[Vwdiesel] Turbo Diesel Rabbit in Japan

[Gavrik Peterson]

I have been living in Japan for the last 6 weeks and have 
met a young guy whose family is heavily into VW Rabbits. 
His mom drives a GTI with a hot cam! And they have a 
garage loft stuffed with parts. Looking around, I found 
myself getting kind of excited.

In the garage they have a 1983 TD Rabbit with 180k miles 
that no longer starts. I was impressed with the fine shape 
the body was in. They paid the equivalent of 1000 US 
Dollars, which seems low to me for a body in this 
condition, and in Japan where stuff is relatively 
expensive.

The problem is getting parts here. Some parts are no 
longer available. The other problem is that they cost 
approximately three times the US price. I suspect that the 
high price of parts makes it prohibitive to rebuild a 
vehicle. This may explain why vehicles with shot engines 
go for a reasonable price.

He is thinking of rebuilding the engine. Does anyone know 
what the problems would be if I purchased engine parts in 
the US and shipped them to him in Japan?

Your diesel correspondent in Japan.

   --  Gavrik