How reliable are the 1.8T engines in these cars? And how long are turbos expected to last? Also, once out of warranty, what does it cost to replace the turbo? Thanks

You shouldn't neglect the timing of your maintainace on these cars. There are forums online you can read about this. Consumer reports gave the 1.8 a below average rating. But most most people who own them and maintain them like clockwork swear by them. The ratings also my have something to do with the cars being more expensive to maintain. They are a little more complicated, and require some specialized tools from time to time. Not just anyone can or should work on them. After much research I bought the 2015 Golf TDI manuel. The diesels have good resale, are more reliable, and they run forever. The manuel transmission is cheaper to maintain. They aren't Toyota reliable, of course nothing else really is(maybe Lexus), but the are a joy to drive. Oh, I have also heard that when they get up there in age, that they can have expensive electrical issues, so i plan on keeping mine 8 to 10 years, or for about 150k to 180k.