This thread is going a little off the topic, but hey - it's super to see a bit of passion and a lot of thought going into the subject. This is often hard to find in Ireland sadly.

The nub of the matter is that we all know the floors are a weak point, for some people buying a "fixed" car would be acceptable as they may or may not keep it long, and they may or may not give a toss whether it was fixed or not and will drive it until it falls apart.
Then there are those that are bonded to their E46 like their first born - for them how it is fixed and sealed / primed / undersealed is very important, also if you can fix yourself it's worth going above and beyond the norm to 1, give you the peace of mind you did everything you could to maintain your machine, and 2, - contribute that knowledge back to the people who actually have a genuine interest (forum users typically)

So I don't think its fair to say that the standard repair (plates only) is a crap job, not that anyone did - it probably is good enough in the majority of cases and is economically viable. If it was my E46 M3 and was a keeper - i'd be doing a bit more though.

Anyway, I've been in E39's for 15 years - I want an E39 M5 - the S62 has been calling to me for years now, waking me at night like a teenager finding the bed wet. I probably won't have this issue - but if I did, and I have the skills, and the car was a "keeper" - I'd go all out like schooner.

No right or wrong way here, it all just depends.