Review Car

Volkswagen 181 Review

The Volkswagen 181 also known as the trekker in the United Kingdom, the Safari in Mexico and simply as the Thing in the United States was a small really super looking military type vehicle that was produced from 1969 to 1983. Described by some as a cross between a "bug" and a "tank" this little car was considered to be the first UV and the forerunner to all terrain vehicles. 

In fact, the Volkswagen 181 is a cross between the Volkswagen beetle and the kuberwagen used by German military during world war two. What resulted was a rear wheel drive vehicle that had fold down rear seats, could be made into a convertible, and with a fold down windshield with large map pockets on all four doors. The result was a strange, but attractive looking little car that was actually a bit shorter than the Volkswagen "bug." 

In the first five years that the 181 was made a limited number of these vehicles were sold in the United States mainly because the company asked a pretty large price of $3,000 for this vehicle when the beetle sold for around $1,000. Most of the 181's went to people who lived on the beach and were looking for little more than a fashionable dune buggy. 

There were roughly a 140,000 of these little vehicles made in the 13 years that Volkswagen was making the 181. While some people feel that the Volkswagen 181 is little more than a metal box on wheels. 

The Volkswagen 181 never did reach the popularity that many other Volkswagen cars did in the states probably because there really were too little of these vehicles. Even today with so many classic and antique cars in high demand the 181 seems to lack the attention that most other vehicles receive from those who have fond memories of the cars that they grew up with and around. 

However, there are a few people who still own one of these vehicles today and find them a fun little car to drive and one that gets some attention from those who are unfamiliar with the 181, but it is doubtful that even as an antique these cars will reach the popularity of the Volkswagen beetle or even the rabbit. They simply seem a vehicle destined to stay on the sidelines even among those who love the classic lines of the vehicles of yesteryear. They simply lack that infinite something that makes certain cars loved by car enthusiasts.