We averaged about $2000US annually on "fixes" for this car until the most recent problems - the timing belt going out at 91000. If I was the original owner, VW would have been responsible for fixing the car (up to 100K miles) - but since I was the second owner - my only recourse was putting a new engine in it at my expense - nice little $5K fix.
I would not purchase a VW in an area that only has once dealership and limited "experts" in the area. As with most German cars, they are great feats of engineering and very fun to drive when they are working - but also very costly to keep them running.
You waited too long to replace the timing belt. Most experienced VW mechanics recommend replacing the belt between 60-80K miles.
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