This is my new found ride. A year and a half ago I bought a 2002 GTI 1.8T Volkswagen. The car is seriously bad @$$ and I was instantly hooked on the VW scene! Ever since I had been searching for the perfect deal on a MK1 rabbit to go as a nastalgic mate to my MK4 - Takin' it back to the roots!!!! I was browsing Craigslist.org one day and found a guy selling one for $400. There were no pics of it posted. I offered him $250 site unseen and he took it. A 3 hour road trip later I was a proud new owner of this here 1984 VW Rabbit GTI.

Not quite sound enough to drive it 3 hours on the freeway though!

This car had been sitting for several years. The engine runs, just needed a charging problem solved and some TLC. After a quick battery charge back at home, the engine fired off on the first turn of the key. After re-attaching the grounding strap to the alternator the charging problem was solved. On the first test drive it ran like ooh poo poo! But...after a week of working on it and a pissed off wife at home (she was feeling neglected ;-)....) it is running like a champ now. At least I think it is - never driven another one to compare it too! I tell you what though... it is a blast to drive!

Under the hood is a 1.8L which I found surprisingly clean. I replaced plugs and wires. Checked for Vac leaks and checked fuel injectors! Replaced fuel filter and adjusted timeing.. you know, all the vitals and such!

Body is amazingly straight with only a few door dings. The paint is extremely faded and oxidized, but with a little elbow grease and some wax this thing will still throw some shine - notice on the rear right near the hatch - that portion has been buffed.

The interior is dirty but intact. a little tlc will straighten that right up - the headliner is missing.

My plans for this car is to have a strong runner as a base. From there, I want to do as much weight reduction as possible. Bumpers will be one of the first things to go. Suspension will be a must - lowered 1-2 inches with some stiff @$$ springs. I am looking forward to designing and fabricating my own stress bars to go between strut towers front and rear. The interior will more than likely get stripped for a race like feel. The back seat will be removed and a custom car seat mount will be designed and installed for my 4 year old son, Jaydon! Who is super stoked about it. He tells everyone at his preschool about his rabbit car that he has at home.

9-23-06

Fender flares have been romoved for now. At least until I get a wider set of wheels/tires.

Bumpers have been removed. And chrome trim has been removed from the gutters. Now that is lookin' like a rabbit. Not no granny rabbit! The simplest things can make at look so different.

9-29-06
OK...Here is a $250 car 2 weeks later, after a $15 can of wax and $10 of Krylon spray paint(for the wheels). I thought the paint was dead until I waxed! Damn... it looks like thousands bucks (cant really say "it looks like a million bucks")