a341e reliability
 

Any ideas?

Buying a 93.5 MKIV with 178,000 miles, it has that 4 speed automatic in it. Non turbo, so at least it wasn't beaten the living piss out of.

What kinds of problems could I typically run into with an automatic this old? Fluid is the color that it should be.

Sorry this response is a bit off-topic re: your question...but here goes anyway:
Please note that Mkiv TT's are built with heavy duty components that are designed to be driven hard. Pretty much the only thing anyone can do to screw them up is to modify them to raise the boost without running race fuel...and you can avoid buying an Mkiv TT messed up by this particular problem by having someone knowledgeable perform a simple compression test. In other words, don't buy an n/a with inferior components just because you assume all TTs have been driven hard.

Regarding your primary questions, I hope someone else that has owned, and perhaps upgraded an n/a Mkiv can answer them. Here's the only info I have handy, from this link:
"The na automatic transmission will survive at 300 rwhp levels for a while, but serious horsepower will require that the transmission be built. "