I was in the same exact boat as you, my current car, 328Ci was coming off a lease on Apr 05, 2005, and I was looking to get a new car. So I was first checking out the new 997 Carrera and CarreraS, was almost ready to lease one, when I spoke to my dealership to see what they could do on an M3 for me.
I got a 2005 silver gray, w/ red interior, fully loaded, Navi, PDC, seats, heated seats, premium, etc. (only option missing is the 19"), on a 24/month lease for $905/month, taxes included in the payment, 0 down. Picked it up on Feb 1st, personally I think thats quite a good deal on a $57K MSRP and considering that its a brand new car and on a 24 month term.
This way, when I am giving my car back in 2 years, the new M3 should just be coming into production, and if it isnt I can always extend my lease a couple of months until its ready. Its definitely a great car, and although I liked the Porsche a bit more, living in NY, I would be forced to balloon finance it and tha taxes and monthly payments just didnt cut it when I compared it to the M3 deal.
