You know, the only thing I would pick on you about is not being 16 and planning on buying an M-Car, as I was 18 when i drove my first M3, but would be your statement about not wanting a rear wheel drive car year round cause you live in Seattle. I live near Rochester, NY and we certainly get our share of snow. Maybe not as much as Seattle, buit at any rate... I have run an M3 thru 3 winters now using 16" snow tires at all 4 corners. There have been days where everything has been shut down from snow, with front wheel drive cars having greater ground clearance than mine stuck in the middle of the road. I was driving around them to avoid hitting them, as I was not stuck in the least. It's mostly in the driver's hands, plus terrific traction control totally prevents the rear end from being a fishtail nightmare (until you switch it off in a parking lot to have some fun with Homer's favorite food;)