Long-Stored Drop Tops: ’84 VW Rabbit and ’88 VW Cabriolet
I had a friend reach out to me recently and ask if the MK1 Volkswagen Cabriolet was a smart investment in terms of being a future classic. It was a tough question because while I find them charming and certainly getting harder to find, I didn’t know that they would ever become what we consider a collectible. Still, for the right price, I don’t think it’s a bad purchase for a car with good bones if you need a drop-top with a rollbar. This pair of Volkswagen Cabriolets have clearly been laid up in storage for some time, and they’re ready for a new home. Find the listing here on craigslist where the seller is asking $5,000 for the pair which seems like a very good deal.
The car up top is the later model of the two, with the seller noting it is a 1988 Cabriolet model. He’s right to note there is some confusion over the nomenclature, as sometimes they’re called Rabbit convertibles, and later cars are typically called Cabriolets. The later model of the two is my preference, especially since the one shown here rolls on wheels from a later-production Corrado G60. The later cars also just look meatier with fender flares and revised front and rear bumpers; the Rabbit looks a bit more like an antique. This is an ’84 model and despite the difference in production years, both cars come with fuel injected 1.8-liter engines. The listing notes that the ’84 needs its wiring harness re-installed and the Bosch K-Jetronic is removed from the ’88.
Still, with no rust or rot to contend with and supposedly healthy drivetrains before being tinkered with, this seems like a decent package deal for anyone who wants to build one and flip the other once it’s running. The cars have clean titles, one from Kentucky and the other from Tennessee, and the seller seems like he’s open to negotiating if this offer appeals to you. Thinking again about my friend’s question regarding the collectability of a VW Cabriolet, I’d say the right model – like a Collector’s Edition Cabriolet from the final production year – would be a good car to pick up if future values are of concern; otherwise, if fun in the sun is the only priority, sniff out a deal like this one.
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Comments
$5k for two very needy rabbits? Nah, put the pipe down.
The seller clearly and in numerous ways stated “obo”
To all the readers of this sight, especially the ones who like to find wise crack ways to say the seller is on crack :
Amost every car you see, for the rest of your life, is negotiable. If your a flipper, than your tok cheap in the first place, but if your an enthusiast and love the car, just call the seller, male an offer !
I know from plenty of first hand experience, when someone calls and makes low ball offers and has an attitude, i ask why they wanna buy it, guess why ;)
When someone calls and truely likes the car, im happy to make a deal.
I own an MK2 GTI, and can assure you, easily worth 4. So, TWO convertibles are not unreasonable for 5.
I agree, there is def a following for these, as I previously mentioned I daily a later model [2005] and they are great cars and the fan base is there
In my early 20’s, driving a 78 Scirocco, I was intrigued by the VW dealers new GTI….the interior was really sporty and appealing, however the brokeness I was sporting at the time wouldn’t let me even entertain buying a new car at that time…..I do daily a mk4 GTI nowadays, I love the way it runs and drives
Got a 88 in the garage now. White on white. Previous owner removed the fuel injection and installed a Webber. Didn’t realize when we bought it , but you need the fuel injection to operate the heat on these. Otherwise it’s been a very fun little project. Real kick to drive on a country road. Slightly unnerving in modern heavy traffic. But not bad. What are they worth? I have no idea. Paid $1300.00 for ours 3 years ago , running but with a frozen hand brake and a shot top.
Two years ago I bought two cabriolets/ an aigner edition and a blue mk1 Cabrio for $700. That was pretty much the price they are worth. $5k is way overpriced
I have a white on white ‘90 Mk1. 57,000 miles, bought it new. It’s quirky but fun, needs nothing. Unlikely worth what it cost new, 14 grand. Two tired, worn out ones? Being generous, $2000.
I once owned a 1975 Rabbit that ran fine in the winter, but ran like crap in the summer, intermittently losing power when on the interstate. At the time (1982-83), mechanics at a VW/Porche/Audi/Mazda dealership I worked at replaced the carburetor, fuse box and other parts in an attempt to fix a problem, to no avail. Many years later, I was speaking to a friend of mine who was an SCCA racer and worked on his own cars, and I shared this story to him. He simply said, “Oh yeah, VW ran the fuel line too close to the engine, and it caused vapor lock.”
I’ve always wondered why an entire garage of supposedly expert mechanics never thought to consider that as a cause. When the car ran, it was fun to drive, but it was the times that it ran poorly that gave me chronic acid reflux.
Mechanics in dealerships are paid flat-rate. They can’t take time to diagnose something tricky. I’m not saying they aren’t capable mechanics, it just isn’t worth their time to chase gremlins.
AH YES The dreaded vapor lock. Happened to ours several times before I remembered my grandfather talking about. Moved the fuel line over just a tad. Problem solved. That was 2 years ago. Not happened since
while maybe not worth 5 grand….these are getting into the desirable area of being collectable, as they do have a following….but as with all these older cars that were not collectable early on, parts to make them nice are getting harder and harder to find.
sheesh, I have a hard time finding nice interior parts for my 01 Audi TT, let alone a car from the mid 80’s
Depends which parts. Most any functional parts shared with the golf /Rabbit/GTI and even vanagon aren’t too hard to find thanks to the wonderful world of the interwebb . But things specific to the cabrolet can be. For example , we put a new top on , but had to reuse the old rubber seals. Can’t get em “new” so it still leaks like a colander in any thing but a very light rain.
Check Hagerty’s boys….these are going up up up…