[sspade]

Lots of good info and opinions above. My take...

If getting a late MY 2015 or newer model is an option, then I'd probably go that route for the peace of mind. In case you are not aware - these have the most up to date timing chain parts.

If not... and you do decide to purchase the 2013, your overall risk is very low - especially since you are purchasing from an actual BMW dealer. They have the maintenance history on this vehicle and purposely chose to retail it instead of wholesale'ing it. That usually means the car is ultra clean and well maintained.

There are countless members who have higher mileage, pre-2015 N20/N26 powered vehicles and report no issues.

I would visually and physically inspect the chain through the oil cap for signs of wear or slack. You'll want to do this with the engine warm.

It does seem that when someone comes on to post about their N20 having a timing chain issue - they are new forum members who appear to be clueless about maintenance and BMW in general. I believe most failures are due to poor maintenance and a "let the computer tell me what to do" mentality. These guys have commonly also let Auto Start Stop run a million times over. By coding that off and changing the oil every 5k miles, the motor will likely not have any issues.

I'd make sure the dealer is aware that you know the vehicle is susceptible to timing chain failure and in the event you do have an issue - they will have it on record.