My first car was a Rabbit Turbo Diesel and now my wife and I both have Audi's (just dressed up VW's). I have an A3 and my wife has an A6 Avant which really is just a Passat wagon with more electronic stuff. We both bought them used and both are nearing 70k miles.
The average annual repair on the A3 has been almost nothing if you look at it over the 5 years I've owned it. But, when something goes wrong, like most German cars, things can get pricey. Usually because of getting to the bad part than because if the part itself. My thermostat went out a few months ago and it cost about $50 for the part and about $350 for my independent VW guy to replace (you have to drain the cooling system and remove a bunch of stuff to get to it). That said, the thermostat is the only non-rgular service item I've paid for and the only warranty items were a recalled PCV valve and a dead airbag sensor.
Similarly, on my wife's A6, the headlight bulb went out. Repalcement OWM HID bulbs were about $70 each, but to get to the passenger side one I had to remove the whole airbox. Not difficult at the end of the day, but representative of how most of these German cars are engineered.
On the A6, the water pump blew and was fixed under warranty, and we had to replace the rotors at 65,000 miles. To replace the pads and rotors was $700 at our independent place. The rotors needed replaceming because they were worn, which although it may sound early, the A6 wagon is a HEAVY car and we really load it up on a regular basis so I feel like it was within normal standards.
So...it may sound like I'm digging on VW's, but the reality is I love them. I really feel that VW offers a great bang for the buck. The interiors are great, they are fun to drive and (depending on which engine you get) are pretty efficient. They are probably a bit more expensive to fix than a Honda or Toyota and probably have a few more problems, but they also have more character than your average Accord or Camry.
Best of luck in your car search, I personally would not hesitate to pull the trigger on a Passat, and find yourself a good independent once the warranty expires. Just like every other car make, the Stealerships are rediculously expensive if it isn't a warranty item.
Alex
