But this tired L isn't quite the GTi that Volkswagen fans know and love. What we have here is the two-door Rabbit in its simplest form--the "American" form. Cheap materials in the interior, lighter, more flimsy steel for body construction, and a slightly asthmatic 1.7L engine that made...wait for it..75 horses; unfortunately, less than 60 of those made it to the road, resulting a a very slow hatchback that got merely okay gas mileage. Seeing as how the new Golf makes a staggering 110 horses in base form, I'd say nothing's changed, right? And it, too, has been Americanized, and made extensively cheaper than its German-market equivalent.
Unlike the last Rabbit I featured, this silver base two-door is far from mint. Thankfully though, rust appears to be the most of its problems, aside from the marred grille and right headlight. Paint is generally shiny, and free of any major defects. The hubcaps, and other trim (aside from the obvious grill) are in excellent condition and have definitely stood the test of time. One thing I am curious about though (and maybe this is common, and I just now notice) is the lack of side marker in the front, but the rear does have one. Maybe this is in the process of being converted to a Euro front? In any event, it looks to be in rather fair condition save for the body damage and relatively minor rust.
I've always liked VW's smallest car for sale in America, but as the years press on, I'm seeing less and less of them. Hopefully, there will still be some good ones left twenty years from now. Sadly, like the Beetles, these, too, might become almost extinct.
No comments:
Post a Comment