my mk2 gti got to 170k on the original engine, and it still had plenty of life left in it. the clutch and gearbox were both toast though. They can last forever or die young, all depends whow well it has been looked after. main thing is how does the clutch feel, does the gearbox crunch and does it smoke when cold/hot/when you floor it/on overrun. that and rust, rust and rust! get underneath, feel round the inner arches especially at the back, look at the beam mounting points, windscreen in the corners, inner chasiss legs etc etc
