1984 Volkswagen Rabbit L 1.6L from North America

Summary:

Godly peace of machinery

Faults:

Front and rear wheel bearings worn.

Body rot on the floor of the vehicle. As a result, there was a 4 inch hole.

Brake lines had holes in them.

Clutch was hard to push down. Clutch was completely "rigged" by the previous owner. But still worked good enough to my liking.

Driver side drive shaft broke. Was replaced the next day.

Valve cover and oil pan gaskets leaked.

Burnt valves.

No exhaust. But was acquired shortly after purchase. Glass pack muffler (cherry bomb).

General Comments:

This car was so sweet.

It was the best car I ever had.

It was so fast and quick I was able to win many races. For the way it looked people didn't think it would be fast. They got a rude awakening. I would smoke Toyota Supras, Civics, 1 Camaro, CRX Si, and other various cars.

I loved the way the car handled and the tranny. The shifting was superb. For such a small car it was pretty nasty.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th July, 2002

1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTi 1.8 CIS F.I. from North America

Summary:

A wolf in sheep's clothing

Faults:

Clutch cable broke.

Clutch cable bracket broke off of the firewall.

General Comments:

This is my first car and I'm never going to sell it.

This car handles better than anything I have ever driven, including Toyotas, Trans Ams and other Volkswagens.

It's got a lot of power, and it's lots of fun to drive. From 1 to 10, the fun level would have to be 11.

Despite other people's opinions, I always found my Rabbit very roomy and comfortable. It's as if it was made for me. And I am 5'11".

The only things that wear off with time are upholstery and plastic dashboards. The body and the engine are rock steady.

These little cars are the most tunable race car candidates on the street. I always enjoyed smoking Camaros in my GTI.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th April, 2002

7th May 2007, 21:43

So I'm not the only one who;s had the bracket break off the firewall to hold ur clutch cable. Probably the hardest thing to change on that car and happened inthe middle of rush hour too.

1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTi 1.8 from North America

Summary:

A very quick nimble bargain; easily repaired or modified

Faults:

Radiator leaking - replaced.

Light switch assembly wore out - replaced.

Front wheel bearing worn out - replaced it plus the hub assembly.

Tail light assembly heat damaged from the previous owner(s) using too high wattage bulbs - replaced.

Rear hatch rubber seal worn out, leaking rain - replaced.

Will need new bushing set for the shift linkage - worn out, hard to shift into first gear.

Leaking oil from the back of the motor, most likely a worn out rear oil seal - will need to be replaced.

General Comments:

Even though this car reads like a piece of crap, realize that the items replaced were wear and tear items that many cars would need when 16 years old and with over 200,000 miles.

Rabbit GTi's are nicknamed pocket rockets, aptly so. This 'lil rodent, even at its age, leaves Stock Mustang 5.0's way behind at red lights. This car handles really well - there is no body roll whatsoever, even in curves at 55 mph.

This car is not appropriate for those 5'10" and over - I took out the stock driver's seat and replaced it with one out of a junk Fiero, had a custom sliding mechanism fabricated, and now drive happily with my seat all the way against the rear seat (I am 6'4").

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th February, 2001

18th Jan 2002, 12:37

There is no way a stock Rabbit GTi could beat a Mustang, the motor is over 2 times bigger, and the 0-60 time is about 3 seconds faster. The Rabbit handles better though.

15th Sep 2002, 22:14

Yea you are right. I drive an 84 GTI with 109,000 original kms... its near mint, but getting wear and tear as it gets up in age... I need a new clutch asap... not sure if I should get stock clutch, or something simple, but with added performance. There is no way my GTI could beat a 5.0 off the line. I can't even beat my dads Buick Regal, or my moms 200hp Ford Windstar... hehe... I did wallop my buddies Rav4 V6, and a cavalier z24... but even then, it wasnt by a heck of a lot.. maybe I got lucky.

1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTi 2.0 16v from North America

Summary:

One big headache

Faults:

I blew the engine that it came with so I upgraded from a 1.8 to a 2.0 16v.

Broke the CV joints.

General Comments:

Volkswagens are reliable cars, but if you mess with them too much, they won't be.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th December, 2000

8th Feb 2001, 18:56

Realize that most Volkswagen Rabbit GTi's are either 16 or 17 years old and parts, though obtainable, are getting harder to find. There still is a decent parts aftermarket for these little screamers, and junkyards still have a few of these around. Even dealers have a fair supply of parts still.

The engine compartment has a lot of room to work in and there are precious few vacuum lines to get in the way.

One can choose from several options when considering upgrading to rocket status: Dropping in a 16 valve 1.8, dropping in a 8 valve 2.0, even turbocharging it (though one will have to assemble the unit from parts - complete turbochargers are no longer made).

This little rodent is really fun to drive and puts some bigger ones to shame.

22nd Aug 2001, 14:59

I bought my GTi at a police auction for 800 dollars. The steering column had been broken by the moron that repossessed it so I had to replace it, but all the parts I needed were easily available at junkyards and it was incredibly easy to work on.

I really love its cornering abilities, but the ride is pretty hard.

My sunroof leaks in the rain too.

Despite its tight quarters I love the car.

I recently killed a Z-24 in a 3 mile street race, he couldn't touch me.