Who wants to own a convertible with little money could be right here. However, the very high original price plus extras is a barrier. But also buy public authorities, especially the German armed forces. And then we come full circle, when one purchases these as used for much smaller money.
Sounds logical if there would not exist unreasonably excessive wear some times, The 181 just has to suffer. And its smaller transmission, compared with the passenger cars does the rest to accelerate the aging process. With the small series (for VW-standards) of perhaps 140,000 (according to Wikipedia), one should not expect at all specific manufactured parts for this vehicle such as the body, Beetle quality.
Also nice is not it, it will obviously not even be. But rarely, a convertible with 4 doors and sawed-off B-column. If it is practical, with its rear construction, including top? After all, the car maintenance be restricted to intensive use of the water hose or steam cleaner. Something like care products for the dashboard here is certainly not needed.
Nevertheless, the Volkswagen factory, the body parts has so shaped that for all attachments, e.g. the lighting device one needed only to grap into the shelf. After all, one has given the unicum complicated formed end pipes up into the bumpers and at the same time increased the rear angle of driving slope.
'Where roads end, ... ' it says in the brochure. The car is delivered as standard with knobbly winter tyres. Although it has no all-wheel drive, but is set 20 cm higher and has a good force of the rear drive axle with the rear engine. It belies some of today's SUV owners, who thinks that without all-wheel would be impossible.
Interestingly, it is also pointed to the limousine-like comfort, which is at first glance not really to recognize. One add to this the seats, probably taken from the passenger car series and, with somewhat more justification, the standard auxiliary heating, which with the engine parked still makes more sense. Crazy but true, the 181 has a "dimmable reading lamp."
More important seems the possibility to obtain by folding down the rear seatback a continuous cargo area, thus almost the quality of a pickup truck. Theoretically, you can load an open cargo area as high as you want. Incidentally, there is at the 181 with open top nor a particularly streamlined form. The windshield can be fold forward. Without the noise sensitive, side plug-in windows made of plastic would arise a significantly reduced air resistance.
One must make a compliment the so stripped 181. Compared with many a convertible with nearly over the heads reaching windscreen and additional high rear it is really airy. And it should not happen so often that a manufacturer expressly allows to drive the vehicle in the rain with open top. 03/10