Over the last 2 years, I've posted comments regarding my frustration with my 1999 VW Passat 1.8T.
My car now has about 105K and has been trouble free for the last year or so. I used to drive Hondas and was not accustomed to the maintenance required on these cars -- and, to further complicate matters, it turns out the the previous owner of my Passat (I bought it at 50K....it was VW certified, but that essentially was just breakdown insurance.....)....was doing oil changes like every 7K (on a turbo!)..which resulted in a ton of problems once I got the car.
Having said that, for anyone considering the purchase of a VW -- I can say that my Passat is a very durable car....I would just budget $1K to $2K a year for maintenance. I also have a 2002 BMW...same premise....has 90K on it and runs and handles like a new car....the flip side is that I spend $2K to 3K a year on maintenance (including things like brakes and tires).....
Just as long as I can afford the maintenance, I will always drive Eurpoean cars.....they last a long time and still run and feel like new when the miles get up there.....however, if budget ever became of concern...I would probably go back to Hondas, or something similar, again. I do have quite a few friends who drive Volvos with 150K plus and deem them to be very reliable.....again, assuming they perform the maintenance.....
I read on the BMW message board once that "Japanese cars are more reliable, but European cars are more durable"........Well put, I think.
Anyway, just some advice for anyone considering the purchase of a VW, or any European car....