'82 Diesel Rabbit

[peobryant]

I'm currently looking for a beater/daily driver because I want a little car with good fuel economy and I've stumbled upon a 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit with a diesel engine. He says it has 185K miles and a manual transmission. I have no idea what to look out for on these older cars, so can anyone enlighten me as to the reliability of the engine and drivetrain? This is going to be a daily driver/beater car so I won't care about rust or anything like that (to an extent obviously) but I want a dead reliable car that I won't have to worry about.

Trust me, one of these days I'll have a little diesel car then these threads asking for opinions on them will stop. Everytime I finally get in contact with the seller they're sold.

[jogl]

A big thing on these is the body rotting out from under the rear suspension. Take a good look where the rear suspension is mounted.

P.S.: To answer your question they are great little cars. Had one back in the '80's and want to get another some day when a spot opens up on my project list.

JP.

[oldestof11]

Timing belt
Make sure it has a 5spd. The 4s left a lot to be desired
Ease of starting
Rust where the front and rear suspensions meet the unibody
Make sure reverse is there without a tick. Gonna need a rebuild if it is ticking

[The_Head]

I had a cherry 81 NA 4 speed back in 94-95.

Pros:
Was in great shape (owned by nice old lady)
Awesome gas mileage

Cons:
Slow turd
Hard to start in Pensacola winter