I recently went from a 1997 E36 M3 (not quite an E46 in power, but close) to a 2009 FG XR6T. The FG accelerates quicker, but the M3 was definitely more nimble around the city and on the twisty roads. Like you the maintance costs on a 15 yr old performance BMW were getting horrendous. Now matter how well built, age catches up, and anything Euro means $. The FG on the other hand has fixed price servicing and an extended factory waranty thrown in when I bought it. The other factor though, is that my travel is no longer city bound, where the agility of the M3 can be a benefit. I currently do lots of hwy driving (about 30,000km/year to/from work), so the FG is a lot better at that duty. I did get the cloth seats in the FG though, the leather in the fords is nowhere near the quality of the BMW leather. Another bit of info. It cost me 2K more for the FG, than what I got selling the M3. Some more info to consider..................... John
