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I have a couple of recommendations to make, from my experience buying a used BMW 328i

The first is for my broker, Darrel Kempf. Darrel ended up owning a very small car lot (4 cars) when he bought some property a number of years ago, and that somehow turned into a business selling, renting, and brokering cars.

Darrel was recommended to us by a friend that bought a 530 though him. For a flat rate ($600 in my case, IIRC), he will find a used car for you and transport it back to his lot, where you pick it up. In my case, he ended up travelling to a BMW auction in California and then talking to me about the cars that were available on his cell phone as he walked through the car lot. Overall, a very pleasurable experience, and I figure we saved at least $4000 on the car over what it would have cost in Bellevue. He deals in all makes and models of cars.

My second recommendation is for Carfax. After Darrel had bought the car and before I paid for it, I ordered a Carfax vehicle history report for $19.99. It told me that there had been no severe accidents reported, that the odomenter was likely correct, and that it had only had one owner. It also gives the history of when it entered the US, when it was licensed and emission tested, etc. Easily worth the money for the peace of mind.