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I don't care to compile my own, and I want a version I can trust; I want to be able to sue someone if it violates my privacy. What are my options?

Well those first two points are completely contradictory so I won't even bother humouring the rest.

Moto phones are pretty legit software-wise. Almost stock Android. They do have some very useful features however for what they offer (gestures and such).

They are owned by Lenovo though. Since ownership their OS updates have been much more regular. YMMV.

Pretty sure the bootloaders on branded devices are locked, are they not?

Not an issue I've ever had to deal with, I buy my phones, not get them on my contract.

Custom ROM's are an unstable mess on most Android devices, Samsung being particularly notorious for poor developer support. Don't be surprised when 911 calls don't work [1] [2] [3] [4].

[1] http://www.androidcentral.com/cyanogenmod-team-dropping-supp...

[2] https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-tmobile/help/tmobile...

[3] https://plus.google.com/+CyanogenMod/posts/ePeEX2TRTYg

[4] https://www.reddit.com/r/cyanogenmod/comments/5lek7o/couldnt...