Welcome eltel i am from Thurrock, I drive a black ed30 which i have had for about 4 weeks.
i also had a 1.8T which I sold 2 years ago cos I thought the mileage was getting high at 90k+ !, but I loved this car..
my eddie is a DSG and absolutely love it, with the M mode you have got the choice of driving it a bit like a manual anyway.
like others have said, stick to your guns in the main, you can sacrifice a few things and retro-fit them yourself.
post what you are after in the Wanted forum and people will see what you are after, much better to buy from someone on here if poss !
there was someone on here who had a red one with most/all of the additional extras and was interested in selling but can't remember who now !
all the best with the search