Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
We featured this 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit L at the end of last year, but it’s worth another look as you don’t see nice non-GTi Mk1s in such good nick. Offered at no reserve, this Rabbit has been well-cared for by a noted Volkswagen enthusiast and GCFSB follower. If you’ve been looking for a unique Mk1, time to get your bid in on this one.
To round out my trifecta of A1s over the past two days, I thought we’d look at one that ironically brought the biggest smile to my face. It’s not because it’s the high performance model, nor is it because it’s in the best condition. What appeals to me about this Rabbit is the simplicity and the originality of it; a preserved time capsule from less complicated times. As I read about the recall of every car with an airbag ever made, I couldn’t help but ponder how complicated building and engineering cars has become. Not only do automakers need to provide a means of transportation, they need to calculate nearly risk factors, buy and install sub-contracted components that hopefully are made to specification and deliver a car to market that performs flawlessly, reliably, and economically. They need to dress these cars with the most modern conveniences; cars today read your mail, open your doors, tell you how much traffic is directly around you, how to avoid potential traffic in the future and can even tell when you’re getting sleepy. If you think about it, it’s pretty insane. Then, you see something like this Rabbit L. It’s small, not particularly safe in a crash, not particularly luxurious, you have to do almost everything while driving it, and it will probably break. But it has a lot of character, and character is something I love:
Do you ever see a car and think “Boy, there must be some interesting stories behind those miles”? I do, be they poorly modded 1980s Mercedes-Benz models, tired old Porsche race cars, rusty BMWs posing with canoes on the roof (yes, there’s one on eBay right now) or pretty much any Audi ever. But today, I stumbled across something that you just don’t see often. I’d say ever, but of course that would preclude today, and I try not to be overly prone to hyperbole – so let’s just say that were you to buy and drive this Opel Kadett L Wagon, you would be extremely unlikely to ever stumble across another in your commute. And it certainly must have some stories; the dent on the hood, the woodgrain paneling (that was factory, believe it or else!), the minilites, the….DVD player?
Survivors are a mixed bag; for whatever reason, it seems that most often it’s not the most desirable cars that pop up as survivors but the more odd, off color base models that appear. A few weeks ago I looked at a 1989 Volkswagen Golf GL; clean, original, and rare to see these days, it’s unfortunately not the car most are looking for. Back up a generation to the Rabbits, though, and more people seem interested in them. Perhaps it’s because few remain in clean, original shape – or perhaps it’s because they have more character than the second generation Golf. Either way, there’s no denying the charm of seeing a now 32 year old Rabbit looking like it just rolled out of a dealer service area in 1987:
As we round off another Wagon Week here at GCFSB, we’ll take a look at something a little bit different. The original Volkswagen Passat, otherwise known as the Dasher in the US market, would replace the Type 3 in the lineup, ushering in a new era of larger, front-engined, water-cooled vehicles. Successive generations of the Passat would see the car grow further in size, with four-wheel drive as an option on some models. The fifth generation would go on to be quite a success and help drive Volkswagen’s comeback in the US. This early Passat L Variant for sale in Hamburg, Germany isn’t fast, luxurious or flashy, but in Manila Green, is rather eye catching. Rarely do you see them this nicely preserved.
