I'm doing the swap the other way around, I converted my car to AWD first (it is still N/a haha) but I must say AWD is where it is at. The car feels like it hugs the corners rather than the feeling like the rear end is going to slip out with the FWD and to my surprise it is not as slow as I expected it to be haha. I cant even get it to spin the tires unless it is wet, but even then it still goes where I want it to. Also, the gearing of the AWD trans makes 3rd gear an odd place for an N/a engine. The back roads here are 30mph speed limits and getting stuck behind a minivan at those speeds makes 3rd gear bog but 2nd feels like I'm waayy past the shift point to be cruising over small hills. I would say do the AWD first so you don't waste time spinning tires when people try to pass you .

I'm in the same boat as you for being attached to my car, all the little things I've done to it over the last 5 years have made me make the decision that I will never sell my car.