I owned a succession of three diesel rabbits back in the day, and I loved
them. My first had the 1.5L diesel and the next two the 1.6L NA. Plenty of
power for this car, though the 1.6TD would really make it a hotrod! I recall
getting roughly 50 mpg average (imperial).

Simple to work on, even timing belt changes were quick and easy. I had one
engine with over 300K miles. Replaced a few head gaskets over the years.

The only concern I might pass along is that well documented
situation wherein people begin to take on the characteristics of their car -
kinda like the dog/owner resemblance phenomena. In my case our family's
numerical expansion necessitated a move from the beloved Rabbit to our
current Vanagons...

Angus

Angus Gordon
Bainbridge Island WA

www.wordless.me

On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 2:04 PM, Anthony Egeln <regnsuzanne@yahoo.com>wrote:

> Today I was thinking about the old diesel rabbits from the early '80's.
> Does anyone recall which engine came stock in the car; was it a 1.6 NA or
> 1.6 TD?
> Would it be difficult to convert to a 1.9 TD?
> Are they a headache to maintain?  My gut reaction is it would be a trouble
> free vehicle, IF set-up properly at the start.
> I had a couple of gas rabbits back in the day, that I enjoyed very much,
> and thought a well maintained diesel version might be an economical car for
> teenagers to drive, with little means of driving too fast or otherwise
> dangerously.
> Appreciate any opinions and experiences rendered.
> Cheers, Anthony'89 Syncro GL (Hidalgo)
>