RC agreed with all that you say but.. imo its worth it! If it wasn't for the bullet proof engineering of the 997.1tt there are plenty of other options of cars that are almost as good and more fun than stock tt. The fact that these cars are so overengineered and you can "safely" increase power to insane levels (within reason) is what makes the tt so attractive for some people here. But on the other hand, if sth happens people should NOT expect factory warranties.. But if u go to a reputable tuner, stage 2 or even 3 modifications should be pretty reliable these days after so much experience amassed in the tuner community with these engines. Just avoid cheapo tunes with shortcuts..