[Hoo]

I bought a 2011 35d in December--really love the engine, if you haven't tried it you should before ordering. Otherwise, my car is fairly similarly equipped. I would recommend avoiding the running boards--they look nice, but literally are in the way. The vehicle is fairly high off the ground (I'm 6'3" plus, and my wife is 5'6") and we both found the running boards were a hindrance to getting in and out--even though they are cheap and attractive I reluctantly did not order them.

Multi-contour seats are a must have--stock ones are fairly uncomfortable.

I would consider adding premium sound. Stock system (with optional Sirius) is OK, but just adequate. If the vehicle had been primarily for me rather than my wife I would have gotten it (my wife could not care less about it). The stock system is much inferior to the one in my 2011 M3.

Would also strongly consider getting the rear climate control--not terribly expensive and comes with tinted windows (vehicle looks a bit odd without them) and sunshades. We just completed a 1300 mile trip down to the Masters and our rear passengers very much appreciated being able to control their own air/flow and temperature. Heated rear seats are a cheap option, probably worth the price.

Comfort Access is really nice--hard to swallow the price, but would miss not having it.

You don't mention the convenience and technology packages which I did get as well. Moonroof is nice--it is much more usable than the one on our Volvo XC90--does not make loud buffeting noise at speed. Bluetooth and PDC and rear-view cameras work great. NAV system is plus/minus. It looks nice--has a nice display, but rather poor in providing directions compared to Garmin and the destinations included within it are very limited compared to Garmin--however, if you plan ahead you can send destinations to your car from GoogleMaps.

You can add 20-30K in options to this car without batting an eye. Obviously you have to establish priorities. That's why I didn't get a lot of other goodies such as the Premium sound, Heads-Up display, Adaptive Drive, etc. BTW, I paid about $600 over invoice, but did get $2.5K Holiday rebate (had to finance about 7K to qualify), plus $3.5K BMW Diesel Eco Credit as well as $1,800 Tax credit--the $5.3K extra discount for the Diesel compared to 35i was helpful in making our decision--price of Diesel is high, but you still come out ahead with Diesel given it's greater efficiency.