BMW e46 cabriolet- cool or not ?

Popular answer: absolutely not.

Real answer: who cares? Buy what you want. Just buy something to cover your bald patch. Maybe a BMW baseball cap?

Maybe.

The generation before are cooler IMHO.

I don't think this place is the place to answer whether something is cool or not..... 

If you like it, go for it.

The generation before are cooler IMHO.

Nah. E30 FTW.

Big hair and shoulder pads 'tastic.

@gobuchul, that's what I actually meant. My mistake.

@ads678 although using "cool" is not on fleek.

its not an audi so thats a plus

No, of course they're not cool. Any car that starts off as a saloon and then has the roof chopped off is deeply deeply uncool. 

But really; if you like it, want it and can afford it, **** what anyone else thinks, crack on. 

Not cool.

BMWs lost their way when they got all flabby. That just looks like a half sucked sweet.

But if you feel cool (blood cold and a bit damp) then who gives a crap. Get in it and drive (up someone's arse)

Don't forget to forget to signal.

No, of course they’re not cool. Any car that starts off as a saloon and then has the roof chopped off is deeply deeply uncool.

This.

I'm also not a fan of BMW prostituting their actual motorsport heritage by sticking M-Sport badges on absolutely anything.  At least its not a diesel.

But hey if you like it go for it.  As much as it isn't cool I'd rather see this on the road than another pointless SUV.

I like them. That probably definitely means they're not cool.

"The only person to look good in the back of a 4-seater convertible was Adolf Hitler" - Mr J Clarkson. As I rule IMO convertibles should be 2-seat only but the e46 is decent-looking. Wouldn't want to be a rear seat passenger being blown around with the roof down though - I owned a Z4 for 5 years and that was bad enough sat in the front/only seats.

@Kramer

although using “cool” is not on fleek.

What??

Delightfully un-cool.

An old car that's well looked after and owned with pride is cool in my book.  Far more so than anything brand new. 

Nice looking car, but refering to it as an e46 (rather than e.g. a 2003 3 series cabrio) crosses the line into exceptionally dull.

Not cool but not bad enough to provoke many reactions from random passers-by. I'm still not convinced global warming has progressed to the point a soft-top makes much sense in this country either. I had a 2002 E46 330Ci and it was getting expensive in parts/servicing by the time I got rid of it in 2012, not sure I'd want a similar car but 10 years older.

Not my cup of char, but I think the coupe and saloon versions of these look really nice now.

Do you need the back seats for kiddos? Otherwise why not get the classic mid-life crisis MX5? Or even better an MR2?

I prefer e30, but going for silly money now.  I just watched high peak autos on yt buying an Audi convertible 05, bills were massive but still looked fresh.

He nailed it, in uk such rare event a sunny day that the auto roof doesn't get used enough, hence needs work.

I see loads of BMW/Audi cabriolets of this sort around - never with the hood down though even on the sunniest of days! 🙂

The example car you posted - It's perfectly OK, but cool would be pushing it.

...but anything with cream interior...a thousand times NO.

ads678
Full Member
I don’t think this place is the place to answer whether something is cool or not…..

It is, just not the way you're thinking.

Surely cooler with a proper engine no?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202310223241967

If you like them you like them, simple. I like their lines too with the roof down, not so much up, a bit too much Silver Cross.

Coincidentally while BMW fans are around, what's the hive mind view on the e36 M3 Convertible, I have first dibs on one in the next couple of weeks. Needs shocks and some hood restitching I think, but not much else, and will be cheap.

Edit, if you only like the look with the roof down, don't bother. The only time the roof will be down will be when you're driving it and won't get to see it.

@midlifecrashes

what’s the hive mind view on the e36 M3 Convertible

Poseur’s car, not stiff enough and not properly engineered. The worst E36 M3

I've got  2.2 and a 3.0i Z4 both 6 cyl and the 2.2 does sound great from the back end but the torque and induction sound with only one of the foams removed I'd look for the bigger engine

The e85 z4 still look great roof up or down and cheap to buy

I drive a convertible Mercedes E class and while probably not cool, it is a nice car. WIth the roof up it is as quiet and comfortable as a saloon and with the roof down you don't get blown around. HEated seats, air-scarf (warm air on your neck from the seat) and good heaters meant you are not cold or uncomfortable as long as it is not actually raining. Electric hoods work fairly quickly if it does start raining.

Unless you are planning on driving like a racing driver more than 70% of the time you won't notice the 'terrible chassis flex and extra weight' that so many people who have watched Top Gear and read a magazine will continually tell you about.

My wife had an E46 330i Cabriolet for a couple of years. Worked for us as we have kids, but as above if you don't there's very little excuse for a 4 seat convertible! 

I do like how they look. Ours got plenty of use with the roof off. Heated seats make this doable all year round. As a driver's car it's not great because of having the roof chopped off. Engine was lovely though and almost made up for it. Wouldn't bother with the smaller engines as even the 3 litre is only moderately nippy. 

Cool with the lid down?

I like the look of them but I like being let out of road junctions occasionally even more.

I like the E30 but tbh I think it’s adolescent fantasies about Beverly Hills 90210 and Kelly.

TBH they aren’t crazy money here but living in a warm country you soon realise that cabrios don’t really work that well, I find I can’t actually read the Speedo when the roofs down and if you haven’t got your baseball cap on you end up with sun stroke after an hours drive.

On the other hand my MX5 (electric) roof goes down for about 80% of journeys, and heated electric seats together with a strong heater keep me toasty in all but sub zero motorway runs where I’d be fine too if I was less than 6 feet tall. Convertible driving isn’t about the weather, it’s the openness and connection to your surroundings that matters, not working on your tan.

I ran exactly that - an e46 320 vert - for a summer, a couple of years ago.

I'd say the engine is very much a cruiser not a bruiser; I felt an auto box would have suited the car far better than the manual it had.

With the hood up, it's pretty much rock solid and would be perfectly useable as your only car, year round. I didn't have the hood up much tho...

I'm not at all sure it was in anyway cool, although I got a lot of flashes, toots and thumbs up, especially from lorry drivers for some reason, as I drove it roof down in all sorts of cold and damp conditions!

I was looking in the £1000 - £2000 range, but actually spent £2200 on it from a garage; it was in another league in terms of condition and build quality from anything else I looked at (inc MGF, MX5, Audi A4 and TT, Saab 9-3, Merc SLK and probably one or two more I've forgotten) and I sold it on privately for £1900 after 6 months. Nothing went wrong and it felt like nothing was about to.

It very much scratched the convertible itch for me for a while; the "going for a nice drive" lifestyle part was a bit squished by SWMBO declaring it was a bad hayfever year for her and not wanting the top down; she was also terrified the dog would jump out of the back and so he had to be crated in  there, which was tight; and the dog himself was absolutely terrified of the roof going up and down for some reason. If the lifestyle thing had come together rather than falling apart, I'd probably have kept it sorned/garaged over winter and still have it now.

At their age now, e46's do rust a bit especially around the arches and boot I believe, so check it over carefully. 

redmex
Free Member
I’ve got 2.2 and a 3.0i Z4 both 6 cyl and the 2.2 does sound great from the back end but the torque and induction sound with only one of the foams removed I’d look for the bigger engine
The e85 z4 still look great roof up or down and cheap to buy

I'd forgotten about the 'sound generator' and removing the foam - removed it all from mine briefly, quickly put a bit back in (mine was the M54 3.0i) as that was too much! Owned that 5 years, if it was dry then my roof was down regardless of the temperature: frustrating having to wait for the roof fabric to defrost before lowering the roof...

e85 Z4 worthy of a look unless the OP really needs the 4 seats.

I own an E46 coupe and have had it for coming up on 20 years. It’s a really nice, mile munching motorway / decent A road cruiser. It’s absolutely awful over anything bumpy. As it’s 20 years old it’s lacking things like smartphone integration and my 2002 version has a cassette player as standard. It’s fast but not in an exciting way but plenty quick enough to upset people here. It’s very well built. It’s not so cool that some 20 something is going to think you’re anything other than enjoying a rather lame mid life crisis. I would absolutely have another one as it’s at least equal to current cars that I’ve rented and seems to have enough of a following that they might start to creep up in value rather than fall.

If you fancy one, just buy it.

You won't get useful advice here...haven't got one but would/wouldn't love one; have one and love/hate it; had one and loved/hated it.

They do have more than a slight whiff of poor drug dealer about them

If you want the full dealer look go for the m3 version. Cream leather gives you extra bonus points as spilt drugs ent show so much

Be clear it’s not a sports car, be clear that due to its age any example will have been owned by at 3 drug dealers and poorly maintained 

Not cool currently, but in 5 years it will be. Buy it, enjoy for five years and I think you could sell it for more than you paid for it.

Assuming you look after it and it's not currently overpriced.

I had an E46 coupe until recently (discussed here: https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/help-me-decide-which-of-two-specific-cars-to-buy-bmw-content/) and loved it. I had it for 13 years and apart from one or two sensor failures and the usual wear and tear there were virtually no bills. 

It looked great - kind of timeless instead of dated - was quick without being silly. It feels to me like it's in the last generation of cars that you actually have to 'drive' instead of being 90% computer controlled. Not sure I'd want a cabriolet but that's just my choice.

I replaced it with a 2010 (E92) coupe. It's more luxurious but it also feels less characterful than the E46. It's bound to have more go wrong with it too, but I'm digressing.

Not my cup of char, but I think the coupe and saloon versions of these look really nice now.

Do you need the back seats for kiddos? Otherwise why not get the classic mid-life crisis MX5? Or even better an MR2?

@chakaping, we did exactly this - ended up a toss up between a local 330CI convertible or MR2.

MR2 (facelift gen3) won, although sometimes I wish we'd taken the BMW. That being said OP, the 330CI tax was over £600 a year, and I just couldn't justify that. Madness.

Thanks for the input - I’ve had my share of mid life crises cars over the years from the insane to the boring. <br /><br />

Always fancied one, so Will give it a go !