As someone who's made this decision about two years ago I can appreciate just how torn you are. VW Made it a lot easier for me, by obsoleting the T25 Syncro gearbox parts (among others) and the Government pushed me right over by shutting down 75% of off road tracks with the NERCa at the end of 2006.
That probably doesn't make things a lot easier for you, does it......
We sold the T4 after we had kids, we weren't using it and it was costing and rotting. I was using it to tow the Golf to track events, on an A-frame, but there was a change in the legality of using an A-frame a little while back. If the unbraked trailer/car you're towing is over 750kg *actual* weight then there's no arguing, you're busted - auto-conviction and points and fines. This means you aren't able to legally drag your Golf to a track, even if it's stripped out - it WILL weigh over 750kg.
You've run a track car before, so you know a bit about the costs, but I would caution you to not under estimate both how much you'll have to spend on the car and how much you'll want to spend on it. Doing things PROPERLY to a track car costs A LOT - wanna fit harnesses? (Not like in the one above) Then you need proper buckets, harness bars to fit the straps to, so a cage, and then the actual harnesses - £300 for 5/6 point harnesses, £500 for the cage, plus bars, £300+ for the buckets.
Unless you've got somewhere dry to store it there is the danger of things rotting and failing through lack of use, just like on your camper.
Flog the camper and have some dirty track fun, get a camper again if/when you have kids.
I know we're desparate to get a camper again, both for cheap time out (which you're a fool for not doing in the past two years) and also as a 'team vehicle' for track day events - a T5 4Motion camper will tow the trailer so much better than the Passat and provide somewhere to make tea at track days, AS WELL as providing somewhere to be dry and comfy at the 'ring.
Whatever you do, budget carefully and make sure you get plenty of use out of it. Good luck and I hope you can keep Lizzie happy, whatever the decision. There is no right decision here.
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