The tie rod ends were bad when I bought it, and had to be replaced.
The headliner had to be held up with thumbtacks.
The plug wires had a tendency to come loose at odd times.
The exhaust system from the manifold back rotted away right before I sold it.
Otherwise, it never gave me any trouble at all.
I can see why it was named the Rabbit; it literally leapt off the line. It won more than its share of streetlight-to-streetlight drag races, though the element of surprise may have contributed somewhat to that.
It got spectacular gas mileage; consistently in the low 30s.
It was as surefooted as a little truck in the snow.
It carried a surprising amount of cargo for such a small vehicle. Even carrying passengers in the backseat was a reasonable proposition.
The shift and steering could have been a little tighter, but on the other hand, it wasn't really meant to be a sports car.
It took all the beating that a college junior in a band could inflict on it, and kept running tirelessly on.
It had it all: quick, reliable, fun to drive, plenty of cargo space, and cheap as all get out. Very nearly the perfect car.
I had an 81 Rabbit, and I had pretty much the same experience. The headliner fabric separated from the cardboard backer, so I put thumbtacks in it. The factory exhaust system between the exhaust manifold and the intermediate pipe is terrible, so I modified mine a little and it lasted longer. Fortunately they're super-easy to work on.
A lot of stuff didn't work on mine when I bought it (for $50), but my biggest complaint was the shifter. Before you get used to it, shifting gears is like churning butter.
Couldn't you come up with your own title without "borrowing" from the title Rabbit Convertible "Worthy Successor to the Beetle Convertible"?
My 1981 Rabbit. Runs like a tank. Most of the flaws mentioned above were taken care of before I got it. No headliner.Tin Can.
I put acoustic foam stereo sounds great.
My friend had one that went 3oo thousand miles.
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