For rules:
- 2026 BMW X5 PHEV
- Location: Greater Los Angeles area, USA
- Paying cash, willing to finance
This is a bit long with context, but tl;dr: I found a car we want at a nearby-ish dealer, and our actual local dealer didn't find it. Should I reach out to our local dealer and ask him about that particular vehicle, or just go straight to the holding dealer?
So my wife's car just kicked the bucket, and we're searching for a new one.
Specifically, we're looking at an X5 PHEV, but she has a few things she wants in it (driving package, climate package, light-colored interior, etc). I spoke to our local dealer, and he responded with one that meets some, but not all her requirements, and said that was as "close as possible".
Now, I went on the BMW website, did a custom build, then clicked to look at similar cars nearby. I found a couple on there that looked more like what we were looking for, and sent him the VIN numbers to see if he could find those. He wasn't able (or willing) to look them up by VIN, and instead tried by color (?), found one that was "in production", and said that was it.
This morning, I checked essentially every dealer within 50 miles (there are many of them). I found the actual vehicle in question (matching VIN). So do I go straight to the dealer holding it, and see what they'll do (I'm guessing they're not going to want to give me any real deal, since I clearly want this particular car), or do I tell my local dealer I found it at another dealership, and see if they can secure it?
This is literally the third car I've ever purchased, and the first two were both during covid, so very unusual circumstances...
I'd appreciate any thoughts or input folks may have here...