I have a 2005 mk5 Gti.
Bought it 3.5 years ago with 20,000 miles on it full VW service history, 1 owner. Bought it privately. It's done 55,000 now.
When I got it I had to go to vw to get the coil packs replaced under warranty. When it was in the guy informed from their records it'd had 3 steering racks before I'd got it. I wasn't aware of that. The car has not given me any issues steering wise since I've owned it.
I owned a mk4 2.0 Gti before (let's be honest it didn't deserve the Gti badge) and I did 145,000 miles in it. Absolutely 100% reliable with only consumables being replaced, nothing else.
Love my mk5 but can't say the same. Have had corrosion issues, rear brake caliper seizure, a coil pack fail, cv boot split. Replaced dv, PVC and cam follower as precautions. Nothing ridiculous though. Corrosion is my biggest headache. Still a brilliant car.
Don't let the negative stories put you off. Spend your time looking for a good one that's been looked after and serviced properly.