135 convertible regrets??

[Pangloss]

Originally Posted by ejm3

I'm not sure what the price differential is between a 135 and 335 convertible is but it's got to be significant ($10k?).

It's quite a lot, yes. If memory serves, a *128* convertible costs considerably more than a 135 convertible.


Which to me says that BMW really knows its buyers and has priced convertibles according to its market research on convertible buying practices rather than having it be relative to coupe/sedan pricing. From my experience and reading, convertible buyers are not like buyers of other vehicles. They don't come into the store to look at coupes or sedans. They may opt for the premium engine, but they don't generally care much about tenths-of-a-second or tenths-of-a-G.

It's like this:

Coupe buyer priorities:
1) Precise acceleration & handling details
2) Appearance of the vehicle
3) Luxury and convenience features, intangibles, etc

Sedan buyer priorities:
1) Convenience
2) "Performance" (in a general sense)
3) Additional features (maybe appearance, in a general sense)

Convertible buyer priorities:
1) The top-down experience (highly subjective, not based on numbers)
2) Additional features, which may include "performance" (in a general sense)

Not that this is any kind of universal truth, of course. YMMV.

[Section147]

It's like this (for me, at least):

1) The top-down experience
2) Acceleration & handling details ("precise" = subjective...as stated, I'm not a track fanatic)
3) Appearance of the vehicle
4) Luxury and convenience features, intangibles, etc

So...pigeon-holing in this instance may not apply, but as you stated..."YMMV."

[Bmwbreed]

My parents have an e93 vert. I love hard top and it is very quiet an rigid but like stated above the trunk is rather small and with the top down u maybe can fit a medium size duffel bag in the square space they leave u. Large one if it's soft. But really if u buy that car how practical ru trying to b? My parents only use theirs for leisure and a couple weekend trips b4 so the unk (what my mom refers to the trunk as cuz its so small) is irrelevant to them. I've test driven a 135 vert and owned an s2000. The 135 is much quiter an doesn't flex nearly as much. I would own another vert as my second car jus not my daily an that's y I chose a coupe. Plus I always hated when the top was up. I felt trapped lol but climate wouldn't allow a 247 top down operation. If I ever buy another it will b a place where that's possible.

[slim_e90]

I daily drive and track my vert M sport

No regrets except it takes a while to cool down in the southern heat.

Love everything else about the e88.... And I had a slk32 hardtop before.

[BrokenVert]

You guys and your sense of practicality





That being said its surprisingly versatile. Look at how much it was able to swallow when I moved out of my apartment!




Although I think I might have slightly overloaded it. Check out the stance it gave me back when everything was stock!

[Bmwbreed]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

You guys and your sense of practicality





That being said its surprisingly versatile. Look at how much it was able to swallow when I moved out of my apartment!




Although I think I might have slightly overloaded it. Check out the stance it gave me back when everything was stock!

I didn't say the car wasn't practical at all. I said the 3 series trunk space with the top down wasn't. And I was asking him how practical he wanted to be? Truthfully anyone that buys a vert I'm sure praticalitys not their first concern. But I'm sure this one is much more pratical than my old s2000 simply for the fact that it has a back seat. That's y I got rid of it. No room to even return library books with a passenger lol (exaggeration) but that was my only complaint. That and that the top can't always be Dow cuz it feels like prison with it up. To me at least. I think that's cuz there's no moonroof to see thru at least when it's up. But of course that's not possible. Can't have ur cake an eat it too

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by Bmwbreed

I didn't say the car wasn't practical at all. I said the 3 series trunk space with the top down wasn't. And I was asking him how practical he wanted to be? Truthfully anyone that buys a vert I'm sure praticalitys not their first concern. But I'm sure this one is much more pratical than my old s2000 simply for the fact that it has a back seat. That's y I got rid of it. No room to even return library books with a passenger lol (exaggeration) but that was my only complaint. That and that the top can't always be Dow cuz it feels like prison with it up. To me at least. I think that's cuz there's no moonroof to see thru at least when it's up. But of course that's not possible. Can't have ur cake an eat it too

huh? I wasnt saying anything to you. That was just a general thing.


Also about the top thing. My topdown antics in the pictures shows my opinion on that.




The only thing I might regret were the two months my car spent in the shop. But hey my vert was one of the first ones off the line - teathing issues and all that. But the loaner and check that BMW gave me for it more than made up for it.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

Everyone needs to shut the hell up with comments like this. They're stupid, uninformed, and pointless.


Also what's with all the soft top hate going on so far?

And to the OP - absolutely nothing to regret

No doubt.
Posting negatives when one doesn't own a vert is worth what they paid for their verts.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by ejm3

I'm not sure what the price differential is between a 135 and 335 convertible is but it's got to be significant ($10k?).

I like the look of the black soft top better on my white 135. When the top is up from the inside you can't really tell its a convertible. Maybe a little noisier than a hard top would be.

But the folding hard top sucks up your entire trunk, doesn't look great and adds complexity and possibly costly repairs down the road.

When I was picking up mine a few months ago there was a nice brand new $100k 6-series convertible sitting in the showroom and it had a soft top.

I too prefer the look of soft tops on verts to hard tops.
The hard tops look odd.
Granted they give better rigidity, and they are quieter by design.
It would be cool if the new 2 and 3 verts offered a soft top as well to keep the price more reasonable. The cost of the hard tops really pushes the 3 price up.
Good and bad as with many things in modern cars.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by Pangloss

I wouldn't have been as rude about it, but the reason your comment was inappropriate is because the thread-starter was asking for opinions about two different convertibles. Telling him its performance would suck compared with a coupe was a bit like suggesting that he forget about getting a coupe because it doesn't have any doors for the rear-seat passengers. What is the point?

It's like the bone-heads around here who shoe-horn replies about manual transmission into threads started by DCT owners looking for important information. It's just wrong.

That having been said, it might not have been that clear from the OP, which is why I wouldn't have been rude about it.

ohh, he was asking about the 335 vert instead? i'd say not at all, unless you want extra room/a bigger car in general, the 135 soft top will at least be a better drive than the heavier bigger brother.

i'm a manual for life, and i freely admit that all forms of twin clutch gearboxes, while being less fun, absolutely DESTROY everything else in performance, other than that their weigh twice as much.

[zamboni]

135i vert had more trunk space than E93 but when it rains which cabin has less noise? Not to mention soft top is so easy to break in with a sharp knife.

[ejm3]

Originally Posted by zamboni

135i vert had more trunk space than E93 but when it rains which cabin has less noise? Not to mention soft top is so easy to break in with a sharp knife.

Its true you can cut he top to break in but is that really any easier than just smashing a window and stealing your stuff which happens all the time!

I don't worry too much about that honestly.

[alanboyles]

Over the last 8 years, I have owned 3 Z4 and now my 2012 135 vert and I have never had anyone cut the top or attempt to break into my car. If you don't won't someone to break in to you car, don't leave any valuables in plain view. Theft is about speed, break the glass, grab and run. Sure they could cut the top, but how much longer would it take to crawl into the car from a hole in the roof. If theft was a big concern with me, I would never have bought a BMW in the first place.

[BrokenVert]

On the theft point. Leave everything you like in the trunk and when you park flip the trunk disable switch in the glove compartment.

I don't even put the top up when I park places anymore.

[WPG D33Z]

I only regret not getting one sooner!

[drewh130]

I have a 135i vert and have been driving an e93 vert for the past 1.5 months. I miss my car DEARLY. So much more fun to drive and engaging.

[Section147]

Originally Posted by WPG D33Z

I only regret not getting one sooner!

Ladies & Gentlemen...

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by WPG D33Z

I only regret not getting one sooner!

And thats saying something considering this guy is from Winterpeg!

[HIPSI]

I have an 08 coupe that I've owned since new and bought my daughter an 09 128 vert with 30k miles back in March. I find the 135 to be much more rigid. The 128 has more cowl shake than my 06 Solstice had, in fact I just had a 2013 Mustange vert as a vacation remtal last week and found it to be surprisingly more rigid than the 128. Still love the 128 overall just surprised that BMW didn't engineer a tighter car...

[Pangloss]

Originally Posted by HIPSI

I have an 08 coupe that I've owned since new and bought my daughter an 09 128 vert with 30k miles back in March. I find the 135 to be much more rigid. The 128 has more cowl shake than my 06 Solstice had, in fact

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the 135 convertible has additional rigidity pieces from the optional 135 coupe handling package which are not included in the 128 convertible.

I drove a Solstice GXP for years and now own a 135 convertible. My general impression is that the rigidity is pretty comparable, though I tend not to drive my cars very hard. (Mostly straight, flat roads here.)

[ejm3]

Overall for a convertible I think my 135 convertible feels very rigid even over train tracks.
Its the the same as the coupe but for a concvertible its as good as I've felt.
I can't speak to the 128 though.

[sjp3003]

1 year and no regrets...I like the ragtop and butch stance. The car is fine in terms of space for my SO and our 3 yr old daughter, and also for packing a large suitcase to go the the airport.