There's something else you have to consider. The 97-03's are cheap enough that (for better or worse) plenty of people can afford to buy and mod them to their heart's content. A lot of 04+'s are still either under warranty, or are still with their first owner who bought it as a family car/DD, not a race or show car. Give it a couple more years, and I'm sure the 04+ will have a larger following.