Advice on buying a convertible

[Manhattan]

Been considering a convertible for my next purchase but I'm a little hesitant being that it would be my only car. Practicality is always an issue since most are two seaters and there is almost no trunk space. I think I'd be fine with this since I'm single and usually not driving too many people or lugging stuff around.

Am I missing anything to consider? Also, it seems that selling these on the used market is really tough. I'd be looking at getting a used S2000 or Z4 to keep for a year or two.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

My dad has daily driven his Z4M for the past 5 years with no major problems other than the lack of space/seats, and he shall be installing a VTF480 Supercharger kit on it in December and still plans to daily drive it. Throw some winter tires on and use some common sense and you'll be fine.

[03ozwhip]

why go for a Z4 when you can go with an M3 vert? wa nicer car and you dont hav to look like a lady when driving one. no offence TCT lol

[JRSC00LUDE]

Make sure you shave your hair into a skullet and blast 80's rock while you're cruising around! :nut:

[300zxfairlday]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip
why go for a Z4 when you can go with an M3 vert? wa nicer car and you dont hav to look like a lady when driving one. no offence TCT lol

+1 :werd:

[Boosted131]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip
why go for a Z4 when you can go with an M3 vert? wa nicer car and you dont hav to look like a lady when driving one. no offence TCT lol Yea this or a corvette! Z4 are for the girls. Some old lady's at work have them

[Kloubek]

Z4's are fine cars. Just get the 3.0.

....but while we're talking about girlie cars, you should consider the Boxster. (Boxster S if you want more power). The amount of space in the trunks is ridiculous for a convertible.

Or, if you're concerned about the all-weather capability and having a cloth top, you might want to look at something with a hard convertible top.

[v2kai]

if you're getting an s2k for all year round use and want an extra bit of a safety net for winter driving, get an AP2 (2004+) so you have traction control. Good set of winter tires and you should be fine. s2k as daily you can actually get a lot of trunk space freed up by getting rid of the tool tray and relocating the bare necessities left of the spare tire. hard top is also an option with the s2k.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by 03ozwhip
why go for a Z4 when you can go with an M3 vert? wa nicer car and you dont hav to look like a lady when driving one. no offence TCT lol

Depends whether he's gonna go for a Z4M or not, if its a 2.5i, 3.0i or 3.0si those are pretty girly but the Z4M is an entirely different animal, I can't wait to see what it will be like with the VTF480 kit.

[Manhattan]

Vette, Boxster, M3 would all break my budget. :(

Would prefer a hard top if I could get my hands on one.

[Graham_A_M]

Z4's are one thing, Z4M's are something else.

They share little of the same parts, and its quite honestly twice the car as any non-M Z4. I wouldn't call a Z4 a girls car. On www.zpost.com/forums, 98% of the owners were guys. :dunno: With the Z4M I cant think of a single owner that was a girl.
The performance difference between all of them is surreal. If you do get a Z4, DO NOT get a 2.5, or even a 3.0SI. The SI's are very rare cars and nobody makes any upgrades for them at all. So it comes down to the 3.0I or the S54 equipped Z4M really, but if you do go that route, get the Z4M for sure.

Trunk space is decent for what they are, I could fit into my old one, and close the lid. Im not exactly petite either being 6' and 185. :dunno:
Performance and everything else is pretty damn good. I loved mine. A lot of the people on that forum went from an S2000 to a Z4, mainly because they wanted torque, and not having to constantly rev the piss out of that engine just to get some.

You may want to look at a good used C6 convertible though, as the performance parts available for those cars dwarf anything for almost any BMW.
Their performance bone stock is decent for sure. With upgrades it only gets better.

Much the same case with a Mustang GT convert.

Do keep in mind, Asides from an S2k, (that has a top made of a special water resistant material) that just about all canvas top convert's will not take the constant freezing & thawing of water (which is obviously typical of winter) very well.

You can always spot the converts that are driven in winter, because of how shabby the top will start to look over time. So you may want to consider getting a removable hard top and use that for winter use.

[guessboi]

Get something with a hardtop for winter if this is your only vehicle.

[GS430]

Advice on buying a convertible


Yeah, don't.. :poosie: Unless it's stupid fast, I wouldn't bother with the humiliation.

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by Manhattan
Vette, Boxster, M3 would all break my budget. :(

Would prefer a hard top if I could get my hands on one.

Sure they are. I saw a 2000 (2001?) vette convertible on Kijiji for 13,500 a couple of weeks ago. It was gone quickly, of course...

Boxsters can be had as low as 11ish grand. S's at 13-14k. Even the M3's can be had for under 20.

As far as hard tops go, if your budget is low teens I don't think there is a lot out there.... SLK320 maybe?

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Kloubek
....but while we're talking about girlie cars, you should consider the Boxster. (Boxster S if you want more power). The amount of space in the trunks is ridiculous for a convertible.

Just saw a 2013 Boxster S and I don't think it's a girly car any more.

[ddduke]

Originally posted by Kloubek


Sure they are. I saw a 2000 (2001?) vette convertible on Kijiji for 13,500 a couple of weeks ago. It was gone quickly, of course...

Boxsters can be had as low as 11ish grand. S's at 13-14k. Even the M3's can be had for under 20.

As far as hard tops go, if your budget is low teens I don't think there is a lot out there.... SLK320 maybe?

I've seen Boxsters as low as 8k, just have to be patient. There's a miled out z4 vert with winters online right now for 8k also.

[Jlude]

Keep an eye out and buy an S2000 from the states. Cheap and reliable. Fun to drive too!

[BigShow]

To the comment about traction control on AP2, it's pretty useless. Also, for a daily driver the S2 is just way to small inside...unless the roof is off, when the roof is down it feels a lot roomier.

It's Calgary, and I love convertibles but they just sit in the garage 8 months of the year. I wouldn't dream of putting winters on the vette and driving through snow. Not sure where the Z4 is built, but keep in mind the 6% duty you would pay if importing from the US.

[..*JDM Hatch*..]

miata.... save some money, get a car that is just as embarrassing as the other convertables listed...... minus the Z4M :drool:

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by ddduke


I've seen Boxsters as low as 8k, just have to be patient. There's a miled out z4 vert with winters online right now for 8k also.

Well you CAN get them for as low as 8, but in the case of the boxster that will surely only get you the 2.5l. I had that model and it really could use the extra power of the S or the 2.7 at the very least. It would also be higher mileage, and I'm not sure a car with expensive repairs like a Porsche is an ideal high-mileage vehicle.

I saw the Z4 you're talking about. Cheap? Yes. But with well over 200k and only the 2.5, no thank you.

Really, OP, who gives a shit if someone deems it a girly car. Besides the lack of power I really liked my Boxster and didn't really give a crap what anyone thought. I'd buy another again no problem.

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by ddduke


There's a miled out z4 vert with winters online right now for 8k also.

The 04 silver one with 240 k? It was posted last week for 6K, what a POS

[2Legit2Quit]

I drive my s2k only during summer, bought a cheap Grand Cherokee for winter, less than $2000 and 4x4 ftw. I daily the s2k during summer, never a big issue as far as trunk and passenger space for me personally, it's reliable, fun to drive, and not too bad on gas. Personally I wouldn't want to drive a s2k during winter for the sake of how low it is and would need to take care of the top adequately which isn't a huge deal to be fair but still.

If you're able to buy a convertible at the start of summer next year, you should be able to stow some money away for a cheap winter beater and to store the car away and not worry about having a convertible, rwd, low small car, etc. But I also baby my car so to each their own.

[Lubu]

Get an M3 Vert, slap on an Active Stage 2 Turbo charger with Methanol injection, and an upgraded performance software, a decent exhaust system, and you are good to go. M3 verts have style, elegance, and it's got that stealth look at the lights until you step hard on the gas. :poosie: You can customize it to the teeth. Z4M might have power compared to a normal Z4 but it still looks like a go cart appearance wise. And no trunk space to speak of. Or at least no trunk space for golf clubs in a Z4M. That's a big prerequisite for me. With the M3 Vert, you can fold down the back seats if you need extra space.

[xnvy]

The answer is always Miata.

Get an NA (pop up headlights) paint it in primer or olive gray. Some fat tires, good suspension, and a Hard Dog Motorsports roll bar and its not so girly anymore. Easy to daily drive, reliable, cheap and easy to get parts. Not too much trunkspace I find. Like others said, slap on a some winters and as long you use your head you'll be fine. Even better if you can find one with a hardtop.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b65/cheftam/ForSaleTeg/DSCN0727.jpg :poosie:

[aristocrat]

Seriously, Buy my turbo charged miata.

Its fast as all hell. It will be faster, and better than any z4 or porsche or s2000.

Its completely built to anything you could ever want.
Ill throw in the stock seats free.

Pm'd you



http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjY2WDEwMDA=/$T2eC16dHJGQE9noMbUGIBQLDwVKu1w~~48_20.JPG


http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjY2WDEwMDA=/$T2eC16JHJGQE9noMZNFiBQLD)zvld!~~48_20.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjY2WDEwMDA=/$T2eC16J,!zQE9s3sr!RTBQLDw3Q65Q~~48_20.JPG

[xnvy]

^Where the hell were you in October lol. So much want :drool:

[aristocrat]

I've been selling it since september... its on kijiji in edmonton.
Look harder!

[jsn]

^^Saw your miata on the forums. Looks like it would be a blast to drive. Was tempted to send the link to my dad but don't think he'd appreciate the turbo on it. He's been looking for a miata.

After having owned a mr2, I don't think I could buy a 2 seater if it was my only car. Even if you are single and don't have passengers very often, the lack of space will get annoying fast. If you are dead set on getting a 2-seater, I'd vote miata. Buy a cheaper car and buy a beater hatchback civic or something with the extra money. And personally, I don't really give a shit if people say certain cars are girl cars. The small 2 seaters are a blast to drive. It's like owning a go-cart :)

[xnvy]

Originally posted by aristocrat
I've been selling it since september... its on kijiji in edmonton.
Look harder!

HWJmVAQJK58

[jaylo]

I have driven all three, AP1 S2000, Z4, and Z4M.

I would definitely pick the Z4M as a daily driver and it is really comfortable compared to the S2000.

Z4 and Z4M are not even comparable, big difference is the ///M uses hydraulic steering system, E46 ///M3 CSL brake system, and the S54 engine found in E46 ///M3

With the nice heated nappa leather seats, the car is amazing and liveable as a daily. Oh yeah, it fits a golf bag unlike the S2000.

Unfortunately, a Z4M is about 3 times the price of an AP1 S2000 but be patient, the cheapest I found was $25k with 27,000km on it.

If I didn't get the 335i, I would have gotten the Z4M in a heartbeat