Actually, the older (around 2000-ish) Jettas may not do so well, depending on the actual conditions. I know that in the snowy, icy winters in hilly NH, they were only adequate. And if you ever hit a dirt road during mud season then forget it; you’ll be fucked hard without lube. Trust me, I had bad experiences with an ‘02 Jetta in stuff that I handled just fine n many other vehicles.
I am partial to Toyota after owning a couple of Corollas and watching my stepfather’s Celica turn 350K. If all you need is a basic car that will get you where you need to go no matter what the roads are like or how long it’s been since you last changed the oil, or even if all of the wheels are firmly attached, the Corolla is unbeatable. I used my ‘87 Corolla as a snow plow, barreled up hills that left 4WD trucks with tire chains spinning their wheels futilely, and the handling was probably the most neutral and predictable of any car I ever owned.
Given what my stepdad has done in his ‘95 Celica I am inclined to believe that that sort of uber-competence, reliability, and longevity is not limited to the AE82/4A-C combination of chassis and engine, or to mid/late-80s cars, but rather is an inherent quality of Toyota. As for Honda Civic, I lost two of them to snapped timing belts so I am a little wary of them,