One year ago today, I brought home this little 1982 diesel Rabbit. It's American made, built at VW's Westmoreland plant in Pennsylvania. The car belonged to a friend of mine, and I was selling my Jetta and looking for something else. I've had four Jettas and that's what I was used to. But a Rabbit? I wasn't sure. So he let me borrow it first to drive around and see what I thought.
Turns out I liked it a lot, and a deal was quickly made. The 1.6L non-turbo diesel engine is really slow, no question. And at some point the 5 speed transmission was replaced with a 4 speed, so it winds out around 55-60 mph. But for around town driving it's got plenty of go, and it consistently gets 45-46 MPG so I couldn't be happier with it.
Mechanically, it's in really great shape. Actual mileage is unknown because the odometer was replaced but I'd have to guess it's less than 200K based on its condition. I've replaced the radiator, alternator, clutch, clutch cable, and e-brake cables.
One thing it lacked though was an interior. The headliner board was there but no fabric. I picked the perfect material I think: yellow Westfalia plaid. Not only was it already on my keychain, but it just matched the car so well. It wasn't cheap ($40/yard) but I'm happy with the results. I covered the rear parcel and speaker trays myself, along with sewing the shift boot. The headliner itself I had some help with.
Thanks for looking, I've been super happy with it this past year.
One of the guys I worked with had a Diesel Rabbit about that year. He loved it. The engine was solid and he got great mileage driving in mostly city traffic. It looks like you did a nice job fixing it up and adding your own touches. -- »www.flickr.com/photos/egeezer/
I bought a 1982 Rabbit GTI off a friend probably 12 years ago. It had the 1.8 gas burner with the close ratio 4-speed. It would run 4k rpm at 70 mph. But it was a blast on winding tight roads. Drove it for about 3 years and finally killed it (for $500 just wasn't worth fixing).
That is pretty cool. A buddy of mine had one of those. Lots of miles, seen better days. He put rings in worn bores, got it to last a little longer. He had a hard time starting it in the winter though. -- The talented hawk speaks French.
Wow. Had a friend in Highschool that had a 2-Door 83 rabbit, beige, non-diesel, I remember he drove the life out of it, then sold it to an older guy who dropped a new engine in and we'd still see it around locally for 10 years after.
I actually like the way that interior looks. Who did the wood luggage rack?
My first car was an 81 Diesel Rabbit! Same color, too!
Something had happened to the ignition system. The key would only do so much as turn the starter over. There was one switch afixed to the ash tray door that would light up the glow plugs. Turn that on for 90 seconds. Then off.
Reach under the dash, flip a light switch and then turn the key to start. After that, you could remove the key and the car would still function. Turn the switch off and the engine shut down.
Aside from that the car was great. Bought it for $500 and traded it in on a new car for $750. So, not a bad deal!
Enjoy the Rabbit! Hope it brings you a ton of happy miles!
That's considered a classic in Ontario..you take it to shows or anything like that?
Very nice car, btw.
Thanks, I took it to SoWo earlier this year (Southern Worthersee) and got a lot of comments and thumbs up on it. I was there a day early and actually broke my clutch cable but fortunately one of my friends was coming down the next day and he brought me a spare.
A friend of mine had a diesel rabbit back in 1978, I think. It was in the winter when there was odd/even on the east coast. It was amazing how many miles per gallon that car gave! He would put two 5 gal jerry cans of fuel in the back seat and he could drive to Florida and part way back from upstate New York where we were at the time. I think he said he got 55 MPG. Another friend had a diesel rabbit as well when they first came out. They were pokey off the line, but it got you where you wanted to go economically. That's been my standard - in the late 70's, a diesel Rabbit could get 55 MPG. 40 years later, and that's still an exciting number! One would have thought we'd have almost all cars getting 60-80 MPG by now. Alas, it's not in the cards at the moment for those holding the deck.
rjackson - I gotta tell you, I hate you! :*) This thread prompted me to research the Rabbit. Since none were readily available in my area for 81-82's, I ended up buying (well, I really think I practically stole it from the dealer) a used 2011 Golf TDI yesterday.
When I was researching it (for the better part of last week while on vaca), I didn't realize how pimped out this thing was. It was top-of-the-line in its day. Sun roof, articulating HIDs, pretty nice stereo...
Got 46MPG coming to work this morning! So, thanks!
How does the engine in your Rabbit deal with ULSD?
Sounds like a nice score! The engine deals with ULSD just fine, where you will typically see a problem is with the injection pump. Once the reformulated fuel is put in (like the switch from low sulfur to ultra low sulfur) the seals in the pump start leaking after they've been used to the older stuff. Mine has been resealed recently though so no leaks.
And my ignition switch went out last night, it's been giving me fits every so often but now it flat out won't turn the starter now. a new switch is only $20 though.
I was 2 when that car was produced....probably why I've never seen a 5-speed marked that way. -- I'll be stretching out the rhyme like gravity stretches time.
Well I replaced the ignition switch a couple of weeks ago and it was still giving me starting issues. I traced it to the seatbelt interlock relay, which is designed to work with the stupid passive restraint belts. The kind that are built into the door and it just lays across your shoulder so you don't have to buckle anything. There was no lap belt. The relay was supposed to prevent the car from starting if the belts were unbuckled.
I hated these belts so I replaced them with some regular 3 point retractables out of a Mk1 Jetta. The first sign I noticed the relay going bad was when my seatbelt light on the dash would illuminate, and it would buzz loudly to try and tell me to buckle up. Then it refused to let the car start.
Initially I suspected the ignition switch, a common failure on early VWs. I replaced it with a new one but my starting issues persisted.
I pulled the relay today and checked the connections, figuring the two larger wires on the back were to the starter. I made a jumper wire with some spade connectors and plugged it in and it starts right up. No more buzzing, no more seat belt light.
Incidentally I don't have a Bentley but I do have a Popular Mechanics guide on the Rabbit from the 80s. I looked up the seat belt interlock system, and it said: "Have it checked out by a professional mechanic. It is illegal to bypass the interlock system." I guess I've committed a crime!
Nothing of importance to add here, but I wanted to say I have been following this thread and I love that old Rabbit and what you've done with it so far. I especially love the interior fabric choice.
5-speeds are cheap to find and easy-peasy to install; you can do it in your garage. Hell, you did the clutch, shoulda tossed in the 5 while you were at it...
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