The game is a lot of fun if you like twitch driving and cool movie-like action scenes, but it felt more like a rental to me when I got it on release day. Still neat none the less.
I played the demo a few times. Honestly wasn't a big fan of it. It came out at roughly the same time as Blur, and I found that game much more enjoyable. Unless if Split/Second has a particular appeal to you, I'd definitely recommend Burnout Paradise to fit your racing needs instead.
Thanks for the heads up on the sale, though. Appreciate it.