Cars broken down on the highway? Come on man, if you're going to tell me VW's are poor cars, at least use some sort of facts. I've been driving these cars for the past 10-12 years (So does my family, we all own diesels). My last Jetta had over 600,000kms on it when I retired it, it also averaged 50-55MPG US.. My new(er) wagon currently has 330,000kms on it, barely broken in! Mike and I took my buddies TDI wagon up to Hearst when we flew into the Sutton. 3/4's of a tank one way.. We easily saved $100 on that trip alone in fuel. It might take you 10 years to recoup 5k if you're driving 20k a year, but I'm doing anywhere from 40-60k per year.. I see around 1100-1300kms per tank (55L's), nothing out there even comes close.
I also agree with Dan, most expensive car I've ever bought was my first Jetta (11k used with 45,000kms on it).. You'll never see me buying a new car.