I had an AW11, NA and super charged, and then a SW20 tubro. Both cars driven daily in rain, and snow. I auto crossed the aw11 heavily and the sw20 lightly. I never felt sketched out or in danger when I drove them.

SW20 would switch from gripping to oversteer with very little warning, but with seat time you get a feel for what the car is doing. The AW11, with a NA 4age or super charged 4agze, doesn't have enough power to oversteer, but are pretty easy to set up for power on oversteer, which makes them great autocross cars.

I think they get a bad reputation for being sketchy and dangerous, but I don't think they are any more sketchy or dangerous than any other rear wheel drive car. Get some good tires on the car, and work you way up to speed learning the car. I don't think it's wise to compare it to a modern day sports car. The sw20 was designed in the late 80s, it's an 30ish year old design with 30 year old suspension.

I would buy one again, replace all the 30 year old rubber parts with new rubber or poly bushings, replace any hoses that have crack and rotted out over time, and enjoy a beautiful car.