Volkswagen maintenance

My father seems to believe that regular maintenance on a Volkswagen is very expensive. Apparently my uncle had a Beetle that cost $400 for a break job (where with other cars he can do it himself for very cheap). Is this true? Are they expensive to maintain?

If you have no mechanical skills and have to rely on dealers to service your car any make of car will be expensive. Depending on the year and model VWs, can be quite easy and cheap to maintain. Some special tools are needed and they vary by model and year, though you can often make your own. OEM and aftermarket parts are plentiful. You can even buy used and factory new motors for reasonable amounts. Ebay also has many VW parts.