"True it does render a lot faster than Poser but I have also had it crash far more than Poser. Using C4d 10.5 Interposer Pro and PP2012" 

Haven't had a chance to use C4D in a long time, but it was always very stable for me (R10.1) and that was on an old Duron 1GHz - 512MB. Then again, I never had a problem with any version of DS either, maybe because of using an ancient video card as well :-)

"I do love the speed of Carraras renders BUT I think the quality is lacking."

That's always been my impression as well, but I think a lot of it is down to learning the lighting etc. Dustrider has some very nice Carrara renders.

I don't know Maxon's policy on lic. transfers but I do see C4D on EBay so perhaps an older version might be a less expensive option.

I agree with Wolf that Vue probably is the best bang for the buck. AFAIK, it's about the only option that will allow you to use Poser shaders - though you have to have the resources to run Poser in tandem with Vue. I have no idea how the rendering speed would compare but Vue supports easy network rendering of still images (whick AFAIK Poser doesn't). It may not do the Poser shader thing on network renders, again no idea there.

"(Also, given that it's a landscape renderer... I just bet that $1100 would disappear into content purchases for Vue in no time at all -- I need more self control.)" 

I have some free plants and atmospheres but mostly I use the included content, create terrains etc. For buildings, vehicles etc I use the Poser ones or import other 3D formats.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken