my brother has a 96 Jetta with the aba, 2L engine. Its been great with no issues what so ever. As for the vr6 i would stay away since there are lot issues with them. The 2L 4 banger is the one you want if you are looking for reliably.

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1986 300SDL, 211K,Dealership serviced its whole life
1991 190E 2.6(120k)
1983 300D(300k)
1977 300D(211k)