2 Stroke Questions.. Please help a brother out

Okay guys so my story goes something a bit like this:

I've been riding since I was about 7 years old. I went from mini bikes to a 1972 Suzuki RV90 (big fatboy blue road bike that I used in the woods) and finally to a '03 CRF 150F. I was about 14 when we went to the cycle shop to pick up the 150F. I rode with my cousin all the time and his parents bought him an XR100. Naturally I couldn't keep up on the Suzuki because it was pretty much a road bike. My grandparents took me to get the CRF at a local Honda dealer. I was drooling over a CR125 there, but my older cousin convinced my grandfather that I wasn't big enough for it. Needless to say that about 6 months later I felt that it was a mistake and he just didn't want me having as fast of a bike as he did. I felt I could handle it no problem. I still loved my CRF 150F because it was a new toy that was actually mine and I loved to ride. I was also happy to give up those fat and bald tires on the RV90.

Years later l fell in love with my cousin's beat up project 125SX that he bought and that I was able to ride with him for a month or two before he ripped it apart (piston broke) and eventually ended up selling it. That hydraulic clutch felt so amazing to me I wanted to rip it off and toss it on my bike, haha. I also liked his friend's YZ250 that he let me ride a few times and found that it was very light with power that I could easily control.

Needless to say I loved that bike, but outgrew it fast. I was 14 when I bought it and found myself beating the living crap out of it just from riding hard. I figured it was time to pass it on to someone else who wouldn't beat it to death and would love it. (see my avatar for a picture of me on it). Eventually I ended up selling it somewhere around 2011 or 2012 for a grand, which I thought was great considering I bought it for about 2400 bucks at the time. Needless to say.. I've had the itch to ride for a long time. It's been (literally) eating away at me for the last few years and I HAVE to get a bike soon. I'm a 24 year old senior at Penn State in their computer science program and I will be graduating by next fall, hopefully with an internship secured, and will be buying a bike as my first purchase with the hard-earned money from my professional career.

I'm not interested in buying any more 4 stroke bikes. To me they're heavy, costly to repair, and don't have the snap that I've grown to love in a 2 stroke bike. Plus, I want to learn how to work on my own bike and 2 strokes are notoriously fun to work on. I know that I want a KTM for sure since it seems that they're the only company that's really pushing their 2 stroke lineup to new heights whereas most companies have stuck with the same formula. I've narrowed it down between the KTM 250SX and the 300XC. Basically my understanding of the XC is that it's geared to where it makes it harder to stall (apparently 2nd gear is the new 1st on these bikes) and has slightly extra weight as well as a kickstand. I've also heard it has a bigger tank, slightly modified flyheel, electric start, and better suspension.

I am concerned about the few different things bout the 300XC versus the 250SX. Does it lose a lot of the "snap" that that 250SX has due to the changes in how the 300XC is geared? The reason why I ask is because I want something that's plenty snappy (and fast in general) yet makes for a decent woods bike. Granted, a 450 would be a better all around woods bike but I'm not going for a 4 stroke as I mentioned above and I actually found the YZ250 to be quite fun and tolerable in the woods assuming I kept it wound up enough up hills or in tight spots. Does the 300XC give the impression that it's heavier than the 250SX due to some of the features like the kickstand, electric start (batteries), and the flywheel? Does the 300XC run so much faster than a 250SX that I'll have to constantly be letting off of the throttle on a trail to slow down at times?

Keep in mind that I live in Western PA about 20 mins from the Ohio border. Some people here don't ride in the winter, but I will assuming that the trails aren't a sheet of ice. The trails around here can be narrow and all over the place at times, but we have plenty of straight aways and some fun hill climb spots from being in a mountainous area. Plus I have a trailer and know plenty of flat places around. I even know a friend close by who would definitely let me ride on his track sometimes, but it wouldn't be an "all the time" type of thing.

Some additional questions:

What are some modifications you'd recommend for either of these bikes? I'm personally looking at the shorty myself for either bike, maybe a newer set of bars + tuned suspension for woods riding if I get a 250SX.

Secondly, how much would you try to talk a dealer down on either bike?

Lastly, do most KTM dealers install these parts or would I be able to figure it out myself online? I took apart minor things in the CRF150F for things like cleaning or replacing the air filter, changing oil, etc... That bike never required much teardown, though.

Sorry guys I know this was long-winded, but I had a lot of questions that I've been asking myself over the past few weeks. I know I won't be buying the bike until next year, but I'm excited to graduate, begin a career, and finally be able to tear it up again as I love to ride and have missed it a lot.

Thanks a lot!,

-Blaze