1984 Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible review from North America
"Built for Ontario winters!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Exhaust system 249,600.
Oil pump, pan, and gasket 249,500.
Ignition coil 249,000.
Cap, wires, and rotor 241,000.
Parking brake cable 235,000.
Front wheel bearings 231,000.
Front strut cartridges 230, 000.
Front rotors and ball joints 218,000.
Heater core 210,000.
Back-up switch 205,000.
Fuel filter has been replaced 4 times due to rust in gas tank from rusted out gas tank fill pipe. Pipe was replaced at 218,000.
Clutch cable has been replaced 3 times due to broken bracket on engine firewall.
General comments?
This car, from Vancouver, BC, drives very well in all seasons. A joy to drive in the summer.
Starts right up at -29C! Excellent handling in 20 cm of snow when equipped with 4 snow tires.
Repair this car yourself if you can. It's a relatively cheap car to operate this way. My cost has been about .08 per km (excluding gas and insurance)
Not a safe car, but better than most soft tops.
My wife is learning to drive so we will have to sell this car on account of the manual transmission and manual steering. It will be hard to let it go.
Recommended reviews
| A very quick nimble bargain; easily repaired or modified |
|
| Great cheap transportation for the mechanically minded |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1984 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8L fuel injection Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 197800 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 250010 kilometres |
| Previous car | Volvo 240 |
| Date of Entry | 13th February, 2004 |