thanks again guys!!
chanks: not sure. but there are a lot of good independent bmw shops. also depends on where you live in the US. in california, labor rates go as high as $100 USD an hour, where other parts of the country are much less. i'm currently getting an inspection II done with tranny flush, brake fluid flush, coolant flush, and replacing my drive belts, and that is running $1000 USD. i also got a leak in my tranny oil cooler, which they are to fix, so i'm going to be spending more money. =/
mienoz: stock paint, bmw schwarz-II (jet black with clear coat).
E34EuroTouring: i'm still on there, but it tends to get a lil dry there. i'm mostly on bimmerforums.com.