Well, I'm back in the bosom of a GTI. Traded in the Passat for a used 1998 VR6 model with 30K miles.Really like the thing so far and the only thing I miss from the Passat is the heated seats. If I get enough courage up to pull off the leather seat covers I can add heated seats for only $150 for both seats.
It's more fun to toss around corners and the VR6 pulls nicely from a stop. In fact I have to watch it on wet roads or I do a lot of wheelspin before a get off.
Things I plan on doing to it include removing those damn DRLs, putting on some SS brake lines, adding a Garrett ECU chip and possibly adding a short shift kit as long as I don't have to drop the exhaust system to do so.