Not as fast...

For some reason, this VR6 seems slower than my old buddy's '93 Passat GLX. That makes no sense to me. For one thing, the "P" is heavier. I'm not sure what to do, but this one just doesn't seem to want to get up and go quite like that one did. What can I do? I've gutted the restrictive elements of the intake, and I don't have the money for certain things, but I'd like to get a chip, if possible (read: if cheap), and maybe do some rear-end exhaust work. Any suggestions on where to look, or what to do? Thanks.