is it true that VW isn't as reliable and value for money as they used to be? Friend of ours has lot of problems with his VW.
It seems to be true. VW's reliability ratings seem to be rather poor here in North America. The company itself recognized the problem with the change of their CEO in the recent months. They now ponder the idea of opening a manufacturing plant in the US or Canada, considering the disappointments with the Mexican one.
So it all may have to do with where some vehicles are manufactured. For instance Ford; I had a the misfortune to have owned two. No more. Never again. They tend to have issues with the front wheel drive.
However, I drove Fords in Europe and they seemed better than American equivalents.