1983 Volkswagen Rabbit LS review from North America

Battery died a month after I got the car--was only 2 months old (seller had receipt)

Seats were reupholstered (they were vinyl and the car has no air conditioning)

Headliner came loose-replaced.

Some rust on driver's door, nothing major.

New carpeting and patch in floor pan, as there was a leak in the passenger's side floor. At first I thought it was the vent window, but I pulled up the carpeting and found things growing in the insulation. So far the patch has held, and it's a lot quieter in the cabin with the new (non-mildewed) insulation.

Brake lights and dome light work when they feel like it; typical VW wiring quirk.

Other than that, no major mechanical failures.

The shifter sticks sometimes--third gear is almost on top of first. The clutch is fairly friendly though.

Seats are comfortable, now that they're no longer vinyl. They also came out of a 2-door Rabbit, so they swing forward when you flip the lever on the side. Very handy for getting a briefcase out of the back seat when the rear doors are frozen shut (or the handles aren't working--another typical Rabbit quirk).

The hatchback stays up on its own. Most '90s American hatchbacks/wagons can't even dream of that with the original strut. And even the Japanese sometimes have trouble with them (my head still hurts where the tailgate of my Subaru bonked me).

I hate the turn signal indicator--ONE LED??!! What's with that?

I love my bunny! It should serve me for years to come. This is the second '83 Rabbit I've owned, and I refuse to let go this time.