Faults:

When I got it, it had an oil leak from the oil filter area; easily fixed in about a hour and $30.

The person I got it from, didn't know how to work on cars and/or drive a manual, so from the lack of those things, the clutch ended up shot after about 2 days of driving it.

When I dropped the tranny, there was heat, cracks in both the flywheel and pressure plate. New clutch kit with pressure plate, $200, got the flywheel trued for around $36, about a day or two of work, and had it all back together.

When trying to move it, the CV finally gave out; $86 and 30 minutes of time. But when I took it off for the new clutch, the boot was messed up and the joint was weak/loose, so I take it that could have been the reason it also stopped moving, and had a chattering sound when in gear and the clutch was released.

Other than that, the car was taken pretty good care of. Most all maintenance was done on time, and I have the original owners manual with all receipts of repairs. Seems like they went through a lot of problems when owning it, but also spent most of their $ on others to repair. I do my repairs myself; all but brakes; warranties are good in case that goes out...

All in all, I've spent about $300 to get her back on the road, and haven't had an issue since. They're not hard to work on, but some of the tools needed are very strange compared to my 86 Honda Accord that I traded straight across for it.

BTW, my Accord 2.0 LXI fi had a performance clutch kit, short shifter, 86 Prelude tranny and axles, Magnaflow exhaust, ram intake and other goodies; running high 13's to low 14's in a quarter. But aftermarket parts for that car were hard to find if any. I wanted a car that has a great deal of upgrades available and great gas mileage, and that's what I got. I can't complain; it's a very good car, and if treated correct, will get you from A-B, and all the way to Z with no issues.

Runs like a champ, getting 27 city, 34 hwy avg at the moment, but running super gas also helps; wouldn't put in less than premium if you have to. Regular is just a no no IMO..

General Comments:

Handles great, very fast, great gas mileage, a lot of comforts, and a nice speaker setup.

Seems to drop lower to the ground at higher speeds. Autobahn setup a little bouncy with stock shocks/struts.

Plenty of room for taller people. Cup holders are not in the greatest spot, but who's eating and drinking at 80+?

Heater core tends to have issues, but it's hot enough out here. A/C is what I worry about, and it works great.

Radiator not having a cap on top is an issue, but maybe just because I'm used to Honda's setup.

Steering wheel adjuster could move downwards, but it's decent.

Paint seems to not last long; currently dealing with the clear coat chipping off.

Trannys in this year are very durable "5spd" if you know how to drive one, and the fact that you have to press down and left then up is way better than the 89 Jetta, in which I found myself a few times at stop light almost backing into cars going forward..

All in all, I truly love my DUB.

Faults:

Water pump at 145,000.

Oil cooler "O" ring at 160,000.

Rear brake calipers at 165,000.

General Comments:

My Daughter was the previous owner of this car, and used it "Hard". When I received it, it was in good condition, but I installed new hoses, belts and battery.

Other than "wear and tear parts, this has been a great car. I live in Snow Country, and during summer the temperatures can go over 100 degrees (Reno, Nevada). The car starts and runs very reliably.

For the original price and yearly maintenance costs, this is a great car, and I would own another VW.