I just cannot sell my rabbit.

[zman]

It`s a real funny thing..I have sold other rabbits, cars without a thought.
This one I just cannot bring myself to sell.
The other day some guy says to me "is that your rabbit ?"
We talked and it turns out he is a VW enthusiast and asked if it was for sale.
We talked on and really if there was anyone I would sell it to it would be him.
But there is not only me involved it seems the car tells me I`m the owner and in no way it wants to leave me.
It is so absolulely dependable, such a pleasure to drive and somehow I feel its doing it all for me.
I know its just a hunk of metal but there is a bond there.
I really do believe this car will be with me till the end.
It might even have some realatives come to stay.
Thanks for listening to my ramble. I was just wondering if these cars invoke the same passion with others.

[82vdub]

I was just wondering if these cars invoke the same passion with others.

A definate yes!

[Quantum-man]

I was just wondering if these cars invoke the same passion with others.

A definate yes!

Nah not Rabbits; I set my ferrets on them

However 15 years of Quantum driving and I'm still very obsessed.
I'm always ready to chat for 10mins [or as the wife says an hour ] about my car to strangers.

Only today I picked something up from someones house and a young wife answered the door to give me the item and she looked over my shoulder and said "ohh you have a Passat [English speke for a 'Q' ] I used to have one of those it was my dads and we were all sad to see it die."

... I even showed her the 2 crunchs on my fender that has paid for an imported a/c setup [unheard of here in the UK for this model] and enough paint to redo the car and still enough change left over to pay for my car 4 times over.

And I impressed her with the fact that it was diesel

I also love the fact that these cars have needed only minor fixes for annual govt safety test.Whereas newer vehicles have failure sheets as long as an arm

I just need to get that other rarety [over here] Cruise control. Just waiting for an American benefactor

[Fatmobile]

I haven't sold any of the Rabbits I've built.... but I intend to this summer.
People have left 2 cars in my yard expecting a running one to drive home.... I didn't get attached to those but took pictures of them driving away.
Bill asked if I wanted to sell my Fatmobile on ebay. It has holes in the floorpans but is solid enough to haul a load of wood,... but I can't sell it.
I told him about all the nice parts on it, Audi 4000 rear springs, vegy kit, a tired old 12mm headbolt engine that will not die.
Maybe when I have the 4 door project running on vegy I'll swap the suspension over and... no then it wouldn't be worth anything oh well guess I'll keep it, maybe fix it back up

[woodrat]

I've had three rabbits and three jettas, and every rabbit I ever got rid of I regretted, except one totalled one. And even that one had a sweet drivetrain. There was one diesel jetta that was just totally worn out when I got it and threw a rod a few months later and even that one I now wish I had for parts.

keep it!

[MPalm]

The strange thing about this is that the rabbits and Caddys are slow and noisy and we still love them! Just yesterday I spoke to my dad about his Caddy, that it might be the right time to part from it and buy a newer Caddy, like my Skoda.
I said that the new Caddy is faster (1.9N/A 64hp ) and a pretty quiet and smooth ride..
He said his Caddy will outlast the newer ones, he´ll keep it until it falls apart, so YES these cars grow on you to the point it starts to get uncomfortable to normal people!

[idhoho]

Well guys, I have owned and sold about a dozen diesel bunnies of differing body styles. Several I have sold to folks half-way across the US and it has been a blast to see them back in circulation! Funny, I sold my last diesel PU thinking that I really didn't need it... WRONG! I couldn't wait to find another to revive with a newly rebuilt engine I had on the bench. It is an obsession with me! So, yes- Rabbits have heart. It may be mechanical but there is something spritual about the cars and the people (us) that makes this one of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts of my life! I will likely always have a little diesel Rabbit by my side- it may not be the same one that I had last week but I love them all! I guess I just can't be monogomous with my VW's! But now with my wife- THAT is another story! One woman is more than enough for me

[tawney]

I've been 'almost ready' to sell my Rabbit for about three months now; at least that's what I tell everybody, including my wife. But I keep finding things that just have to be fixed before I sell it! Meanwhile I drive it everywhere, of course. The shifting is so nice after I modified it; the new seats are so comfy, the turbo gives it such good acceleration; the mileage is improving little by little, ('got'a get it over 50 before I sell it',) This could go on forever.

[One W/the truckers]

I have an 86 Golf NA 4-door that was given to me 2.5 years ago. The paint is faded, it smelled like dogs, the only door that would open from the outside was the passenger side front, heater wasn't working, etc, etc, etc.
I recently put a steering rack in it and when I got home from the test drive, I had a pretty serious fuel leak from the back of the IP. I was going to just give up, but found this website and the enthusiasm about these cars has made me change my mind about giving up on it. Thank you for the literary smack in the back of the head. As soon as time allows, I will be fixing this car. Thank you everyone.

[hagar]

And here comes hagar piping in -----I like this post -- WHY ? it has spunk it is SPIRIT and FUN.---not cost that makes hagar love Rabbits.
Would hagar ever dream of selling Fraulein Bunny Bondo ? ----never have no fear. ----yes she is a bucket of RUST on four wheels ---- BUT she tops every thing here in LOW total cost per mile ---She is calling me right now --she wants to go to the "Lagoon" yes she is getting close to 150 MPG Imp. --after all those miles and years ? she is nimble on her feet ----She likes Beer Barrel Polkas --and what Bondo wants ? Bondo gets ,read my lips.

hagar.

[zman]

Well Thats just it Hagar. I never got into what I like about my rabbit but nimble is so true. I can make a "U" turn on near any street without backing up. the suspension is plenty fine for what I need and probably good for a canyon too.
I can load the back up with the seat down and even brought home a magnavox console stereo the other day. Nearly got the hatch down.
Easy maintenance and parts are still everywhere and most interchange.
I never wrecked one but judging from the eaquivelent cars nowdays I see I would rather be in a Rabbit should anything happen.
Plenty quik, Not fast but peppy.
Tires are cheap and last along time. easy to work on.
It really is the best of german engineering.
I`m one happy Rabbit owner.

[One W/the truckers]

April 2009, moved to NC from NJ and almost gave the Golf to my brother in law before I left because I didn't want to do the work. Better sense prevailed. Using this forum, I completed all the repairs and almost 70K later, still running the Golf averaging 50-52 mpg. Thank all y'all for your past and continued support. It definitely makes my 105 mile round trip to work more economical.

[coke]

I got a friend with a maroon rabbit he dragged back here from Texas.

It ran like crap when he first got in to drive it and didn't have much power. He figured he would drive as far as he could and when it wouldn't run anymore, he'd investigate. He stopped at a local parts store somewhere on the way back to Maine and picked up a fuel filter. Well needless to say it eventually lost too much power and he drifted off an exit.

He realized he didn't have any tools to take the filter off and it was on there hard. He eventually got some vice grips around the neck of the filter and spun it off, and then further realized he had no way to prime the filter. So, he drug through the trunk and found some motor oil, filled it up, spun it on, and away he went. Said he didn't see the cloud of smoke behind him because it was dark, but he said that thing ran 100% better, had all kinds of power, and instantly started everytime he shut it off, even if it sat for an hour or more.

Now, why does Coke tell you this? I'll tell you why. Its sitting in his driveway collecting dust along with 6 other cars he has. It was given to him so he couldn't say no, and I'm going to get him to give it to me. We do a lot of work for his family and help him out. Real nice bunch, couldn't meet nicer people. We've helped them over the years with computer issues and any car issues he had that he needed assistance with. He is an ASE Master Tech and when he was 15, he retrofitted a Mercedes 4 cylinder diesel engine into a Ford pickup truck and drove it. Custom mounts, custom work all the way.

My plan is to get it (since it isn't all rotted from Maine salty roads) and get a "Super Pump" for it and drive the ever living snot out of it.

[zman]

has it been 4 years already since I posted this , It is still motoring along a little worse for wear. Downturn in the economy and stiff completion means it is my only car now.
I guess I am lucky, no major trouble like pistons and crank, A head gasket,brakes,tires,clutch.
I still feel I made the right choice in keeping it all these years. Thanks to this forums for their wisdom and support.

[vwtyp133]

Yeah, fond memories! The early Rabbit diesels were very light, and handled fairly well in spite of a relative lack of chassis sophistication. This past summer my son (not generally given to nostalgia) mentioned how much he wished he still had his '77 Rabbit 1.5L n.a. 2-door & how he really liked it better for 'road trips' than either his Subaru Forester or his Nissan Pathfinder. (the '77 Rabbit was totalled years ago, squished between a squirrely driver's overloaded Chevy van and a 1-ton Ford p.u. )

Personally, I really miss my first VW Dasher diesel (1979 hatcback), again a 1.5 n.a., slightly slower in acceleration than a Rabbit, but IMHO even more comfortable on long trips. (T-boned & totalled by a red light runner @ c.65mph ) OTOH the '80 Dasher wagon (1.6 n.a. w. 5-speed) drinks a bit more fuel, but it is even more versatile vehicle for short or long trips, and even light towing duty. 1.6TD/intercooler/suspension/brake mods will make it just about perfect for this ol' fart.

Wife has the "new car"; I truly prefer my older stuff (1960-1981), even for long trips... when I get to choose! Strange how, over the years, this stuff grows on a person. Now if I could just get ahold of one of those neat Euro-only VW/Audi 3L V6 TDi motors (or even a *gasp* Subaru flat-4 turbodiesel) to re-power my '74 VW Westfalia camper...