'02 Jetta wagon. Purchased at 220,000 miles. Now with 310,000 miles after almost 4 years. I had just a couple of what I would call major issues. Things that strand you. First was needing to replace the seals in the injection pump. It began requiring a long crank every once in a while to start. Then one day, it just wouldn't start. Apparently, the bad seal would allow the pump to suck air and lose prime. Second incident was the engine mount bracket bolts stripping as I was exiting the highway in town. Terrible thunk as the engine dropped several inches, then a major rattle as the serpentine belt pulleys hit things. I was able to drive the 1/2 mile or so to my destination but required a tow home. Reading the forum taught me that the threads in this aluminum bracket strip often, and the bracket should be replaced every third timing belt or so.
Besides that, a couple of timing belt changes (one in progress right now), brake pads, a coolant hose, wiper relay, front A-arm bushings, tie rods, oil changes, manual transmission gear oil changes... either routine maintenance or minor stuff.
Brett