I've enjoyed your reviews of the car. I wish I had a 9-5 to drive for a couple weeks to see if the investment is worth it.
With that said, I feel the 2011 9-5 offers way more content and value for 50K today than the 2002 9-5 did for a similar as-new price, in 2002. Never mind what you can get thousands off the sticker of even a new 2011 9-5.
If I had 50 grand to blow on a new car, I would save 15K and buy the 9-3X, which I did.