I've owned an E65 for 3 yrs. now, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone thinking of buying one. Mercedes and Lexus have pretty much copied the 7 in their new models, so it goes to show who the leader in design is. But IMO, no other company has ever duplicated how the 7 drives. That said, if this is going to be your "Mom's ride," then what kind of car does she like? If she is anything like my mom (who still can't program a VCR), then maybe the technical features aren't as important as comfort and overall ease of use. From my own experience, both the MBZ's we've owned have been POS, and I'll probably never own one again.

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'06 X5 4.8is, TiAg/black, cold weather pkg., comfort seats
'07 750Li, TiAg/black, sport pkg.
'05 Ford F350 silver met./slate gray, Lariat, 6.0 PSD, CC, DRW, FX4