I'm still hunting. Looking around.The E39. I just dont know what it is about that car. Few wheels do that to you. Its a handsome car with a certain character this one, besides performance and mood swings too. But I guess its about passion. Few marques can command that kind of passion but thats left entirely up to the individual though. I've asked and heard from people about decade old cars, whether UDMs, mercs or audis and the answer is the same. Replacements, you cant run away from it, its all part of the ownership. And why not? Sprockets, bushings, ECUs, VINs and all, its all part of the ethos behind those blue and white propellers, hence a certain pride in owning and maintaining them, and seeing them perform. So what is it about these cars then? Lets face it, from 96 to 03 over a million E39s ( I think) were manufactured and driven throughout the world, so yeah they're still around and like us, they're getting older. But they can still command a certain kind of presence on the road and their drivers know it. It has to be more than just taking you from A to B quickly, comfortably and safely and while you're at it, for shallower minds, making you look good as well. Nope, here's what I think. I think there's a larger picture behind this, a subscription of a certain mindset or ethos, if you will. Its there in measured doses in all things European. For the average Asian like us, a car ( an asian one that is), inspite of satnav, leatherseats, variable timings and whatnot, is after all merely that, a car, with a specific purpose. Sure its gleaming in the sun and vtec's a gooood thing and it may go easy on my wallet, but thats about it, there's no soul. ( I have a Honda parked outside...hmmm well yeah ok whatever....see what I mean?). Could it be that Europeans see their drives as an extension of themselves, a reflection of their lives, that roads were builts for them ( read autobahns) and not the other way round, that its not always about how fast you get there, but how you get there fast. They seem to have no need for superlatives ( tallest this, longest that, a preoccupation that seems peculiarly Asian these days) being perfectly fine with their paintings and museums sitting side by side their CERNs ( its a particle accelerator used to smash atoms, built deep beneath the Alps) and space programmes. Likewise their cars, which are like verrry capable poodles, fussy, cultured yet intelligent and always demanding something from you, whether you take it for a walk ( or drive) and before you know it, you've sold your soul to the devil.And thats how the owner becomes the owned, since the very things you want to own in your life, end up owning you. The E39. What a car...