C1,
Welcome, “new member”! Regarding one or the other, Kings Choice, I say! It’s your car. If you want the stock air setup, no crime there. After all, the car was originally engineered to run like that. The CAI has benefits, but at the end of the day, they’re marginal. And having read your priorities, it sounds like your money would be better spent elsewhere currently.
So maybe find an affordable stock replacement, sell the no-name CAI to offset the cost of the stock replacement?
Just my unsolicited $.02 !