JBOO

Okay, so I know now that I'm going to order a new euro spec E60 very soon.

I know that I'm going to get a diesel, either a 525, 530 or maybe the 535 if the wait is not too long. I know I want a manual transmission and I know that I will only have the car for 2 years max. That my friends is about all I know right now.

What I want to know from you is:

1) What options are a must and why?

2) What options you could/would do without and why?

Your opinions matter--please help!

kigerka

I could do without the rear seat heating. Are you ever going to sit in the backseat and let someone else drive?
Sports Package is a must. Better handling and better wheels. Plus you get the shadowline trim.
If love to listen to your CD's with awesome sound, you should get the sound package as well.
If you do not take a lot of road trips or so not mind looking at a map you could always save money and ditch the NAV.

sj3

Good work! Congratulations! My opinions, not knowing where you live...

Must haves, imsho
----------------------
- Extended lighting
- Xenon adaptive
- Nav Pro
- Advanced air
- Voice command
- Premium sound (!!)
- Heated front seats
- Heated Steering wheel
- Auto-dimming mirrors

Nicetohaves
--------------
- Split-folding rear seats
- HUD
- Heated front seats
- Heated Steering wheel

Wasteofmoney, unless you always have people in back
---------------------------------------------
- Heated rear seats
- Rear-seat airbags
- Active Cruise
- Auto-folding mirrors (WTF are those for???)

All the sport stuff (active steering, 80-inch tyres (sorry, I mean 20"), etc. is totally your decision. It depends on how aggressive a driver you are.

Again, this is all only my opinion and I am positive others will disagree. I'm sorry I don't know enough about the Euro option package to say more.

Sam

gdavis

While some might not want the Nav system, on US models it comes pacakged with Voice command. So if you think you might want voice, you may need to have Nav.

Bluetooth is pretty cool too. Does anyone else know if bluetooth is only inlcuded if you have Nav??????

NickP

Auto folding mirrors, surely? If you ever park on a street in an older town these are a MUST...

sj3

They come by that close to you that your mirror needs to be folded in? That's tight quarters!

heezy545i

Must haves:
Sports Package, xenon lights, and a big V8

Premium sound is nice, but I don't think it's quite worth the price. If you're able to go aftermarket, you can have a truly high-end system.

I was waiting to retrofit NAV and bluetooth, but am glad I saved money on these items.

I have the cold weather package which I don't expect to use anytime soon, but this option really depends on your climate.

Looking back, I'd like to have park distance control and the rear shades.

Rudy

In Europe, some of the streets are quite narrow, especially in some of the really old towns.

We Yankees tend to forget that "old" over here is like 200 years or so. To a European, that's brand new!

kigerka

Roads in Europe ar pretty narrow.

Grand-am's slogan "Wider is better". Not here. Some of tehmost narrow roads I have seen are in Belgium and Spain. That is why a lot of roads in cities are one way.

JBOO

Wow. Thanks for all the responses so far.

Sounds like the Sport package is a must. I believe this is a US option though, so here I would have to order the sports suspension and active steering, right?

Is there reallly that much of a difference in the auto and anual air? Is it more cosmetic since the manual looks a little cheap IMO. Anyone not order the auto air?

Premium sound and Nav seem like a toss up. I am leaning towards Nav though since my wife and I are always having troubles with her ability to read a map.

Since I will most likely have the car less than 2 years, do you think it is better for resale if I load it up with options oronly stick to the minimum?