No reason to avoid the 1.8 or the turbo
Both very reliable. It's other bits that fail occasionally causing the Head gasket failure that you're probably referring to
Even that's not the end of the world as it's a cheapish fix. Easy to work on, and parts readily available, so don't discount it altogether
Have a read
https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/for...ad.php?t=75282