Faults:

Runs like a top!!! Excellent MPG average 30+.

Recently passenger side window motor works great, sounds like a blender on low.

Complete control arm kit, with hardware for left and right.

Broken oil dipstick funnel.

Mirror control module.

Catalytic converter gasket.

Rear wheel hub.

Cabin air filter.

Timing belt and tensioner.

Rear hatch piston.

CVT complete driver and passenger side (DRIVE TRAIN).

Power steering pump (from junk yard) $40. Make sure to flush.

Car stereo, apparently so useless and faulty you can go to the junk yard and get them for FREE, and then pay $25-30 to get the safe code!!!

Plugs.

A/C compressor belt.

Rack and pinion.

Mind you, I got this from a dealer who got it from auction. It was in a minor front end collision.

Replaced all parts for less than 2G's by doing it myself.

Don't be afraid to do lots of research. Research saves lots of $$$$$. Had I taken it to the dealer, it would have cost at least 6G's.

General Comments:

Note: make sure you upgrade your oil to specs 5w-40. Not many manufacturers make this oil, however it will save you from a blown engine. It will also take away any of the pinging or knocking you hear, almost immediately. When you switch over to the new oil, go for a long drive 1000 miles. If you have any sludge in your oil, you will want to heat it up as much as possible for as long as possible. Make sure you change the oil filter when you change the oil.

It's a good idea after your long 1000 mile road trip to change the oil filter, not the oil. Wait another 1000 miles, then change the oil and filter. This will ensure you will not clog your the screen on the oil pick up. If it gets clogged, your temperature gauge will let you know; it will spike!!! Turn off the engine immediately!!! This will save your engine. Don't let it get close to 260 degrees.

Faults:

Everything went wrong with this car. Each 2 months I had to go to the dealership for approx. $700 each time.

General Comments:

Fast and comfortable, but cost way too much.

Faults:

Well first off let me just clarify that I knew the car needed work when I bought it, and that the cost of ownership would be more expensive with my VW than with, oh say, a Honda. Also that the car has never failed to start. But this is my list of faults.

1) The front drive axles and CV boots needed replacing at 123K.

2) The exhaust pipes were rusted through at 123K.

3) The left front inner and outer tire-rods went bad very suddenly around 150K.

4) Half the fuse box fried and needs replacing currently. This left the headlights, blinkers, windshield wipers, horn, and AC blower motor useless.

5) The ABS will kick on needlessly in regular non-panic stops.

6) From time to time (normally when it's cold) the driver side window will go up when I push down, and go down when I pull up.

7) The CD changer randomly will not work and read *CD ERROR*. Sometimes in the middle of a song on a brand new CD.

8) When it gets below 40 degrees, it's almost impossible to get the car into 1st. Even after letting it warm up for 20 or so minutes.

9) The defroster SUCKS BIG TIME!

10) The leather is cracked and ripped on every seat in the car, along with the shifter.

11) The paint seems thin and fairly easy to scratch.

12) Oh yeah, and my driver side heated seat never worked. It's irritating to have your passengers 'ooo-ing and aahh-ing' in the seat next to you while you're frozen stiff.

General Comments:

OK, so now that I've said all the negatives on this car, let me get to some of the positives.

This car never fails to make me smile (when I'm not dropping a thousand dollars to keep it on the road). And it's very attractive to look at... for a wagon.

The 5-speed mated with a turbo really makes this car fly after about 3000 rpm's, and it handles very playfully for a station wagon. It also has the best brakes I've ever had in a car, I mean this car stops QUICK (which is handy in stop and go Atlanta traffic). It's tons of fun to flip through the gears at night on a windy road while going double the limit and feel like you have complete control of the car at all times. And the stock stereo is AMAZING! It's extremely crisp, clear and loud.

It's got tons of features I didn't expect to find, like an air conditioned glove compartment.

The insurance is dirt cheap because it's got the 'best pick' rating in crash tests. I'm 20 year old guy and I pay $98 a month for full coverage. I have clean record though :P.

The car is very sturdy and feels like the body and interior will last faaaaaar longer than the drivetrain. I actually got rear-ended buy some ugly Chevy Equinox fairly hard and got out expecting a lot of damage, yet I only had scratches in the paint.

This car has served me well for the past 30k miles and I love it to pieces. I just can't continue dropping a thousand dollars in it a month to keep it running. I feel like I'm in a losing battle with it. It just always seems to be needing something else fixed. I hate it because I love the car so much. I'm in the process of getting the fuse box fixed (approx. $500) and will heave a sigh of relief and sadness when I see her drive away with a new owner. Not only because I love the car, but because I wasted so much money keeping it driving down the road.