I pre-ordered just because I'm a fan and it looked fun in the beginning.
I'm pretty satisfied with the product I received for the amount of money I paid. People need to remember that this game is less than half the price of normal AAA quality. (Which is what people subconsciously expect it to be)
I would definitely say the highlights of this game is it's game play and customization. There are endless possibilities with the amount of fine details you can change. First game I've played where you can actually choose the sound of your car.
If you're coming for story then you'll most likely be disappointed. The cutscenes are absolutely horrible (at least the first couple) with a lack of a realistic atmosphere and sounds that are completely out of sync. I'm playing on all settings maxed and the characters still sometimes look like clay.
The world is extremely vast and open. Largely covered in desert with massive highways for you to test out your sweet rides and then you have the cities where you can test out your wingsuit or planes.
In conclusion, I really enjoy the game and would even consider buying DLC. For me it's simply the enjoyment of making cash in any way you want to and spending it on fantastic upgrades. I would recommend trying it out if you're not bothered by extremely low quality post-processed cutscenes.