Too bad the M3 is missing the total package. I’ll even side w/ the M3 on performance. Sure it gets stomped straight-line but it will out-handle a GTO, no doubt. But they fall apart like it’s the thing to do. A buddy of mine bought a brand new '06, put 10k miles on it in 3 months, and got rid of it in favor of a C6. He had nothing but nagging little problems with it and the lack of torque killed the fun-factor when not driving it all-out. It’s always nice when your ~$60k car’s driver-side door won’t open and the subframe starts to tear out of the unibody.
So you’re going to let a few people making some jokes at your expense entirely rule-out a great car choice? Sounds like the smart move to me…
-TJ