[pattobrien]

Hi guys,

So I'm really torn here. I'm looking to buy an E70, and started looking into the 2013 models for the lesser miles and further reliability. I have two solid options that I feel good about, one from a third-party (un-authorized) dealership, the other from a third-party craigslist seller:


**Vehicles are both 35i Premium with essentially the exact same options, except one has third row seating the other has the tech package. Neither options are of special interest to me.

Owner:
- 2013 w/ Prod date 9/2012, 32k miles for $27,500
- Black exterior (excellent condition, three noticable scratches, but well detailed; black interior in excellent condition)
- While vehicle belonged to his daughter in college, the father obviously took great care of the vehicle, as could be seen with all (5?) high end vehicles in his driveway

Dealer:
- 2013 w/ Prod date 3/2013, 52k miles for $24,000 (incl. dealer prep fee)
- Black exterior (great condition; beige interior in good condition - typical dirt that can be seen with beige)
- Lease vehicle that from CarFax looks to be sold by auction in Pennsylvania (red flag?). Another thing to note is that this car has a tow hitch - for what it was used, I dont know, but certainly could have put strain on the car if it was a trailer

I should note that I work for BMW of North America, so I was able to check in our backend for any other red flags, but every log checked out and looks like routine services were done at BMW dealerships.

I'm really torn, because the dealer's vehicle seems like a really great deal, but I can't help but notice the red flags of the auction and tow hitch, in accompany to the low, un-bargained price. The owner's car, while a lot more than what I'd like to spend (price range was <25k), only has 32k miles, and based on that in addition to the great interaction with the seller, I feel like it's worth it for the reliability. Gut feeling might be giving me bias, but the owner seemed very genuine and the dealership salesman seemed like... well... a salesman ("why dont you want to leave here with the car???"). Also, I have no idea if the dealership is going to last minute hike up the price like some of the google reviews have said, although I made it very clear that I wanted to know the dealer fee up front and that I would walk out if any other fee was seen on the paperwork.

Any other questions or guidance would be much appreciated... I just don't want to end up with a maintenance disaster vehicle the second I purchase it. Thanks so much in advance guys!

Pat