I agree with most of what you wrote; unfortunately with BMW's sad "low maintenance" requirement schedule, you have to far exceed the manufacturer's recommendations in order to properly maintain these cars. And frequent oil changes will never stop these lousy cooling systems from grenading themselves.

BTW, I was in Vancouver last year and was quite impressed with the area.

OP: OT question for you, please. I was considering an R8 last year, but folks that I've talked to said that it draws a lot of attention, and I'd rather be a bit more discrete. What's your experience been with it, and how has it been as far as reliability, service experience, etc.?