I almost went out and bought this yesterday.. I don't want to spend the money on it when i could just get back to playing the DS version (haven't come close to collecting everything, its only a fraction of the stuff i collected in the original) but this damn game just has this charm you can't escape... blah!
Just get the game at a cheap price (or ask for it as a Holiday present) and use Wild World to send your progress to City Folk.
To be perfectly honest, I was in the same boat as you. But then I remembered all the fun I had with WW and since I had sold it CF was the best option. From everything I heard, CF does have some improvements over WW, and has many new features that make it worth going back a third time. Just forget about paying Tom Nook and enjoy what the game has to offer.
Besides, its just a game. You either get it or don't. Nothing worth tearing yourself apart over.