The sad truth about interesting cars is that no matter incredible their survival is, this doesn’t automatically translate to significant desirability. Still, we have to give credit where credit is due when a car seemingly survives against all odds to emerge from a barn in shockingly nice condition. That is certainly the case with this 1979 Volkswagen Dasher wagon that has over 200,000 miles and has been barn-stored for decades but still looks like a lightly-used daily driver. Check it out here on eBay with bids to $1,824 and the reserve unmet.
In most cases, I’d say you’re crazy putting a reserve on a car like the Dasher, but this does look like it is one of the only and best examples left. The Dasher is powered by an incredibly robust diesel powerplant, so don’t be spooked by the mileage. There’s a lot of Audi 80 running gear and equipment in these U.S.-spec Dashers, but most Americans buying one for the first time had no clue (nor any interest) in VW’s relationship with its sister company. All that mattered was gas prices were high and the Dasher diesel offered significant fuel economy relief.
They were also fairly well-packaged with lots of interior space despite having a small form factor. The German influence was heavy inside, with basic instrumentation, sensible features, and zero extravagance (although those leatherette seats look pretty nice.) In addition to the Audi connect, the Dasher was VW’s Passat before it was called that here in the states. In retrospect, the humble Dasher becoming the VR6-powered Passat is fairly remarkable; the evolution is significant. Personally, I find the Quantum Syncro wagon far more intriguing, but that’s a story for another time.
The Dasher is powered by a 47 horsepower, naturally-aspirated 1.5L diesel. This is not the car for speed, or really acceleration of any meaningful value. It is the car you buy to park in your bunker for when the first wave of EMP attacks hit. The seller reports a significant list of maintenance performed in preparing it for road-going use, including a new timing belt and injection pump. The attractive “Mexico Beige” paint is original and looks great with the brown interior. While it deserves all the love, $5,000 should be more than enough to bring this survivor home.
A Dasher,,,for Dashing around? Not with 47 HP. you won’t. The Dasher was another tough sell. It somewhat resembled the very popular Rabbit, but never caught on. Like the Scirocco, it’s like folks in the US let the Rabbit slide as the token German econobox, but many still loved the iconic Bug, and that was it. I tried looking up why manufacturers used a cam belt on an interference motor, and some baloney about quieter and cheaper to produce, but the bottom line has to be it helped sell cars, and kept mechanics busy. In fact, due to public outcry, I don’t think many cars use them now, except the ones that want you to puke the motor. 47hp.,,,I think I’ve had bigger reefer motors, and fuel mileage was grossly exaggerated with lofty claims of 50+, when in fact, the gas job did better and had more power. No sir, I haven’t met a diesel powered car I liked, ever.