Sticker Shock, Round 2 - 1-Series Convertible
 

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3553


:rolleyes:

Actually, a $4K 'vert premium is lower than I would have guessed. The 335i vert premium is over $8K.

So, seriously, if you see a 1'er in the next 3 months, will you be thinking "dumbass"?

That premium on the 335i goes to pay for the $20k convertible top. :ack:

I heard from someone at BMW that they now have a bulletin out warning about how you can store items in the trunk when the top is down. Failure to properly store your cargo can potentially throw the top out of alignment, and can cost thousands to repair if that happens.

Oh, and how long before insurance companies catch on that the slightest rear end impact in a E93 with the top down will require replacement of the $20k top?

I'll get my convertible fix with a 135i and the conventional folding cloth top, thank you very much. I'm not a fan of the folding hard top.

comparably speaking, I don't think the 135i convertible is priced as high relative to its market as the 135i coupe is. While I agree that a 135i coupe is pricey, I don't think the 135i convertible is once you compare it to other cars in that segment and what you get for your money.

D'oh!

I don't mind folding hardtops on two-seaters, where the mechanism can be made small and light and designed to fit in the same space as the soft top, as it does with the Mazda Miata.

On large cars I'm not a fan; it's too cumbersome - three pieces, lots of mass and levers and stuff ...... eh, I like the soft top.

The price of the 128 soft top doesn't seem too bad.

Ed

One day, my wife, who has been planning on a MINI convertible as soon as she can reasonably replace or supplement the mini van (a long time) forever, saw the e90 convertibles. We went to the dealer so she could test drive e90s and they were putting the tops up on the convertibles out front. On the way home, I asked her if she wanted to stop in at the MINI dealer for fun. Her response was, and I quote . . . "you think I still want a MINI after seeing the 3 series convertible?"

The cost, weight, performance trade off, whatever, means nothing to her. She just knows she can get a fun car to drive that has a hard top . . . that goes down. In five years or so, we will hopefully do an ed delivery on whatever they have for a 3 series convertible at the time - as long as it's a hard top. Even if it is a $20k hard top.

I was going to mention that. The salesman from my Miata (he's a cool guy, still works there) was showing me the new folding Maita hard tops. Very slick. Very simple. They have their own completely separate compartment the top folds into so there's no intrusion into the trunk. You could completely stuff the trunk full and it'd have zero impact on the folding hard top. That the folding hard top only weighs 40-80 lb. (can't remember which) more than the soft top is sweet, too.

Mazda sure did a hellva job on the new Miata.

Now if they'd only get rid of the frigg'n door panel cup holders and that thing in the passenger foot well the car would be perfect.