I love that this person found a car they liked and they never changed to something newer. The world would be a better place if more of us were like this person and maintained rather than disposed. Of course, that requires that the things we buy are built to last, which they aren't.
@Pira Pira Definitely. Florida has blue license plates for vintage cars, and you know if someone with one of those plates starts up thier car parked next to you, the fumes are going to gag you. I feel like I'm getting carbon monoxide poisoning if they leave it running.
I agree, too many things including cars are built to be “disposable “ these days.. I was raised by a father who was around during WW2 and was taught the value of looking after whatever precious little you had.
@Dugie Doogs Exactly. Fuel injection has been good and not too much trouble. I know a lady who's VW Golf had a computer failure just out of warranty. The fix was £2000. with VW agreeing half. (would have been £4000)! Why are a few components so expensive?
@@dankline9162 They didn't want it to sound nice to your ears. The whole point was to annoy the fuck out of you until you did what it wanted you to do.
my mechanic is so old school that i never saw him use a scan tool. he just brushed away the check engine light saying that it's probably nothing. true enough, it turns out to not a big problem, it was just the speedometer readings error that needs replacing the whole meter if i want the problem to go away.
I enjoyed this. I had a '79 Diesel C 2-door. The "C" was the base trim, and the "L" was the deluxe trim. The car in the video being an '80 is the first year for square headlights. I can tell it's American built in Westmoreland PA(?) as the dome light is above the rear view mirror. The German built models had the dome light in the roof on the left side of the driver's head. I noticed you didn't use the Cold Start cable. If you didn't know, when the engine is cold you pull the lever on the left side of the steering wheel, that's the knob for the Cold Start cable seen in the video here, and when pulled out it retards the timing a little as I recall. You're supposed to push the cable back in when the engine is warmed up. There were times I'd gotten over 60 MPG with mine. When they changed the transmission to a 5-speed in 1981 the fuel mileage dropped a lot. The car in this video is the last version of the 4-speed and so it's the last to get really stellar MPG's. It's too bad we can buy cars like this now. Thanks for making this video.
Volkswagen Produced very reliable diesel cars, until the new era diesels come (euro 5) Reliable, everithing with displacement below 1900, the only exeption is maybe only 1,6TDi CR. and the best engines ever? 1896ccm series. those natural aspirated diesels are simple, reliable, and lasts many thousands kilometers of run.
I drive a 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit that I bought brand new in March 2009. It's been very reliable overall. My car was built in Volkswagen's flagship factory in Wolfsburg next to their world headquarters, maybe that's why it's been so reliable.
When I was growing up, our family car was a 1980 VW Dasher Diesel. It was taken on road trips across the country on a regular basis, and the sound of that engine is forever seared into my brain.
Pira Pira i maintain my own vehicles and it costs me maybe 500 a year not including tires however after a few years of your new car one thing that breaks is going to cost me insane amounts of money depends on the person I guess however maintaining an older vehicle is always cheaper then buying a new one
@Pira Pira take in account insurance price, the price of the new car. Also newer cars are more expensive due to tons of electronics that WILL fail and cost thousands. Take in account if you lost your job. Take in account how far you drive. Take in account dealerships that scam you into buying a new car when yours works just fine. Yeah, I think I'll stick to reliability, fixing my own cars, and taking care of them and only driving when needed. Or riding my bike. Payments suck! And you can't trust anyone. Wealth is better in my hands not theirs. Also newer cars like a 2019 Mitsubishi mirage sure are safe, NOT! I'll stick with a older lifted truck with a grille gaurd in the front and see who wins that fight. Also airbags don't always work. Eat it sucker!
Forty years old and still a reliable daily driver! This proves the "Reliability is a function of complexity" theorem. So long as you keep water out of the diesel fuel, clean the injectors occasionally, and do the regular servicing, those old VW NA motors run forever!
I had a 1991 Jetta with what was probably the same engine; non-turbo, indirect injection diesel. It was spec'd to be something like 53 horsepower. Very dependable. Pretty simple to maintain. 45-48 hwy mpg, 39-41 around town. Mine had a/c but I hardly ever used it because the engine didn't have any power to spare.
OMG the memories... I was the second hand owner of two different 1985 diesel Jettas. The second one being a factory turbo. Both taken away from me by impatient Portland drivers. But gosh the road trip memories I will have forever. Last cross country trip was 5 years ago and the car got around 49.5 mpg over a 4.5K mile trip.
Yes, yes, yes on spinners. On the old rabbit I had a friend in kansas that owned one. Slow but was as tough as the back wall in a shooting gallery. Incredible fuel economy. Last forever if you are fastidous on maintenence. 40 year service your customer has got his moneys worth
This owner inspires me. I have an 04 Corolla I’m paying off rn. Got it at 115k miles currently at 118k. I plan on running this thing till 1mill and beyond
Most of them did have extensive rust inhibiting stuff inside every panel. They have little black grommet body plugs that cover the holes. At least the west Moreland
Amazing. For a while in the eighties, I had a gig where we bought these from car dealers, where they arrived as trade ins. We usually picked them up for around two or three hundred dollars and they ALL had the same problems. Pistons rings frozen and cylinderhead/valve issues. We threw the entire cylinder head away and installed an ATK replacement assembly. the pistons were removed, frozen rings broken away and new rings and rod bearings installed, then back together with careful retiming of the pump. In the searing hot Arizona weather, I did two engines a week, like a small factory. The issues on these engines back then was lubrication, folks ran them without the oil change and usually at the change, the wrong oil was put into the engine and that was it.
I used to own one very similar. 81 model, yellow, 2 door, diesel with a 5 speed manual and a sunroof. I would regularly get over 40 mpg. If it hadn't been t-boned I would probably still be driving it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Nice to see a 1980 (built in Westmoreland, PA) Rabbit. 23:1 compression ratio and the fastest production diesel 4 cylinder of the era. VW has always had creative ad campaigns, and one that they used for these was that it was cheaper to drive a Volkswagen diesel Rabbit from CA to NY, then it would be to run. They calc'd how many gallons of fuel to go 3,000mi, and what that would have cost, and then they did the math on how many calories a person would burn, to run 3,000mi. They then converted that into hamburgers (or cheese burgers), and calc'd the cost of buying them. Hilarious. Back in the day, you could get an extra fuel tank that fit into the spare tire well in the trunk. I can't remember how much it held, but I believe it got you close to 900-1,000mi out on the freeway, depending on how fast you drove, and wind/grade/altitude conditions. I still daily my free '81 diesel LX Pickup (Caddy) that I found rotting in a farm field back in '94. It has a stockland shell, Duraliner bed liner, and the accessory fuel tank, which is a giant aluminum "coffin" that hangs under the truck and holds 26 gallons. Really handy on road trips. Prior to my Caddy, I had a German built '79 Diesel L Rabbit 2 door that I picked up in '87. @2stroketurbo May I suggest you use real German oil filters on this? They are not expensive (Mann, Mahle, Knecht, or even Bosch) and available from Rock Auto or Auto Haus Az. These engines produce a ton of oil pressure on a cold start up, and back in the day, they would blow the aftermarket filters off, and send them through the radiator.
The trick on older diesel engines, is REGULAR oil and filter changes, whether needed or not. The body may RUST, but if engine is regularly maintained, it will run forever. 🤠 From one who has owned 2 diesel pickups. 🤠
Yeah for sure, 4000-5000 is all I'd do with a diesel between changes. They manage to dirty the oil much faster it seems like. Given that though they'll have no trouble lasting for huge mileages
Rubber timing belt was a big headache with my 1986 ISUZU SpaceCab Turbodiesel, my last pickup was a 1987 S-10 v6 & it still was equipped with a timing chain, but used an equally hated Serpentine Belt for alternator, A/C and power steering (Fortunately didn't have any problem with that.) 🤠
Copper wire brush under the chassis every year or 2 and it wont rust and for body rust sand as soon as spotted and use a fill in pen which is like under a fiver
Old German engineering vs New German Engineering. The the new engineers can make things fail on command. Best engineering today is from Japan, since they don’t allow the bean counters into the designs.
I had to check in to see if this was my old Math teacher. He had one JUST like this, came color and everything. He would always brag he “drove it off the showroom floor”. This was back in 1998, I haven’t seen him in 20 years.
I used to work on these at a VW dealership, it’s called a ‘Golf’ here in Europe. Increasing the idle speed was easy; just rotate a bolt on the injection pump. We did that sometimes so the dash wouldn’t vibrate so much. They were noisy and slow as F, but they lasted a long time with few issues. They are all rusted away over here but apparantly Oregon is dry enough to survive.
It purrs like a kitten, I love these old 1.5 liter Saugdiesels (suction diesel). I've driven a similar '83 EU version with the same engine, it has great mileage, 47 Mpg (5 liter/100km).
It was great in its day..but a Toyota Carina E. .does 55mpg from 1.6/1.8..petrol engines..so on the mpg front it's been surpassed. But the Golf's Simplicity is just Awesome!
@@TheMuzikall does toyota Carina E does 55mpg, in city? because Diesel golf does that. 300km, 10 liters of diesel urban driving. :) (in other words, i managed to do 71mpg (it was a boring drive, but did it for school project), and 52 mpg, in the city. :) vw golf 3 tdi 66kw.
@@kerstas10.. just checked the figures b4 I replied...Golf Diesel...75-80...engine code.:CK. .top speed:88mph.....Fuel consumption is 36mpg..US gallon...so Imperial gallon will be 40 mpg...I don't think it will better A Mk3 tdi which does 45mpg urban driving. ..
@@TheMuzikall Dont know more eco car than that golf,(except prius with lpg) delivered pizas a few years later, full tank 45liters, would get me 1000km with ease,driving only in the city. European city, lots of crosswalks and pedestrians.
@@kerstas10 Prius?...is that a Toyota?😆....when it comes to Diesels Mpg....the Mk3 Golf is King for Economical and Durability..plus they use ordinary engine oil unlike the modern Diesels...I had one b4 I got a Carina E ...33mpg i@ 115mph is the Worst you get if you thrash it all day..or 55mpg on a cruise...Ugly car but a gem😆
You don't see the V Rabbit because of the smoke! oh that buzzer sounds from 40 years ago. Great car thanks for sharing on here. Brings back the good old days.
Thank you sir. I absolutely adore these old mechanical diesels. Years ago I had an ‘83 MB 300TD turbodiesel touring wagon. 300,000 mi on the odometer and still used less than a pint of oil between changes. I so miss that old girl. 😊
Had a 79 diesel dasher in 89, 90 and 91 that had 250k miles when I got it at 10 years old. Put another 50k on it but alas, was bent when a tractor trailer pulling a low boy flatbed pulled up on my left at a shopping center exit and turned right across my path and squashed the car between the trailer and the curb bending the car like a banana. insurance gave me more than I paid for it and then let me scrap it, I got another $36 out of it. I loved that car, even when it shook the alternator off the engine block, tossed it on the road, drove over it, I left it running, went back for the alternator, and drove without one for a whole summer.
I have had an 84 Rabbit diesel for just shy of 10 years. I don’t daily it anymore due to the salt on the roads, but it’s been extremely reliable (more so than any other car I’ve owned). It’s so slow, but I love it!
One of my co-workers collects 80s Volkswagens. He had a VW Fox station wagon, Rabbit Diesel pick up truck, and a Rabbit GTI diesel. I was amazed on the condition of his VWs. The Rabbit GTI is my favorite, hot hatch, manual trans. Fun car to drive.
You've probably replaced all the lines and refurbished the tank, replaced the ignition switch and redone the steering rack... many other long term repairs, it's not so unaffordable yet there are costs. At some point cars give up. 😭
@@j_freed So true. I've properly spent $4 000 over the past 6 years maintaining a car I purchased for $4 000. I'm luck I live in a country that does not salt the roads in winter, so the body of the car is still good.
@@PaulosKal areas of less economic prosperity excell in making the best of what they have. Maintaining things as long as needed. No offense to the greek, just in a general sense. People not in western EU or the US are more likely to dispose because of the extra income individuals have. Despite the behavior being wasteful
Gosh, I remember my best friend's mom had this same model car in white; lot's of fun (after the glow plug light went out which seemed to take forever) in the winter doing donuts using the parking brake - excellent to see one of these still running all these years later. We grew up in the mountains of Virginia, where they salted the crap out of roads in the winter time - I think her car made it about 12 years before it wouldn't pass safety inspection.
This was my first car. 1982 VW Rabbit Diesel passed to me in 1985. I got no ends of teasing, but I loved that car. All my friends had 70's era land yachts and could never afford to put gas in it, or had to collect gas money from all the passengers to go anywhere. ME .. in the 80's diesel was cheaper than gas and I got a true 52 miles to the gallon. Tease me all you want cause I could go anywhere I wanted anytime. From my parents perspective it was also a good car for a 16 year old by .. zero to 60 in 10 minutes LOL. Thank you for this.
Nice car. I would urge your customer to carry a spare clutch cable. I had a 1975 Opel 1900 sedan (Ascona), and one rainy night, on the way home from work, I was glad that I carried a spare clutch cable with me.
The problem is not the cable, the problem is that it was an Opel to start with. When I worked at a junkyard in the mid nineties in Germany we got a Rabbit MK1 with a damaged engine. It sounded like an Opel when it's running good... :-P :-D
@@paulterhaar4862 One car's experience is only an anecdote, but I had that Ascona 1.9L cam-in-head engine for almost 200K miles, and it still ran pretty well, and was mostly reliable. It was just too difficult to find parts, for a car that was a daily driver at the time. It went through 2 sets of fuel injectors (Bosch L-Jetronic), and I think 3 water pumps, but those were easy repairs, but the very disappointing fault was a camshaft with worn-down lobes, at around 40K miles. Other than the faulty camshaft, I think it was well-built, by 70's standards.
i had the 81 model. The 81 had a newer interior but same body. Its top speed rivals a moped. Honestly saved my life, drove it as a teenager, if it was faster I would have wrapped myself around a tree.
the Citroën AX diesel (built 1986 to 1999) had the lowest consumption in the 80', average consumption between 3,1 and 3,5 L /100km this is less than ~1 gallon to 62mpg, gasoline AX had a average consumption of 4,5L to 6L for 100km.In Europe is the fuel cost extremly high, so are the most small european cars very economical in comparision with US cars...
I had one of these guys for a short time, lots of small plaguing issues but I loved it because it was a hobby car. If you step hard on the gas you could smoke out tailgaters, I was running biodiesel so it smelled like a deep fryer.
Just wow. I owned a 1980 gasoline Rabbit with the automatic transmission. Cosmetically identical to the one in your video. Such a fun car. Simple. Reliable.
mine was a 1979 rabbit diesel that was manufactured in germany (remember when they were still made there?). I found out after a deer tried to jump over the top 1 morning in 1981. the first replacement was about 2" short, so it got re-ordered from germany. sold it a few years later with over 250k miles and it still got 52 miles to the gallon. wish I'd have kept it.......
Pretty good reliability:40 years of ownership and only a few rustspots to fix and a new upholstery of the frontseats is necessary ! That is a very cost effective car and the 1400ccm , nonturboed diesel is an undestructable engine with only 55 german PS and a topspeed of 130 Km/h but who really cares when a car is that Kind of reliable. 1 Million Kilometers are expected and reachable. Whoever owns it didn´t buy a Lemon ! Good Little Golf Mk1as we call it Overseas !
3 good things about this video: #1: No mention of how many miles the car has on it. #2: How the car is in neutral but the front wheels are turning. #3: Dog lying down must love those diesel fumes.
The odo on the VW is only 5 digits so it has rolled over so who knows the actual mileage. The front wheels turn when in neutral because there is some minor drag in the drivetrain. If Stella can handle 2 stroke fumes diesel fumes are a walk in the park for her.
I recall a trip to the Jersey shore in about 1980, it was a hot day and we teenagers were sitting in a car in a parking area near the beach. A few spaces over sat one of these - same exact car. Memories...
I have a large collection of matchbox cars. I have a rabbit, a le car and a few others that you have in your garage. So cool to see there are some still around. Love your videos
Can't beat them old diesel rabbits , this isnt the first one I've seen , there's one in Texas the guy also bought new that has over 300 thousand miles on it ...... keep up the good work, honest mechanics are hard to find 👍🇺🇸
Diesel Rabbit! I remember seeing and hearing my first one at Carter VW in Seattle in 1977 before VW started really marketing them. Back then, Mercedes and Peugeot were the only real players in that arena here in the US. Contrast this engine bay to the emission control-choked gas engines of the malaise era!
Diesel Golf in Europe! They arrived in Ireland in 1978 (I think!) and yes the only other Diesel cars around were Peugeot's and some Mercedes Benz Taxis.None of them were turbo fitted and the engine noise would waken the dead.The Golf was no different in that respect- but the fuel economy.I made the car payments on the money I saved and then some.They had a ' kill lever' to stop the engine and the dashboard often fell out of them because of the vibration.I put 340,000 miles on my first one 1981. Quality oil every 3000 miles ,filter change and fuel filter change every 15,000.A lot of Petrol(Gas) stations didn't have a diesel pump at all so you had to be in the know as to where to fuel up.A marvellous car- I'm driving 1.9 TDI Powered cars ever since - actually a development of that original Motor.
A friend of my mom's had a '77 Rabbit diesel. My dad got to drive it and was super impressed with it. He ended up buying an '81 pickup with the 1.6L engine and 5 speed (my brother owns that car now) and I had an '80 Rabbit C diesel, looked just like the one in this video, except mine was 2 door. Bought it from a guy in Bremerton who got it for his son when he went to college. That first diesel engine holds two distinctions; It featured the highest compression ratio of any engine ever sold on the American market (23.5:1) and it was the fastest diesel engine ever made, at the time it was released. You can actually spin that engine to 5500 rpm before the governor kicks in. Only the 1471cc engine. All others after that one were slower and had less compression.
@@user-xg8yy7yl1d ma·laise /məˈlāz/ noun a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify. ...malaise? Doesn't make sense to me. Please explain your statement..
Been having your videos pop up on my feed. Just about every old weird car you feature I had. A Renault Le Car, Diesel Rabbit several of those. Old 80’s Yota Corolla and Honda Civics, check. I haven’t seen any VW Beetles yet but I’m sure you fix those. I could work on and keep them all running no problem. Simple, cheap and reliable.
I had a 4 door rabbit diesel. Great little commuter. I bought it for 400 bucks with a blown headgasket and leaky radiator. I fixed that and drove it for 5 years. Great car.
"German quality sound" via southwest Pennsylvania; those square light Rabbits were built in VW's Westmoreland, PA plant. I remember some of the auto rags of the day, like Car & Driver, derided the later US-built Rabbits as being "too Americanized" with softer suspensions, full wheel covers, and (mein Gott!) color-keyed velour upholstery.
Do you know if the Engines came from germany ? I know in the late 80' VW also made Engines in Mexico and even some in Germany produced Cars had. Mexican Engines. They had the repuation to be absolut junk.
5:04 it looks like 43981 miles? in the odometer. Probably with several turns. I would say 4 turns. 4 for each 10 years since it is a daily driver. So, maybe 443981 miles? or 714518 kms?: interesting numbers.
@@youxkio theres only 5 numbers in the old cars, with the 6th digit being the 10th of a mile, so if you went to 99,999 miles, it would reset back to 0 because back then there just wasnt a 6th digit in the mile counter
I remember back in the 80s when I would see these cars on the German Autobahn. These care were so fast they were nicknamed the "Wingless Airplanes" These cars ran so fast that if they had wings they would actually leave the ground
I had the pickup variation of this car. I was young and had different ideas so one day I traded it with a family friend who had the 1979 Audi Fox 2-door. He definitely got the better end of the deal.
Pretty much all manual transmission cars do it. With the engine running, even if the car is in neutral, there is just enough internal friction in the gearbox between the spinning input shaft and the floating (i.e. not selected) gears to rotate the output shaft, and therefore the wheels. If you touch the wheel you can stop it spinning easily, and obviously when the car's on the ground, there's not enough force to turn the wheels in neutral.
I noticed that too and was very curious. Thanks to all that commented below and confirmed my hunch about the tiny bit of internal friction in the drive train and not a sticking clutch.
Hi 2stroketurbo,in Europe the price for this old vw it's higher than a new one. You can buy the Vw golf 7 for about 13000$ and this badass old-school vw up 17000$ .
My parents had a volkswagen beetle, then a volkswagen golf 1100, then a volkswagen golf rabbit version with a 1600 cc that was very fast for it's time and the last one they had was a golf 1600 turbo diesel. Then i had a golf 1100, a golf 1600 diesel, a jetta 1600 diesel, golf 1600, the legendary golf gti and a golf 1800 16V. And the last one is a vw lupo 1.4 that my mother had for 15 years and i bought it from her now, and that car is just bullit proof because it still runs like new, so when it comes to quality, then it's just as good as a 80's Mercedes, if not a bit better. Now modern cars don't even come close to the quality of any older car, because al that computershit turned all modern cars into a nightmare on wheels. And not to mention what the damn parts cost.
I always thought a neat feature on the original VW diesel engines was the water pump. You can change it out without tearing the front of the engine apart like you have to with any other engine. I owned a yellow '80 Rabbit C diesel, too. 1987-1992. Great little car. I think mine averaged about 48 mpg. ....7-band 50W Clarion power booster for the radio, too. -b
We need more Renault videos and umm small test drives for fun. A lot of your viewers are from Europe and would gladly send help or parts. Rockauto has some help as well...
Ah, the Passat 35i, I had a '96 as well but a 1,8 monojet injection. In Germany they call the 35i a "Dauerlaufer" (endurance runner) because they are very well build and rarely break down.
I have a 91 Jetta with the 1.6 turbo diesel, was a fun car for 2 weeks when i bought it and it broke down when the waterpump died. Has also been sitting in my yard for a good half a year as I finish up on my GMC. Those diesel VW are so much fun, not fast, but feel fast.
I bought an 81 VW Rabbit diesel from a high school friend years ago. He said it had a 6 gallon gas tank. Me: that’s not big enough. Him: trust me, it’s more than enough. He wasn’t kidding. At 55 mpg, I didn’t need to fill up very often!
jean valjean - I'd drive a newer VW living in Germany, where the cars are built in Germany, having the parts and service network of Germany. Those conditions don't exist elsewhere. But they are fine cars for daily use over there. It's a shit show in North America for some (not all) mechanic shops servicing German cars. They cack them up and charge a fortune.
In this case, i think it is. The owner could be in his 70s or 80s, so even if he wanted to clean the car he maybe couldn't or wouldn't have the strength for it.
@@LOGGATO Yes you're right about that, although (I also have an '87 Jetta II 1.6D) the manual steering feels almost lighter than the assisted one above 10km/h (6 m/h). Maybe 2stroketurbo gives it a wash for 5$, that would make the owner even happier for sure.
same here. First one started to do that on me and I had to drive it up against a wall and stall the engine. Changed the breather valve and she returned to normal after.
For an old car that has constantly driven non-stop for 4 decades straight, I'm surprised it runs at all! It must have a TREMENDOUS amount of mileage. Such reliability! Imagine if it was a big American car with a V8 of the same year such as the LTD Crown Victoria.
Man i owned one of those in 1982! Mine was a 1980, fuel injection. It was a fun little car to drive! Also stick shift! I got my first licence in that car! I was 18 year's old at the time, think about it! Being young and with a fun little car like the rabbit, it was a fun time! I wish i still have that car! Mine was white with black interior. ✌😎👍
Had one of these..drove it to Milan and back through the Alps - was 100% reliable and averaged over 60 mpgs there and back. I did have to change a tyre in Switzerland though. In Europe this is a VW Golf.
What a beauty... Here in South Africa they produced these cars right till 2009,every few years you would get an updated model,the last model came with a driver airbag and catalytic converter .I have a 2007 mk1(its marketed as a CiTi Golf)
I love that this person found a car they liked and they never changed to something newer. The world would be a better place if more of us were like this person and maintained rather than disposed. Of course, that requires that the things we buy are built to last, which they aren't.
It does help not having salted roads too
@Pira Pira Definitely. Florida has blue license plates for vintage cars, and you know if someone with one of those plates starts up thier car parked next to you, the fumes are going to gag you. I feel like I'm getting carbon monoxide poisoning if they leave it running.
If they took most of the electronics off new cars people would be able to keep them for a long time.
I agree, too many things including cars are built to be “disposable “ these days.. I was raised by a father who was around during WW2 and was taught the value of looking after whatever precious little you had.
@Dugie Doogs Exactly. Fuel injection has been good and not too much trouble. I know a lady who's VW Golf had a computer failure just out of warranty. The fix was £2000. with VW agreeing half. (would have been £4000)!
Why are a few components so expensive?
40 years without unplugging that door buzzer seems a little masochistic
~10 years newer and they have a chime instead. Much nicer to the ears!
It adds to the mechanicalness, nothing electronic.
The buzzer will be the last thing to die.
The same buzzer is in my '85 Vanagon Westy and it's truly the stuff of nightmares.
@@dankline9162 They didn't want it to sound nice to your ears. The whole point was to annoy the fuck out of you until you did what it wanted you to do.
A friend of mine had one for years. I never forgot what he once said: "If you're at a stop-sign and you can SEE a car coming, you gotta wait". 😆
Pretty cool that the owner still daily drives it. Here in Germany they‘re at least collector cars and not on the streets anymore.
Hard to daily drive these. Small fender bender and the car is a write-off
Some are stoll on the streets as daylies in germany.
There are at least two of them in my Town
Don't need no stinking scan tool for this one.
Ha! Nope . super simple
my mechanic is so old school that i never saw him use a scan tool. he just brushed away the check engine light saying that it's probably nothing. true enough, it turns out to not a big problem, it was just the speedometer readings error that needs replacing the whole meter if i want the problem to go away.
@@warnacokelat I would not let such an asshole touch my modern car. You were lucky, but it could have been a very expansive guess...
@@peterkornis5377 any good mechanic unless it’s a fully computer controlled car doesn’t need it
@@warnacokelat that's dumb af lmao
I enjoyed this. I had a '79 Diesel C 2-door. The "C" was the base trim, and the "L" was the deluxe trim. The car in the video being an '80 is the first year for square headlights. I can tell it's American built in Westmoreland PA(?) as the dome light is above the rear view mirror. The German built models had the dome light in the roof on the left side of the driver's head. I noticed you didn't use the Cold Start cable. If you didn't know, when the engine is cold you pull the lever on the left side of the steering wheel, that's the knob for the Cold Start cable seen in the video here, and when pulled out it retards the timing a little as I recall. You're supposed to push the cable back in when the engine is warmed up. There were times I'd gotten over 60 MPG with mine. When they changed the transmission to a 5-speed in 1981 the fuel mileage dropped a lot. The car in this video is the last version of the 4-speed and so it's the last to get really stellar MPG's. It's too bad we can buy cars like this now. Thanks for making this video.
Kinda funny how a 4 banger diesel sounds like it has more balls than a modern diesel lmao
None of that emissions crap. Just an engine doing the best it can
Trust me, it doesn't.
Volkswagen Produced very reliable diesel cars, until the new era diesels come (euro 5) Reliable, everithing with displacement below 1900, the only exeption is maybe only 1,6TDi CR. and the best engines ever? 1896ccm series. those natural aspirated diesels are simple, reliable, and lasts many thousands kilometers of run.
@Martino Bunny YTPenis why are they needed
My dad has a 2006 Diesel 5 speed jetta. I then have a 1981 Diesel Buick Century. This rabbit sounds like the Buick kinda.
I drive a 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit that I bought brand new in March 2009. It's been very reliable overall. My car was built in Volkswagen's flagship factory in Wolfsburg next to their world headquarters, maybe that's why it's been so reliable.
I had an 82 diesel rabbit burgundy, loved it went from $40 a week in gas to $6.50 in diesel
Had a 81 diesel rabbit, went from me to my dad to my niece over about 20 years.
When I was growing up, our family car was a 1980 VW Dasher Diesel. It was taken on road trips across the country on a regular basis, and the sound of that engine is forever seared into my brain.
I have that with the 1.9 tdi engine from vw...
i could learn a thing or two from that Rabbit owner, like how to $ave a buck!
Pira Pira i maintain my own vehicles and it costs me maybe 500 a year not including tires however after a few years of your new car one thing that breaks is going to cost me insane amounts of money depends on the person I guess however maintaining an older vehicle is always cheaper then buying a new one
Pira Pira also your new car has a huge upfront cost
@Pira Pira take in account insurance price, the price of the new car. Also newer cars are more expensive due to tons of electronics that WILL fail and cost thousands. Take in account if you lost your job. Take in account how far you drive. Take in account dealerships that scam you into buying a new car when yours works just fine. Yeah, I think I'll stick to reliability, fixing my own cars, and taking care of them and only driving when needed. Or riding my bike. Payments suck! And you can't trust anyone. Wealth is better in my hands not theirs. Also newer cars like a 2019 Mitsubishi mirage sure are safe, NOT! I'll stick with a older lifted truck with a grille gaurd in the front and see who wins that fight. Also airbags don't always work. Eat it sucker!
Dave Ramsey!
It's a Rabbit, so it's how to $ave a Rabbit, 🤣🤣
Forty years old and still a reliable daily driver! This proves the "Reliability is a function of complexity" theorem. So long as you keep water out of the diesel fuel, clean the injectors occasionally, and do the regular servicing, those old VW NA motors run forever!
And stay away from bio diesel!
@@nicostenfors5690 Bio diesel is better.
@@cccpkingu The bio diesel will break the injection pump.
I had a 1991 Jetta with what was probably the same engine; non-turbo, indirect injection diesel. It was spec'd to be something like 53 horsepower. Very dependable. Pretty simple to maintain. 45-48 hwy mpg, 39-41 around town. Mine had a/c but I hardly ever used it because the engine didn't have any power to spare.
I can see why the owner loves it, looks and sounds super cool after 40 years. I'd love to see a video of this rolling
Those VW door buzzers never die.
OMG the memories... I was the second hand owner of two different 1985 diesel Jettas. The second one being a factory turbo. Both taken away from me by impatient Portland drivers. But gosh the road trip memories I will have forever. Last cross country trip was 5 years ago and the car got around 49.5 mpg over a 4.5K mile trip.
Yes, yes, yes on spinners. On the old rabbit I had a friend in kansas that owned one. Slow but was as tough as the back wall in a shooting gallery. Incredible fuel economy. Last forever if you are fastidous on maintenence. 40 year service your customer has got his moneys worth
This owner inspires me. I have an 04 Corolla I’m paying off rn. Got it at 115k miles currently at 118k. I plan on running this thing till 1mill and beyond
you are paying off a 04 corolla? jesus if u cant buy that in cash ... wtf man
He really should dump some cavity wax or fluid film into the panels and hard to reach areas before the rust gets any worse.
Have to treat the existing rust first... And then cavity wax inside box sections etc.
@@mr.slaphappy3794 Better use Gurulan PX11a (vaseline and bees wax melted together) thats the NATO anti rust stuff for tanks and jeeps
Most of them did have extensive rust inhibiting stuff inside every panel.
They have little black grommet body plugs that cover the holes.
At least the west Moreland
Amazing. For a while in the eighties, I had a gig where we bought these from car dealers, where they arrived as trade ins. We usually picked them up for around two or three hundred dollars and they ALL had the same problems. Pistons rings frozen and cylinderhead/valve issues. We threw the entire cylinder head away and installed an ATK replacement assembly. the pistons were removed, frozen rings broken away and new rings and rod bearings installed, then back together with careful retiming of the pump. In the searing hot Arizona weather, I did two engines a week, like a small factory. The issues on these engines back then was lubrication, folks ran them without the oil change and usually at the change, the wrong oil was put into the engine and that was it.
I am form balkan and here 90% of the mk1 mk2 up to mk 7 golf are diesel and i hear this sound every day
Yeah they sell them cheap there. I wish most eastern people would keep them here. The youth likes them aswell. Austria.
What country are you at? What would a good Golf 1 cost over there?
fuck balkan
I used to own one very similar. 81 model, yellow, 2 door, diesel with a 5 speed manual and a sunroof. I would regularly get over 40 mpg. If it hadn't been t-boned I would probably still be driving it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
That's cool that you have an appreciation for these older, simpler, overlooked vehicles.
Nice to see a 1980 (built in Westmoreland, PA) Rabbit. 23:1 compression ratio and the fastest production diesel 4 cylinder of the era. VW has always had creative ad campaigns, and one that they used for these was that it was cheaper to drive a Volkswagen diesel Rabbit from CA to NY, then it would be to run. They calc'd how many gallons of fuel to go 3,000mi, and what that would have cost, and then they did the math on how many calories a person would burn, to run 3,000mi. They then converted that into hamburgers (or cheese burgers), and calc'd the cost of buying them. Hilarious.
Back in the day, you could get an extra fuel tank that fit into the spare tire well in the trunk. I can't remember how much it held, but I believe it got you close to 900-1,000mi out on the freeway, depending on how fast you drove, and wind/grade/altitude conditions.
I still daily my free '81 diesel LX Pickup (Caddy) that I found rotting in a farm field back in '94. It has a stockland shell, Duraliner bed liner, and the accessory fuel tank, which is a giant aluminum "coffin" that hangs under the truck and holds 26 gallons. Really handy on road trips. Prior to my Caddy, I had a German built '79 Diesel L Rabbit 2 door that I picked up in '87.
@2stroketurbo May I suggest you use real German oil filters on this? They are not expensive (Mann, Mahle, Knecht, or even Bosch) and available from Rock Auto or Auto Haus Az. These engines produce a ton of oil pressure on a cold start up, and back in the day, they would blow the aftermarket filters off, and send them through the radiator.
The trick on older diesel engines, is REGULAR oil and filter changes, whether needed or not. The body may RUST, but if engine is regularly maintained, it will run forever. 🤠
From one who has owned 2 diesel pickups. 🤠
Yeah for sure, 4000-5000 is all I'd do with a diesel between changes. They manage to dirty the oil much faster it seems like. Given that though they'll have no trouble lasting for huge mileages
Don't forget the timing belt every 50,000 mi.
Rubber timing belt was a big headache with my 1986 ISUZU SpaceCab Turbodiesel, my last pickup was a 1987 S-10 v6 & it still was equipped with a timing chain, but used an equally hated Serpentine Belt for alternator, A/C and power steering (Fortunately didn't have any problem with that.) 🤠
Copper wire brush under the chassis every year or 2 and it wont rust and for body rust sand as soon as spotted and use a fill in pen which is like under a fiver
Zinc spray on bare rust underneath?
New VW diesel, a daily driver for 5 to 7 years then uneconomic to repair. A great leap forward ??
Old German engineering vs New German Engineering. The the new engineers can make things fail on command. Best engineering today is from Japan, since they don’t allow the bean counters into the designs.
I had to check in to see if this was my old Math teacher. He had one JUST like this, came color and everything. He would always brag he “drove it off the showroom floor”. This was back in 1998, I haven’t seen him in 20 years.
I used to work on these at a VW dealership, it’s called a ‘Golf’ here in Europe. Increasing the idle speed was easy; just rotate a bolt on the injection pump. We did that sometimes so the dash wouldn’t vibrate so much. They were noisy and slow as F, but they lasted a long time with few issues. They are all rusted away over here but apparantly Oregon is dry enough to survive.
It purrs like a kitten, I love these old 1.5 liter Saugdiesels (suction diesel). I've driven a similar '83 EU version with the same engine, it has great mileage, 47 Mpg (5 liter/100km).
It was great in its day..but a Toyota Carina E. .does 55mpg from 1.6/1.8..petrol engines..so on the mpg front it's been surpassed. But the Golf's Simplicity is just Awesome!
@@TheMuzikall does toyota Carina E does 55mpg, in city? because Diesel golf does that. 300km, 10 liters of diesel urban driving. :) (in other words, i managed to do 71mpg (it was a boring drive, but did it for school project), and 52 mpg, in the city. :) vw golf 3 tdi 66kw.
@@kerstas10.. just checked the figures b4 I replied...Golf Diesel...75-80...engine code.:CK. .top speed:88mph.....Fuel consumption is 36mpg..US gallon...so Imperial gallon will be 40 mpg...I don't think it will better A Mk3 tdi which does 45mpg urban driving. ..
@@TheMuzikall Dont know more eco car than that golf,(except prius with lpg) delivered pizas a few years later, full tank 45liters, would get me 1000km with ease,driving only in the city. European city, lots of crosswalks and pedestrians.
@@kerstas10 Prius?...is that a Toyota?😆....when it comes to Diesels Mpg....the Mk3 Golf is King for Economical and Durability..plus they use ordinary engine oil unlike the modern Diesels...I had one b4 I got a Carina E ...33mpg i@ 115mph is the Worst you get if you thrash it all day..or 55mpg on a cruise...Ugly car but a gem😆
I love this RUclips channel! It always cheers me up and warms my soul . Keep up the amazing work! Gods work!
What a beautiful car.. my mother in law had one many years ago in Namibia. You are a lucky man Sir, that’s a dream job for sure!
You don't see the V Rabbit because of the smoke! oh that buzzer sounds from 40 years ago. Great car thanks for sharing on here. Brings back the good old days.
40 years no car payments I bet this guy still has his first nickle ! And then some
Yeah, but one serious accident and you'll find you're in a death trap.
j freed
Quit being a girl
Jeffery Epstein Yea you tell em Epstein
Jeffery Epstein - you quit having legs first. Then talk big.
@@12yearssober Driving a weak car like this screams pussy.
Thank you sir. I absolutely adore these old mechanical diesels. Years ago I had an ‘83 MB 300TD turbodiesel touring wagon. 300,000 mi on the odometer and still used less than a pint of oil between changes. I so miss that old girl. 😊
I miss the days when you saw an engine when you open the hood, and not a mix between a network server whit 10 miles of wires, and a heatwater central.
Had a 79 diesel dasher in 89, 90 and 91 that had 250k miles when I got it at 10 years old. Put another 50k on it but alas, was bent when a tractor trailer pulling a low boy flatbed pulled up on my left at a shopping center exit and turned right across my path and squashed the car between the trailer and the curb bending the car like a banana. insurance gave me more than I paid for it and then let me scrap it, I got another $36 out of it. I loved that car, even when it shook the alternator off the engine block, tossed it on the road, drove over it, I left it running, went back for the alternator, and drove without one for a whole summer.
I have had an 84 Rabbit diesel for just shy of 10 years. I don’t daily it anymore due to the salt on the roads, but it’s been extremely reliable (more so than any other car I’ve owned). It’s so slow, but I love it!
Same here. Going on ten years
One of my co-workers collects 80s Volkswagens. He had a VW Fox station wagon, Rabbit Diesel pick up truck, and a Rabbit GTI diesel. I was amazed on the condition of his VWs. The Rabbit GTI is my favorite, hot hatch, manual trans. Fun car to drive.
A simple car, serviced well, and still going strong after 40 years. My current car is 20 years old, so I still have a ways to go.
Sad thing is, 20 years of ownership itself is rare now
You've probably replaced all the lines and refurbished the tank, replaced the ignition switch and redone the steering rack... many other long term repairs, it's not so unaffordable yet there are costs. At some point cars give up. 😭
@@j_freed So true. I've properly spent $4 000 over the past 6 years maintaining a car I purchased for $4 000. I'm luck I live in a country that does not salt the roads in winter, so the body of the car is still good.
@@chevyfan1251992 Not in Greece.. 20 years is something like the average ownership here
@@PaulosKal areas of less economic prosperity excell in making the best of what they have. Maintaining things as long as needed. No offense to the greek, just in a general sense. People not in western EU or the US are more likely to dispose because of the extra income individuals have. Despite the behavior being wasteful
Gosh, I remember my best friend's mom had this same model car in white; lot's of fun (after the glow plug light went out which seemed to take forever) in the winter doing donuts using the parking brake - excellent to see one of these still running all these years later. We grew up in the mountains of Virginia, where they salted the crap out of roads in the winter time - I think her car made it about 12 years before it wouldn't pass safety inspection.
My favourite VW was an '86 Jetta. Gas 1.8 engine, just starting to burn oil at 340,000 km. Then she got t-boned by a truck and that was that. :-(
Awesome Vw
This was my first car. 1982 VW Rabbit Diesel passed to me in 1985. I got no ends of teasing, but I loved that car. All my friends had 70's era land yachts and could never afford to put gas in it, or had to collect gas money from all the passengers to go anywhere. ME .. in the 80's diesel was cheaper than gas and I got a true 52 miles to the gallon. Tease me all you want cause I could go anywhere I wanted anytime. From my parents perspective it was also a good car for a 16 year old by .. zero to 60 in 10 minutes LOL. Thank you for this.
Nice car. I would urge your customer to carry a spare clutch cable. I had a 1975 Opel 1900 sedan (Ascona), and one rainy night, on the way home from work, I was glad that I carried a spare clutch cable with me.
The problem is not the cable, the problem is that it was an Opel to start with. When I worked at a junkyard in the mid nineties in Germany we got a Rabbit MK1 with a damaged engine. It sounded like an Opel when it's running good... :-P :-D
@@paulterhaar4862 One car's experience is only an anecdote, but I had that Ascona 1.9L cam-in-head engine for almost 200K miles, and it still ran pretty well, and was mostly reliable. It was just too difficult to find parts, for a car that was a daily driver at the time. It went through 2 sets of fuel injectors (Bosch L-Jetronic), and I think 3 water pumps, but those were easy repairs, but the very disappointing fault was a camshaft with worn-down lobes, at around 40K miles. Other than the faulty camshaft, I think it was well-built, by 70's standards.
@@tomlewis3658 a worn down camshaft, 2 injectors, and 3 water pumps is not reliable at all for the 70s...
i had the 81 model. The 81 had a newer interior but same body. Its top speed rivals a moped. Honestly saved my life, drove it as a teenager, if it was faster I would have wrapped myself around a tree.
I owned a similar car while studying in the early 90s and it was an unbelievable economical engine, diesel consumption was about 48 mpg... 😳
the Citroën AX diesel (built 1986 to 1999) had the lowest consumption in the 80', average consumption between 3,1 and 3,5 L /100km this is less than ~1 gallon to 62mpg, gasoline AX had a average consumption of 4,5L to 6L for 100km.In Europe is the fuel cost extremly high, so are the most small european cars very economical in comparision with US cars...
I had one of these guys for a short time, lots of small plaguing issues but I loved it because it was a hobby car. If you step hard on the gas you could smoke out tailgaters, I was running biodiesel so it smelled like a deep fryer.
Seeing this beauty make me shed a tear for my first car, a 1982 Dodge Omni. 😭 I miss it.
Just wow. I owned a 1980 gasoline Rabbit with the automatic transmission. Cosmetically identical to the one in your video. Such a fun car. Simple. Reliable.
Ahh the sound of my early childhood: Like a steel trashcan full of ball bearings in a paint shaker
Poetry 👍🏼
mine was a 1979 rabbit diesel that was manufactured in germany (remember when they were still made there?). I found out after a deer tried to jump over the top 1 morning in 1981. the first replacement was about 2" short, so it got re-ordered from germany. sold it a few years later with over 250k miles and it still got 52 miles to the gallon. wish I'd have kept it.......
Pretty good reliability:40 years of ownership and only a few rustspots to fix and a new upholstery of the frontseats is necessary ! That is a very cost effective car and the 1400ccm , nonturboed diesel is an undestructable engine with only 55 german PS and a topspeed of 130 Km/h but who really cares when a car is that Kind of reliable. 1 Million Kilometers are expected and reachable. Whoever owns it didn´t buy a Lemon ! Good Little Golf Mk1as we call it Overseas !
I owned two diesel VW’s. One a Rabbit and the other a Jetta. To this date and 10 cars later, they remain my two most favorite cars.
Good to see the ol Rabbit is still going strong.
I had a gray 4 door same year. Even had a sunroof. She rusted from inside out. Still ran like a top but was eventually structurally unsound.
3 good things about this video: #1: No mention of how many miles the car has on it. #2: How the car is in neutral but the front wheels are turning. #3: Dog lying down must love those diesel fumes.
The odo on the VW is only 5 digits so it has rolled over so who knows the actual mileage. The front wheels turn when in neutral because there is some minor drag in the drivetrain. If Stella can handle 2 stroke fumes diesel fumes are a walk in the park for her.
139817mls..it has six digits...could be genuine milage...+999,999 ...so over a million I'm sure👍
Whats Up I almost have the same amount of miles on my 2013 version but I drive a lot I guess. Hoping for a million but I’d be happy with 600k miles.
Whats Up ... the sixth digit appears to me to be coloured red indicating tenth of a mile so it’s 13981.7 miles indicated
@@jashugg ya cud be right...it cud also be 1 mile indications..I must check it out ....I was guessing 1 mile indications on the dial👍
I recall a trip to the Jersey shore in about 1980, it was a hot day and we teenagers were sitting in a car in a parking area near the beach. A few spaces over sat one of these - same exact car. Memories...
I adore old cars, this is a legend and before VWs become vile posh finance fodder.
I have a large collection of matchbox cars. I have a rabbit, a le car and a few others that you have in your garage. So cool to see there are some still around. Love your videos
Right on, thank you very much
I always liked the mk1 Golfs/GTIs the best. I wish you would buy one, restore it and let us follow along on RUclips.
do it
Can't beat them old diesel rabbits , this isnt the first one I've seen , there's one in Texas the guy also bought new that has over 300 thousand miles on it ...... keep up the good work, honest mechanics are hard to find 👍🇺🇸
Diesel Rabbit!
I remember seeing and hearing my first one at Carter VW in Seattle in 1977 before VW started really marketing them.
Back then, Mercedes and Peugeot were the only real players in that arena here in the US.
Contrast this engine bay to the emission control-choked gas engines of the malaise era!
Diesel Golf in Europe!
They arrived in Ireland in 1978 (I think!) and yes the only other Diesel cars around were Peugeot's and some Mercedes Benz Taxis.None of them were turbo fitted and the engine noise would waken the dead.The Golf was no different in that respect- but the fuel economy.I made the car payments on the money I saved and then some.They had a ' kill lever' to stop the engine and the dashboard often fell out of them because of the vibration.I put 340,000 miles on my first one 1981.
Quality oil every 3000 miles ,filter change and fuel filter change every 15,000.A lot of Petrol(Gas) stations didn't have a diesel pump at all so you had to be in the know as to where to fuel up.A marvellous car- I'm driving 1.9 TDI Powered cars ever since - actually a development of that original Motor.
A friend of my mom's had a '77 Rabbit diesel. My dad got to drive it and was super impressed with it.
He ended up buying an '81 pickup with the 1.6L engine and 5 speed (my brother owns that car now) and I had an '80 Rabbit C diesel, looked just like the one in this video, except mine was 2 door.
Bought it from a guy in Bremerton who got it for his son when he went to college.
That first diesel engine holds two distinctions; It featured the highest compression ratio of any engine ever sold on the American market (23.5:1) and it was the fastest diesel engine ever made, at the time it was released. You can actually spin that engine to 5500 rpm before the governor kicks in.
Only the 1471cc engine. All others after that one were slower and had less compression.
Nowadays diesel engines are in their malaise era
@@user-xg8yy7yl1d ma·laise
/məˈlāz/
noun
a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify.
...malaise? Doesn't make sense to me. Please explain your statement..
Man that's a blast from the past. I had one around 2003 that I did a Bio Diesel conversion on. Good memories.
quite impressive, it's also running smooth for its age.
Been having your videos pop up on my feed. Just about every old weird car you feature I had. A Renault Le Car, Diesel Rabbit several of those. Old 80’s Yota Corolla and Honda Civics, check. I haven’t seen any VW Beetles yet but I’m sure you fix those. I could work on and keep them all running no problem. Simple, cheap and reliable.
01:13 For a moment I expected to see a Possum living inside the Renault 5.
I had a 4 door rabbit diesel. Great little commuter. I bought it for 400 bucks with a blown headgasket and leaky radiator. I fixed that and drove it for 5 years. Great car.
"German quality sound" via southwest Pennsylvania; those square light Rabbits were built in VW's Westmoreland, PA plant. I remember some of the auto rags of the day, like Car & Driver, derided the later US-built Rabbits as being "too Americanized" with softer suspensions, full wheel covers, and (mein Gott!) color-keyed velour upholstery.
Do you know if the Engines came from germany ? I know in the late 80' VW also made Engines in Mexico and even some in Germany produced Cars had. Mexican Engines. They had the repuation to be absolut junk.
@@martinziefle1647 AFAIK the engines and transaxles were made in Germany and shipped in.
I had an 81 rabbit diesel L 2 door. Canary yellow. She was a great car.
how do you do a video like this and not tell us the mileage? in the words of ol' sleepy Joe "cmon man"
5:04 it looks like 43981 miles? in the odometer. Probably with several turns. I would say 4 turns. 4 for each 10 years since it is a daily driver. So, maybe 443981 miles? or 714518 kms?: interesting numbers.
@@youxkio theres only 5 numbers in the old cars, with the 6th digit being the 10th of a mile, so if you went to 99,999 miles, it would reset back to 0 because back then there just wasnt a 6th digit in the mile counter
@@customersupport9513 Yes my point exactly.
by the looks of the drivers seat i would say its been around a few times ..........5 to 6 hundred thousand at least would be my guess .............
Wow! Ive never seen such a old classic car start up soo quick, must be meticulously cared for mechanical wise
I remember back in the 80s when I would see these cars on the German Autobahn. These care were so fast they were nicknamed the "Wingless Airplanes" These cars ran so fast that if they had wings they would actually leave the ground
I remember the auto barn too. I also remember the Citroen 2CV wizzing along too.
I had the pickup variation of this car. I was young and had different ideas so one day I traded it with a family friend who had the 1979 Audi Fox 2-door. He definitely got the better end of the deal.
Love how the wheel turns in idle. Reminds me of how you know you got the idle right on a scooter.
oil friction inside of the tranny box
I had never seen that before, I’m like what is that?!?
Pretty much all manual transmission cars do it. With the engine running, even if the car is in neutral, there is just enough internal friction in the gearbox between the spinning input shaft and the floating (i.e. not selected) gears to rotate the output shaft, and therefore the wheels.
If you touch the wheel you can stop it spinning easily, and obviously when the car's on the ground, there's not enough force to turn the wheels in neutral.
I noticed that too and was very curious. Thanks to all that commented below and confirmed my hunch about the tiny bit of internal friction in the drive train and not a sticking clutch.
Hi 2stroketurbo,in Europe the price for this old vw it's higher than a new one. You can buy the Vw golf 7 for about 13000$ and this badass old-school vw up 17000$ .
YES on the spinners...sometimes you just gotta improvise and thats a fine example of that.
They fit perfect to those awful US headlights... (European headlights have a full glass front)
@@paulterhaar4862
...and we're round as well...no?
My parents had a volkswagen beetle, then a volkswagen golf 1100, then a volkswagen golf rabbit version with a 1600 cc that was very fast for it's time
and the last one they had was a golf 1600 turbo diesel. Then i had a golf 1100, a golf 1600 diesel, a jetta 1600 diesel, golf 1600, the legendary golf gti and a golf 1800 16V.
And the last one is a vw lupo 1.4 that my mother had for 15 years and i bought it from her now, and that car is just bullit proof because it still runs like new,
so when it comes to quality, then it's just as good as a 80's Mercedes, if not a bit better. Now modern cars don't even come close to the quality of any older car,
because al that computershit turned all modern cars into a nightmare on wheels. And not to mention what the damn parts cost.
I bet you only have to fill the tank once a month
Gets around 33-40 mpg
I always thought a neat feature on the original VW diesel engines was the water pump. You can change it out without tearing the front of the engine apart like you have to with any other engine.
I owned a yellow '80 Rabbit C diesel, too. 1987-1992. Great little car. I think mine averaged about 48 mpg.
....7-band 50W Clarion power booster for the radio, too. -b
Do you think cars built today will daily drive for 40 years?
Maybe, but it'll cost a fortune to keep them and all of their accessories running
Lol hell no
maybe some toyotas
great sound! same as my '91 205 XAD... and great video as well
We need more Renault videos and umm small test drives for fun. A lot of your viewers are from Europe and would gladly send help or parts. Rockauto has some help as well...
Simplicity is beautiful. The comment on the lounging fella looking for some action cracked me up 😂
I owned lots of Vw's, my favorite was the 96 diesel passat.
Ah, the Passat 35i, I had a '96 as well but a 1,8 monojet injection. In Germany they call the 35i a "Dauerlaufer" (endurance runner) because they are very well build and rarely break down.
I have a 91 Jetta with the 1.6 turbo diesel, was a fun car for 2 weeks when i bought it and it broke down when the waterpump died. Has also been sitting in my yard for a good half a year as I finish up on my GMC. Those diesel VW are so much fun, not fast, but feel fast.
Subscribed for Stella, she's a V good gurl!!
I bought an 81 VW Rabbit diesel from a high school friend years ago. He said it had a 6 gallon gas tank. Me: that’s not big enough. Him: trust me, it’s more than enough. He wasn’t kidding. At 55 mpg, I didn’t need to fill up very often!
Oh yeah, VWs run for ever. Even petrol/gas ones. Good old German engineering.
Old ones yes. New ones are crap.
Same with Toyota, my Toyota Echo is literally unbreakable
Forever? My 04 Jetta drained my wallet!
newer euro cars are just junk in general
jean valjean - I'd drive a newer VW living in Germany, where the cars are built in Germany, having the parts and service network of Germany.
Those conditions don't exist elsewhere. But they are fine cars for daily use over there. It's a shit show in North America for some (not all) mechanic shops servicing German cars. They cack them up and charge a fortune.
I’ve wanted one of those since I was a kid, my friends mom had one and it was awesome, got incredible gas mileage
being a daily driver is no excuse for how dirty it is!
That is not dirt, that is the MOJO which keeps the soul of this Rabbit from leaving its body.
In this case, i think it is. The owner could be in his 70s or 80s, so even if he wanted to clean the car he maybe couldn't or wouldn't have the strength for it.
@@Febonicu If they can handle the manual steering, then I like to think they can handle a wet rag!
@@LOGGATO Yes you're right about that, although (I also have an '87 Jetta II 1.6D) the manual steering feels almost lighter than the assisted one above 10km/h (6 m/h). Maybe 2stroketurbo gives it a wash for 5$, that would make the owner even happier for sure.
I love my 92 VW 16v GTI. Owned since 99. I recently bought a 15 Scion XB manual I plan to keep forever, too.
Those old 1.5's tend to runaway if you run high revs for a while, recommended to update the crankcase evacuation. I have experienced it myself.
same here. First one started to do that on me and I had to drive it up against a wall and stall the engine. Changed the breather valve and she returned to normal after.
I understand the owners love. I had an ‘81 rabbit, (gas) for ten years. I loved it. It was totaled in 95
I own one of those! 1982 four door
Show us your ride
Dan H how?
@@paytonbryant2150 Maybe post a video of it to your RUclips channel
Most reliable and easy to drive cars I’ve ever owned my 14 year old sister drives it around!
awesome
For an old car that has constantly driven non-stop for 4 decades straight, I'm surprised it runs at all! It must have a TREMENDOUS amount of mileage. Such reliability! Imagine if it was a big American car with a V8 of the same year such as the LTD Crown Victoria.
I got 36 more years to go on my 16 Ford Focus yep will be 89 years old 👍
Man i owned one of those in 1982! Mine was a 1980, fuel injection. It was a fun little car to drive! Also stick shift! I got my first licence in that car! I was 18 year's old at the time, think about it! Being young and with a fun little car like the rabbit, it was a fun time! I wish i still have that car! Mine was white with black interior. ✌😎👍
The keychain alone took me back 30 years. Wow.
Had one of these..drove it to Milan and back through the Alps - was 100% reliable and averaged over 60 mpgs there and back. I did have to change a tyre in Switzerland though. In Europe this is a VW Golf.
One of my favorite cars!
same
What a beauty... Here in South Africa they produced these cars right till 2009,every few years you would get an updated model,the last model came with a driver airbag and catalytic converter .I have a 2007 mk1(its marketed as a CiTi Golf)