Originally Posted by menech

yah Base is never bad on German cars.... a base 911 seems affordable until you decide you want full leather, floor mats, xenon, etc..

But man the new M3 is going to be one hell of a car of course with options it will be pushing that 60-65K mark in a hurry...

Major Standard Equipment
Adaptive Xenon Headlights
Carbon Fiber Roof
SMG III 7-Speed transmission with DRIVELOGIC
18" M Double Spoke Alloy Wheel
18x8F/18x9R with P235/45ZR18 Front, P265/40ZR18 Rear Performance tires.

Base Price USA Port of Entry* $53,975

Vehicle Options List
Metallic paint $475
Nappa leather $1,450
Carbon fiber trim $300
Aluminum trim NC
Comfort Access $500
M Multifunction Seats with Active Width Adjustment $1,900
Front Heated Seats $500 / ZCW
Power Rear Sunshade $350
Head-Up Display $1,000
Navigation System w/I-Drive $2,100
Power Rear Sunshade $350
Rear Park Distance Control $350
19" M Double Spoke alloy wheel $1,750
19x8.5F/19x9.5R with P235/40ZR19 Front, P265/35ZR19 Rear Performance tires.
Logic 7 sound system $1,200
SIRIUS Satellite Radio $595
High Definition Radio $500
Premium Package (ZPP) $3,100
Cold Weather Package (ZCW) $750
6-speed manual transmission NC
Rear Spoiler Deletion NC

Originally Posted by shoei

I guess to the wealthy, switching out to another car that may cost 59k-65K+ isn't a big deal to them. To a working stiff like myself who is considering an IS 350 Sp/ML/Nav, the 350 is plenty power and luxury for another 5 to 6 years from now. Other aspects of owning a car like the ISF or IS500 should be considered like insurance costs, fuel costs, service cost and potential tickets from speeding. Once again, the wealthy just laugh at my concerns about cost and continue to enjoy to the max.

Originally Posted by suprafrank

I don't expect the base price >$65K. It's non-sense as that's way more than M3 base price. Well, after you add all the options it could be a different story though.

I agree with most of your criteria.