I bought an '89 Jetta Carat with 87,000 miles in undergrad. The ride was smooth as silk, and I had minimal problems out of that car -- mostly only hose and electrical system issues -- for another 80,000 miles. Ultimately I killed the car by neglecting to change its oil.

I must admit the upkeep of our current 1996 Honda Civic has been even less of an issue, but were I considering buying another car now, a VW would certainly be among my top considerations.