 I love this car. It's such a gem of a car. If you simply take care of it, change the oil (full synthetic) every 3,000 miles (it does gum up fast in this car, unfortunately. Just don't go over 3,000 without changing it), put premium gas in it, and generally just take care of it and it will last you forever. I bought mine at 171,000 miles from an owner who took great care of it and it drives like it's brand new!Yes, repairing a VW is generally more expensive, but you get what you pay for and you fix it far less often. I'm confident I will take this car to 250,000 miles easily. It is so reliable. I wouldn't hesitate for one second to recommend this vehicle to anyone!