VW From Toy to Royalty

I have owned 4 VWs. The first was a 1973 beetle. It was a flower pot that had been sitting in the driveway for 3 years. Someone had given it to my father to pay off a debt. Of course it was a piece of junk. It had weeds growing up through the floor boards. After 6 years, I turned the key and it started right up! I fixed it up and kept it for 3 years, turned around and sold it for $2,000. Over the next 5 years I came to purchase 2 VW Foxes. Great zippy little cars. The last one went 230,000 miles before the engine blew. Not sure what we wanted (husband kept looking at SUVs, and I kept seeing him rolling down the hill into the river), we test drove the 19991/2Golf GL (note there is a difference b/w the 1999 and the 19991/2 versions). WOW! That car handled like nothing we had ever driven before. We bargained, got it for about 12,000.00 and haven't been happier! There are some quirky things that I don't like, but I'll live with them. For one, the automatic locks on the doors lock as soon as you reach I believe 2 miles an hour. This I don't like, as I would like both doors to lock as soon as I get in. In this era of car-jacking, one has to be careful. The placements of the cup holders ( I never thought I'd ever complain about cup holders), is awkward. You can't tune the radio if you've got the cup holders engaged.
The bright side is that I cruise 85 mph on the turnpikes with no effort at all. The handling is so precise, I could turn on a pin if I wanted to. Driving in Philadelphia is treacherous enough, and I need to be able to zip in and out of lanes fast. The five-speed tranny is terrific on the highway...I can shift into 4th and 5th and pass a convoy of trucks without blinking an eyelash. Also, all of the little compartments which are on the doors, change compartments etc... have removable rubber pieces that you remove for easy cleaning. So if some dud spills soda, you just remove the rubber piece and clean it rather than having to stuff your hand into the side compartment to scrub the sticky junk out.
The warranty is great too...free oil changes and maintenance for the first year. That really helps. The extra wide tires are terrific, esp. in the snow. You have a great deal more traction, and even in rainy weather you are not wobbling over the place. I'm staying with Volkswagen...not because of the trendy androgynous duh-duh-duh people in the commercials, but because hey, Volkswagen masterminded the art of making tanks...and they produce a heck of a car!