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If you have a budget of only $1k, don't even consider swapping gearsets. The EJ 5-speed is pretty labor intensive to rebuild and honestly, not something that most DIYers should tackle. Lots of tolerance stack up that will quickly ruin the trans if you get it wrong. Our 2002 WRX has 152k miles on the original transmission. It's had a lightweight flywheel and Exedy Stage 1 clutch for the last 63k miles. Before that it was raced by dual-drivers in as many as 15 autocrosses per year. The center differential is finally starting to show signs of age. I don't for one second think these are "glass" transmissions, then again, we never side-stepped the clutch, just soft but quick launches. Each year after 2002 got incremental improvements, so the '07 USDM 5-speeds are as strong as the JDM boxes. The FD in these boxes is pretty low and the gearing is long. I might try to find a '93 WRX transmission. 4.11 FD and really short gears, shorter than any 4.44 JDM box.

You can swap oil filters without releasing all the engine's oil. You will lose some oil while changing the filter, so be sure to top up the engine after the filter swap.

We have many who run EJ engines with an adaptor plate to mate the EA82 gearboxes . Never heard of a self shifter being used now that I think about it. If you can get a dual range box you need to get its matching console inside to cater for the 4wd hi lo lever and do away with solenoid selection of single range You came across it or you bought it?

SPT pinks are just USDM STI springs painted pink, IIRC. JDM STI-catalog pink springs are a whole 'nother beast. I've got a set on my WRX that I bought from Gary Sheehan and they are lower yet and STIFF (but the stance is great!).

My 80 hatch.