Chopperdr,
Good for you - have re-read your first post as well, and now see your perspective. Sounds like you're making something genuinely useful. Sadly I have no say in what the customers here actually buy; I think it fair to say that efficiency is way down their list of purchase specifications...
Back to the original poster, I think Oogle has some of the best points made so far. Don't feel you have to buy from Eurocopter - some of the other "completions" people out there, many of whom actually listen to what customers really want, can do a very good deal. Personally I wouldn't have put the 135 as top of my list for VIP work - passenger comfort/vibration/endurance issues mainly - but if that's what you're working with then get onto some of those non-Eurocopter agents.