Just thought I’d relate my purchase experience with South Bay BMW in Torrance / Redondo Beach, CA for those shopping for a new X5.

First, I have no affiliation of any kind with this dealer or my salesman, Russ Fowler. This is the first time I’ve done business with them, and my first BMW period.

To make a long story short, I live in Orange County, CA and had been shopping for a lease on an X5 4.4i, loaded. Premium, Sport, Nav, Rear Climate, Cold Weather, DSP, 19” Wheels, etc. (MSRP $62,695). All the OC dealers I spoke with were totally unwilling to discount the car below about $2500 over invoice, and wanted to mark-up the money factor a bunch. One dealer said they would do the deal, and then it turned out that they had quoted me a lease without tax, which was a clearly sneaky move on their part, so I walked.

I had basically given up on the car when I called South Bay, and spoke to Russ Fowler in the internet department. He gave me the deal I wanted without hesitation and asked what color I’d like and when I’d be in to pick it up so he could have it detailed—it was that simple. After a week of exhausting back and forth BS with four other dealers, this guy took all of 5 minutes to get things worked out to my satisfaction.

I went in this morning, and they did the deal as promised, absolutely zero B.S. or hassle of any kind. In fact, I had forgotten to tell him I wanted floor mats included in the deal, and when I mentioned it after the fact, he threw them in for free without blinking. He didn’t have to do that (I’d have bought it anyway as the deal was WAY better than anyone else’s) but he did anyhow.

In sum, I can’t recommend South Bay and Russ Fowler enough. Everyone I dealt with, from the finance guy to the receptionist, was professional and pleasant. The dealership was brand-new and very plush, and they had a huge selection of 4.4i’s (which was very rare in my experience). And lastly, they lived up to their word 100%, doing the deal they said they’d do without any surprises.

Oh, and the car is fantastic, but then you folks already knew that.

My salesman was Russ Fowler: [email protected]

The dealer website is: southbaybmw.com