Recalling back, in the 1985 VW Diesel I would some times also coast with engine off. But man! Pop-starting that thing must have hit some number on the Richter scale. It depended on the circumstances.
I also once lost the clutch cable at the beginning of about a 700 mile trip over several mountain passes and drove the whole way matching revs and starting in gear at stop lights and didn't have any transmission or starter problems afterwards.
The current owner didn't ever get it registered and I'm temped to just go pick it up since he no longer wants it...
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