A friend of mine owned a Lancer EVO 6 and EVO7 (EU spec)
300+BHP , and in slippery conditions sideways fun/scandinavian flicks galore!
But the E46 M3 is much more complete, as fast as an Evo 7 with 320BHP and faster in a straight line beyond 120mph. And because of the lim slip diff and 343DIN HP on the rear wheels its grat fun.
The same friend now owns his 2nd M3 E46.
(We also drove a CSL on a Mercedes testtrack in Germany, it can't get any better than that this side of a TVR Sagaris, forget GT3s
)