Why would you post a picture of some mkiv jetta-front swap creation? I doubt it was even an R to begin with.
Anyways, the thing about mkiv R's is that the prices on these cars are inflated to exorbitance, while they keep accruing miles, mods, and wear. Being a six year, two body style old car, there is just so much more out there at this point of time that you can spend 20k+ on.
That being said, I'm not trying to be overly negative here. They are in my top 5 favourite cars (I came 95% to buying one last summer, after putting in over a year's research and market watching on them). They're head and shoulders above the Brazilian made golfs and gti's, perform fairly well (though they aren't exactly a hardcore performance car), and the exhaust sound is IMO, right up there with any of the exotics. No joke. Understated and just beautiful.
So, OP, should you seriously consider looking at one of these? Definitely. But also consider the fact that for the price of novelty and exclusivity of the R, you're right up there in the zone of B6+B7 S4's, STi's, evos, etc etc. It's just about what you want.
mandatory pic: