[V8] V8 replacement

[gbmarc at cox.net]

There comes a time, usually while lying on the stone cold garage floor with Pentosin dripping on your nose, when you ask yourself, "maybe I should think about replacing this beast".
The question is,"with what?"
So I didn't really have five or 6 grand lying around but that was the approximate target price and after all, that was what I paid for the Audi 10 years ago. 
So what's out there, that's interesting and still seats 5 people?  I looked at A8's but there's all these transmission problems which seem to get better from 2000 on, but excepting the S8 the car really looks like some kind of Camry. I loved the S8, but they're certainly not down at 6000 yet. Then there's the A6 4.2. But that's a bit of stretch $ wise and they're simply not that common. So a few weeks ago, I answer an ad for a 'Meticulously maintained' 1998 BMW 540i 6 speed sport. 
OK, I know I'm a traitor and tonight when we get that snow I'll be sorry, but let me give you my first impressions.
First off, the car is absolutely superb, AND superb value.
It feels heavier than the Audi, steering wise, but it's as solid as a rock, tracks beautifully, and is oh so quiet. Mine has 290BHP which makes it quite ferocious and the gearbox is the best I've ever had.
The shape is plain but attractive. Unfortunately, there's many similar shapes on the road, so there's no exclusivity. And what about maintenance? Well, here's the good part. There are so many more resources for repair, forums, parts, workshop databases etc. I guess that simply the  number of cars produced means there's more demand for support. I know its early days, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting in the car each day. 
I think it's a huge bargain, and if you'd like, mine's available for,   . . .  what shall we say, does $10 grand sound about right?

Mark :)