Thanks All,

The 335i seemed like it could be the next M3 when it came out in 2007 and it competes against the RS4 regarding track times so it's a spectacular car in it's own right. I know all the technical changes between the cars, but those never tell the tale of which car is faster around the track or drivable in the real world. If the 335i isn't in the RS4/M3/C3/ISF class then I don't know what class it's in. I don't feel it's much of a choice between the 335i and any car within $10,000 if you have the money and I'm not sure what else comes close regarding performance except the above four cars (or variants of those). I think the 335i is probably a better car than the RS4 regardless of money. It does sound like the M3 is still a significant step up but I've never seen the cars directly compared. I've seen the 335i compared to the RS4 favorably and I've seen the M3 compared to the RS4 favorably. It would be disappointingly to plunk down an extra $16K just to discover that the M3 isn't really any better than the 335i just different. "Prestige" isn't worth an extra $16K to me, it has to drive (not just in a straight line) significantly better.

<So far> I haven't found a dealer that is going to get an M3 for several months so driving it (if I want a new car before August) isn't an option. I live in Atlanta if anyone knows of someplace with an M3 I could drive that would be spectacular. Waiting would be prudent but I'm about out of patience.

Money is always an issue whenever I'm spending $50K+ or maybe that's just me being cheap.

Anyway, thanks for all the insight. It's been very helpful!