[pcohen15]

OP: Having just gone through this exercise -- bought a 2013 last week -- I can say that if you're will to be flexible on mileage, you can save a lot of money.

I found many M5s with 45k-70k mileage that were all in the mid-to-low $30k range, asking. And prices from dealers seem to drop in $1k increments with regularity.

I probably looked at (online, not in person) 50+ cars in the past 2 months. Not one was at a BMW dealership. The majority are at indy dealers. I found that the cars from private sellers aren't well-prepped, detailed, or inspected.

I also found that some of the better examples were last purchased at auction by a dealer who knew what he/she had and what kind of buyer the car would appeal to.

The best deals by far were on eBay. Once you're funded and ready to buy, set up a search for model year on eBay and see what happens. I saw a couple of 50k-mile M5s (with Exec, Driver Ass't, and B&O) go for $30-$31k.

I also had a couple key factors beyond option packages -- brakes and tires. I was a PITA and asked dealers to give me depths on tires and thicknesses on pads instead of just accepting their opinion that the "brakes are good!"

Good luck.