I can always tell when someone is logging on an S2 server for the first time. It's always, "OMG, this is freakin AWESOME!!", "WOW, I can't believe I waited this long to get a license!!", "OMG, this is SOOOOOOOOOO much better than the demo!!", "This FZR is AWESOME!!!". The point being, there's no question, if you like racing, racecars, cars in general, you will love S2, so go ahead and buy it. With a wheel, a good setup, the right settings on your display, you get a beautiful feeling of actually driving. A wheel is a must have. If you use a mouse, no offense to mouse users, but, then you are only playing a game. The immersion factor is in using a wheel.
As for time, too many people are hung up on their laptimes. Who cares. It's all about the racing. If you're into hotlapping offline, then that's fine. But this is all about racing other real people online and times don't really matter. It's the racing. I'm not that fast by any means and many new drivers after a few weeks are running faster times than me, but I never fail to have a blast when I'm racing with someone no matter if it's for 1st or for 10th. FWIW, I've just hit 1:35 at Blackwood in the GTi for the first time after 2 months of running S1 demo, 2 months of running S2 demo, and now 6 months of licensed S2 (of course after my licensing, I haven't run the GTi much at Blackwood). I still have crappy times at Aston Nat in the FZR after 6 months and I believe I've broken 1000 laps there. I don't care though, I've won my share of races and I never fail to have a blast when I'm online.
Also about times. I think many others may be like this. I hit a wall occasionally (not on the track, I mean times) and stop improving for a period of time. Then something will click again and I'll start hitting PB's until I hit another wall of time. It's just a cycle I go through where I'll be stuck at a PB for a while. It's also harder and harder to improve the closer you get to the WR.
Happy racing. And don't ask if you'll like S2. You will, just buy it!!!