Used Car of the Day: 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup

by Tim Healey

Published: April 25th, 2023

used car of the day 1982 volkswagen rabbit pickup

Our run of project vehicles continues. Today we feature a 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit pickup that needs its engine to be put back in.

There are two engines available for the buyer to drop in, and the transmission is a manual. The truck is mostly rust-free and there's a red interior.

It seems like a bunch of different VW parts have been put in, along with an aftermarket A/C system that wasn't installed well. There may have been a head-gasket issue. The ad is a bit confusing, so you may want to confirm with the seller exactly what is on the truck and what is available.

Still, for $2,500, this could be a fun project truck, especially since the body seems to be in good shape.

[Images: Seller]

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#VWRabbit #UCOTD #UsedCaroftheDay #Volkswagen

Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

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7 of 20 comments

Add Lightness on Apr 25, 2023

This was from a time way back when trucks did truck things and were not for intimidation, propping up self esteem or because everyone else on the block has one.
This VW could do what 98% of trucks today do on a daily basis.

5 Reply
- See 3 previous
- Kwik_Shift_Pro4X on Apr 26, 2023
  
  Ram 700 is south of the border.
  Should the Ram 700 Be Offered Here? (autoweek.com)
  
  1
- Sobro on Apr 26, 2023
  
  Insert snark here about the history of lifted trucks and show trucks prior to 1982.
  
  Like
- MRF 95 T-Bird on Apr 26, 2023
  
  The Ram 700 aka Fiat Toro should have been offered here yesterday. Considering the waiting list for the Maverick plus for folks who don’t want or need a mastodon Ram it would sell quite well.
  
  Like
- RHD on Jul 01, 2023
  
  It would also not keep you in financial bondage for the next eight years. How about the seller drop the price by 50%, keeps the engine, and the buyer converts it to electric? Starting at $2500 for a non-running project is not a very attractive deal for anyone... especially when it would be worth about $2500 once it's all put back together again.
  
  Like
Wolfwagen on Apr 26, 2023

If VW could produce a modern version of this and keep it around $25- 30K they would sell like hotcakes

3 Reply
- SCE to AUX on Apr 26, 2023
  
  That's the problem Ford faces with the Maverick, which is why they are throttling its supply in favor of higher-margin vehicles.
  At the moment, there are 50x as many F-150s for sale vs Mavericks. Guess which one they'd rather sell you?
  
  Like
- DenverMike on Apr 26, 2023
  
  Yes and no. Yes fleet buyers would stand in line, but remember that back then you would normally carry passengers in the bed of a pickup, legally, same as Mexico now. Assault rifles optional.
  
  Like

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