Okay, I'll take a stab at answering some of your questions:

1~ 312k on an Xfire, very impressive, I would love to have a chat with this owner over a few beers, (especially if he put all that mileage on by his lonesome).

2~ Ahhh the Cup Holder, you either love it, or hate it, usually there is no middle ground. There are aftermarket holders that can address this, or it can be replaced with a console bin to hold small items. The key fob inginition issue is a known problem, although I'm not sure if it would qualify as common and widespread. Again, there is ample info on the Forum for addressing this.

3~ $8k to $12k on a Coupe (not an SRT), if I would have to guess, I would say mileage of at least 40k or better. Do a search on Ebay Autos or Cars.com to get a feel on whats available in that price range.

4~ Auto or Manual, sorry I'm biased towards a manual tranny, but the Xfire AutoStick gets excellant chatter, and some folks swear by it.

5~ Long trips, keep in mind that it's a sports car and not a Lincoln Mark Series or a Navigator. That being said, I'd take the Xfire on a long trip any day over lets say a Honda Spyder.

6~ I'm satified with the A/C it works quite well, and when it doesn't, being I have a Roadster, I just ease on down the convertable top...lol...

7~ Yes the Xfire has Cruise Control, and it works quite well, but it's usually the State Troopers that keep us all under control...

Bottom line, take the plunge, this is a golden opportunity to get a car that is pretty much a Mercedes Sports car under the skins, for a very compelling price...