"But my experience, and those among my friends (I was part of a local VW enthusiast club) is that the cars are fine. But the kicker is you need to stay on top of your maintenance. If you skimp on the regular work, you end up paying for it in the end. "

This is the absolute truth about most modern cars. The main thing I look for now in a used car is parts availability and how well the car has been maintained.