 from a VW parts store. It has air conditioning that was factory installed but it is not working. The transmission was changed from a 5 speed to a 4 speed and a shift kit was installed, makes for short fast shifts. 3 tires have good tread, 2 are not good. It has a full size new spare. It has 1.75 x 70R 13 tires instead of the usual 1.55 x 80R 15 tires and has custom wheels. In the last rebuild it had new injectors, new glow plugs and a high pressure oil pump installed. It also has a new battery, and a recently rebuilt alternator. The tail light assembly on both sides was replaced a few years ago with new ones. The headlights both work on low beam but the right one won't come on in high beam most of the time. I have replaced the front seats and steering wheel with used ones from a GTI. I have seat covers on them to protect them from the newspapers (the edges can damage seats). The dashboard and tray have been sun damaged (this is Arizona). I put a dashmat on it right after I got it so it is not as bad as it could be. The back seat is from a 1979 Rabbit and it is naugahide and in decent condition. The cover for the hatch is included but as one of the supports broke it does not work any more. The hatch support needs to be replaced or use a prop (not included). There is no major rust damage. Floor pan is solid. It has some surface rust spots and a few minor dings. The roof liner is intact but has been repaired several times. I took the drivers door interior panel off a number of years ago when the window was having a problem staying on track. I has been fixed but I never put the panel back on, it is included. The driver door latch needs to be adjusted. It works fine from inside but the outside handle sticks. All the doors and windows work. I will include several extra window cranks as they tend to break. I will also include a used radiator in good condition, an engine fan that was working when it was removed, and a brand new diesel compression tester (300 psi). These parts alone would cost over $250. You may wonder why I am getting rid of a car I like. I am retired and I don't need 4 cars so my wife told me to sell two of them. My truck is for sale also. If you are looking for a 35 year old car in showroom condition this is not it. If you a looking for a car that will get you where you need to go regardless of the miles, this is what you need. Oh, and by the way it still gets 45-50 miles per gallon of diesel. If you are looking for a car that is solid that you can rebuild to showroom condition this would work. If you need a daily driver that will get you where you need to go this will work as well. I will aid in shipping however I can. Pickup can be made on my street. There is a DAS terminal nearby and I will be glad to take it there for shipping. Powered by eBay Turbo ListerThe free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items.