[84porsche]

VWs are great cars if maintained and looked out for. I have an 03 Jetta with 36k on the clock and things I have had issues with were the plastic pieces on the center armrest the wiper motor and the ac expansion valve. But every car will have their issues, nothing is perfect. I had a 97 SAAB 900 while going to college and now the Jetta and both pretty reliable cars.

You really have nothing to lose. Just find a local VW mechanic and make friends with him and get him a AAA card and you should be good. For 5k, you really aren't going to lose much as far as value. Car is also alot safer in my opinion than a Corolla. The Corolla engine will last forever but everything else will fall off the damn car, every plastic piece and seal will just break away while the VW likely stays pretty solid.

99-01 Jettas - make sure the rear window clips have been replaced, problems with the windows falling, was also common on the Audis. 02-03 they corrected the problem.