I am selling my 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit. 4-door, hatchback, 1.6 liter diesel.
It is outfitted as a camper car. The driver's seat is the only seat. Think of it as a tent on wheels -- a very wind-proof tent that gets 45 MPG and plays music. Obviously you can do whatever you want once you buy it, but it will be best suited for someone who wants to continue to use it for this purpose. It could also be an efficient cargo/delivery car.
As a camper car it has:
-Bed area along passenger side: 6'6" long, and could be increased to 7'3"
-39 Ah deep cycle auxiliary battery
-Solar panel to charge the aux. battery (can also be charged from alternator)
-Battery powers stereo, 12V outlet, and ventilation fan
-Storage underneath front of bed
-Small shelf for storing clothes, holds speakers too
Interior view - also notice solar panel on roof
Looking toward rear of car; shelf, speakers, ventilation fan
Ruggedized interior (truck bed liner), no more rotting carpet
Storage under front of bed
A respectable amount of head room
I'm sentimentally attached to this car, but I keep feeling the pull to minimize further and live from a backpack. So I think it is time to part ways.
I am the 2nd owner of this car. I bought it in September 2014. The odometer was broken when I bought it, and it read 203,000 miles; I repaired it right away and now it reads 237,xxx. The person who sold it to me said it was not broken for long but I have no way to verify this (it was sold to me by a 3rd party). Never wrecked, no rust at all underneath, only a couple of cosmetic rust spots. Original paint job is holding up well.
Here is a list of the work I have done since buying the car:
-Fixed shift linkage problem
-Took out rear bench and passenger seat
-Fixed throttle cable
-Replaced door posts
-Replaced fuel filter
-Replaced glow plugs
-New windshield wipers (still working OK)
-New tires (now at maybe 30%)
-Got a passenger side mirror
-Improved door handle ease of use
-New struts
-New tie rods
-New horn
-Fixed the odometer
-Improved steering column rattle
-Installed a decent stereo/receiver w/ aux jack, CD player, radio etc.
-Wired in some decent sounding Polk bookshelf speakers
-Made a plywood platform to serve as a floor/bed, w/ a hinged part in front to access storage underneath
-Had the windows tinted
-Made some convenient blackout curtains w/ magnets in the edges; they deploy and store very quickly
-Installed new clutch; new transmission fluid, adjusted clutch cable, etc.
-Got a new driver's side sun visor
-New rear brakes
-Installed auxiliary battery; powers the stereo, 12V charger
-New master cylinder
-Replaced the plywood platform with a custom sheet metal one, for extra headroom
-Installed 100W solar panel on roof
-Installed small ventilation fan, also powered by the aux battery
-Removed carpet and insulation, used Al's HNR as an insulative layer
-Coated the whole bottom of the car interior with truck bed liner for a durable surface
-Built a shelf in the back for clothes storage and to hold the speakers in place
-New headliner
Known issues:
-It burns oil
-Windshield fluid line is broken
-Rear defrost connector needs to be repaired
-If parked uphill with nearly-empty fuel tank, sometimes the diesel siphons out of the engine back into the tank and the fuel system needs to be bled
-Windshield wipers have 2 settings: off, or full speed
Update 2/27/2017: Instead of asking for a certain amount of money, how about you make me an offer? I'm open to all offers. I don't care as much about the money, I just want to see the car go to a new owner who will use it and care for it well. Tell me your story and your plans :) As a reference point, I bought the car for $3000 and invested $3000-$4000 fixing it up, but I'm OK taking a pretty big loss on that amount.
joe.omundson@gmail.com
Thanks!
More photos: http://imgur.com/a/zOq7x
I kept some records of my outfitting and repair process here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?7042527-Life-in-a-Rabbit
