I'm a BMW fan, plus drive an 07 Mini Cooper JCW. Originally the Z was not even on the list, I was in a quandary of getting a M Coupe or a 335i. When I drove the M Coupe I wasn't impressed with the ride quality or performance, took it for about a 30min test drive in a variety of conditions. I guess for the $58K they were asking for the car I was expecting something quite a bit more refined. One bad thing I guess is I drove the MIni to the dealer, which is modified, suspension, tune, etc. and the Mini felt almost as fast, smoother, and better handling. I was looking for an upgrade, and just wasn't feeling it. So I kept looking. A friend of mine invited me to an Edmunds event in Nov 08 where they were previewing the 370Z. I had seen pics on the internet, but was not too excited, but when I saw it in person, wow! I immediately fell in love.
The driving position to me felt really natural, there was more room behind the seats then the M Coupe. A Touring fully loaded with Sport package and Nav would cost me $18K less then the M Coupe, and mods and maintenance would be less expensive, so it was a no brainer. I bought my Z on Jan 5th 2009, the first weekend they hit the dealers in So Cal.
I've got maybe $4K invested in mods so far and she is a real dream to drive, handling and performance is top notch, and even when I go with a supercharger say $10K, my total invested would have still been less then the M Coupe purchase.
Syncro Rev is awesome!! I heal and toed for years, but you will not be able to be that perfect every shift.
My vote is for the Z, and if I were you, since you are not concerned with leather in Touring model, is to check out the Nismo 370Z. This car wasn't available at the time I got mine, if I was to purchase one at this time, I think I would go with Nismo, better starting base if you are going to be tracking the car, and a bit more exclusivity, Nismo is kind of like the "M" for Nissan.
They are dealing on these now at the Nissan dealerships.