Would You Buy One with 53,823 Miles?

I will indeed. I've not had an e46 M before. I've had the e92 M3, an e36 M3, and an E60 M5. I loved them all. It's being detailed right now. I'm headed to Alaska tomorrow and won't be back until the 21st, so I won't be ordering parts until I get back. I'll keep posting on it if there's interest in its progress.

The SMG IMO is better in the BMW. My e60 M5 wasn't SMG, but my e92 M3 and now my e46 M3 were... the difference being that the e92 was their DCT and shifted VERY FAST! Two of my Ferraris and one of my Maserati's had F1 transmissions and after owning my e92 M3 DCT I'd always say (and wish) that Ferrari would source the system from BMW (or whoever makes it for BMW if they don't make it themselves). All of my Ferrari product F1's have put me out at some point or another

Definitely not the most exclusive, but exclusivity is not what I was after. Like you said, it's a great car.... one that I can take out from time to time, have a blast in it, and not have to deal with people creeping up on me at the fueling station because they want to talk about the car. I don't have to get boxed in on the highway because the car pulling up on my left decided to slow and get pictures instead of passing on by. I don't have to...... you get the point Besides, I still own some "exclusivity".