It gets squirrely in the wet really quick without the VDC. Steering input is sharp, wheelbase is short, and a little bit of clutch when under power will break the back end loose in a hurry. This isn't necessarily a good combo if you're new to manual, RWD, decent power, or all of the above.
I like to drive without VDC, but only when it's totally dry. And for the winter I just bought a Jeep.