Known as the Passat (B1) in Europe, Volkswagen Dashers were sold here in the States from 1974-1981. This well-preserved example is located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California and is available for sale here on Craigslist at the asking price of $5,800. It’s described by its seller as a “fairly rare two-door sunroof model” and is reported to have been acquired from its original owner just last year. We don’t come across VW Dashers very often here at Barnfinds so a very special thanks to reader Don W for spotting this one!
It’s early spring here in upstate New York, also known as “winter.” I’ve been looking at dreary skies and snow banks since November so, at this point, any car I see photographed in dripping sunlight looks super enticing to me! As I drift off into a daydreaming state, I can imagine throwing a surfboard on the roof, ditching those gaudy hubcaps, and driving this Dasher over to Newport Beach to catch some waves. Dude, that’s gnarly! But wait a minute! Someone splash some cold water on my face! As a purist, I would hate to see a car like this altered in any way and that includes keeping those hubcaps just as they are. Close-up photos reveal this Dasher isn’t quite perfect, but the scratches, dents, and dings in the original paint make it that much more endearing as a true and rare survivor. To me, this car is the perfect balance between a cream puff and a classic daily driver. It’s in the exact condition I want all of my collector cars. If only I had a collection…
If you thought this car was a bit bland by looking at the exterior then perhaps the lush beauty of the interior will alter your opinion. The amazing condition of the rich, chocolate brown upholstery, dash, and floor coverings reveal the meticulous and perhaps fanatical care given to this car over the past 38 years. There is significant and uncharacteristic damage to the rear seat that needs to be addressed, however. It looks like the family dog wasn’t a big VW fan, perhaps. The only other imperfections I can see is the slight fading and cracking on the shifter knob and the seller’s mention of a small crack in the dash.
This Dasher comes with the fuel injected 1.6 liter 4-cylinder motor capable of producing about 78 horsepower. These days most used Dashers on the market (when you can find one) tend to be those powered by VW’s 1.5-liter diesel motor which is grossly underpowered compared to the gasoline-fueled models. Mated to a 4-speed manual transmission the seller reports the car “performs smoothly with no issues.” Despite only 59,000 original miles on the motor the timing belt was recently changed which should give this Dasher’s new owner significant peace of mind. Other work performed includes new plugs, injector seals, and a complete fluid and filter change. Recent service records, a shop manual, and “assorted parts” are also included in the sale. Unfortunately, the AC is in nonworking order but who cares? Isn’t it better to open the sunroof, roll down the windows, and enjoy that warm California air anyway?!
Great looking example, almost forget about these cars and this one looks really good.
I’ll bet no one, and I mean no one, at the local VW dealer has ever worked on one of these.
Imagine this with a “cheater” TDI swapped in. How do you say Rock n Roll in German?
Röck und Röll 😜
I had a 4-door diesel as my DD for about eight years. It was a great car in almost all ways with the notable exception of the engine. The guy after me junked it when the engine blew up, and that was engine #4.
A gasoline one seems a much better bet.
That Guy
That old diesel you speak of is VASTLY inferior to a modern TDI. How does 180+ hp, over 300ft lbs torque and 40+ mpg in this vintage VeeDub sound? Torque steer would probably be an issue…
Here’s one I completely forgot. On Dasher !!
No torque steer should happen with a TDI swap. (Both front half shafts would be the same length on this application) If I did one of those swaps I would use an Audi 4000 5 speed gear box. (stronger and more gears to choose from) The only torque steer should be from lighting up one tire on a hard leave! And I agree PDXBrian, that would be a great swap! This car is very light (particularly if you exchanged the HEAVY rear hatch glass with a lighter, thinner sheet of lexan and were able to find some early Fox “tin foil” front and rear bumpers and brackets. That would be a blast to drive. Don’t count on the mileage to be accurate. (although from the looks of the car it probably is not far off) As the odos on these cars are famous for non-functioning. Nice car, it might even be priced properly!
He he. Im born with these cars. My uncle is VW dealer, i think now for over 50 years.
Here in Danmark its named Passat.
And these old 8 valve diesel was slow. Very slow, but a strong engine, if you could learn to take it easy. Otherwice you could kill it, in half a hour. It also came with turbo as a Passat TD. But it wasnt much faster, but a more smooth running engine.
A teacher of mine had a Golf II with that old diesel. It had over 700,000 km. On one engine. In the end it couldnt come over 80 kmt. And it smoked as a power plant, for a middel zice town.
But we use a lot of salt in winter, so all these old 70-80-90 cars are long gone.
Nice reminder, but these seats are ugly. Standard cloth is nicer. These will glue to your ass, when wearring shorts🙂
And BTW keep that org. Engine. It runs ok. Isnt. Fast, but at least it fit in the car. Numbers matching. No but it moves it ok. And have ok. Gas milage
I had forgotten about the Dasher. Another one don’t see the 411 and 412. They couldn’t have imported too many only saw one or two back in mid 70’s. Or VW quantum sister had one 5cylinder gas engine. Just sold it 2 years ago.
Strangely I don’t like this at all despite it checking many boxes for me. Beige,manual,hatchback,same year I was born,mix of luxury and sportiness. It’s got a lot going for it, but it’s just too fugly! I normally find ugly cars endearing so this is odd. The scirocco is one of my favorite wish list cars, and this just looks like a bloated bland version without any added power to make up for that.
I disliked these cars when they came out, but think they’re clean and still fresh looking all these years later. Even in beige.
Sick sad world: even this beige is a relief from the black white silver greyscape out there today.
Never thought I’d find beige to be eye catching, ever.
That pin stripe is odd, following no logical line which would have it mirroring the shape of the window.
Must be a dealer add on, I can’t see a factory putting something that poorly executed on one of their cars
Seems like the pinstripe follows a swage line that helps break up the visual mass of the lower C-pillar and rear flank — e.g., see an unstriped (but otherwise snazzed-up) example here:
https://jalopnik.com/how-about-this-dashing-1977-vw-dasher-for-5-500-1770142875
The Dasher replaced the Karmann Ghia starting in 1974.
I’d say VW America sold a lot less Dashers than the K G…..for a good reason.
That would be the Scirocco. The Dasher/Passat [B1] was a family car.
I looked at Dashers and Foxes in 1974, before ultimately buying a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe. (Much more fun to drive, but not much fun to watch rust.) I have never forgotten telling the Audi dealer that I was also considering the Fox’s VW twin. He sneered at the inferior VW and told me the two cars were entirely different; that the Fox used thicker sheet metal and as a result weighed 100 lbs more. While I didn’t know as much about cars then as I did a few years later, I knew enough to run away from that dealership as fast as I could!
As a prior owner of an ‘81 Diesel Dasher wagon-that averaged around 48mpg with a 4speed.. I like these cars-but not the gas engines.. I also owned a ‘76 Dasher wagon with gas engine that was an absolute turd-it went to New York about 8 years ago and I don’t really miss it at all. I’d buy another one again if a diesel and the price was right..
I remember these cars. Put some money and time into it, do what it needs, and you’ll be fine.
My girlfriend taught me to drive in her brown Dasher wagon. The cargo area was ample.
Could Porsche 924 running gear be stuffed in there to make it RWD? VAG was using all those bits in VW/Audi/water-cooled Porsche at the time.
I bought a new ’75 Dasher GT, silver with aluminum wheels. OK car but my girlfriend rolled it about 4 months after I bought it, and the day I got it out of the body shop I backed it into a pole in the parking lot and pulled it right back into the shop for quarter panel repair. I sold it soon after.
You’re spot-on: this car is the perfect balance between cream puff and classic daily driver. In this condition, with such low mileage, and such rarity – when did you last see one? – it seems like a bargain at that price.
Almost 40 years ago, when I was a grad student (shows my age…) a friend of mine inherited a little bit of money and wanted to replace his totally worn-out beater. I talked him into getting a Dasher, which at the time was only a couple of years old. He liked driving it, but it was the most unreliable VW I’d ever seen (and I came from a long line of traditional air-cooled v-dubs before then). I think the Dasher experience was why he stopped talking to me…
If this car wasn’t 3,000 miles away, I’d snap it up in a heartbeat. But it probably wouldn’t be cost-effective to transport cross-country, and I’d be hesitant to drive it that far.
Hello, I’m the owner. The Dasher has become quite popular on the net. It’s also been featured recently on Bring a Trailer, German Cars for Sale, and earlier on Curbside Classics. I came across it by accident last year and couldn’t pass it up. It really needed nothing more that a good clean and some basic maintenance. It’s fun watching people struggle to identify it.