[simianspeedster]

I'm ordering a 128i soon and I'm trying to choose between the Taupe and Savanna Beige interiors. I'm not looking for opinions about which looks best -- that's subjective, of course -- I'm really looking for feedback from actual Taupe interior owners about the level of effort required to keep their interiors clean.

Right off the bat, let me say that I prefer the Taupe interior. My current car is two tone (Oyster/Black) and my two cars before that were all black so I'm looking or a change. I sat in a Taupe interior at the dealer last weekend and it just felt right. My concern, of course, is dirt and cleaning effort. I live in Southern California so mud and even rain aren't really issues, but I know light colored carpets and foot wells can get dingy over time.

So, my two direct questions for Taupe interior owners:

1) How often do you have to clean/detail the carpets and other parts of the interior to keep them from looking dingy? Any tips/tricks?

2) Ignoring the floor mats (which I know get dirty in a light colored car), how dirty do other parts of the foot well and lower doors get from foot scuffs and the like? I'm asking this specific question because there's a good chance I'll go with black floor mats and I want to know what extent of the dirt issues that alone will prevent.

Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide!