Faults:

Sunroof was broken upon delivery. Fixed under warranty.

Headlights would go off/on every six minutes. Never corrected.

Window switches broke. I fixed them myself.

CD changer broke. Replaced under warranty.

The key would not start the car. $200 to reprogram the car.

Numerous minor repairs during the two years I owned it.

Check engine light came on. I drove it two months that way and then got rid of it.

General Comments:

A roomy, fast, neat looking car.

The worst car I ever owned, as far as reliability goes.

Faults:

It burned oil, but I really didn't mind, nor was it an expensive problem, I just made sure to check my oil often, and add a bit here and there as necessary. I changed oil every 10,000 kms, and usually added a litre or two between changes.

There was absolutely nothing else that went wrong with the car.

General Comments:

This car was awesome, super fun, and a joy to own. I bought it used in 2007, and had absolutely no problems with it whatsoever in the year that I owned it.

It was the special edition baby blue, that was so light it looked white most of the time, which was really cool.

It was a 5 spd so it was fun to drive, despite lacking a bunch of power, (it would rev pretty high just keeping up with traffic on the highways), and it was a bit harder on gas than todays tiny cars, but the way it drove and handled is far superior to most tiny cars, so definitely worth it.

Passengers did have some complaints about back seat space (notably, because of the shape of the car, they would bang their heads off the side of the car all the time) but front seat space was amazing, way more room than any small car I've been in.

Excellent visibility with very little blind spots, and you can fit way more than you would expect in the hatch (especially if you flip the back seats down!!).

Faults:

Gas door won't open when closed or close if you get it open.

Electric window switches replaced and replacement switch lasted 3 months.

Drivers door lock does not work.

Passenger side door must be unlocked by key fob.

Spoiler does not work automatically at all.

Water pump impeller exploded at less that 55000 miles.

Cannot keep head/taillights in this car and they are an incredible pain to replace.

Black seats are faded to gray and stain at the slightest provocation.

Brake light switch replaced twice, once under recall, once on my dime, second time it left us stranded in a parking lot because the car would not come out of park without the electrical system recognizing that the brakes were applied.

Smog pump went out at less than 40000 miles and costs $800, only needed in California so we did not replace it, as a result the check engine light stays on all of the time.

This car has more minor electrical glitches and oddities than it is possible to mention for example:

I changed the battery recently and afterwards could not start the car without the alarm going off, had to open the back hatch (with the key, the electric switch for it doesn't work either) with the drivers door open, then get in and close the drivers door and start the car to turn off the alarm, I suppose the logic in that was lost in translation from German to English.

General Comments:

My wife's dream car has been my nightmare for 5 years, but in its defense, if the car is running it is a hoot to drive, quick, responsive, handles well (except in the wind). I just wish that VW had spent a little more time on the details, and not been so concerned with flower vases on the dash, it is embarrassing to drive this thing on my frequent visits to Autozone!