[cubsnlinux]

I am trying to decide between a fully loaded 440i Coupe and a not so fully loaded 440i Convertible.

I will be driving this car in Minnesota. What do you guys recommend? My heart says Convertible but my mind says Coupe as I can install a lot more bells and whistles for the $9000 price difference.

 

[STR3T]

Loving my convertible...the drop top is the ultimate bell/whistle

And with the heated neck scarf and wind screen, usage would be extended even in MN. The hard top should help with the colder winter driving as well.
Either way, assume you are getting x-Drive.

If you've never had a convertible, you may not regret getting a coupe. If you've been in one for awhile and really want that feeling again, you may have some buyer's remorse with the coupe decision.

What add-ons do you see as must haves?

 

[cubsnlinux]

Loving my convertible...the drop top is the ultimate bell/whistle

And with the heated neck scarf and wind screen, usage would be extended even in MN. The hard top should help with the colder winter driving as well.
Either way, assume you are getting x-Drive.

If you've never had a convertible, you may not regret getting a coupe. If you've been in one for awhile and really want that feeling again, you may have some buyer's remorse with the coupe decision.

What add-ons do you see as must haves?

I rented a convertible once while on a vacation in Miami and I can never forget the experience. It was incredible. Will the roof leak or say damage if the Convertible is parked outside under heavy snow?

These are my must haves -

>> Cold weather pkg
>> Driver assistance pkg
>> Technology pkg
>> MSport pkg
Nice to have

>> Lighting pkg
>> Driver assistance plus
>> 19" wheels

What do you think?

 

[cubsnlinux]

Also, how about maintenance? Would it be lot more expensive? I am intending to keep this car for a while.

 

[caswcu]

get convertible. if you live in colder climates have you considered xdrive? unless your going to track your car, this options seem to increase winter usability.

 

[cubsnlinux]

get convertible. if you live in colder climates have you considered xdrive? unless your going to track your car, this options seem to increase winter usability.

I did consider an xdrive but I am leaning towards winter tires.

I am worried about the maintainability of a Convertible having never owned one. What if I have to park it outside and it gets drenched by a snow blizzard. Will there be leaks? Will there be lot of noise in the cabin? Etc. etc.

I have no intention to track my car.

 

[need4speed]

I rented a convertible once while on a vacation in Miami and I can never forget the experience. It was incredible. Will the roof leak or say damage if the Convertible is parked outside under heavy snow?

These are my must haves -

>> Cold weather pkg
>> Driver assistance pkg
>> Technology pkg
>> MSport pkg
Nice to have

>> Lighting pkg
>> Driver assistance plus
>> 19" wheels

What do you think?

Maintenance costs would be the same. The roof on there cars very rarely (as in almost never) leak. I guess if you put enough snow on the roof, the weight would eventually damage it. How much, I don't know. I would think several inches would be fine. if you start getting into feet of snow, it would be good to go out and brush it off.
If you want to drive it in the winter, be sure you have all season tires or swap out the summer tires for winter rubber. I don't know if some variant of the M Sport pkg. comes with A/S tires or not. In SC I never worry about it much. These are great convertibles, if you love open air driving, imho the 4 series are the best example you can get for anywhere near the money. Good luck. N4S

 

[UNC2016]

I recently wrestled with the same decision before i bought my 2016 4 series. I have test driven various convertibles over the years but never owned one. Living in the South, I don't worry about snow that much. For me it came down to how much time would I actually drive with the top down. I have a 10-15 minute drive to work and rarely take long driving trips in my car ( usually take the wife's). My experience with friends that have a convertible is that the convertible feature rarely gets used after the first year or two. For me the sunroof and having the windows down was good enough, so I bought the a 435 coupe. I priced the cars with a similar set of packages/options on each. I buy my cars versus leasing them as I tend to keep them for a long time. The money saved was not insignificant...almost 10K lower than a similarly spec'd 'vert. I have no regrets.

 

[cubsnlinux]

I recently wrestled with the same decision before i bought my 2016 4 series. I have test driven various convertibles over the years but never owned one. Living in the South, I don't worry about snow that much. For me it came down to how much time would I actually drive with the top down. I have a 10-15 minute drive to work and rarely take long driving trips in my car ( usually take the wife's). My experience with friends that have a convertible is that the convertible feature rarely gets used after the first year or two. For me the sunroof and having the windows down was good enough, so I bought the a 435 coupe. I priced the cars with a similar set of packages/options on each. I buy my cars versus leasing them as I tend to keep them for a long time. The money saved was not insignificant...almost 10K lower than a similarly spec'd 'vert. I have no regrets.

These are the exact use cases I am wrestling with. I have two young kids and this car will be only to commute to work. For everything else we take the family car (read SUV )

The price difference as you said is significant. I put in an order for a fully loaded Coupe. However I can cut down the options to make up for some of the price difference. I intend to keep this car for at least 6-7 years so I want to get this right and not have regrets.

 

[cubsnlinux]

To make things more interesting, my Coupe is now built and is waiting for a vessel in Bremerhaven. So if I change my mind now I would have to forfeit my $1000.00 deposit. I am ready to do so if it means I am making the right choice by going with a convertible.

 

[cubsnlinux]

I really appreciate any input both from current owners of BMW Convertibles about your experiences and the usefulness and people who didn't go the convertible route, reasons and if you regret not getting a convertible.

 

[Kadify]

I've never had a BMW convertible but I had a soft top audi convertible on CO for a year or two before moving to FL and it did just fine in the snow. The rubber seals would lead on occasion but if you oil them they get more supple and are fine. I would imagine a hardtop convertible would be even more resilient too. That being said, I put the top down literally whenever I got in the car unless it was under 65 degrees or over 100, which in CO is a good part of the year, and in FL is an even bigger part of the year, so I got my fair use out of the convertible premium on that car. I think you need to look at how you drive to see if the convertible would be justified for your lifestyle.

 

[tturedraider]

I rented a convertible once while on a vacation in Miami and I can never forget the experience. It was incredible. Will the roof leak or say damage if the Convertible is parked outside under heavy snow?

These are my must haves -

>> Cold weather pkg
>> Driver assistance pkg
>> Technology pkg
>> MSport pkg
Nice to have

>> Lighting pkg
>> Driver assistance plus
>> 19" wheels

What do you think?

These are the exact use cases I am wrestling with. I have two young kids and this car will be only to commute to work. For everything else we take the family car (read SUV )

The price difference as you said is significant. I put in an order for a fully loaded Coupe. However I can cut down the options to make up for some of the price difference. I intend to keep this car for at least 6-7 years so I want to get this right and not have regrets.

One thing I notice in Chicago having moved here from Texas, because of the heat in Texas there is more top down weather here than in Texas. I'm always amazed at how many convertibles I see here.

I don't think leaks need to concern you. I can't remember the last time I saw a post on Bimmerfest complaining about a roof leak.

I think you could easily drop all of your nice to haves. The car comes with xenons and they work great. In fact, some people prefer them to LEDs. DA+ doesn't give you anything you can't live without. And 19" wheels just make the ride harsher, are more susceptible to damage, and 19" tires are considerably more expensive.

 

[STR3T]

Good points all around. If you're losing an add'l $1k deposit to switch an order, that would make it harder to swallow. Only you can answer if it's financially worth it. Think through all things, pro's/con's, that Coupe vs. Convertible have. Rigidity, trunk space, potential creaks (mine's extremely quiet so far but that can certainly change over time, more likely with a convert), etc.

I'd also go test drive both, back to back, to see if you notice a big enough difference to care/matter.

 

[bear-avhistory]

You have to have a least one convertible. Have had at least one continuously since 1960. The SUV is a good family truck so give yourself a treat.

 

[tturedraider]

To make things more interesting, my Coupe is now built and is waiting for a vessel in Bremerhaven. So if I change my mind now I would have to forfeit my $1000.00 deposit. I am ready to do so if it means I am making the right choice by going with a convertible.

There aren't many places where deposits are not refundable. Are you 100% certain it isn't refundable? Especially if you're ordering the convertible from the same dealer. As long as your coupe isn't some weird build there's no reason the dealer can't sell it off the lot.

 

[veery]

Am I mistaken or isn't the 440i a 2-door (and the Gran Coupé has 4)? If I am right, then I imagine getting two kids* in the back would be MUCH easier in the 'vert. Fitting kid seats and kids through the front door is a PAIN, and that is specifically why I drive a 4 door car.

If you are buying a Gran Coupé, then forget everything I just wrote, and add "I am jealous."

*Perhaps you don't plan to put the kids in this new car and just use your SUV for them - it's not 100% obvious, but you seem to allude to that. If you buy the convertible, I guarantee that at some point the kids will insist you take them for a top down ride. If your wife ever uses the new bimmer (SUV in shop?), and wants to take the kids, she will not be happy when she tries to put the kid seats in it, convertible or not. If I were you the decision is between Gran Coupé and the convertible. I'm not you, and with two young grandkids, putting in the kiddie seats is a pain in both my 328xi and our X3. Kids, not so much.

 

[caswcu]

To make things more interesting, my Coupe is now built and is waiting for a vessel in Bremerhaven. So if I change my mind now I would have to forfeit my $1000.00 deposit. I am ready to do so if it means I am making the right choice by going with a convertible.

your the only one that can make the right choice. to negate some of the postings, I have had convertibles for some time. They get used every nice day, I dont mind how hot it is outside! convertible is a different experience than a car with a sunroof and windows open. my suggestion is to test drive a coupe with windows down and sunroof open and then the same car in convertible.

 

[UNC2016]

Also ask your wife if your kids would be allowed to ride in a 'vert. My wife gave me an emphatic "NO"!

 

[tex2670]

I am trying to decide between a fully loaded 440i Coupe and a not so fully loaded 440i Convertible.

I will be driving this car in Minnesota. What do you guys recommend? My heart says Convertible but my mind says Coupe as I can install a lot more bells and whistles for the $9000 price difference.

It's your car, not ours. Do you like convertibles? Get what you want, because you are the one that has to live with the car.