Italy! A few years ago I rented a car there and drove back and forth a few times between the Tuscan countryside, Florence, and Rome. Awesome time.

I had an E39 M5 for a few years that was my favorite car of all time. Well maybe except my E9. Never should have sold it.

The DCT in the M6 is just terrible. Every time I back into my garage I think I’m going to ram into the back wall. That’s in addition to poor performance in stop-and-go traffic. It’s not a luxury experience that’s for sure. Should have bought the Alpina B6.

Not in any way meaning to diss your comment which is certainly accurate as to BMW but: Yuck! :)

My i8 and M6. The i8 is great so I might keep that (or get a spyder) and get the E39 M5 to replace the M6, and be done with it.

Interesting. My mechanic has a 540 sedan with the sports package, and I find his seats more comfortable. I’m 5'7"/165 so maybe it’s a size/fitment thing. Who knows. I’m not saying the E39 M5 seats are bad by any stretch. (I still think the interior on this particular auction car needs attention whichever way you…

I think said the non-M5 seats are better, no? My E39 M5's interior was great, and it’s basically the same as all the other E39s except the seats. This particular car’s interior is a bit scruffy.

What if I’m happy with other engine configurations (especially those that are balanced by design)? Then the M3 still qualifies.

It might pass the sniffer but it would never pass the visual.

All great cars, none have 3 pedals. I may end up with an E63 wagon as my next car in fact, but it’s no E39 M5.

Shoot that should have said “if I didn’t live in CA”. Missed the edit window too. Now comment makes no sense. :)  

Theoretically possible, practically difficult, is what I have heard.

The problem is that it would need to go through the BAR referee process where success is not guaranteed. Then you’ve spent a ton of dough for something you can’t drive.

Agreed, but that is a pretty easy part of the swap to do and the panels are generally available. I also think the 540 sport seats are actually better than the M5 seats, so I might keep those but have my interior guy add any M-specific detailing. (And I’d kill the half-gray stuff which is really not my taste.)

I’d be a serious bidder if I lived in CA.

I always assume the main reason people do this is “hooray for me, fuck you” as my father always used to say.

1. Too many and/or bad operational inputs. Either lots of jerky stops/starts, vagueness in lane, or darting around from lane to lane or within a lane. No one that’s a good driver does any of this except in emergencies.

That could be it. If so it’s not a great outcome (and I already hate the DSG for other reasons).

Apparently not. I think it’s supposed to, but about once every couple of weeks I try to lock the car, it does some weird beep thing, and tells me it isn’t in park. Weird right?

Yeah but as to whether the car is in park and “ready to be exited” they really need to make improvements. In particular I only get it right the first time in my M6 about 80% of the time. (Regular autobox in the i8 doesn’t have this problem.)