RE: How many miles till they run bad?
 

If the car has more than 80k miles, you're going to end up spending $1k or so to have your timing belt changed. While you're at it, change the water pump as well. If you're mechanically inclined, DIY & you can save over 1/2 of the cost vs. paying somebody to do it for you. Maintained properly, the car can run for a looooong time. I had a 98 VW that, when traded in for my A4, it had 285k on the clock.