I would take an E46 M3 in a second.

-Until the engine blew up?

I would also treat it like a car of that class deserves to be.

-Other people obviously do. The engines still blow up. (not all of course) You should take a look at the disturbing thread I originally posted.

I'm surprised I'm saying this but, I am finding greater attention to build quality and detail in the new BMW products compared with Mercedes-Benz.

-It's easy to say when you're sitting in a reliable in-line six Mercedes and wishing it was an M3 with 333 hp under the hood. Would you say the same if the engine blew up in the M while you were driving it?

-Sam