Volkswagens are prized by their owners for their German precision and solid engineering that rewards regular maintenance with a great driving experience for many many years.
Volkswagen is now one of the largest automotive manufacturers in the world and its for good reason. From their base model Rabbit or Jetta all the way up to Audi S models, the R8, and Porsche/Lamborghini offerings, they have something for everyone.
VWs are more expensive to maintain compared to non-European vehicles, but far less expensive to own over all than a lot of other European/British vehicles. If you are consistent with the oil changes and check-ups as well as scheduled maintenance, they provide a fairly drama-free ownership experience for the level of performance, luxury, and technology you get.
The factory specified oil change interval for most modern VWs is around 9-10k miles with common services such as spark plugs and drive belts, fluid flushes, etc due every few years / 40-60k mile intervals.
We mostly see water pump leaks, oil leaks from the upper timing covers, and rough idle/oil consumption from failed oil separators.
Rough idle can also be caused by failed ignition coils or broken electrical connectors on the coils.
For vehicles that have had lower quality oil and filters or have not adhered to the regular service intervals, we also tend to see timing chain issues as early as 90,000 miles on the 2.0L four cylinder engines.
Intake manifold issues are common across a few different engines and can cause a lot of issues that seem much more severe than they really are. Symptoms include rough idle, low idle speed, vehicle stalling, and poor performance/acceleration.
Uneven tire wear and vibration from failed shocks is also fairly common to a lot of VW models and is easily remedied with new, high quality German suspension parts from Sachs, Bilstein, TRW, etc.
Because of the variety of issues the different models can have, it is crucial to have it checked prior to purchase by a shop familiar with VW/Audi to avoid being stuck with a problem.
Maintenance history and consistent services at a dealer or independent shop are a great indicator the vehicle was well cared for. Avoid vehicles with minimal service history or records from non-specialized quick oil change places for best results.