Phaeton are not 300K!!!
I have owned many cars over the years and the best cars me or my family had were VW's and Toyotas.
85 Golf 265,000 Miles on Org Engine and Tranny the body finally rusted out so bad my Dad DROVE it to the scrap yard this year.
84 GTI 120,00 when I sold it . I SCCA autocrossed this car andit still drove me to work everyday with out a problem. The other buyer took it well over 200k and it was still going last time I checked.
My best friends Dad had a 86 Golf Diesel that had over 350k!! on the org drivetrain and he sold it in 98 or 99 and it was still driving in 2003 the last time he saw it.
We have a 2001 Jetta GLX 5 speed that is very fast and runs like a top, it also gets about 32 mpg on the highway. 70,000 miles with out a problem.
If VW is so bad why do they have one of the safest cars with the 06 Jetta and why is the TDI version is so sought after there is waiting lists on them at most dealers? I have seen some of the complaints and for the most part it was from people bitching about stupid minor problems. I think it is more important to have a good drivetrain then bitch about a rear window defroster that broke at 150,000 miles. Some people you just can't please no matter what. I am not saying there was not a few lemons, but from my view VW builds a fine product.
I would love to buy Americian, but for smalll cars most US made Dodge, Ford and Chevy are not well made. Sorry but the truth hurts sometimes. My wife had a 90 something Escort with low miles and it fell apart before it ever reached 50,000 miles. We traded it on a used Toyota 4 runner and kept the 4 runner for over 150,000 miles when we traded it on the Jetta. It was running like new with 150,000 miles on it when we traded it in.
The big 3 build great large trucks,but if Toyata ever builds a Diesel truck like the Powerstroke or the Duramax types the big 3 will loose that market also.
Cars are a huge investment for most folks. Would you rather buy a car that can go 200k plus with normal maint or one that wears out before 100K?