Welcome 08.MS3! As a previous owner of an STi you nailed the two biggest shortcomings of the MS3. FWD and the shifter.
The shifter isn't that difficult to fix- a rear motor mount and TWM short-shifter w/ bushings really sharpens things up. I drove BuiltHatche's MS3 and he has these three mods and the shifter feel is even better than on my 05 STi's OEM short-throw.
Regarding FWD, yes the MS3 is quite the traction challenged vehicle. The one benefit however, that is often not discussed, is it's ability to make use of the power on the highway. With just a $175 mod (Cobb SRI) my MS3 feels faster than my STi on highway pulls. Once I went to Cobb Stage 2 the STi really woke up on the high end, probably much faster than my current MS3, but I'm impressed with it's performance, even more so when I get the payment each month. My STi was close to $700/month factoring insurance in NJ.
Another benefit is you aren't going to blow your transmition or burn your clutch during launches like you will on the STi. All the extra power is released in wheel spin keeping expensive components safe, albiet burning tires and keeping you at a standstill at the green light like scooby-do running from a ghost.