The Pickups VW Should Remake: 1981 VW Rabbit Pickup
Much was written this week about Volkswagen’s possible return to the American truck market with the New York auto show premiere of the Atlas Tanoak. Built on the Atlas SUV chassis, this highly advanced concept uses a version of Volkswagen’s 4motion all wheel drive system, is capable of autonomous driving, and sports a laundry list of technological doo dads that will likely drive the price to stratospheric levels. While I am sure it will be beautiful and very luxurious if it ever makes production, I feel the folks at VW have missed the boat. What the world need is an updated version of the venerable VW Rabbit pickup. For now, all we can do is purchase used versions like this pair of trucks currently for sale on craigslist in the metropolis of Armuchee, Georgia. These diminutive diesel haulers are being sold for the princely sum of $7,500 each.
When you read the craigslist ad for these VWs, you will immediately understand that the seller is not a person of many words. Precious little is said in the ad, other than a demand for cash and a strong preference for a phone call rather than an e-mail. Both trucks look to be in good condition, with one made sporty by the addition of aftermarket wheels and low profile tires. It is also missing a set of windshield wipers, but those may have been removed to cut aerodynamic drag during high speed testing.
The other looks like it just rolled off the set of Grumpy Old Men III. It would be nice to know the mileage, condition of the interior, or anything else. The data filled out for the ad is presumably for this brown truck. Unfortunately, a VIN of 7777777 and a mileage of 999999 don’t help justify the price. Nor does a missing bumper. The wiper blades are nice though.
What we do know is that these trucks were produced by VW from 1978 through 1984, and they developed somewhat of a cult following. Equipped with either a diesel or a gas four cylinder engine, they delivered outstanding fuel mileage. Some diesels managed to average 50 miles per gallon of diesel. The only problems were that they were excruciatingly slow, and the diesels of that era sounded like a coffee can full of bolts being spun in a dryer. Still, Volkswagen showed that a market was there for a front wheel drive pickup. Subaru entered the market the same year with the Brat, and Chrysler later brought out their Omni based Dodge Rampage and Plymouth Scamp. By the mid eighties, the segment had disappeared.
The sales of the Chevrolet Colorado and the anticipation for the new Ford Ranger show that the auto industry isn’t always right in predicting the death of a market segment. We were once told that the small truck market had disappeared, yet here we are with new choices in that segment that seem to sell well. I wonder what would happen if Volkswagen gave up on copying the Honda Ridgeline and brought to market an affordable Golf based pickup? Is America ready again for an affordable front wheel drive pickup? A fuel sipping diesel engine under the hood would make the deal even sweeter, but I doubt that Volkswagen wants to go down that road anytime soon. Volkswagen needs a miracle in the American market. A return to its Rabbit based truck roots might be just the thing.
Until then, we have to make due with the survivors of the Rabbit era. Parts are available for these trucks, and they do have a legion of fans to help you keep them alive. The price on these trucks is a little off market, but they might be worth a look. If fuel prices ever go back up, you might not think you overpaid at all.
Auctions Ending Soon
1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1Bid Now12 hours$7,100
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Comments
Nice to see these.Yes the diesels were slower but you can tune the inj pump…hurts the mileage but makes them as fast as a gas model of the same years.We had a shop truck at the dealership that was fun to drive with this done.
There definitely is a demand for small pickups. Witness what high prices folks willing pay for the last small Toyotas produced up until the early 2000 years, even with over 100K miles on them.
The problem is that current gargantuan trucks with laughably small pickup beds generate the highest profit margins in the auto industry, bar none. Manufacturers are loathe to introduce anything that they think might eat into those production volumes. After all, why risk selling four small pickups when one big one generates the same amount of profit? So, those of us who want a truly efficient pickup truck are left scouring the used market.
The VW pickups that In saw in Ecuador several years ago were so very nice! I think they were built in Brazil. They were typical body on frame like a Ford Ranger or such. I wanted to bring one home so badly, but of course, that was not possible.
Smyth Kits are available if you want to build your own VW pickup.
I like how they look!
With Ford lights?
how much do you think vwoa could charge for a golf sized pickup? Now, how much do you think vwoa could charge for a full or mid-size pick up like the tanoak based off the atlas line? they will get more for a larger size when parts and assembly costs are relatively similar.
dont get me wrong i think a golf-sized pickup would appeal to a group of the vehicle purchasing public but in my estimation it would be a small portion.
Vw already makes a pickup just like this but it’s not allowed in The. US because of the 1960’s ” chicken tax” ( real thing, look it up). Its called the Volkswagen Saveiro. Saw one last year on I-90 on the way into attend the Chicago auto show…I was amazed!
looks like a comfortable ride.
I worked for a guy who moonlighted a performance shop in Downey, CA who had a diesel model. If I remember correctly, it was turbo charged and had various performance upgrades performed by the owner of the shop and/or some of the guys who worked there. He used it as his personal vehicle and would encouraged us employees to drive it for parts runs. To state it was excruciatingly slow is an understatement. You would have to floor it and speed shift it just to keep up with normal traffic. Now that I’m all grown up, I wouldn’t be caught dead in one of these toy type cars, just not my style.
These were VERY slow, only came with 45-48 hp on their best day!! Only had a 800lb load limit, less fuel, people ,& stuff in the cab. Put a couple bags of potting soil, fertilizer, & some plants in the back, & people in the front, it’s overloaded!! PS, good luck getting the doors to open!! Unidody with a rear straight axel. Aftermarket turbo only added about 10-15 hp. Weren’t worth the price or the time to install.
I never understood the sense of a front wheel drive truck unless you’re hauling pillows. Any load in the bed will shift weight off the drive wheels. I put bags of sand in my Ford pickup when we lived through Michigan winters to improve traction. The reverse would happen with a front wheel drive truck all year long.
Some people want to move a sofa, or some lumber, or their lawnmower without destroying the interior of their SUV. No one is seriously suggesting you tow a 30′ boat or load the bed full of mulch, but there is a place for a small truck……I have an ’87 nissan hardbody on the side of the house for just this reason…..wow thanks for reminding me I haven’t started it in 6 months and need it next week.
Chevy Tornado available south of the border .
Yes but it is garbage.
I bought a new Chevrolet Corsa in 2003. It is the car version of the Tornado.
We had to scrap the car because we couldn’t find an oil sensor and the car wouldn’t run without it.
I am still surprised whenever I see one still driving on the road.
I have owned many Caddy’s and really like them. Have one right now that was converted to electric drive that I am preparing to convert back to diesel. It is a great clean little truck that was minimally modified to the electric drive. The transmission/clutch assembly was retained and the electric motor was simply adapted with the batteries mounted in the bed. I drove a diesel version for many years…….it would do 90MPH and get 45 MPG. This will be a nice truck that I will sell when done. I photographed a modern VW pickup in Germany last year. The new ones are quite large and an attractive truck, mostly 4 doors. I couldn’t get the photo to upload.
History has shown, these types of vehicles( car based pickups) come and go and never really catch on. I like them, except the topper is a must, as the big problem, is there isn’t enough covered space for storage in the cab. The diesel would be a deal breaker for me ( I like the “bolts in dryer” reference, although, it’s more like 8 marbles in an empty metal coffee can) I had a friend with one of these, he had use ether even at 70 degrees. I don’t think he ever stopped for fuel, though. I’d sure like one, but my old man would spin in his grave if I bought a VW, so I’d have to settle for a Scamp/Rampage.
VW is never going to bring in a truck to this country. They keep trying to reinvent the old VW bus, but then they shut it down after getting everybody’s hopes up. It’s just like Jeep and their crazy cool concept off-roaders that they never plan on putting into production, but parade it around to everybody and the media.
Wife had an 83 Diesel pickup and loved it. Drove it 260xxx miles before it rusted to death after about 20 years. With the A/C on it was a little sluggish, wife used get into slow lane duels with the semis going up the mountains on her commute. Turning off the A/C sometimes was necessary to keep up. However you could roll mini coal with it when needed for tailgaters and passing groups of bicyclists who were holding up traffic :) Heaviest thing I ever hauled was my old all cast iron Cub Cadet tractor. It was great in the snow and your stuff stayed dry under the cap. Mileage never broke 40 MPG. Used my Silverado for heavy duty hauling and towing but the VW for light trips to the nursery and home depot type trips it was great. In the winter the tiny cab was really toasty warm and A/C cooled it like a meat locker in the summer. Always keeping an eye out for the right truck to snap up in a heat beat. But they are hard to find since they are at least 34 years old.
Sadly VW already makes a decent truck they refuse to bring to the US market: the Amarok.
The Atlas Tanoak is one ugly truck IMO. Of course I don’t like any of the new trucks, some are just uglier than others. And they are too big today, a 3\4 ton PU today is about the size of a pre 80’s 3 to 5 ton truck.
Were all these made in the Westmoreland, Pa. plant? Must have hired the guy the rustproofed Studebakers, never saw one that wasn’t rusted to bits.
Rabbit or Rabbit pickup , doesn’t matter to me. I was a previous Rabbit owner.
Always desired those rare pickups.
My brother had one. Took up a new religion. He became a “Practicing Momentumist”. With 52 HP you had BETTER keep it rolling or it took all afternoon to get back up to speed. These were also built on the “4-door” front door. That door was not as long as the 2-door door. The cab was constructed to match the door opening. “Little” bro is 6’5″ and he had to drive it like a go-kart. Knees up around the wheel. It WOULD haul a LOT of stuff. Used it when I moved all my shop equipment. Two vehicles, both LOADED and pulling trailers. With my Land Rover diesel station wagon and his Rabbit pickup, we looked like two coal burning locomotives on the long upgrades. I don’t know which one smoked worse! But..it did it. IF they’d been build on the bigger side door with a cab to match? I’d have one.
I had 2 gas models, one was a rarely seen LX, originally owned by a guy who worked for VW. Great little trucks but tight in cab. Neither had a rust problem. I hauled a large Kawasaki with a fairing back from PA. Looked almost as big as the truck, but did it w/ no problem.
The Amarok isn’t sold in the US?
Rear
My neighbor drove one over to my house to show it off. I always wanted one but was never sure why. He died a couple of weeks later. So I bought it from his widow. (No rust being a central California car originally and then Nevada, camper shell and overall in pretty decent condition. He installed a 5 speed and claimed 51 MPG at 65 MPH. ) I have still yet to get it started. It appears to me that the pre-pump is non-op. After going through the glove box. There are instructions on the pre-pump installation. So he must have had some problems also.
I am looking forward to playing in earnest with this truck in a few weeks to get it running and take it for a drive. I may even sell it. Not sure yet.
Interior
Is the Mitsubishi L200 sold in the US?
Miguel- no wagons here (cept 4 da subbie) since ’97 (carolla & accord). The last sm p/u wuz ranger – stopped 2 yrs ago?
the L200 wuz a dodge 50 (stopped in ’95?),
Somebody correct me where wrong.
Buddy has 5 of these – no toppers & only 1 diesel. Wants to start a fleet.
One way to sell cars is to have a vast niche offering (a lill of everything in sm numbers: executive cars – lrg’n sm; mini p/us; race cars; econo boxes; etc). I bet all the business models say that’s a prescription for failure. Is that what killed the Brits? Sure wish the companies (or 1 company) would do it.
Chad, Wiki says the Ford Ranger was only sold in the US up to model year 2011. Of course Mexico has had it all along.
Now in 2019 it is coming back to the US but it is not a small truck anymore.
This is the Mitsubishi L200. It is an odd bird and mostly sold with diesel engines, or only sold with diesel engines.
would like to know what happened to the three motor bikes last year or this year
the yamaha cti tryals ,,the suzuki 90 with bid tyres,and finally the kawaski 250 re
and maybe the imps cars if any body can tel me or email [email protected] or texts 07986912073 thank and if there still for sale
yours crone jc
Here in the Netherlands I have a ’92 Caddy which has the 1.8 K-Jetronic engine from factory. It’s so versatile!
that yard looks familiar. I start reading this and sure enough..Armuchee ga…
I just bought a VW project truck off this guy and towed it over 1000 miles back home to Canada, behind my $700 volvo wagon.
Joe was an awesome guy, he even wired up the tow lights for me and gave me a couple of nice custom vw t-shirts.
and here is my other one.. both 1981. yellow is 1.9l turbo diesel, black is 1.7 gas
Well, I see this thread is still going. Got my Caddy Diesel running and have been using it for several months now. (beige color with shell on the back) It is slow (especially compared to my 8.1 GMC) and gets 39 to 44 mpg with me driving. ( never, ever below the speed limit if I can help it) On the flat and level and no wind, I can get up to 78mph. And I am sure that the 4,500 ft altitude does not help. I love the truck for short hops to the parts or hardware store. And it has become the junk yard runner. My wife refuses to drive it anymore as the rattling engine sets off her nerves. ( she has better hearing than I do, lol) No rust 156,000 miles ( although I found a receipt in the glove box for a rebuilt engine at 85,0000 miles) new timing belt, and replaced the fuel, air and oil filters. (along with the oil ) I will also include a spare engine and 5 speed if anyone is interested. Just too many vehicles at this time.