I want to thank everyone again for their input, it was much appreciated.
I finally pulled the trigger yesterday and bought a car. However, it was not the 986, I found a 545i smg with 33k miles, sports/premium pkg for only 21k out the door!
After test driving the 550i I was hooked on the v8, and then found a deal on a 545i that I couldn't refuse.
I'll be over at the 5series.net forums now, if anyone wants to chat over there, I'm under the same name.
Best regards,
Henry