ive seen a VW passat with over 400,000 miles on the clock, the reliability and durability are unbeatable even for the japs. ...
ok, i have to specify this. my first car was a polo 2. it was simple, frugal and sturdy.
well, my experiences with newer vw´s were not so good, plus the vw service was quite unfriendly even for german standards.
quality wise it has changed from "it has to last forever" to "it has to last until the next model series".