Well I bought this quite nice manual Blue Star van from a list member just about a year ago with an uninstalled 2.1 engine. Then I bought the exhaust parts and pulley and lots of other bits and pieces etc needed to put the engine in and proceeded to assemble things and install them and it went fairly well. Unfortunately, about a month later I was involved in a really bad accident in my tdi Golf on a freeway in Tennessee. It almost killed me and I had serious traumatic brain injuries. I have recovered pretty well the Doctors say but I am now slightly physically handicapped and still healing the brain injuries and as a result I am having to rethink my vehicle project.

I have worked on the van again somewhat, since the beginning of the year but I live in the NC mountains and have no garage. The 2.1 wbx is installed and running and I have driven the vehicle a little on the road where we live at 3200ft in rural Ashe County. There are still some exhaust leaks and a few little coolant drips have appeared from the infamous cylinder head seals. Otherwise it starts and runs quite nicely and I have driven it up steep hills in first and second gears and everything seems to work fairly well, clutch, electrical system etc, at least to my limited experience. It has a/c, all hooked up etc but I have not tried it.

I am thinking of selling it as it is, as I am not really able to do mechanical things much anymore. Its in pretty nice condition, metallic blue and the interior is in good shape with the special Blue Star upholstery and table, folding bed, jump seats etc. Wheels and other things, I believe are original. No radio. About 140 k miles on the van itself and I think that is accurate. The engine supposedly has less but it dates from ~1986 and comes from a Canadian syncro I think as it had a heater block attached and a single crankshaft pulley. It runs pretty smoothly but the idle might need some fine tuning. I have not registered and insured it yet so it still has a Virginia title. Located west of Winston Salem, a little south of Virginia state line and a little east of Tennessee state line, close to Boone NC.

If anyone has any interest in finishing this nice project, please send me a private email and I can take some pictures and supply additional info. Hoping to get most of what I paid for it.

The Blue Star van was to take the place of a small Aliner camper that I pulled with a Tdi VW Jetta wagon and a Land Rover Discovery to which I fitted a 300tdi diesel and 5sp.

A big thank you to Dennis, Scott and other notables on the list who have helped me get as far as I have :-) Best regards to all, Steve Cotsford