Mk1's came in a wide veriety of cars, anything from 2 dr 4 dr convertible and a pick up. I diagree with saying the west german cars where best, in fact old west german rabbits had more elecrical problems, although I would rather have a german built rabbit just because it is a german car, I also for some reason like doing electical work and rewiring, so for me elecrical is no big deal, also, the west german cars that year did not come with standard glass fuses like the us cars, they had ceramic fuses which are sometimes harder to find in autoparts stores. These cars came in a wide veriety in interiors and trim packages, so which is best is more of a personal interest, my favorite interior is what I pieced together for my rabbit gti, it had red gti from the factory, which I hate, so I pieced together a dk blue gti interior with 89 helios blue recaros from a 89 Helios gli. I also made a guage pod to go where the center vent for the ac since I ripped out all the ac in my car. The cis fuel injection that came in these cars, unless its carbed or diesel, is a very good and reliable system, but trouble shooting if you dont know how to tamper with the system can be really nerv racking.
I love MK1's you can do pretty much any motor swap you want in them. It all depends on ho much money you a willing to spend, and how much time you are willing to invest. These cars are old, and in many cases, may be untouched besides routine maitenence. I will admit, if you buy a stock MK1, be prepared to put in alot of time and money, these cars turn into money pits pending on which direction you want to go woth it. The main thing to look at when buying on of these cars if want a good daily car is, the body, these cars typically rot out at the rear spare tire under the body, corners on the rear valence, rockers are usually cruches because most people think it is a good idea to use the racker panel as a jacking point to lift the car, floors, and strut towers. So if you dont like doing body work, those are the main place to look for rust, oh yeah, and around the windows.
After that look at the wiring, look for cut and hanging wires under the dash, and loose connections under the hood, make sure everything works, like turn signals, headlights, wipers, etc. lots of times the rear defroster doesnt work cause the defroster strips wear of over the years, they can be repaired. Here are some MK1's to get an idea
VWvortex.com :: Galleries
lookin for a 1975-1985 VW Rabbit~ cheap
Linear Mode
