@BigDave Yes, I was happy with the total discount, but still staggered at how expensive cars have become in recent years. I’m buying it outright, so don’t have to worry about a final payment or interest charges thankfully, but it’s still more than double what I’ve ever paid for a car before and in fact almost double what my first house cost, which is sobering 😱
In your situation, the M60i would be insane and the 40d is a no brainer as you say. In truth, if the M60i didn’t exist, I would have been entirely happy with the 40d. It’s a great car. The problem was that I was spoilt by having extended tests in both and I couldn’t believe the huge difference in performance between them (far more than the figures suggest) and the M60i of course has a nice V8 rumble under acceleration and doesn’t rely solely on Iconic Sounds for it. However, if the price difference between them had remained at £14.5k, rather than the £3.5k I got it down to, it wouldn’t have even been a contender. Also, my usage (which is entirely different to yours) makes the additional running costs bearable.
The one thing that I’m still pondering is whether I’ve done the right thing adding Air Suspension. The M60i has Adaptive M Suspension, which seemed fine to me in the one I had on test, but on the 50e, which had air suspension, I liked the fact that I could lower the car and avoid soiling the back of my trousers on the annoying protruding side sills. It will also make it a bit easier with loading (wheelchair & hoist) and cleaning the car (I’m tall but the roof is a stretch)!
I don’t have a predicted delivery date yet, but the dealer is keeping the March build slot on the 40d that was earmarked for me (now in my exact spec), as they feel that it’s a good colour combination and spec, so they are happy to have it in their showroom. If that comes to pass it will be a bit surreal seeing it knowing that it was ordered for me but not mine!