I think you had a stroke of bad luck.
However,
it is normal for a VW to cost more than other cars. It's an import car from europe, so labour costs as well as parts' costs will be higher than, say, the Explorer's. Your husband's persistence on bringing it to the dealership is definitely costing you more, but it could be because it's still under warranty, or simply because he wants to keep authentic VW parts in the car. A general garage will definitely be cheaper, but you have to know your way pretty well around them to not get ripped off or a bad job done on the car.
As for being worth it, that's a matter of opinion. I'm not picky about cars, if it's got 4 wheels and it goes decently fast and is decently safe, I'd drive it. If I were in your situation, I would either bring it elsewhere for repairs, or definitely ditch that car and get myself something else that would cost me less per year in maintenance.
PS: a stray thought, I know resell value is pretty high on VWs.
However,
it is normal for a VW to cost more than other cars. It's an import car from europe, so labour costs as well as parts' costs will be higher than, say, the Explorer's. Your husband's persistence on bringing it to the dealership is definitely costing you more, but it could be because it's still under warranty, or simply because he wants to keep authentic VW parts in the car. A general garage will definitely be cheaper, but you have to know your way pretty well around them to not get ripped off or a bad job done on the car.
As for being worth it, that's a matter of opinion. I'm not picky about cars, if it's got 4 wheels and it goes decently fast and is decently safe, I'd drive it. If I were in your situation, I would either bring it elsewhere for repairs, or definitely ditch that car and get myself something else that would cost me less per year in maintenance.
PS: a stray thought, I know resell value is pretty high on VWs.