Shopping for new DSLR body... please advise!

I've been looking to pick up a new body to replace my old faithful 20D and quite frankly I cannot decide what to go with. I've done some substantial research and I've narrowed it down to the following;
-50D
-5D
- Mark 1Ds Mark II (used)

While all of the above offer different options and capabilities ( full frame sensor and etc) I simply cannot make up my mind and see if I should justify spending the extra buck on the 5D or 1Ds II.

Majority of my photography consists of motorsports, car and product photography. As a part of my job this year I will be doing a lot of travel to various racing events to provide coverage which would make its way to various automotive blogs, websites, press releases and possibly even print.

I've done plenty of work for import performance magazines and I felt my 20D paired up with L glass did just fine but clearly now its time to upgrade....

I would greatly appreciate any imput or help I could get and I would love to hear some recomendations from the pros.

Thank you

Sincerely;

Rich K.

Given the fact that you are covering race events I would cross off the 5D for its slow AF. I shoot primarily equine sports and love the IQ of my 5D. But any time I have a fast moving event I go to my 40D.

If I were looking at the 1D series I would probably look at a non-s for the faster FPS for sports. But looking at 50D new vs. 1d used is sort of hard to point you. The apples to oranges thing. New vs. used. FF vs. cropped, etc.

I'd also put the decision between a 50D and the 1DS2 or 1D2N.

Do you want larger files, more FPS, or do you need the crop factor? I think the 1DS2 is the best overall camera from this list so far but it is also the most expensive. And if you prefer to have a crop factor, it might not be the right decision. But 17 mp from the 1DS2 would probably crop down to be sharper than the 8mp 1D2N. Do you want the speed? And the 1D2N is half the price.

Thank you for the input, its greatly appreciated.

To be honest I did not even know about the 1D2N and now its looking very good. OTOH I've found a 1Ds Mark II at a very reputable retailer used for $2,2000

Great deal. If you can handle the price (twice that of a 1D2N remember), it will be a fine body for you. You'll get better with your timing as you can't rely on 8FPS, though it will feel plenty fast as the shutter lag is quick, viewfinder blackout short, and it still hits 4FPS. Now if you're shooting action with the 1DS2 I'd suggest getting your WB and exposure spot on in-camera and shoot JPG so you have a better buffer.