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it feels twice as powerful as stage 1

Putting money aside for when the gearbox blows doesn't sound like a great idea as it might never blow. You'd be better off having a general fund for maintenance and repairs... you have an old car and there's a lot of things that could need work before the gearbox. How big should that fund be? As much as you can afford As said... you can pick up a 5 speed for a few hundred... are they any good? who knows. You need to make sure the final drive is correct as well. BTW I know a guy in Wellington that has a stock pile of 5 speeds he doesn't want any more..

When was the last time the gearbox had fresh oil? Looks like used a 5 spd box if/when required (I've never had any issues with the 5spd, but I dont beat them either), throwing in a whole gearbox is a lot easier than ripping one apart to replace things, or spend a healthy chunk of $ on a 6spd STi swap I suspect your wallet has the answer you seek Edit: That 6th gear is no use in a daily driver, is cool etc. but 100Kph in 6th isn't a happy place for your car, and doesn't realize any fuel savings. Pushing the boat out at track day is the only place it will get used, legally anyway

Does the WRX still come with a 5 speed manual? That might be an option... the GC and bugeye 5 speeds are soo old now and Subaru do not make parts for them... so "fixing" means replacing with more old parts. Otherwise you are looking at a recent 6 speed sti gearbox or buying an aftermarket gearset for the 5 speed. Both options will be very expensive. 8 to 10 k when all said and done with the sti 6 speed... more for the aftermarket gearset.

Anywhere from $200-700 is about typical for a 5-speed. As long as you don’t drive it like a muppet and know how to change gear properly it will be fine. The 5-speed typically only breaks from abuse and/or putting a ridiculously aggressive clutch in. The “ting” could possibly be that the synchros are getting a little tired. I’ve never heard it described as a “ting” before but usually when the synchros get worn you can feel the gears engaging poorly through the gear knob (or hear a slight grind/crunch). If you move it into the next gear more slowly it should help them do their job better. Changing the transmission fluid also may help them last a bit longer. It is fairly common for the synchros to wear out over time in both the 5 and 6 speed gearboxes.