Convertible Sedans
 

Guys,
So the fiance is ready to send her 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee off to the scrap yard and we have been looking at convertible sedans for her daily driver. I have test driven a 335i BMW, Audi A4, and yesterday a Volvo C70--shocking I know. Of the three I enjoyed the BMW the most from a driver's perspective, but I am weary of how much it would really cost to drive for 3 or 4 years. The Audi was ok, not nearly as tight as the BMW and honestly it felt a little underpowered or maybe the 335i is just overpowered. With the Audi I have heard love/hate relationships and one of my coworkers swears by them as long as they are under warranty. Hers has had many trips to the dealer for nagging glitches. Then yesterday I drove the C70 Volvo which I have made fun of for years, but she really likes the way they look. Well, now I can eat my Volvo trashing as she would most likely pick it out of the three as it is the most comfortable, quiet, and has full iPod/iPhone connectivity. Plus it still has a real trunk with the top down and has the best CPO warranty not to mention it cost less. I actually was impressed with how much larger the interior was too. We are looking at 2007-2009's and I just wondered what the Pelican brain-trust thinks of these choices.

We are looking at a cash deal so no financing, I have made multiple arguments for a 993 or Boxster S but this will be her car and she doesn't want to daily drive either of them. I cannot find much info on the net about Volvo reliability, a few people at work have sedans and have had no problems, just oil, tires, brakes, nothing mechanical. Anything I am missing in the $30-35K market. Used M3's are out too, she stumbled on the rear sub frame issues doing some research and most M3's around here are driven by teenage pricks.

I've been shopping for an E46 M3, but I test-drove a 335i last weekend on a lark. I was impressed, but I think the styling is too bland.

Beware of any of the n35i cars. They all have fuel pump issues and I believe they lack an external oil cooler, leading to overheating issues during vigorous driving. (Friend has a 535i and has been through three fuel pumps and had to have an oil cooler installed.)

In Oregon, not many convertibles are sold...Rain may have something to do with that. :(

I rented a C70 for a few days, liked it a lot, solid quality feel. One thing though was more wheelspin than I'd expected when accelerating from a stop on damp roads. Just a little thing but it did bug me, this was maybe 6/10s acceleration so not hooligan stuff, and the front wheels would spin.

As mentioned above, I would skip the 335i just because of the high pressure fuel pump rate of failures. And keep in mind, there are TWO fuel pumps on these cars. I went with the 330i just for that reason.

The subframe really isn't an issue on the convertibles as they have structural reinforcements to offset the loss of the roof. They also tend to be driven by more older owners and women (when compared to the coupes). YMMV

ETA: Talking about the M3

Interestingly, I was looking through 335i ads, and saw a couple that explicitly stated that they had oil coolers. Now I know why.

A VW EOS is a good value but limited trunk space with the top down. My wife has around 25k on hers and has had no problems. She likes that it has a sunroof built into the convertible hard top. She had looked at BMW,Volvo and Audi and then bought the EOS.

I've had a 335i for three years. Incredibly fun to drive. Zero issues. ZERO.

Thanks guys for all the feedback, from a driving standpoint the 335i is hard to beat. If it were going to be for me I would just pick up a 993 or M3 vert and be done with it but this will be her car not mine.

Her Jeep has been a faithful driver it is just approaching the age where to fix all of its issues are going to cost more than the car is worth and it has been hit multiple times in the hospital parking deck, paint looks terrible. The icing on the cake for her is the a/c is going out and a new evap is big money labor wise. I have considered doing it myself but the blend doors are shot too and the suspension is way past its prime, plush it averages around 12mpg, has tranny issues, etc. I guess after 10 years we have gotten our money out of it. I am sick of driving sport utes every day too, it would be nice to have a "fun" car again as I think our 4Runner is going to last forever. We will probably make a move in the next few weeks I will post pics when we do. Thanks again.

There are currently four 2008 BMW 335 CI's (retractable hardtop) in Orlando, FL offered by BMW Financial. They have 13K-43K miles, and will bring mid-$34K to mid-$39K at auction. If you're interested, let me know.

BTW, there are also more than fifty '09 Volvo C70 Verts out there, and they bring about $10K less than the '08 335Ci's.