What makes the M5 a great sedan are:
a) good 0-60 time
b) supereb handling (for a sedan)
c) very nice european touch on interior trim

IN answer your question of "Will M5 beat M3 and 911 (non turbo)on a drag race?" The answer is YES!!
However, you must understand that both the M3 and 911 will whip your a$$ in Canyon and race track due to the weight difference.

If drag race is all you're intereted in, buy a Corvette. Hell!! You can buy 2 for the price of 1 M5!!

hope this helps,

beewang

P.S. $75,000 for a used, almost 2 years old M5 is WAY!! to much!!

Is the M5 all that great of a car? I mean, 0-60 in 4.8 is pretty impressive, but $75,000 for a used 2000 model (5,000 miles) is a bit steep.

I know what to expect for answers, but could I get some objective feedback on how the M5 compares to other "sports cars" - ie 996, M3 etc...? (I know I get a back seat w/ an M5, but a Porsche is still a Porsche)

TIA