alan,

> Have the chance to buy the above mentioned Jetta,
> but the milage is a bit
> daunting - 181K.

don't let the mileage scare you, that's just getting
broke in on a diesel (IMO).  (my vanagon is one, but
i've owned other VW diesels too).

> At idle, the car
> has a bit of blue
> smoke...

FYI, this is from a post to the diesel list - hope it
helps:
-----
Blue smoke leaning white or gray is oil and can be
from blowby usually.  Oil could be going past the
rings or excess blowby can carry droplets of oil into
the intake.  A crudded up valve cover screen (usually
from incorrect oil) can exacerbate the problem, as can
a bad vacuum pump diaphragm, or dirty air filter.
Incorrect oil can have caused the rings to stick
letting oil past them.
-----

regards, j.

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