Erik, the 11.5 to 1 compression ratio isn't cast in bronze, I've been thinking about going up to 12.5 to 1.
Other cars? Yeah, I came close to buying a one owner 12,000 original mile 1986 Ferrari 328 GTS - red with beige leather (last of the tube-frame Ferraris and a large improvement over the 308 and 308QV). But anybody with a credit rating can buy one of those (a Fiat V8 in disguise), and I can't work on it myself without a lot of hassle because too much is electronic black-box stuff. And I can't afford the plastic surgery it would take to make me look like Tom Selleck.
And yeah, I can afford it the new IM, but just barely. My rationalization is that I'm 65 years old, I've always had at least one fun car, I can service it myself, and you're right about the quality of IM vehicles - it is absolutely finest kind.