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This is a fairly common problem on A3 Golfs/Jettas. As someone already stated, a used transmission from any 2.0 A3 (1993-1998ish) will work. Just be aware that this is a pretty common problem, so there's a fair chance that a used transmission will end up with the same issue.
If you can afford it, your best bet is a rebuilt transmission (either buy a rebuilt one, or have yours rebuilt).
If you're very mechanically inclined and *very* patient, you can do a rebuild yourself. I know two people that aren't mechanics by trade that have done successful rebuilds of these transmissions. I'd really like to give it a shot someday.
I have heard all kinds of opinions as to what causes this, and probably the only one that I put any faith in at all is that it's a combination of the reverse gear being brittle and the fact that people (in general) aren't very careful with transmissions. Reverse gear is just delicate, so you have to be careful with it - make sure you're completely stopped before putting it into (or taking it out of) reverse. And keep the transmission fluid healthy.
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