Over the years I have discovered the people that say Volkswagens are problematic or expensive/difficult to fix have zero first hand experience with the cars. Typically it is a friend of a friend who once had a _______ VW that had _______ problem and therefore they are all pieces of crap.

I started out as a die hard Ford fan with a secret love for VW. Never went VW because I listened to these people. Finally saw the light and three Volkswagens later (2004.5 Passat, 2007 Rabbit, 1989 Jetta) I see these people did not know what they were talking about. Based on my own exeriences I don't see these cars being much more expensive to repair than a comparable domestic vehicle. My '04.5 V6 Passat with every electrical luxury known to man had ZERO major issues in the two years I owned it. Our '07 Rabbit has also been a great car...we are the original owners and have 68k with no problems (knock on wood).

Long story short, like any used car do your homework. The majority of the electrical issues you hear about with the VW are from idiot prior owners doing half assed electrical work...whether it be a simple stereo install gone wrong or bypassing the ignition/wipers/headlights/whatever with their own wiring/switch instead of fixing it properly/easily with parts that really aren't that expensive.