Passat broken - Kirsten says Mark has a lead foot - Mark claims insanity (guilty but insane)

So on the way to an appointment this morning as we were going up the on-ramp to I15 a little red VW Golf decided he needed to beat us onto the ramp. Those of you who know me understand that it isn't physically possible for me to restrain myself from downshifting and flooring the car. So instinctively I do so and as the transition from third to second is made there is a pop so I let off the throttle. My wife is sure I have blown the engine in her Passat. As I lightly accelerate I notice that the car is still running fine, just a little louder. I assure her that it is simply a turbo manifold gasket or perhaps the small exhaust leak we have had for months finally let go. Upon arriving at our appointment I opened the hood and quickly found that the weld from the catalytic converter to the turbo manifold is broken. Arg. Not as easy as a fix. So a few google searches later I found a replacement catalytic converter for about $200.00 shipped. Not to bad all things considered. But I am not going to admit defeat just yet. I think I can weld the manifold back together. It doesn't appear that the weld broke due to heat. More likely a result of the engine shifting (slightly worn motor mounts that I have wanted to address for months) and the sudden increase in exhaust pressure. Oh well. Someday I hope to have a new car and not have to worry about such things. Now Kirsten gets the unfortuneate blessing of driving a Passat that sounds like a drag car. At least we can finally hear the sweet whistle of the KKK turbo.