B14SERClone

For the water pump issue- they do make a replacement with metal impellar blades that helps extend the life..but the belt, you just have to make sure you service it on time or early without exception! When we did them at the shop, typical cost was between 350-500 depending on gas vs. tdi..and it was using all vw oem parts (not a fan of your regular parts store parts for vw's)

The airbag thing-sorry your girl went through that...if it was an older one, MkII or MkIII then they have a specified service interval where the dealer is supposed to check them out for proper operation...unfortunately, it's not a system you just can leave be and not get checked. Which is why my '93 cabriolet's is disabled.

Vw's have been known for their electrical issues- the GLI's and Jetta's of that generation don't seem to have the pronounce ones that people remember for the 93-99 generation. Window regulators and coil packs are the most common failures. They are very enjoyable cars, and if you stay up on your maintenance then you won't have an issue..it's just not optional to stay ahead of the stuff breaking...whereas with my 93 8v-timing belt just broke..no harm no foul, but if it had been a 1.8t..I'd be replacing the engine.

Hope this helps! If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask me...I may be building my Nissan right now..but still daily a vw, and familiar with most all of them from '81-10

Victum

her car has all work done through the dealer and is serviced every time, so service has nothing to do with it. besides if memory serves correct then the car had ~40k miles

also her new GTi which has 25k miles is the noisiest car i have ever ridden in, the road noise is terrible in it (and i drive an sti which is supposed to be loud inside)

B14SERClone

Then that just plain sucks...unfortunately, it's not only a vw that can be hit..or hit something and not have the airbags go off We had a number of bimmers do that as well because of where the darn sensor was located on the car...common sense would have said for the air bag to go off, and on both a 5 series and a 3 series, it just didn't happen.

If the gti is still on it's original tires..definetely not the quietest..it kinda reminded me of the mini cooper's on runflats when I test drove it, thought there coulda been a better choice on keeping the road noise down, (more insulation or something)... but still minor compared to the cabriolet or my sentra.