Man my family has had quite a few Bimmers and they are almost terrible once you go past the 3 series. All Bimmer V8 motors are a bitch to work on and the parts are VERY expensive for them. If I were you Id get a E30, E36, or even a E46 because they are just soooo much simpler. My family had a 540i once and the damn thing wouldnt shift when we bought it. We couldnt figure out why it wouldnt shift after a few months of it sitting in my driveway so we sold it to some BMW guru. So long story short he figured out the problem and the whole reason why it wouldnt shift rite is because a external temperature sensor went bad... something that shouldnt affect the motor or transmission at all. So what I am trying to say is that V8 Bimmers are terrible maintence wise and you shouldnt get one uless you have alot of $ to spend on very costly repairs, or you are a BMW guru because the reason the car wont start might not just be the alarm, it could be alot more stupid little BMW electronic shit that wont allow it to start as well. Just my .