Mark, time to get the 6.9s going - have you got any candidates likely to fulfil that role ? You know, talking about BMWs and their role as "driving machines" - my understanding is that few cars can match them dynamically, but I think the idea is to keep them for five years max and then move them on. Also remember, they're not cheap to buy new - 100 grand does not buy you very much. A really good friend of mine with a wife that has a bit of money to burn, tells me she has bought an X3 (?) powered by a 3 litre turbo charged Diesel and it sports torque figures of about 600 nms. - is that terminology correct ? Anyway, he owns an Australian complied 6.9 with a torque figure nearer to 500, and he reckons the 6.9 can't touch the BMW. Keep in mind though that the BImmer has about eight gears to play with. Regards Styria