My 1986 Jetta GL just rolled over 300,000 kilometers, on the way home from a weekend trip.
While the figure is slightly optimistic due to having not yet replaced the speedometer drive gear after the recent transaxle swap, it's only optimistic by 50 km or so. I'll take it. But now that I'm back I must do something about the speedometer's weird ideas about how fast I'm going, and install a taller 5th gear to be a bit less frantic on the freeway. No problem on either count...
No rust, doesn't burn a drop of oil, starts without fail, easy on gas, passes the annual smog check by a ridiculous margin. Smooth and comfortable on the highway, nimble in the city. All the usual VW attributes.
In other words, a good car.
Laura Halliday VE7LDH "That's a totally illegal, Grid: CN89mg madcap scheme. I like it!" ICBM: 49 16.05 N 122 56.92 W - H. Pearce