I third the the advice that you should look into the 9-2x. The Aero version is basically a WRX with nicer interior, nicer looks (to most), better suspension, better steering rack (rack from the STi), and more sound dampening. I think all that only adds 14 lbs over the WRX, so performace shouldn't really be affected. If my Subaru SVX got killed tomorrow, I would look into the 9-2x. Also, it's selling very poorly so you may be able to get a sweet deal on them. Saab people hate them and Suabru people hate them. I roll with both crowds, so I hear about it a lot.

Another Subaru to take a look at might be the Baja. If you can get past the looks (I happen to like them), the turbo version is going for around $23k which is pretty nice for the price. I think the car is based on the previous-gen Legacy, so fitting an empeg should be no problem.

The Saab 9-3 SportCombi was recently annouced. It's nice, but I haven't seen a solid price yet. It's also front wheel drive, but it does snow in Sweden you know.