i see the "hobby" side of it, hence why i do it myself BUT at the same time i sometimes think "why bother"? might as well save the modding money and buy a car that is faster off the shelf. Stage 1 S3 will see off a Stage 2+ GTI any day, and after you've sorted the brakes and suspension etc of the GTI you won't exactly have saved money.
i love modding my car, which is due an exhaust next week and Stage 2+ mods and map next month, but it'll only ever be as quick as a stock S3 - so why didn't i wait and get an S3 to begin with?
just something to think about...