Yeah, I figured I'd wait a bit and see if I think I made the right move, but yes I think I did.
Ok, so I finally realized that I wasn't going to be able to live with the DSG long-term, and I'd fret about big out of warranty bills, and I'd probably be too shy to do any significant modding, so I put out some feelers on a base WRX.
I managed to find a new one at a local dealer with just a short-shift kit and an auto-dipping mirror and negotiated a deal at invoice, and also a decent trade-in on the GTI, though it's always going to be pretty ugly if you trade in a car you just drove off the lot a few months ago. Luckily I made a real effort to build some equity in the car so it doesn't hurt as much as it might.
I do love the GTI interior and the overall quality of just about everything on the car, but the 2.0 is kinda gutless at low revs and there's no exhaust not to speak of below about 4000, and really seriously miss the involvement of driving a manual.
Comparing the WRX, there's more power lower down so the car feels much more alive in 5th (a la SRT-4), though there's more interior noise, the quality of almost every handle or trim just plain doesn't approach the GTI. A tiny example, the gas door for the GTI is a masterpiece of engineering compared to the subie.
But to me at least, none of that is a huge deal, especially when you snick it into 1st and pull away with that fantastic off-beat exhaust note and a sort of rallyish / straight-cut gear whine that gets louder and more insistent.
Good luck and enjoy your GTIs. Totally awesome, lovely car, fantastically built, pretty.
Here's a pic!
