brentnclemson,

I've had 2 e36 M3's and 2 e46 M3's and two e36 M3 race cars (C-Mod and IS)
That said, you'll only miss the M3 when you want to do a track day/weekend. Do you track it at all?
I'm on my second e53 X5 4.4. I found my '02 last year with 108k miles for $13k. A lot of work had been completed on the vehicle and is in vgc...2 owners. The 2nd owner had owned the car since 25k miles. I really wanted either a 4.6is or 4.8is...but the price for this 4.4 w/sport was too good to pass up. That said, my next one will be an e53 4.8is. I miss the performance and appearance offered by the *is* models!

Anyway, you won't miss the M3 unless you're a track junkie!

Good luck with your search.

__________________
2002 4.4 Sport
134k miles and counting