IrishEyes

Hi,

Just a few comments on your comments. Unfortunately I'm not in 545i territory. Maybe some day. I have a 520 and collected it last August. With leather, auto, 138 alloys and metallic it cost in Ireland - wait for it - the equivalent of US $82000.

I'm sure BMW Ireland may have sold a few 545i's (of which I haven't seen any on the road so far), but one with auto, metallic, L7 and comfort seats costs the equivalent of US $120,000. And I'm being conservative here. Gas is approachig US $6 a gallon. Maybe thats the reason I haven't seen many 545's as well

So although I haven't moved down from a 545i, I've moved down to smaller cars from other manufacturers. I reckon it is the same psychology at play. I think anyone who moves down a level or two will find big differences. It is then just a matter of time before the brain and body re-acclimatizes to the new environment. How long that takes is up to that person to allow themselves to accept their lower station in life so to speak.

Re the sports suspension, I had an E46 3-series with the M-Sport pack before the 5 and found it to imbue a complete feeling of solidity in the car. The price was a very hard ride. And Irish roads are not renouned for their billiard table smoothness. Frequent visits to the dentist to re-instate loose fillings was the order of the day. It was a great drive but after a while, the craving for some comfort overcame the will to accept a pounding on the lower spine. So, after that, the 5 feels a little like a barge with the softer suspension. I'd still prefer the tautness of the 3 but accept the comfort of the 5. They have just introduced a 5-series sport package here but I haven't sampled it yet. I'm told it's quite stiff. The sport pack on top my my 5 would have pushed the price to about US $ 88,500+

Unfortunately, compromises are the order of the day when making purchasing decisions. I agree that the sport package increases the drivability and makes it a bit more special but at a cost to the wallet and the molars. Certainly in Ireland.

I've been in the US on a number of occasions on vacation and found the roads just about perfect. In this scenario, I would reckon the sport pack should be option number 1. However, that sort of suspension setup is somewhat at odds with the general setup of most of automobiles from US manufactures - automobiles that float like casper the friendly.

So, re the relative good value of the 545 in the US, I think the saying of 'you never had it so good' springs to mind. I think I'll emmigrate.