Welcome, from Wisconsin!
Get rid of that old VW before it costs you more money. Germany no longer makes cars that are good to keep past about ten years. They will break you on parts cost alone.
If you want to avoid Chinese junk, you should avoid Velotric and Fiido. Rad costs more because they have US-based support that will actually help you in case of problems. Rather than save money on a cheaper brand, how about getting an older model of Rad that is still current? Rad 3s aren’t a good value.
In your situation, you might find a folding bike like Lectric XP 3.0 to be handy. You can easily bring it up to your apartment and fold it for easy storage. (Though they ARE heavy, at 65 lbs) It comes with a sturdy rack and fenders and a powerful electric system. This is often cited as the best value eBike for under a grand. Good American company.
Ride1up just introduced a competitor model, which is on sale for $900 right now. It’ll most likely go back up to $1k after Thanksgiving. This brand has a good reputation.
Either of the above two models had multiple mechanical speeds, so hill climbing isn’t out of the picture. You can downshift and help the motor out.
If you really are going to avoid hill climbing, I recommend the Lectric XP Lite, which only weighs 40 lbs. It’s a single speed, so it’s simpler. Doesn’t normally come with the rack and fenders, but I believe the current promotion does include them all for $750. On mine, I replaced the knobby tires with street tires, replaced the stock seat with the comfort seat + shock seat post and added the fenders. Great Bike.
