When I have more time I might make a more scenic video of U3's locations. These videos are available in HD as well, where it does look a lot better as you say.
Defeating Barrett (1st boss) using only what's provided isn't too bad as you said. I gave it a quick go and managed to defeat him in about a minute on normal difficulty.
Only just received the game and enjoying it so far. Had a quick go at completing the first level without killing or stunning any enemies at all which was quite entertaining.
I record the component output from my PS3, so no not really an emulator. That said I really would rather play GT5 through my PC...
*hangs head in shame*
Looking through the dealership they all appear to be the same as far as I can tell. I'm not too concerned about the Nascar anyway since it's only a requirement for one set of races.
I can gift you my Nascar if you want it. Managed to win the championship on B-spec with it (not all golds on the races though), and I probably won't use it again for a while.