There's a german nickname for these, "Erdbeerkörbchen" literally meaning "little strawberry basket" because the roll bar in the middle makes it look like one :D
I always swore that The Cabriolet was a Barbie car come to life. The Cabriolet is a cruiser meant for relaxing fun. Total summer vibe. I was 21 in 1993 and that boxy car is a nostalgia trip.
I LOVED everything about your video: the fantastic VW, the very beautiful interior, the smoothness of the transmission, the fantastic scenery, the humor and good vibes, everything was such a joy! And as always: your video's come closest to experiencing a ride in a car yourself! One thing you forgot to mention (so typical nineties!): the 3 cassette tape holders in the console! Best regards from the Netherlands!
Nostalgic in every aspect. Car for the weekend, daily even on dates. Just perfect for fun. I reckon best classic small cabriolet you should buy, functional, usable and reliable
Ahhh! I never thought you would come to Maine, and you're only a town or two over from where I live! If I had know you were coming, I'd have given you a tour. Thanks for the kind words and for letting us experience the car.
We had an ‘81 when it was called Rabbit Convertible. The Karmann Coachworks build on these was on a different level than the standard Rabbits, which we also had. Learned to drive manual on it.
2:49........................JUST when I was about to comment with "Aw, the owner(s) disabled the classic VW "How Dry I Am/La Cucaracha" chime, that sucks!!!!!!", the seat belt chime saved the day!!!!
I live in western Michigan and in the summer there are many rust free versions of this car running about. I have always wanted one. I do drive an Alltrack SEL now, you are correct, it is much cooler!
That cluster and some of the switches were also used in the 88-maybe 90 Brazilian made Passat. I don't think they ever made it state-side, but believe it or not, Iraq got a special sedan version of the coupe. It was an ok little thing with manual transmission.. 4 speed IIRC.
In college (late 90s), I remember a friend of some friends had one. She was really defensive if someone teased her and asked about her Rabbit. "It's a CAB-ri-o-LAY!!!"
The steering wheel looks like it's implemented straight from Porsche 964. Maybe it's specific to US market, haven't seen it in a Golf platform till now.
It is the same steering wheel as in various Porsche models from that ear. I´ve got the german brochure from ´92 where the airbag is mentioned as an optional extra, so you could get one back in 1992 but probably no one spent the extra 1.200,- Deutsche Mark.
Seeing that town reminds me of that tv-show "Haven" and yeah nice car, in Europe they were with manual transmission.. brings me back to my teenage years.
If I lived in a big expensive house, I would still drive my two 520i M20B20 1988 E34 5-Series. They are my only cars. Just I would get one of them a full factory OEM paint job, to make it look as good as the rest of the car is, the other one still look like new, after 10+ years in a barn and probably garage kept since new before that. They are definetly what I would still want to drive, at least whenever the weather is nice! Where I live in scandinavia has very similar roads, old cars to me don't need to go fast, pushing them along on roads like this, as you did in this video is just pure joy, man I love old German cars :D
The build quality and materials have a Porsche 964 911 vibe to them. A sturdy, no nonsense German build quality that doesn't really exist anymore. This Cabriolet would really benefit from an MK2 16V GTI engine and 5-speed swap.
i think the best setup for these is a 2.1 8v with Eurospec head, Volvo 240 turbo K-jetronic, and a Lysholm supercharger. 200 whp and 200 wtq right off idle.
What maintenance did you do on it? Purchased an 85 auto a while back and it’s stalled on me suddenly at red lights before… trying to see if it’s something you’ve had to deal with 😅
I'll never forget the tow truck drivers in San Francisco started to recognize us!! THAT'S how bad it was! Let's say you stopped to get gas, it would not start for an hour. We'd have to push it away from the pumps. Or you'd stop at 7-11 for your slurpee and guess what? Wouldn't start. Terrible car. @@TheEntertainmentInc
Haha funny thing is that I just moved to San Francisco a few months ago 😬. I guess it’s a good thing I left it home in Washington (was scared of break-ins and hills… and it possibly dying randomly). Did you ever find out the reason why yours would stall? @kevin-hw3pn
I may be digging my own grave, but I’m still hopeful I can own and make use of this car (with its 37k miles)… I’m just not sure who would specialize in these cars out here. Any specialists you can point me towards in the Bay Area if and when I bring it out here? 😅 @kevin-hw3pn
I’ve learned to love the later Cabrio. I looked at several Cabriolets and they were either overpriced and needing work, overpriced considering the shit show they were.. shaky steering, bad transmission mounts, electric gremlins.. feeling like they were going to be a money out. Then, I drove 3 different 1999+ Cabrios. They all felt more solid. The wind wasn’t as intense with top down. The engine was smoother and more responsive, the transmissions were all better (manual, or automatic). Found a clean white 2000 with 146k, same owner last 12 years, top like new, needed an AC compressor. Thats it. I’m not fixing it. Fun and better equipped, safer, easier to see over the top.. the ABA motor is fab.
I have an 1985 been in my moms garage for about 20 yrs top still good but the tires are finally flat, but hoping to restore one day there was nothing wrong with it i just quit driving it.
If it were legal, I would remove those ugly side marker lights and the third brake light in the trunk lid as well. So that the vehicle looks like a European model.
