I used to have a 2001 Y-reg Polo GTi. I had it for 4 years and it never missed a beat, and I certainly never experienced any gearbox problems. But, as I sold it in 2005/6, I don't know if those problems arose with them when they had a few more years/miles on them.
It was a great little car though, 125bhp 1.6 engine, 15" BBS alloys, aircon, and Xenon headlights all as standard. The interior on mine was grey & red and a bit gaudy, but it was still smart little car.
It was my first VW, and I've stuck with them ever since, moved onto a mk5 Golf GTi afterwards, now driving a Scirocco 2.0 TSI.
