Quote:
Originally Posted by rick100
i dont know man , I can put money down that a hard top convertible is perceived more sportier , luxurious and expensive than the counter part. In my area convertibles cost more than coupes last time I check.
heavier and floppier sure, but majority of people do not care about that, the 335 is a luxury car, not a sport car. You want a sport car , get a m3 .
As potential issues? , sure , same can be said for a 335 coupe alone. People buying these cars are usually people that can afford repairs on them.
I ll take a convertible over a coupe in a heartbeat, damn , I ve been looking for a convertible at a reasonable price for a while but they are always more expensive than the coupes. If I want a true sport car , I ll be looking somewhere else. I would think 99% of people buying a 335 are not looking to go on a track and throw it around. All these talk about handling is pure BS , very few people , if any , are pushing these cars nowhere close to its limits.
Im sure there will be a lot of internet racers saying that they do , highly doubt it. Most of these kids wont be able to afford tires and brakes or repairs once every 3 months .
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First off, speak for yourself--I've taken my IS to 4-5 track days in the past year that I've owned it and would not have considered a convertible because of the weight and chassis differences discussed. Cost of brakes and tires has not been an issue, especially if you choose tires judiciously you can get some good 200tw rubber that lasts for many days. I'd venture to say that an equal or higher percentage of 335 owners track their cars vs m3 owners. Anecdotally, I've seen twice as many 335's as m3's at laguna seca. Oh, and none have been convertibles.
Secondly, the 335 is not solely a luxury car I'm really unclear where you're getting these misguided assumptions. To each their own--I got my n54 car because it makes more torque at any RPM than the m3 and has a lot more potential than the s65. And with the IS's DCT, I've got the same transmission as the M. For a luxury car, one could buy a $100k (msrp) 7 series at the same age and mileage for a similar price to the $50k 3er.
Potential issues--lets see, they're virtually identical except one has a motorized moving roof and one does not. If that's not a glaringly obvious potential issue to you I'm not sure what to say. Look up the countless threads of e93 owners having issues with the top. In the same breath you've said that owners can't afford tires and owners wouldn't care about extra upkeep expense--pick one.
Anyways, the pricing/used market value definitely differs based on locale. I wouldn't be surprised if convertibles are considered much more of a luxury item and therefore sell for more in Canada vs California. Desirability is a lot more complicated than weight and rigidity; uniqueness and external perception play a large(r?) factor when weighed against technical capabilities.
And OP--if you're turning down every bmw with an oil leak you're in for a very long search. Prices are up in the pandemic and if you want a car, be prepared to both pay top dollar and spend a grand+ on maintenance right off the bat. It is what it is right now, market is crazy.