[BMWZ4]

Tranquility - if you want to see mine up close (iDrive etc), PM me and maybe we could meet up.

I think you'll find many features you'll like witin the iDrive and no, you don't specifically need an iPod for playback. There are many storage features as mentioned above already i.e. 12gig hdd etc which you could take advantage of.

Now, my car does not have DCT or Adaptive Suspension, but has everything else, so if you're interested in seeing one up close, just let me know.

As noted, you're already dropping somewhere around ~ $55k, so don't skimp on some of the available options, particularly if your planning on keeping this car for sometime. It's been my experience that you may regret it and trying to retrofit some of the items is either going to be a real PITA or perhaps not even do-able.

Regards
Dave