I can't say enough for the WRX WAGON! I talked my fiance into buying a new 2004 and she tells me almost every day how much she loves it - I don't have to be reminded how much fun it is to drive. We got it for just over $23k (auto - she had to have auto - aarrggghhh!). If you're set on spending $30k, buy the WRX wagon and mod it - there's a ton of awesome power and style mods for the WRX and with a few thousand, you could have this thing smokin.
If you want something a bit more refined, SAAB has a new car coming out this summer that's basically a refined WRX wagon. It's called the 9-2X. It'll have the same engine, drivetrain, suspension, etc. The only difference is that it'll have a more SAAB-ish looking front end, the interior is nicer with more options, and it'll have an available auto-shift tranny like we have in our P5s for those of us who can't get the wifey to drive a stick.
There's info on it up on Saab's website and you can get all kinds of people talking about it on nasioc.com - search for 'saabaru'.
Patrick
ps. I've seriously had it in my mind that I'm going to get another WRX wagon as soon as I'm not upside-down on my P5. They're so awesome that I'd like to have two (the second will be a stick).