My 1993 Cabrio

[djoutsider711]

My 1993 Cabrio
Written by: Luke N. Townsley

The other night I stopped by the grocery store to get some things for the house; some ant poison, some cat shampoo for Minu, and some Mountain Dew. Okay, so only one of those items were for the house, but that doesn't really matter. When I came back outside it was raining and I found myself running out to the car and scrambling to get everything inside the car before I got too wet. Then I was reminded that it didn't really matter how wet I got, because even after I got inside the car it was still going to be raining on me. Those of you with a Cabriolet will most likely know exactly what I am talking about.

The weather here in Oklahoma isn't exactly what one would consider to be Cabrio-typical. One minute you think it would be the perfect time to curl back the top and bask in the sun and open air, the next you are wading through ankle deep water, glad you were too lazy to even bother with the stiff old thing. But it is still nice to have. Even if the old vinyl top still lets the rain in.

Don't let that last little bit make you think I hate my car, because I don't. In fact, I absolutely love it and all of it's quirks. I love how only the passenger side heated seat works, I love how heat only blows out of the center vents, how I have to nearly sit on the ground to get into the trunk. It is a wonderful little car that has just as much character as my little kitten does, and just as many oddball little habits and faults.


In the eight years since I became legally able to drive I have owned my fair share of vehicles.

First was a 1983 Honda CRX, a car that I will never forget. Not only was it my “first” but it was a wonderful little ride that handled extremely well. My dad bought it off our neighbor for $500 and had a rebuilt engine put in for another $500. Not only was it quick but it took the abuse of a speed crazy sixteen year-old with little complaint.

Second was a 1984 Honda Prelude. Now, before you decide to stop reading this because you think I am just another little Honda dork buzzing around with a coffee can on my exhaust pipe, hear me out. I will admit I was a bit addicted the the H at the time, but this car convinced me to go clean. Sure it was a sound ride when I bought it. Indeed it had a powered sunroof and windows when I bought it. The only thing it needed was a paint job... when I bought it. Shortly after I bought it, however, it was a nightmare. Thus leading to my third vehicle, another Prelude that generously donated it's heart in an attempt to revive the the earlier. A failed attempt...

On my fourth car I decided to try something a bit different, quite a bit different. So, I picked up a 1983 Datsun 200SX, one of the elder Silvia sisters, for $250. It took me a good weekend of work to get the thing road worthy, but I have to say, it was the best $250 I have ever spent. For my birthday my dad found me a set of old Supra wheels to bolt onto her and, after a few more weekends of scrubbing and tweaking, she was steadily prowling the streets. I guess the extra meat from the Supra wheels stressed her a bit and soon after the transmission was making noises similar to that of a blender full of gravel, but for another $200 I picked up a used one and had her running like a champ again. Sure, it might have been a brick on wheels with the handling characteristics of a Cadillac but it had just enough character to make me proud.

Eventually I got bored and found myself craving more. Front wheel drive as a bore and the underpowered, rear wheel drive, 200SX was just a tease so I went out and found my fourth baby; a 1984 Nissan/Datsun 300ZX Turbo 50th Anniversary. It had everything one could possibly want; t-tops, rear wheel drive, pop up headlights, a manual 5 speed transmission and a reliable turbocharged V-6, all topped off by the gleaming gold 50th Anniversary emblem. I can't even begin to tell you what a great car this was and I only paid $2500 for it! However, I was fortunate enough to purchase this car on it's last leg and soon found myself sitting at work with a blown head and a hole in my number 6 piston the size of a quarter which lead to my sixth vehicle, a 1986 300ZX donor car.


Well, when I started writing this I didn't think about how long this list would be so, for the sake of whoever might read this, I am going to simply list off the last bit of cars and give quick comment on them.


After the 300ZX came my worst buy ever, a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am. Need I say more? Next was a 1986 Toyota Corolla, my attempt to be a drifter. No, it wasn't a 4A-G, not even an SR-5, just a crappy California spec tin can, but no one else had to know. It was still an AE86 and it was interesting to see the looks from the other kids that were falling into the drifting craze. The ninth car in my sordid past was a 1993 Acura Integra I bought off a wrecker service for $500. It came with a SCI Ignition System, DC headers, and Eibac springs. After some hammering and panel replacement the car turned out to be a wonderful investment, despite the fact that anything under 5000 RPM's made your ears bleed.


Finally, came my 1993 Volkswagen Cabriolet. Now, to be honest this was not my first pick. When my wife and I first started dating I was broke, without wheels and leaching off my best friend, so when she insisted on buying me a car (despite my many attempts to talk reason into her) and started looking at various Camaro's and Trans-Am's, I had no choice but to turn her eyes onto something I not only knew she would like, but trusted would not fall apart at the first speed bump.

After racking my brain and using up all other options I showed her the Cabrio. I knew there was no way she could say no to it. It's four round headlights, the convertible top, and loads of character did the job and she was in love.

We ended up finding OUR baby (my wife hates it when I call it “hers”) in Oklahoma City for sale along with a red 1992 Cabriolet. The 1992 was in good shape but had the ugly steel wheels and, if my memory serves me right, they were asking around $800 more. Condition and anything else that may have made the red one a better buy did not really matter anyways, the wife wanted the black one. In fact, she wanted it so badly that we paid the man his asking price of $3,850 and left. I did not even look it over, we literally paid the man and drove off.

About half way home I was slapped across the face with our speedy decision when the oil buzzer started sounding and pulled over at the first gas station we came across. After giving the car a good once over and checking the oil I decided there was not much to worry about, thanks to the stock oil pressure gauge that held a steady 2 bar's. So, we hopped back in and headed on home.

The car surprised me with it's ride quality. I was expecting it to either be stiff and noisy or soft and drafty but it was neither. It did great on the highway at 70mph with only minimal wind and road noise. On the city roads it took the bumps and tight turns with ease, letting me know where they were but not tossing me about like a pissed off bull. By the time we got home I found myself musing over it's simplistic interior styling, the awesome assortment of gauges that you would never see in an American car, and it's 1980's feel highlighted with 1990's amenities like heated seats and air bags.

As you were probably able to tell from my list of past vehicles, I really like cars that are pre 1990 but post 1980. I guess an easier way to word it would be, “I like cars from the 80's.”

Just looking back at the cars I owned, I feel pretty comfortable in saying that the 80's were a prime time for the automotive world. The years gave birth to the Mazda RX-7, the Nissan 300ZX (wait, I think I had one of those.), the Toyota Supra ('78-'92), the VW Golf GTI Mk I (Still faster than the Mk II, Mk III, Mk IV and I would wager the Mk V and VI), and lets not forget some of the more odd-ball designs like the Porsche 944 ('82-'91), the Audi Quattro ('80-'91) and the Merkur XR4Ti-zxTtRsQ46559... T ... whatever ('85-'89).

I often times find myself wondering exactly what year my Cabriolet is. The Vin Number, and every other number that means anything on the car, says it is a 1993 but the hazard switch says '92 and every ounce of its styling tells me it is from the 1970's. This car is a mutt. I get the distinct feeling that Volkswagen, at the end of the MK I Cabriolet's production, simply took all there overstock and extra parts and bolted them together then shipped them out hopping that they would sell. And sell they did.

On rare occasions of automotive history, a manufacturer gets lucky and designs a car that is not only fitting for it's time, but manages to set the standard and hold it's own well beyond its expiration date. I will venture to say that the birth of the VW Rabbit/Golf was one of such occasions.

Not only is the Golf GTI considered the be the first “hot hatch” but it pretty well set the standard for every subcompact car and created yet another die-hard fan base for Volkswagen. Even today Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Ford, Nissan, Chevy, and even Volkswagen itself hasn't been able to match the styling, speed and overall exhilaration the Golf GTI brought to the middle-class market. Yet, I digress. This is not about the GTI, this is about the Cabriolet.

I think that to an extent VW knew they got the formula right with the MK I. The sad thing is, they didn't really design what everyone loved so much about it, and that shows with the Mk II-VI. Instead, the Mk I was styled by an Italian by the name of Giorgetto Giugiaro, and if you look at his wrap sheet, you will see that this guy knew what he was doing. Just look at the BMW M1, the Lotus Esprit and ever the DMC Delorean. All cars penned by him and still easily recognized by anyone and everyone to this day.

I am convinced this is the reason why VW kept building the Mk I Cabriolet unchanged for as long as they did. They knew they got it right and they were going to suck the life out of it. Not only did it hit the niche for the fun loving hippies of the 70's, that painted their Bettles in pastels and daisy flowers, but they also found a place in the hearts of the younger crowd. From what I have read and observed, it was not uncommon to spot a Cabrio with its top down parked in front of the local Universities. Even now you can still see the influence they had on the culture of the late '90's and even the early 2000's in films such as “10 Things I hate About You”(1999), “Shallow Hal” (2001), “The Hot Chick” (2002), and one one my favorite films “Crank” (2006) featuring the Cabrio in a very intense chase where, I must say, it holds it's owns quite well.

The only thing that initially made me shy away from the Cabriolet is the fact that it is a girls car. Just look at the movies I named off, all of them owned by stuck up, blond haired, bimbos (with the exception of “Shallow Hal”, where it was owned by a fat man with a tail). Needless to say, I really wasn't looking forward to being seen cruising around in the little thing but, the first time I folded back the top and got in, all my insecurities dissipated in the wind.

There is something about the Cabriolet that I just can't place my finger on. Never have I held so much pride in my vehicle. Every day I walk out of the house and see it sitting in the driveway a smile comes across my face. I peek out from under the carport to check on the weather is just to see if it is possible to put the top down. Somehow this simple and confused concoction of nuts and bolts manages to make every mundane trip into an event. Whenever the sun is shining, it finds a way to make even the most stressful days feel like a day at the race track (I would have said “beach” but I find beaches the be very tiresome and boring, my ideal day is spent on asphalt and enjoying the smell of freshly spent gasoline).

People always say: “You can't buy love”, but I am going to have to disagree. You can indeed buy love, and all the stuff that comes with it. Just go find you a MK I Cabriolet.




Thanks to http://www.toplessrabbit.com, http://www.cabby-info.com, http://www.edmunds.com, http://www.vwvortex.com for all the very useful info, and to Jeremy Clarkson for inspiring me to write this and showing just as much respect for the little guys as you do for the big guys.

Copyright © 2010 by Luke N. Townsley

[CalAltaDubber]

Luke,

First thing is Welcome to TRF.

That's a great story, I loved reading it. I can only compare it to my own Cabby expierence. Same car I bought brand new and still love to drive 23 1/2 years later.

The only comment is you really should post a picture of your car. I'd love to see it.

[djoutsider711]

Ah, yes... pictures.

I will harass my wife right quick and get her to put some pics of our baby on a thumb drive.

Harassing complete...





After carwash last year.



At the dealership...

The top is on it's last leg now but it came with a new one when we bought it, once the sun starts shinning on a regular basis I plan to swap it out (and once I get the courage).

[CalAltaDubber]

Ah, yes... pictures.

I will harass my wife right quick and get her to put some pics of our baby on a thumb drive.

Harassing complete...

Nice looking car, I see why your wife chose the black one

It really stands out from the red.

The top is on it's last leg now but it came with a new one when we bought it, once the sun starts shinning on a regular basis I plan to swap it out (and once I get the courage).

Fear not, for you have come to the right place for DIY top installation. Brian01234 has an excellent procedure (including pictures) right here.

Hope to see more from you.

[Briano1234]

Don't drink your courage up until after you are done.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2224

[djoutsider711]

Thanks for linking the walk through on the top replacement, looks like I need to tool up a bit more.

My future plans, along with the top replacement, is to do a full suspension rebuild (a year after buying it it now rides like a boat). Already have KYB's shocks, Duralast tie rod ends, and Moog lower ball joints. Soon I will be getting the H&R springs for it as well and new strut mounts are coming this weekend. Idealy I would like to have it rolling properly by April 4th for the first SCCA Solo event here in Tulsa, Ok. If so, I will post some more pic's and maybe a vid or two.

[bbrown]

Excellent write up and welcome to TRF. I love your story and it is one a lot of us can relate to. I must say (even as a red Cabby owner) that you made the right choice in picking the black Cabby over the red one as the paint looks beat on it.

[djoutsider711]

Hello again bbrown.. and yes.. the black does look "beat" here is a question.. Wolfsburg Edition? I saw one on Craigslist exactly like mine that they called so... is it possible mine is one? or are the sellers just adding names to there car in hopes of selling for more?

[CalAltaDubber]

Hello again bbrown.. and yes.. the black does look "beat" here is a question.. Wolfsburg Edition? I saw one on Craigslist exactly like mine that they called so... is it possible mine is one? or are the sellers just adding names to there car in hopes of selling for more?

The best way to confirm is to look it up on Kami's site (http://www.cabby-info.com). She has a really good guide to determine that.

[SoCal_Cabby]

im sorry, but the story was entirely too long...the pics look nice though

[bbrown]

I guess I was a little confusing. I meant that the paint on the red Cabby looked faded or "beat."

So Cal- you should really read the full post it truly is well written and worth the read.

[djoutsider711]

I guess I was a little confusing. I meant that the paint on the red Cabby looked faded or "beat."

So Cal- you should really read the full post it truly is well written and worth the read.

Ah.. yes, the red one was pretty wore out looking.. however, after actually taking the time to look over my cabrio. Part of me thinks maybe the red one was in better shape. The hood on mine is a little warped in the center. Doesn't look like it was sat on or anything but maybe heat got to it.

I really appreciate the good comments on my post. Makes me feel fuzzy inside. And there is no limit on how big a post can be... so don't be surprised to see some more (and possibly much longer ones). No one is forcing you to read any of it and if I haven't included enough "Fun Fact's" maybe next time I will try a picture book.

[Briano1234]

"Fun Fact's" maybe next time I will try a picture book.

Been there done that...

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2098

[kamzcab86]

Welcome to TRF!

Wolfsburg Edition? I saw one on Craigslist exactly like mine that they called so... is it possible mine is one? or are the sellers just adding names to there car in hopes of selling for more?

Depends on the year. All 1993 USA Cabriolets were "Collector's Edition"s and had fender badges reflecting that. The 1992 Black Wolfsburg Edition Cabriolets look just like your Cabriolet. More detailed info can be found at: http://cabby-info.com/models.htm .

[djoutsider711]

Welcome to TRF!


Depends on the year. All 1993 USA Cabriolets were "Collector's Edition"s and had fender badges reflecting that. The 1992 Black Wolfsburg Edition Cabriolets look just like your Cabriolet. More detailed info can be found at: http://cabby-info.com/models.htm .

Hmmm... Yeah I looked over the cabby-info site and noted that after making that post. Sadly mine doesn't have the badge on the fenders. I really ought to check my vin #. Thanks for the insight!