So here is my personal musing on the X///M that you folks in flashy industries (e.g. Wall Street, MTV, Hollywood) cannot relate to. But those in "stodgier", less showy industries are perhaps struggling with the same concept....

HERE GOES:
I work in a highly profitable, but very un-stylish industry. Pharmaceutical research. What I mean by that is that the folks who work in big pharma R&D (Pfizer, Schering, Merck, Bristol-Myers, etc.) do OK for themselves, but are very BORING when it comes to cars. If you look at our big garages on-site, they are teeming with Hondas and Toyotas, and also quite a few big American SUVs, a la Expeditions and F-150s. Sure, there is also a small dose of BMWs and Mercedes, but the few that you see are primarily 328i and Mercedes C300s. Even upper management does not go beyond your very basic Acura and BMW sedans. Our site alone has 3000 folks, and I think I am only 1 of 3 folks driving an 8-cylinder X5.

This is not to say that folks here can't afford to upgrade their ride to something flashier. In fact the rank-and-file do well enough, and upper management is even more "comfortable". But ultimately they are your typical stodgy, nerdy scientists. Who fail to see a reason to go much beyond a reliable Honda, or at best, if they really feel like splurging they might go with an Acura TL or a 328i. By the way, I should mention that everyone can readily see what everyone else is driving. You can't really "hide" your ride.

If you haven't yet guessed what I'm driving at, here it is. I'm pretty certain I will be able to swing a 2nd year X5///M as soon as they roll off the line in September 2010. I can do a trade-in on my Dinaned X5, then put another 20% cash down, and easily finance the rest. But I cannot even fathom the reaction and the silent judgement calls that will be made by my colleagues. And what's worse: the judgement calls that will be made by management.

"Here he is, a rank-and-file scientist pulling into the garage in his shiny new X5///M. And parking next to my Honda Accord! Hmmm, guess he won't be needing that raise after all."

And therein lies my dilemma that you guys and gals working for Wall Street or Entertainment don't have to worry about. YOUR biggest concern is what vehicle to buy to get even with your colleague's Maserati GranTurismo or Carrera 4S. While MY biggest concern "how the hell do I hide my X5///M in a sea of Accords, Camrys, and Priuses?"

The MasterCard ads come to mind.
555 horsepower twin-turbo V8: $90 thousand.
Upgrade to Heads Up Display and leather dashboard: $4,500.
Killing your career by showing up your colleagues and making your bosses look "poor": PRICELESS.