Good comparison Bob.
It's a nice read and know that a 20+ year old car can still put that smile on your face over the newer "technology" packed cars of today.
A manual E46 would be awesome but yes indeed a pain to find.
The newer E92 does sound amazing with the V8 but it does feel as if the car is doing most of the work for you.
That would probably be a deterring factor for you to differentiate between the two (not including price).
Of course, though, still an fantastic car!