1984 Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible from North America - Comments

Horn would continually blare after turning corners.

Emergency brake literally flew apart when pulled into place upon parking on a hill.

Convertible top was original and leaked where it had seems.

I always knew I could go out after it had been parked for days in 10 degree weather and it would start with no problem.

Cornering in this car is incredibly tight and well balanced.

Quick pick up for a 4 cylinder.

The 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible is a lot of fun to drive, and generally a great car for the money. Mine has 248,000 km, and probably has another 100,000 km of life, that is, if the body holds up in Ontario, Canada. The previous owner invested a lot of money (transmission, CV, timing belt, clutch, roof) before it selling it. During the time I have owned the car maintenance has been a modest.11/km C$ (fuel and insurance costs excluded). Latest problem is a big headache - when engine is warm it intermittently hesitates/misfires at idle or when accelerating. To date, I have had the fuel pressure, fuel injectors timing, and compression tested; also installed new cap, rotor, wires, fuel filter, spark plugs, air filter. Hoping that a new coil will finally fix the problem. Overall a good car.

I had a 83 convertible that my friends mom gave to me because it broke down in town. I had get a rebuilt transmission and a new clutch. The car has been falling apart piece by piece. It will run for a while and then putts out on me. The problems are mostly little things like overheating and leaks that are easily fixed, but there are also some weird annoying things. The oil pressure warning light randomly goes off and on even though I have had it checked out and even had the sensor replaced. The tires sometimes squeal when going around corners even at low speeds. My electrical system is messed up and there is a couple of second of darkness when I switch from low beams to high. The roof leaks like a sieve so I had to build a carport out of an old bunk-bed, PVC and a tarp. The car start slow and has to warm up. Just yesterday my radiator started leaking and my head gasket stopped holding in oil completely. Even though this car is making me poor, it is the coolest thing ever. When the rabbit runs right, I love to drive it because it is zippy and feels sporty. The suspension is stiff and feels fantastic. In conclusion, even though the rabbit is a money pit, I'd own it.