Hey folks, I'm in the market for a used car...in particular something like a 2004ish BMW M3. I see the price of used convertibles is about the same as coupes, I've always wanted a convertible...but this will be my only car and it needs to be driven year round. How bad are rag tops in the winter? Does the back window fog up? Is the rag top noisy, windy, or cold when up? Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and opinions.
Convertible in the winter time, how bad?
- Thread starter Julian
- Start date
I had a Mercedes convertible. Stopped putting the hardtop on every winter as it wasn't necessary.
Never found the car noisy or cold.
Never found the car noisy or cold.
The E46 vert has an optional hard top if you find the ragtop deficient. I would set aside budget for snow tires though if its going to be a daily driver. They are great fun to drive, but all the little problems sure do add....or maybe that was just my car.
Thanks for the replies...
TeasePlease you found the traction pretty suspect in the winter? Did you have a lot of repairs? thx
TeasePlease you found the traction pretty suspect in the winter? Did you have a lot of repairs? thx
RWD + performance tires + a shitload of horsepower under happy feet = fishtails galore. Actually, I found that anything more than a light dusting of snow made it a pretty hairy drive. But, with proper winter treads, I'd have no problem plowing through foot deep snow ( beat the crap out of my front spoiler tho).
i had a 2003 which I traded in last year. The engine ran fine (regular maintenance), but it was HVAC, xenon lights and yet another brake job (estimated cost of my next shop bill - $2,500 to $3,000) that made me swap out ( was planning to trade in anyways as I needed a bigger car). I probably averaged about $1,500 a year anyways in maintenance and repairs once the warranty expired.
I bitch about maintenance costs on my truck too. But my service advisor asks if I know that the cost of a brake job in an Aston martin is.....lol
i had a 2003 which I traded in last year. The engine ran fine (regular maintenance), but it was HVAC, xenon lights and yet another brake job (estimated cost of my next shop bill - $2,500 to $3,000) that made me swap out ( was planning to trade in anyways as I needed a bigger car). I probably averaged about $1,500 a year anyways in maintenance and repairs once the warranty expired.
I bitch about maintenance costs on my truck too. But my service advisor asks if I know that the cost of a brake job in an Aston martin is.....lol
+100. If you need to be able to rely on your car at all times, it's gotta be AWD.
Been having second thoughts I think I should go AWD as well actually, sadly M3 is off the list, it's nice driving with peace of mind re traction when there is a heavy snowfall or slippery roads.
You don't? If you intend to drive in the winter with the top down, I'm positive it will be noisy and cold.
Theres always the S4.
Candidly, the M3 doesn't make much sense (nor do any of the M series really). You could have jut as much fun driving with the 135i, or have a much cheaper, more practical car with a 335xi.
It's tough finding a good compromise if you need one car to be all things. Ideal would be to get a sports car, a sedan and a truck...lol
Yeah S4 is a good option, I'm also looking at MB 4matics. I've been driving a SUV for the last 15 or so years, don't think I can live without 4 wheel drive in the winter at this point. Thanks for your input.
I'm not sure what you've got against the M3 or "any of the M series". I have an E92 M3 and, with winter tires, it is fine in snow as long as it is not deep.
You've never driven an M3 if you think it is as much fun as a 135 or 335xi. Both the 135 and 335 have open diffs. The E9X series M3s have variable locking diffs which can put down a lot more power coming out of a corner. With that diff, the winter tires and stability control it is an acceptable winter car except for a snow belt area. With AWD the 335 is going to exhibit a lot more understeer and not be near as much fun to corner in.
I also don't see why, other than AWD, you think the 335 is more practical than an M3. They have the same frame and internal dimensions including trunk space. I find it to be an eminently practical car which can take 4 people in comfort and have sufficient trunk space for my vacations.
^ I don't think he's got anything against the M series, he's just helping me in pointing out that it's not the ideal every day all season car...passable but not ideal.
I don't drive fast or aggressive anymore, I don't mind giving up that bit of performance for peace of mind winter driving. I do like the M3's a lot though...
I don't drive fast or aggressive anymore, I don't mind giving up that bit of performance for peace of mind winter driving. I do like the M3's a lot though...
I don't have anything against M-cars. I love 'em. My bucket list includes taking European delivery on an M5, in M Blue of course.
I said they don't make much sense for day to day driving, ESP in North America. Yet, you will see far more m cars here in Toronto during rush hour than you would in Munich!
The 135i....well, if you haven't driven it, then you wouldn't understand. It's a friggin go kart.
The 335 is more practical because of X drive.
I said they don't make much sense for day to day driving, ESP in North America. Yet, you will see far more m cars here in Toronto during rush hour than you would in Munich!
The 135i....well, if you haven't driven it, then you wouldn't understand. It's a friggin go kart.
The 335 is more practical because of X drive.
