golf '97 stuttering!!

hi, i'm new to the site. my '97 golf cabriolet (mk3, 2.0 ltr, P-Reg) has been stuttering and jerking when driving, i can be doing 40-80mph and the odometer needle will jus drop down to below 800rpm and the car will feel like its being starved of petrol(like you have no power/electrics cut out). guranteed every journey, it jerks about 4 - 6 times in the first 30 minutes. it has been getting progressively worse, and it is now starting to jerk and stutter then stall while the car is in motion; either when cruising, or if i'm in traffic and the car is moving then stopping, then moving then stopping... etc(very scary!) i've had fuel filter replaced, checked plugs and wires. i've had a diagnostic's check bout two times had the relay checked, i have no idea, but i don't want to take it to a vw garage just yet as they can be quite costly!!
please help. i've finally saved up and bought the car of my dreams and now it's not working!!

Auto trans? Have you ever noticed it's worse in wet waeather? If so, then replace the ignition coil. Try spraying it with water to see if it makes things worse. You might also want to clean the distributor electrical connector pins.