I definitely appreciate all the input guys (and OC XFire). You've got us reconsidering cars we've written off and researching our asses off on everything we're interested in. The really sad thing is that we're not decided on a VW at this point, but no other car that we've driven, short of an Audi or BMW, has anywhere near as nice of an interior. We've been very unimpressed with nearly every car besides the VW's (and other German cars) in her price range.

It just sucks that you can't have it all. We like the looks, interior quality, and design of the GTI, but these reliability issues keep haunting us. We also like the A4 and 3 series, but prices on those quickly surpass $15k if you want a well maintained car in good condition. We've looked at some beaten up BMW's for 15 grand...

As far as the Japanese cars go, we've looked at the Scions, Imprezas, and Civics. The Scion is just a joke, but as much as we liked the Impreza WRX and Civic SI, the interiors just ruined it. She just didn't like the copious use of "plasticky" materials.

We'll keep looking, and appreciate the continuing suggestions.