Volkswagen Jetta TDI vs Volkswagen GTI vs Honda Civic SI vs WRX?

Which of these cars is most reliable and will get me through commuting to school everyday?

Also which is better on maintenance?

I'm leaning towards the Subie because I know the maintenance is fairly less complicated as opposed to the Volkswagen cars.

And I like the Honda Civic SI, but it's a CIVIC…

Subaru cars are just as complicated if not more than any of the other cars on the list. Considering your question reliability AND maintenance the Civic wins. Cheap to fix parts a EVERYWHERE and fairly reliable. Now The Subaru is a better car overall just the maintenance cost of these are higher even than the volkswagens. AWD on the WRX will not only cost more in fuel but also in tires. And the insurance the WRX i bet may be 30-50% higher than the other cars.

I can't say which is better, I'll just give some facts and let you decide.

The TDI will easily last 300k miles with no problems. Sure, you'll change a timing belt, but that's the same as the WRX and I think the Civic as well. Diesel is cheaper, but you'll get double the gas mileage of the WRX, and insurance will be cheaper. For commuting to school, the TDI you'll likely only fill up once a month.

GTi: More fun than the Jetta, more useable since it's a hatchback. Worse fuel economy, but easier to work on yourself. Basic stuff (spark plugs, oil changes, etc.) are not difficult and I think the 2.0T has a timing chain (I could be wrong) is all easy to do.

Civic Si: It's a civic. The newer ones are more difficult to work on because they are so complex electronically, but it's still a civic. Maintenance is the same as the GTi basically.

WRX: The AWD system makes it more complicated, so does the horizontally opposed engine. To replace the spark plugs, it's easier to drop the engine, otherwise it's very tough. They also are known to self destruct on the 3rd cylinder because of the turbo being located so close to it, it heats it up and causes the rings to crack.