£25-£30k - Spec me a convertible

hurfdurf

hurfdurf

hurfdurf

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Recently I was lucky enough to be offered what I paid for my 2011 BMW Z4 35iS 2 years and 20k miles ago. I was out of the used approved manufacturers warranty and never really fell in love with the car, to the point where I was a little bitter towards it and it’s depreciation, despite it being a very nice place to be every day.

I’m currently sat on my money, driving one of my parents cars (a 2014 poverty spec Polo) with my sights on a M4 waiting for the used car market to become a bit more sane.

I thought I’d start a thread and see if there is anything else I should be looking at test driving and crossing my fingers for. It’s a little awkward because I’m not really fixed on what I need in a car. I don’t have children, and whilst it will be a daily driver, my commute is tiny.

The only really must have is that it’s an Automatic.

Reasons I like the M4:

Convertible
Fast
Special (in comparison to a M440i)
Can fit 4 adults (I don’t need it to buy that might be occasionally useful)
Can get a used approved one with 12 months safety net warranty wise

Is there anything else I should be looking at?

I’ve considered a Golf R of some kind (doesn’t really compete with an M4 looks or Convertible wise), a TT-RS (out of budget by £10k), F-type (out of budget by £5k)

All suggestions welcome, I’m happy to broaden my horizon.
 

Spleen Sauce

Spleen Sauce

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Hmm. A good V8 RS5 is probably in budget, worth a look. A BMW 650i is a decent shout as above, would have thought an M6 at this price would be iffy but could be wrong.

Really depends whether you need mod-cons or not. If it's the driving experience you're looking for more than creature comforts then I'd probably be looking at a Carrera S. Could go daft and get a Bentley Continental GT - I've always wanted one but for no reason other than they're a bit silly and have some 'theatre' about them.

An XKR is in budget but I'm not sure i'd be buying one without a very solid warranty.
 

paradigm

paradigm

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The one thing I’d say, is 4 decent sized adults will be a squeeze. It’s tight even with a toddler and a baby in the rear, and I’m only 5’10”.

Also, whilst the M4 is mildly more special than a 440i (there’s no M440i), for 95% of the time this will make no difference. However, I fully appreciate the draw of wanting the M4 over a 440i.

I would take the 440i convertible (let alone an M4) over a Golf R without even thinking about it.

When I was contemplating spending M4 money whilst purchasing my 440i, I heavily considered the Maserati Grancabrio. Massively more special than the BMW, but equipment levels are poop.
 

rG-tom

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paradigm said:
The one thing I’d say, is 4 decent sized adults will be a squeeze. It’s tight even with a toddler and a baby in the rear, and I’m only 5’10”.

Also, whilst the M4 is mildly more special than a 440i (there’s no M440i), for 95% of the time this will make no difference. However, I fully appreciate the draw of wanting the M4 over a 440i.

I would take the 440i convertible (let alone an M4) over a Golf R without even thinking about it.
Click to expand...

440i with MP PSK (dealer fit/warrantied exhaust and remap to ~360-380bhp) and the m-performance LSD could make it that bit more special, too.....
 

Kenai

Kenai

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paradigm said:
Also, whilst the M4 is mildly more special than a 440i (there’s no M440i)
Click to expand...

I feel like we'd be letting Motors down if we weren't to pedantically point out that there is an M440i Convertible, it's just nowhere near the budget :p

(I am also willing to accept that some people have mentally blocked out the existence of the new shape cars :p)
 

Bear

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naefeart said:
Kinda missing the point there chum.

Who doesn’t like the wind in their hair… etc.

I think I would’ve had one by now, if I lived somewhere that rained less. Maybe for my midlife crisis.
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Not me, wife and I rented a Mustang convertible in Kauai (Hawaii), put the roof down on the first day and it stayed up the rest of the time. Aircon on and no sunburn far more preferable for me
 

paradigm

paradigm

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Bear said:
Not me, wife and I rented a Mustang convertible in Kauai (Hawaii), put the roof down on the first day and it stayed up the rest of the time. Aircon on and no sunburn far more preferable for me
Click to expand...
Convertibles actually suit our climate better than most. If there’s no precipitation, I have my roof off, doesn’t need to be a sunny day!
 

Graetzbridge

Graetzbridge

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naefeart said:
Kinda missing the point there chum.

Who doesn’t like the wind in their hair… etc.

I think I would’ve had one by now, if I lived somewhere that rained less. Maybe for my midlife crisis.
Click to expand...
No. I am exactly making the point. I used to drive a lot, mainly on business. I don't need a lot of racket for that.
 

naefeart

naefeart

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Bear said:
Not me, wife and I rented a Mustang convertible in Kauai (Hawaii), put the roof down on the first day and it stayed up the rest of the time. Aircon on and no sunburn far more preferable for me
Click to expand...

We rented one in California and I thought it was awesome. I drove from LA to Vegas with the top down and eventually on to SanFran. For Death Valley we had the top up, but that was about it :D
 
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