1980 Volkswagen Rabbit Diesel "L" Early Westy

On Nov-26-17 at 12:42:00 PST, seller added the following information:

1980 Rabbit Diesel "L" 4dr Early Westy aka Stripes
1.5 diesel w/ 164,xxx miles
4 speed
Deluxe Package: Westy grille with "chrome" trim, vinyl seats with head rest, wood grain interior trim. Pin stripes are fully OE dealer option (fav part)!!!!
Brief story: original owner was a German Science Professor at Kutztown University. He daily drove the car until he blew his knee out in 1992, and never recovered well enough to drive manual. The car sat in a barn covered until the second owner bought it at an estate sale upon the profs passing in 2013. The second owner enjoyed it for about a year, before parking it. I acquired the car from the second owner sometime last year. I charged the battery and the little guy fired up 3rd try. My goal was to make it a reliable daily driver. I am a VW enthusiast.
About: 1980 deluxe Westmoreland Rabbit Diesel. LE1N Mohave Beige with rare and original factory pin stripes. Car was in a barn "winterized" from 1992-2013. Chrome flag mirror, bolt-through passenger side window, weitec coilovers, stock wheels with tires in really good condition, oil pan made from 3/16" thick steel, exhaust from headers back, low pressure electric fuel pump (purely to help with cold weather starting). Has a 90s Audiovox cassette/radio with upgraded speakers all around which work great.
Since rescuing, I have had VW diesel specialists install/replace the following:
Timing Belt with tensioner
Injection pump timing
Fuel system bleed
All new fuel lines
Water pump
Water pump housing
All new Coolant hoses
Radiator
Battery
Alternator
Alternator belt
Bosch Fuel filter
Air filter
Oil pressure switch
Contraption hose water line
Glow plugs
Glow plug fuse
Clutch kit
Clutch cable
Lower transmission mount
Low temperature thermostat & fan switch
Valve cover gasket
Brakes flushed, vacuum bled and refilled with ATE Blue
Accelerator cable + grommet
Oil changes every 3000 miles using Shell Rotella 15w-40
Transmission flushed and refilled
This rabbits inside had not been cleaned since 1992, so I pulled out the interior and began to clean. Some good ol' fashioned shampooing and serious elbow grease went into saving this rabbit. The interior is where the rabbit really shines. It is fully complete and original peanut butter. Very nice from the headliner to the seats to the dash. The paint is original and shines well, but could use a detail to really make the pin stripes pop. With this it does have very minimal surface rust, nothing serious or structural. Brown areas in engine bay is rust proofing spray done by the original owner, but was never removed, I began scrubbing the left section. Car does not have rust, it is dry.
I currently drive it a minimum of 15-20 miles a day during the week. With all of the work done, pump adjusted and nicely tuned, it is not that slow for a 1.5D. It will roll some coal and stay super cool. I have never seen the temp gauge go above half way. Mechanically it has been fully gone through by a reputable shop here in SoCal. Everything works well and drives great. Very solid car.
Areas to make note of:-driver side door does not open from the outside (I have not made any attempt to see what it needs)-paint could use a clay/polish/wax; carpet can also use a cleaning-I noticed a small fuel leak the other day-brown areas in engine bay is NOT rust-waistline trim has been slowly falling apart in some areas, I have all the pieces just need to glue back on
Reason for sale:I work 50-60 hours a week and I recently started Grad school, so unfortunately I do not have time for my VW car hobby like I once did.
With the sale I will include:-2 keys-clean California title in my name (registration is up to date)-box of spare parts (mirrors, bumper guards, etc)
I can help arrange shipping at buyers expense. Car will be sold as-is
$400 deposit due within 48 hours of auction close
Happy to answer any questions. Happy bidding!