[colmo]

I'd personally have said stick with the SX2 - you do tend to throw it around in the corners, so playing around with weight distribution might have done the trick.

The SX3 has a similar layout to the BJ4WE (the B44's daddy) and it's clones, albeit belt drive. With the batteries placed like so, I think it gives better weight transfer in the corners - the SX2 has all the mass down the middle, so less weight transfer and thus 'twitchiness'.

Homesy reckons the SX3 is still fairly high-maintenance - it seems to be a feature of Schumachers. Durango and Associated cars are a bit less costly, but you have the spares already.

I'd expecially consider the S1 version of the SX3 - S1 has a more forgiving amount of flex in it that CF, making the car easier to drive. It's also £50 cheaper!

Have a talk to Derek, he might be able to sort you out with a kit.

My last bit of advise would be to consider a 2wd (great deals on used Cougars and X6s atm) as well as the SX2, rather than flogging those to get the SX3. Driving a 2wd teaches you so much more about throttle control - I count the move to 2wd as the beginning of my real improvement as a driver, from novice to my current (mediocre!) level.