I handed back a Golf Match Edition to VWFS at the start of last year, which I'd had on a 2yr lease.
There was one minor door chip from where my ex had the door pinged in a car park, but that was covered under wear & tear.
The inspector went over it with a fine tooth comb, as this is where they try to claw any money back. Luckily I am one for keeping cars in good nick so nothing was picked up. He said that the first place they look is wheels, and also around the front bumper for pebble rash. He also said they also look inside for any "soiling" as this is common and costs them to have it wet valeted.
Wether you should go for lease v PCP, that's entirely your choice. From your original post it sounds as if you are conscious on cost, and you aren't bothered about options, so I think if I were in your position I would go lease as it will work out more finically viable over the term. RE the milage allowances on the lease, do some sums because it's sometimes cheaper to take a lease on a lower milage and then pay the excess pence per mile at the end. It will also depend on how long you plan to keep the car, a 2yr lease is all very well and good, but that time will fly by and in some cases VW won't offer good terms to extend, so if you plan to keep the car for longer then a PCP is probably best.
To give a real world scenario, my brother bought a brand new Golf GTi in March 2015, white, no options, on a 4yr PCP. He's now struggling to find anything that he would like to change into, he loves the Golf so much he's planning on getting a dirt cheap bank loan to pay the balloon in March as there's also a good chunk of equity in the car.
