have you thought about a move away from vag. (queue the abuse lol) there are alot of cars out there for less money that would rinse the golf with absolutely no issues. the golf is a good all rounder, ut if your only using it every now and then, you dont need an all rounder.
if you want a really quick car out the box then look at the renaults meganne R26, or maybe a mk1 focus RS, or mazda 3mps. all are more powerful, and have a LSD as standard, and will be great as a replacement.
the meganne wil be the best handling, the focus RS marginally slower than the meganne, but with rock solid residuals, and the 3MPS has a mega power advantage and a good interior with ALOT of std equipment to shame all the other marques.
tuning wise,