Speaking of X5's, I test drove one a year back. It was the high-end model, V8, blah blah blah. It was really quick, handled well, but my biggest complaint was the engine noise. I was surprized how loud the engine was. For a luxo-SUV, it was beyond excessive. A load throaty engine is cool in a sedan or sports car, but not for a 60k+ luxury SUV. Then i drove the Volvo XC90 V8, and it REALLY made the X5 seem shoddy and cheap. The Volvo was super solid, Yamaha V8 was silky smooth.

 

to quote the japanese guy "the volvo, is disaster"

 

please stay away from yammy v8 volvos :-)

 

when: early 70's



where: southern germany (think alabama)



what: the coupe cs and csl bodies were built at ghia and then trucked unpainted in the rain to the bmw factory.



idea: bare metal+rain = car is rusting before it leaves the factory