I'm on my 2nd import GTi and hav'nt encountered any problems....saved thousands on new and got around £500 less on trade-in value.
Warranty work and servicing has been done just like a UK supplied car. Dealers want your custom regardless of whether it's an import.
If you keep your car in really good nick it will sell itself at re-sale time.
If it is more than than 3 years old then there is really very little difference between a UK supplied or import, as both are out of warranty.
The main things to check for UK spec are
1. Spacesaver spare wheel (many imports have a puncture repair kit)
2. The alarm is full UK spec with internal alarm
3. Rear speakers (some imports just have front speakers - but not many reports of this)
4. Headlight settings (some Danish imports had the headlights set on like Volvos
)
Have a look at the service book and see where the PDI was done and what the date was. Check out the history. Most imports are fine, but there were a few that had been stored for a year before being sold in the UK - Motorpoint and Motordepot were the sellers of these I believe
Check the VIN number and enter it into this website and you'll get some useful info :
http://www.abvwc.org.uk/vw_vin.htmYou get the full two years UK warranty from the date of the PDI stamp. Check with VW UK that the car has been registered with them and they will be able to tell you how long the warranty has left, what servicing regime it is on etc....)
At the end of the day they are all built at the same factory so IMHO I would'nt let it put you off
