lochaven 
2003 BMW 5 Series Sedan 540i 4dr Sedan (4.4L 8cyl 5A)
2003 540i 6spd Sport
 Purchased new in Sep 03 after driving 2004 530i (liked the styling, interior, and lack of iDrive of 2003 better).  Traded a 2 year old Corvette.  540i only has 85% of the Vette's performance but is 200% more refined.  The manual 6 spd was a little notchy for the first few months but was smooth after that.  Seat and door seal squeaks were the only quality problems I had and the dealer eventually fixed/replaced them. One dealer frustration was they didn't know why my auto-headlights didn't work after two trips the the shop.  I later learned that this feature is disabled when foglights are on! After 5 years I want to buy a new car but just can't find one with better styling or performance.