This post strikes a cord in me since I was a die hard VW fan up until a few months ago (more on that later). I owned a 84 Jetta with the then rare TURBO-diesel engine & 5-speed stick in college. At the time was dating a girl approx. 125 miles one way and would visit her weekly. The ride was nothing horrific compared to small, light weight vehicles of the period. Always got 50mpg or better living in Philadelphia, got 61 mpg driving the NY Thruway going to Niagara Falls. Pretty peppy with the turbo and extra gear keeping the ratios closer in a 1800lb 4 door sedan. Previous post was correct as I went thru 3 Blaupunt head units in 4 years with the car due to the engine vibrations: don't even consider installing a CD player! Vibrations also cause the front engine mount to fail regularly. Other than that, the basics are truely bulletproof in these vehicles as the listings for 300k+ mile are common place. Basically the peripherals turn to dust as the driveline runs on. As you can see from the attached links, unlike the VX, their value appreciated even after 25 years & 100k miles due to demand for fuel efficent vehicles in general and their reputation for durability. Could probably save a few bucks on a Rabbit, Jetta, Dasher, or Quantum as the Caddies seem to command the highest premium, but much harder to carry that forementioned ladder in one of those.
As far as the modern VW TDIs: Stay away. Just traded in a 2006 Jetta TDI I bought after only 16 months. Quality control in VW hasn't improved in those last 25 years. Intermittant electrical glitches, poor water seals, and the car living for months at a time in the dealership lot awaiting a part is no longer acceptable even in American cars anymore. The engines still last forever, but you expect more from the surrounding parts in a $29k car.
Rant over.