Recently I was within a whisker of purchasing a lovely MX5 Roadster....unfortunately the seller realised that the £8k depreciation hit over two years would be less if the vehicle was sold when the weather warms up...although hope springs eternal!
Crying into my beer, a friend suggested a left of field alternative....a 330 Ci petrol convertible.
My main criteria is always reliability...with my small annual mileage mpg is not an issue. The downsides are increased vulnerability because of the soft top, more expensive spares, and it will be older, probably '04 with 45k miles, rather than '07 with 15k miles as per the MX5.The upside is that I could fit a towbar, and access for an elderly relative would be possible!
Any thoughts/experience of this model would be appreciated.
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I have owned a 2003 330Ci (not convertible) for 2 years, it has been completely reliable in that time. The only issues I have had are with fluke items, a binding brake calliper and reversing sensor failure and yes the spares can be expensive (£120 for the reversing sensor, BMW part only!).
Like you I don't do a lot of miles, I get about 30 mpg from mixed driving which is perfectly acceptable to me. I have just replaced the rear tyres after 17k, the fronts look like lasting at least twice that.
I use an independent garage for servicing, had the big inspection 2 service done a year ago for £300, have additional oil changes between regular services working out at 7.5k between changes.
Overall I find it cheap to run in all areas compared with my previous car a GT-Four.
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Thanks Marc4Six.
That is encouraging
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I've got an e46 318 Ci convertible. Also just replaced the back tyres after 17000 miles but apart from that no problems whatsoever apart from what seems quite thin paint. Certainly susceptible to stone chips. And surprisingly practical, as you can fold up the compartment the hood drops down into when its closed. Any other questions just ask.
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When I got my Z3 last year I looked at 3-series convertibles, but they were quite a bit more expensive. If you were thinking about an MX5, a Z4 might be a possibility - depending on how much of a priority towing the elderly relative is....
(Anything is possible it seems - you may have seen the picture in the papers recently of a (clearly eccentric) man towing a trailer complete with a Christmas tree the size of a house behind - a G-Wiz.)
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Like some of the other replies I've not got a 330Ci but back in April I bought an '02 325 Touring...... my only regret is I didnt buy the 330 ! If you look around and buy one which has been looked after you potentially have many years of very enjoyable motoring.
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