I fail to see what's sportier about the 2-door over the 4-door. It's just an archaic mentality. Both would handle the same and the weight difference is negligible. I like having a 4-door because 2-doors use a longer door that's heavier and I get tired of closing it. Plus it's easier for people to get in the back seats.
Personally, the exterior of the 97-03s is better than the 04+. What kept me from buying a 97-03 GP was the ****ty interior, which is better in the 04+ but I'm still not wild over it.
Something else enthusiasts don't like about the 04+ GP is that the GTP has 20 more HP but so much torque management it's no faster than its predecessor.