Excellent 1983 Volkswagen GTI

1983 Volkswagen Rabbit Description

I’m helping my customer sell this excellent 1983 Volkswagen GTI with lots re-done and many new parts. As much as he enjoyed driving the car, his 2018 body did not fit in the car like it did in 1983! Here’s the original ad I posted.

If you are a Volkswagen GTI purest - this car may not be for you...please read the entire description. This is the sixth GTI I’ve refurbished in the last 3 years. It’s one of the few that came with all of the parts needed to finish it. The exterior of the car was disassembled and windows taken out (except the windshield). It was given a “driver quality” basecoat clearcoat paint job in it’s original silver color. All the original decals, graphics and striping were then re-applied. The bumpers were disassembled, media blasted and powdercoated the correct satin black. New weatherstripping was installed on both doors. The factory snowflake wheels were sent out, refinished and new tires were mounted. The interior is in near perfect condition with only the drivers seat needing some re-upholstery work. I installed a new headliner - the rest of the interior is original. The dash is excellent with no baked spots or cracks. The are a couple small cracks in the top of each door panel, that’s it. The carpeting is in good original condition and the rear tray is original and uncut. I installed 4 new speakers and a new stereo. All of the interior lights, dome light, glovebox light, and rear hatch light work. All of the gauges and instruments work as they should. The odometer shows 89,250 miles and even though the mileage has been marked exempt it is consistent with what is indicated on the CARFAX I pulled. The previous owner bought the car, put it in storage and never got around to fixing it up.

Now here is where the car deviates from stock. ALL of the rubber bushings, motor and shock mounts, control arm bushing and rear beam bushings have been replaced with polyurethane. The car is lowered with Neuspeed springs and it looks like the front shock valving is adjustable. The car does not have an overly stiff ride, but it is very solid feeling and has minimal rattling compared to other GTI’s I’ve owned. It’s also significantly quicker. I’ve tried to get more information on the motor but have not been successful. I would guess by the way it runs that the head has larger valves and a mild cam. It has a thermo-wrapped header which exits into a 2-1/2” exhaust from the cat back and has a nice sounding understated aftermarket muffler. The transmission also looks to be newly rebuilt and it is the correct close-ratio 5-speed for the car. I’ve replaced the timing belt, plugs and set the timing. I’ve also checked the CIS injection. The car starts instantly and runs, shifts and drives excellently. The front brake pads, rotors, master cylinder and one of the calipers is new. A previous owner installed new stainless lines in the front and new hard steel lines throughout the car - braking is excellent. My only criticism would be there is a bit more road noise/vibration transmitted as a result of the poly bushings. Its important to note - this is not a Barret-Jackson restoration, but is a good looking GTI that would make a great daily driver that could be taken to any car show and get lots of attention.

I have several “before” pictures of the car and many “after” pictures.

I try to represent all of my cars as accurately as I can so there are no disappointments. If you have any questions, my name is Mark and I can be reached at 239-292-2370. You can reach the current owner Greg with questions at 614-915-9808.