* It (generally) uses a litre of (expensive) oil every 4-5k miles.
* Life-time economy of ~28mpg, mainly cold start & short trips
* Seems to idle & run a bit smoother on SUL fuel.
* Watch for;
a) dodgy coil packs. Was subject to a recent VW workshop action (pedant: not a recall) campaign to change gratis. VW's work code is '28F5'.
b) OE diverter valves fail... change the diaphragm type for the OE piston-type valve (aka 'revision d', or 'revision g'),
c) Erratic idle - potential MAF or PCV issues,
d) Rust! Wheel arches & under the VW boot emblem.
* You can happily leave it on the street and doesn't shout about what it is - you decide if that's a good thing or not,
* The 18" alloys are 'more desireable', but get damaged easily and a b*gger to get fixed correctly...
* Fellow forumites claim 40+ mpg on a run - I struggle to better 33-35 on a run (28 combined), mainly to rather childish impatience & a heavy right foot...

Pros:-
Image, inoffensive, nimble, all-round appeal, cruising refinement, van-like space & practicality, nice slug of torque.

Cons:-
Image (again), a bit common, under-powered, silly 'niggly' problems, rust issues (on an '06 FFS!), interior rattles, parts prices, missing a couple of cylinders, (some) inept dealers, no 'sports car'.