I bought my 2002 Jetta TDI 4 years ago with 182000 kilometres on it from the Volkswagon dealership in Victoria BC.
I now have almost 300000 kilometres on it and it's still going strong.
My only complaint is the recent issue I've had with the engine air intake manifold and having it clog up. I started noticing less and less power about 6 months ago and it finally reached a ridiculous level, so I found a good local mechanic that specializes in these cars . This is a somewhat common occurrence on this model of car from my understanding, but a clean intake manifold has made it like a brand new car again!
This still hasn't tarnished my belief that this is one of the best cars you can buy and I would't hesitate to buy a newer model sometime down the road or recommend it to my friends and family.
Mileage has been phenomenal, with my best tank getting 1250kms (I estimated to be around 49mpg). On average I'll get between 1050 and 1150kms per tank.
One other note, this car is REALLY good in the snow. I've never had snow tires on it - just good all-seasons - and I've never had a problem with winter driving. I even took it up a local ski hill known for it's bad road in a snowstorm (chains in the trunk just in case) but it made it NO problem.